DND 5E Interest Check

[PhantomPistoleer]

Table of Contens
-- Premise
-- Creation
-- Structure
-- Thoughts

Premise
I want to run a game, but I'm looking for community opinions on what they'd like to see in a DND game on E.  Please take my preferences with a grain of salt.  Ultimately, I want to run a game that has some consensus.

I prefer:
-- Using Faerun as a setting;
-- Using modules as a skeleton of the adventure;
-- Using short, frequent posts over long, infrequent posts; and,
-- Having powerful PCs because I am inadequate at providing:
1. XP;
2. Rewards;
3. level appropriate challenges.
(It seems that people dislike powerful gestalts)

Creation
I prefer:
-- Characters with humble origins who are:
1.  Level 1;
2.  Gestalt;
3.  Higher-than-average ability points.
-- I like characters who are made collaboratively.

Structure
I strongly dislike very long posts.  I think the bane of my RP life is reading over posts that kind of look like this:

"Phantom responded to so and so.
Then he responded to someone else.
Then he made some cookies.
Then he asked so and so a question.
Before getting an answer, Phantom then went off with an entirely different person."

I prefer for posts to be concise and dynamic rather than long and static.

I also prefer to simplify certain aspects of DND by creating roles:
1.  Leader, in charge of formation;
2.  Spotter, in charge of perceiving dangers;
3.  Searcher, in charge of searching for dangers;
4.  Accountant, in charge of identifying and divvying loot and items.

To that end, I think it's important to sort of "wave" certain predicates and simply state that leaders, spotters, searchers, and accountants are always doing these things, and that any requisite rolls will be performed by the DM with an advantage to the PC.  For example, the party enters the hallway.  The searcher, entrusted by the party to search for traps, does not then have to say, "I search the hallway for traps."  The GM will automatically assume that the searcher has performed his obligation and has rolled on his behalf.

As for smut, I prefer for sex to be a side activity rather than the focus of the game.  I like sexy characters who have slutty personalities, but I don't enjoy games where parties move from one sex scene to another.

Thoughts
What kind of game do people want to see run on E?

[Miroque]

Open and fresh start PhantomP.

For me, I would like to see character growth. Somany games here die before they even get off, for few reasons, people tend to see games so differently and create characters in vacuum and/or into different game.

Less homebrew (none would be best), as everything that changed the system tend to throw wrench into it. Like Gestal for instance. System is clearly not handeling it well, as it wrecks the balance. Some gestals are so much more powerful than others, where base system is tried to build into balance. (Sure, some classes/options are superior to others, IF game/setting gives them to be.. like darkvision in underground crawl game.. But I see that as an tool more than disadvantage, as Its tool for GM.

Less powerful characters need to make plans, instead using the easiest option (violence), as go to solution. Not only is violence boring 9/10 times, it sucks the life out of most roleplaying situations. (Sure, fantasy needs to have that danger aspect, but..Even Conan toke time and tried to sneak instead of storming the capita..i meen Tulsa Doom's castle)

Posting is pretty much personal preference. I like to post short, if its action post, as combat should be fast and no long conversations should take place, but putside action, I like to post as detailed as the situation demands. Mindscape post I dislike.. as I love 'Show not tell' type of drama. Excample, if my char dislikes something, I will not write what she thinks, but what she does to it, speaks of it, etc. It gives other players hook to act on, with their characters.

Group dynamics is always setting/genre thing. If game starts PCs not knowing each other, dynamics should be organicly build, not preset by players, even characters should never been build in vacuum. (We call this Session Zero, where GM and players talk about the campaign, rules, setting, etc.)

[RedKnight]

My background and bias. I’m part of a group running a successful long-term (5+ years) Open/Shared World on another server. Unfortunately, the other server has a strict PG-13 policy. I came to Elliquiy to find collaborators for more erotic (e.g., sexually explicitly, kinky) adventures.

Here are some things that I like:

Open/Shared World. because the loss of GM doesn’t mean the loss of the game and all the characters.

Shorter Episodic Adventures, that make it easier for characters/players to join, leave and or merely take a time-out.

Discord and Google Docs. I have played and am playing several games in Discord, as well as the Forum. Somehow Discord just  seems to be faster and easier than in the Forums.

[AribethAmkiir]

I just want to play D&D and have fun. 

See my character mature and grow.   Have fun with the group. Not seemingly have one player trying to get their way, railroad the rest into doing it their way, or trying to back stab/sew dissention among the group because they don't like the module, are bored with the way things are going, or simply because it's a Wednesday.

I'd love to have a group where we can all work together and have fun.   Power levels, sex, roles, open world vs. module; it all takes a distant second seat to the whole "get along and have fun".

[Terian]

I just want to get a chance to play DnD with a solid group that won't fall apart within a week or two, and ideally one that doesn't make sexytimes the entire focus of the story.

There are times when it's fine, but I want to have a fun adventure over all other considerations, and 'Everyone lewds each other and then leaves once they've had their fill' isn't a way to get that.

[HopeFox]

I think you've got some great ideas in here, Phantom, and I'd love to give another one of your games a try!

I also prefer to simplify certain aspects of DND by creating roles:
1.  Leader, in charge of formation;
2.  Spotter, in charge of perceiving dangers;
3.  Searcher, in charge of searching for dangers;
4.  Accountant, in charge of identifying and divvying loot and items.

To that end, I think it's important to sort of "wave" certain predicates and simply state that leaders, spotters, searchers, and accountants are always doing these things, and that any requisite rolls will be performed by the DM with an advantage to the PC.  For example, the party enters the hallway.  The searcher, entrusted by the party to search for traps, does not then have to say, "I search the hallway for traps."  The GM will automatically assume that the searcher has performed his obligation and has rolled on his behalf.

I think this is really important. It is a fact of life that running games on a forum like this isn't the same as running a live, in-person tabletop game, so it's silly to expect everything to run as smoothly as that (and really, are tabletop games ever smooth?). So games will run a lot more smoothly if everyone is willing to make certain assumptions and be a bit generous in their interpretations of each others' ideas and intentions, and that applies for player-to-player, player-to-DM and DM-to-player interactions.

Structure
I strongly dislike very long posts.  I think the bane of my RP life is reading over posts that kind of look like this:

"Phantom responded to so and so.
Then he responded to someone else.
Then he made some cookies.
Then he asked so and so a question.
Before getting an answer, Phantom then went off with an entirely different person."

I prefer for posts to be concise and dynamic rather than long and static.

I think I like games where posts can be long, but they don't have to be. If the thrust of a post can be conveyed concisely, then that should be all that's needed, but if somebody really wants to get into the social, emotional, aesthetic or technical details of what their character is doing, they can do that without it putting pressure on anybody else to follow suit.

As for smut, I prefer for sex to be a side activity rather than the focus of the game.  I like sexy characters who have slutty personalities, but I don't enjoy games where parties move from one sex scene to another.

"Sexy characters with slutty personalities" perfectly typifies what I like to see too. Sex shouldn't be what is slowing down the game - side threads are ideal for that stuff - but I want to be in a game where characters can enjoy sex and it's a likely outcome of adventuring together.

I prefer:
-- Characters with humble origins who are:
1.  Level 1;
2.  Gestalt;
3.  Higher-than-average ability points.
-- I like characters who are made collaboratively.

Humble origins and made collaboratively are definite selling points for me. I think that sort of thing makes for more robust and enjoyable parties. Personally I lean towards the ability scores and systems that are the default from the books, because I think that's where the balance is best and the most interesting character building decisions can be made (no point trying to decide between +2 Str and Sentinel if you already have Str 20 at level 4), but I doubt I'd ever lose interest in a game because the balance point wasn't where I preferred it.

[PhantomPistoleer]

All right, so, if I do run something, I won't do gestalt, and character creation will be standard.

[RedKnight]

All right, so, if I do run something, I won't do gestalt, and character creation will be standard.

I would recommend players collaboratively developing characters and a shared backstory in a session 0. A bunch of stand-alone character concept and or an imbalanced party can be tough on a GM.

[PhantomPistoleer]

I would recommend players collaboratively developing characters and a shared backstory in a session 0. A bunch of stand-alone character concept and or an imbalanced party can be tough on a GM.

Yes, I agree.

I tend to devote a lot of energy towards making sure that characters have an organic relationship.

[Heinakori]

I just want to get a chance to play DnD with a solid group that won't fall apart within a week or two, and ideally one that doesn't make sexytimes the entire focus of the story.

There are times when it's fine, but I want to have a fun adventure over all other considerations, and 'Everyone lewds each other and then leaves once they've had their fill' isn't a way to get that.

I'm 100% with you on this. I don't really care about general lewdness, but I want the adult crisp whisked in a D&D game. Occasionally something lewd, or suggestive. Though realistically I just want a group that'd hold and I could finish an D&D campaign.

[Daril]

Looks like I am a little late to the party but I'd still like to give a few thoughts.

I actually kind of like being able to do Gestalt builds because some character concepts are difficult to make fit any particular class, and sometimes it is fun to play a character who is supposed to be powerful/elite/highly skilled.  I'm not sure how many people share my issues with character ideas that are difficult to fit into the constraints of a single class though.

If we are single classing would it be possible to start a little higher then level one?  Some classes feel a bit incomplete at levels one and two.  At level three archetypes have kicked in for all classes which gives some interesting character building options.

I do like games where the individual posts are relatively short (though not too short) for the most part.  It allows a frequent posting rate to be manageable.

I actually kind of like original settings since it allows flexibility with the lore (which I am often not that familiar with for official settings).  I like elves to be somewhat longer lived then humans but not to the point where they're totally unrelatable.

In general I like things to be sexy but with some restraint.  I like settings where gladiators and dancers can be scantily clad but bikini armor isn't the norm.  Then again I've been wanting to play a naked dragon girl and a barely clothed demon girl so maybe I'm being a bit inconsistent.

[PhantomPistoleer]

I like gestalt, too, Daril.  But I get why people don't like it...

::rubs forehead::

I strongly agree with what Aribeth said, though.

[Daril]

I more or less agree with what she said as well.  I'll probably take a look at anything you post and see if I can come up with a character that's a good fit.

That being said I am wondering what you and the other respondents think of the idea of starting at Level 3.  It seems to me that it might work well because its still relatively low level but would allow everyone the chance to choose an archetype regardless of what Class they are playing.  Though on the downside fights might take longer then if we started at Level 1 due to the higher HP at level 3.

[Miroque]

@Daril: Starting from lv3 is not an problem at all. It just needs to be worked into the setting. Problem with that comes from "world around". Are all adults lv3+?

Some "common" baddies, like goblins/kobolds etc start to make no sense as adversaries, unles sin great numbers, but then comes the game engine problem (number of attacks vs Hitpoints, as lv3 PCs ability to dish out greater damage is non existant, vs damage output of greater numbers.)  But thats always an balance issue for Gm anyway. Like in Eberron setting, all characters are veterans of the last (world) war, and start from lv3. Anod most npcs have levels aswell, being veterans of the last war...but civilians are sill commoners .. Eberron is uber high fantasy, with steampunk added to it, but still works, as the "glass mirror" level cap for NPCs is 9.. there are higher level npcs but they are very very very rare, as most powerful people died in the war.  This makes things like powerful spells (lv4+) very rare, and raise dead and such nigh impossible to get (which is very good thing, forces players to plan ahead, and maybe take steps away from combat solution).

Another thing that I like in Eberron, is how it takes count Divine beings (and the lack of them), is that no priest/hojlyperson has ever even talked to gods, except praying. They are "philosophical beings" more that flesh and divineblood.. even if you summon an Solar, they have not spoken to their creators.. but divine beings are still very much real, to those who worship them.

Forgotten Realms  on the other hand, really drops the ball there.. gods walk the earth.. and do miracles left and right... and meddle life of mortal realm all the time.. and given the vast power of FR gods... (but same goes to "questgiver" npcs in FR... they are so immerse powerful, that with few tricks they could make whole quests they give to the players themselves...  (and yes, I dislike uberpowerful npcs passionately)

And ..the dragongirl...
(lv 1) Specie: Dragonborn > Class: Sorceror (Red Dragonblooded)  > Profit... (scantly clad dragongirl, with allure, as CHa is their main stat...and can breath fire)

Demongirl:
(lv1) Specie: Tiefeling > Class: Bard  > Profit.. (lv3 choose College of Glamour or Eloguence, depending on the type of demon you want go)

[RedKnight]

I strongly second what Miroque says - both regards to starting at Level 3 and considering the world around the characters. Faerun is mostly designed to start off with lower level (powered) characters. While, Ebberon is a bit more high-powered with many NPCs being effectively leveled.

Personally, I like to start characters at 3rd level. It allows the player to more fully realize the character concept, rather than waiting for sub-classes to kick in.

[Daril]

@Daril: Starting from lv3 is not an problem at all. It just needs to be worked into the setting. Problem with that comes from "world around". Are all adults lv3+?

Some "common" baddies, like goblins/kobolds etc start to make no sense as adversaries, unles sin great numbers, but then comes the game engine problem (number of attacks vs Hitpoints, as lv3 PCs ability to dish out greater damage is non existant, vs damage output of greater numbers.)  But thats always an balance issue for Gm anyway. Like in Eberron setting, all characters are veterans of the last (world) war, and start from lv3. Anod most npcs have levels aswell, being veterans of the last war...but civilians are sill commoners .. Eberron is uber high fantasy, with steampunk added to it, but still works, as the "glass mirror" level cap for NPCs is 9.. there are higher level npcs but they are very very very rare, as most powerful people died in the war.  This makes things like powerful spells (lv4+) very rare, and raise dead and such nigh impossible to get (which is very good thing, forces players to plan ahead, and maybe take steps away from combat solution).

Another thing that I like in Eberron, is how it takes count Divine beings (and the lack of them), is that no priest/hojlyperson has ever even talked to gods, except praying. They are "philosophical beings" more that flesh and divineblood.. even if you summon an Solar, they have not spoken to their creators.. but divine beings are still very much real, to those who worship them.

Forgotten Realms  on the other hand, really drops the ball there.. gods walk the earth.. and do miracles left and right... and meddle life of mortal realm all the time.. and given the vast power of FR gods... (but same goes to "questgiver" npcs in FR... they are so immerse powerful, that with few tricks they could make whole quests they give to the players themselves...  (and yes, I dislike uberpowerful npcs passionately)

And ..the dragongirl...
(lv 1) Specie: Dragonborn > Class: Sorceror (Red Dragonblooded)  > Profit... (scantly clad dragongirl, with allure, as CHa is their main stat...and can breath fire)

Demongirl:
(lv1) Specie: Tiefeling > Class: Bard  > Profit.. (lv3 choose College of Glamour or Eloguence, depending on the type of demon you want go)

Thanks for the info Miroque.  My experience with 5E has been forum games many of which have been original so I wasn't really aware of how levels related to the official settings.

The dragon girl and demon girl weren't actually the characters I've had a lot of trouble with the builds for.  I was bringing them up in the context of my opinions on the level of sexiness.  In general I tend to think of myself as liking settings that are fairly relaxed but where it wouldn't generally be considered normal to walk around wearing a bikini unless maybe you're something like a dancer or a gladiator.  But a couple of the characters I've been wanting to play lately seem a bit at odds with that.  At any rate I'm just one voice on that issue so Phantom probably shouldn't read too much into my view on it.

Would you mind if I asked you about a couple of the character ideas that have given me trouble via PM?  It might be interesting to get your thoughts but I don't want to disrupt this thread's focus on Phantom's survey too much.

[RedKnight]

In terms of running around mostly or all nude, there are two aspects - society and DND class. In terms of society, the GM can easily create social more that don’t involve nudity taboos. In term of class design, there are a number of classes that don’t use or require armor. Additionally, there are game mechanics - eg Mage Armor, Barrier Tattoos that can replace actual armor.

[Miroque]

Would you mind if I asked you about a couple of the character ideas that have given me trouble via PM?  It might be interesting to get your thoughts but I don't want to disrupt this thread's focus on Phantom's survey too much.

Of course.. shoot. Im quite well versed in DnD (all editions) and balancing factors (within the system), but mostly, building character into X game, should always be talked wiht the Gm of said game, and other players, so there will no "I build thius, and others build that..." and all characters being as good and fitting as they are, are build into different games altogether... (read my first post, about session zero).

[PhantomPistoleer]

The Spelljammer adventure starts off at level 5 I think.  Maybe we could do that.

[HopeFox]

Spelljammer could be fun! Lots of interesting races and cultures, and lots of potential for both adventure and smut. :) I mean, plasmoid smut writes itself, honestly.

I should clarify that while I have opinions and preferences on things like starting level, ability scores and gestalt games, those things are all a lot less important to me than the other things, the things that actually make a game succeed or fail. So I really am happy to go along with whatever you and the other players find fun.