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Lizardfolk Lich
2008-02-12, 07:46 PM
I'm in a rut... whenever I think about creating new things for my campaign I am filled with despair because of my inadequacy. I'm afraid that I am turning away from D&D, what should I do?

Dan_Hemmens
2008-02-12, 07:48 PM
Play something else?

What're you interested in at the moment?

Creeps
2008-02-12, 07:49 PM
Yeah, I'd go do some gaming in another system for a while, depending what you're into.

Enguhl
2008-02-12, 07:50 PM
If this "inadequacy" is your problem, then just practice and play more. When I first started I wasn't having very much fun because I was playing with people that had 5+ years under their belts. But then I got better and understood the game better and can't wait until my next session.

Solo
2008-02-12, 08:08 PM
I'm in a rut... whenever I think about creating new things for my campaign I am filled with despair because of my inadequacy. I'm afraid that I am turning away from D&D, what should I do?

They sell medicine for inadequacy, you know.

bugsysservant
2008-02-12, 08:12 PM
Well, whenever I feel crushed beneath 3.x, and like D&D just hasn't got the same magic that it used to, I try to go back to OD&D. Losing all of the massive weight of the rules, and just trying to recreate the time when people just kinda took the rules and ran with them works for me. Maybe I'm weird, but I recommend going out and buying the Rules Compendium and trying a few sessions of that.

Tengu
2008-02-12, 08:52 PM
I'm not sure how much worth will my advice have, since DND never had any magic for me to begin with, but... what about switching to another game? Ask yourself what do you expect from an RPG (that DND doesn't have, or has too little of) and answer here, and I am sure people will be able to direct you towards a game that will meet your expectations.

horseboy
2008-02-12, 09:12 PM
Yes, just take a break play some Pokethulthu. Everythings better with a loyal Y'gollywog by your side.

Xuincherguixe
2008-02-12, 09:26 PM
To be honest, I'm not much of a fan of D&D. I've even been thinking that for the campaign I'm going to be doing to switch it to another system (likely a Shadowrun adaptation).

That being said? I recommend you run a campaign that's strange, and weird. Now is the time to break out psionics if you usually don't allow psionics. Or run an Evil Campaign if you don't allow Evil Characters. For extra fun, Evil Psionic Campaign. ("Oh god! I'm eating my own brain, but I'm not dying!").

Do a really dark and really serious game if you usually play fairly light and/or silly games. Or do a REALLY silly game, where the fourth wall gets broken ("I'd like to help you sir, but I'm just an non player character. And to be honest I'm terrified of what will happen when you go away. I think I might cease to exist because the plot no longer requires me.")

You could have a group of characters who decides to destroy the world, either for a good reason or completely arbitrarily they just decide to commit to the idea.


You could run an all chaotic campaign. In which case you'd want to have it pretty free form and expect the players to do all kinds of weird, and frequently stupid ideas. Which can also be fun.

Basically, this is the time to do all those games you've been thinking about.



Or you could try another game for awhile, and come back to D&D later if you still want to.

kjones
2008-02-12, 09:26 PM
D&D hasn't lost its magic. It's still right there, PHB, Chapter 10.

Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, I'll be here all week.

Glyde
2008-02-12, 09:31 PM
Focus more on roleplaying than all the 'game' parts of D&D. Forget about class balance and builds and min/maxing. Just get a good story going and roll with it.

holywhippet
2008-02-12, 09:37 PM
Are you DMing the campaign or playing in it? Try getting some inspiration from fantasy books/movies/shows. Or get a module someone has already done and switch to it for a while.

Jack_Simth
2008-02-12, 09:48 PM
I'm in a rut... whenever I think about creating new things for my campaign I am filled with despair because of my inadequacy. I'm afraid that I am turning away from D&D, what should I do?
Get a nice big listing of nouns, a nice big listing of verbs (or is that adjectives? Ah well, I forget...) that connect two nouns, and some dice; you use these to make a seed; e.g., you might have a noun list of ...

1) Dragon
2) Wizard
3) Rogue
4) King
5) Queen
6) Princess
7) Knight
8) Paladin
9) Lich
10) Kingdom

and a verb list of.

1) Eats
2) Kills
3) Corrupts
4) Cleanses
5) Births
6) Assassinates
7) Dominates
8) Marries
9) Charms
10) Deceives

Roll once on the Noun list, once on the verb list, then again on the noun list; you'll get a noun verb noun combination - perhaps Princess Eats Dragon - this is a seed. Once you've got your seed, think about why the first would desire to do such a thing to the second. Perhaps the princess has come across a ritual that requires devouring a Gold Dragon's heart, and grants immortality. The Princess wants this to happen - so she needs to arrange to get a gold dragon's heart. Perhaps she now hires the party to go slay a particular dragon for her (so she can get it's heart later). Perhaps she raises an army to go against the dragon for the purpose, and the party has to defend the dragon. Whatever. You now have a starting point.

AKA_Bait
2008-02-12, 10:30 PM
They sell medicine for inadequacy, you know.

It's called 'beer.' Typically comes in packs of 6 and multiples thereof. :smallwink:

Seriously though, what are the areas that are bugging you? Is this as a DM or as a Player? Personally, I'd suggest reading some new fiction in either case, probably a little out of your normal niche. You'd be surprised what kinds of ideas even an Agatha Christe novel can bring to your game table.

comicshorse
2008-02-12, 10:42 PM
Assuming your the D.M., which I am cause you refered to it as your campaign, try getting one of your players to take over for a bit and recharge your batteries as a player.
Or watch the DnD movie that should convince you their are people with much worse ideas than you out there

WhiteHarness
2008-02-12, 10:46 PM
Switch to GURPS.

Leon
2008-02-12, 11:07 PM
I'm in a rut... whenever I think about creating new things for my campaign I am filled with despair because of my inadequacy. I'm afraid that I am turning away from D&D, what should I do?

Step away and try something different

If you want something different i suggest having a look at this site http://www.perilplanet.com/

KoDT69
2008-02-12, 11:08 PM
Play World of Synnibarr, SenZar, or The Game That Should Never Be Mentioned or Played then you'll find that D&D isn't so bad. Unless of course, you like fighting Bears with lazer vision and Wings, Clams with fire breath weapons, or random disfigured humanoids with various quality professions like Cobbler / Street Surgeon (won't mention the bad ones). How about magic weapons so powerful they were forged specifically to slay deities? Oh yeah, it could be much worse!

Sam Panda
2008-02-12, 11:12 PM
I vote.. Play D6, or voice-based RPGs.

D&D has a lot of coolness to it, but sometimes just playing a game with none of the restraints and everything of the D&D Rules is a LOT of fun.
In fact, by sometimes, I mean always :P

Nerd-o-rama
2008-02-13, 12:30 AM
Run something off-the-wall from normal D&D. Like Greyhawk...IN SPACE! (Which is to say Spelljammer). Or Eberron...WITH GIANT ROBOTS! (Which is to say that game in my sig.)

Alternatively, pick up a new system that's better for running this wacky stuff. Like Mutants & Masterminds, which can run anything.

TheOOB
2008-02-13, 01:27 AM
Try a different system, there is lots of good systems. My personal suggestions:

Shadowrun 4e
True 20
Star Wars: SAGA Edition
7th Sea
New World of Darkness
-Vampire: The Requiem
-Werewolf: The Forsaken
-Mage: The Awakening
-Promethean: The Created
-Changeling: The Lost

Rad
2008-02-13, 03:08 AM
Well, whenever I feel crushed beneath 3.x, and like D&D just hasn't got the same magic that it used to, I try to go back to OD&D. Losing all of the massive weight of the rules, and just trying to recreate the time when people just kinda took the rules and ran with them works for me. Maybe I'm weird, but I recommend going out and buying the Rules Compendium and trying a few sessions of that.

I take it you meant the Rules Cyclopedia :smallsmile:
And yes, OD&D is great when you do not care about rules and effectiveness. It would need deep changes though to make happy people used to newer systems. Castles and Crusades is just that.

warmachine
2008-02-13, 05:00 AM
Tell us what fiction you like: Star Wars, Warhammer 40k novels, Lord of the Rings, World War II action films, cartoons, Robocop? Next, tell us what kind of game your interested in: over-the-top powers action-based, realistic action-based, politics and intrigue, exploration, space opera, comedy? Though this should be obvious from the fiction. Finally, tell us the time and effort you can put into customizing and homebrewing. Someone will be able to suggest a world and rules system that meets your needs.

Baxbart
2008-02-13, 06:37 AM
Switch to GURPS.

As much as I enjoy D&D, my roots are in GURPS (11+ years of, compared to about 2 years of D&D) and I would highly recommend it. It might do you to have a change of direction and get to grips with a system where mortality is waiting around every bend - and no group of 4 people in their right minds tries to take on a whole swarm of goblins all at once :smallwink:

Failing that, Call of Cthulu is always a bit of a laugh (though that might be because my current group can derail any hint of plot without a second thought)

Irreverent Fool
2008-02-13, 06:47 AM
You could run an all chaotic campaign. In which case you'd want to have it pretty free form and expect the players to do all kinds of weird, and frequently stupid ideas. Which can also be fun.

How is this a difference from any typical D&D game?

Storm Bringer
2008-02-13, 07:27 AM
How is this a difference from any typical D&D game?

the players know it's a bad idea rather than A Cunning Plan.:smallbiggrin: .

Mr. Friendly
2008-02-13, 07:50 AM
And yea Lizardfolk Lich, the Gods hath heard thy cries. Thy soul is crushed beneath bloated rules and glaring inconsistancies.

Soon thou shalt have delivered unto thee Dungeons and Dragons the Fourth.

Also, try Gamma World first edition if you can find it or 3rd edition if you can't. I didn't like 2e Gamma World. Supposedly there is a d20 system version of it called something else, but I thought it was meh. It didn't have the magic of Gamma World.

Pros and Cons of Gamma World 1e vs. 3e:

1e: MUCH more random mutations.
3e: Greater choice of characters and more stable mutations.

Xuincherguixe
2008-02-13, 10:42 AM
How is this a difference from any typical D&D game?

... Now that you point it out, not much. Just on a more frequent scale.

And it's actually encouraged.

crimson77
2008-02-13, 12:07 PM
I'm in a rut... whenever I think about creating new things for my campaign I am filled with despair because of my inadequacy. I'm afraid that I am turning away from D&D, what should I do?

Sit down and think for a moment, are you tired of the game mechanics, the group you are playing with, the actual tabletop/virtual atmosphere of the game?

If you are tired of the mechanics, then try a different system. d20 is not for everyone.

If you are tired of your group, find another group, to start one.

If you are tired of the tabletop atmosphere, then try a different hobby. I took a 4 year break from role playing games. It will always be there when you want to come back (in less your mom throws away your books, but by then there will be a new system).

Blue Paladin
2008-02-13, 12:41 PM
[The Big List of Nouns]
[The Big List of Verbs]
King Births Rogue
------------------------------
QUEEN: What do you mean, what am I doing here? It's my baby, not yours!
THIEF GUILD LEADER: Hey. I put it in there.
QUEEN: It's MY EGG!
THIEF GUILD LEADER: Yeah, just 'cause your egg's in some guy doesn't make you the mother!

Kingdom Assassinates Dragon
------------------------------
"I am Firefang, Great Red Wyrm of the North! Tremble before me and despair!"
*I am the Kingdom of Kieron. And I'm flanking you right now. With myself!* (stabs dragon in the back with a mountain)

Lich Marries Paladin
------------------------------
(Odd Couple theme)

This is the most awesome idea ever.

KoDT69
2008-02-13, 12:59 PM
the players know it's a bad idea rather than A Cunning Plan.:smallbiggrin: .

I agree whole-fartedly. Both of my groups qualify for this example. Most of their best plans are contrived and silly in a serious game, but sadly enough come up with plans equally crappy when trying to intentionally be dorks. :smalleek: I need a good group... :smallbiggrin:

Indon
2008-02-13, 01:30 PM
Lich Marries Paladin
------------------------------
(Odd Couple theme)

One's a champion of a deity.
The other's a wayward creature of evil.
Together, they fight monsters!

Frosty
2008-02-13, 03:34 PM
It's called 'beer.' Typically comes in packs of 6 and multiples thereof. :smallwink:

Actually, I think beer may be one of the causes of inadequacy if you consume too much.

Leliel
2008-02-13, 03:50 PM
*Casts Fireball*

Oh, wait, you ment metaphorically. My mistake.

Jack_Simth
2008-02-13, 04:45 PM
King Births Rogue
------------------------------
QUEEN: What do you mean, what am I doing here? It's my baby, not yours!
THIEF GUILD LEADER: Hey. I put it in there.
QUEEN: It's MY EGG!
THIEF GUILD LEADER: Yeah, just 'cause your egg's in some guy doesn't make you the mother!

Kingdom Assassinates Dragon
------------------------------
"I am Firefang, Great Red Wyrm of the North! Tremble before me and despair!"
*I am the Kingdom of Kieron. And I'm flanking you right now. With myself!* (stabs dragon in the back with a mountain)

Lich Marries Paladin
------------------------------
(Odd Couple theme)

This is the most awesome idea ever.

It's actually a very old idea, not mine originally; as far as I'm aware, the originator has been lost to history. This incarnation of it is a simple variation on a trick used by professional writers - and as the intent is to write a plot, it fits very nicely. The real trick to it is coming up with the surrounding stuff to make it plausible in context:

King Births Rogue: perhaps the King got kidnapped by a Sorcerer (who was having a devil of a time arranging for the fulfillment of a prophecy that he decided was a recipie for immortality) and Polymorphed the King into a woman, mind-controlled "her" into conceiving with a particular being, kept the "king" in chains and in female form for the nine months (or whatever) then released the king to wend his way back into the kingdom. The king, being an honorable sort, wants his child out of the twisted hands of the Sorcerer. Enter the PC's.

Kingdom Assassinates Dragon: There's a dragon terrorizing the countryside, and the kingdom needs it killed (preferably in its sleep, away from where the battle will hurt people). Enter the PC's. Catch: There's a (semi) legitimate reason the dragon is doing this; the dragon is attempting to collect on a debt of some kind.

Lich Marries Paladin: Lich needs an "in" to court in order to get close enough to the right people, so that they can be properly Charmed/Dominated/Suggested/Geased into particular courses of action/non-action. The lich also needs to avoid the Detect Evil of the Paladin. Killing two birds with one stone, the lich gets ahold of some long-term Polymorph magic, enchants some wedding rings with a permanent Misdirection effect, and gets married. You now have a court-intrigue scenario where the chaotic evil undead looks and registers the part of a Lawful-Good human Paladin, and the actual good guy detects as a Chaotic-Evil undead.... have fun.

Trog
2008-02-13, 05:33 PM
If you usually DM, play a PC and let someone else run for a change. If you are usually a player, try DMing a small adventure or store-bought module instead. Expand your horizons. Or even try to play with different people than you normally play with.

Otherwise I say take a small break and hold out for 4th edition where everything old will be new again.

Lupy
2008-02-13, 09:19 PM
Kingdom eats Wizard

PEASANT: Raistlin Majere, the people are hungry.
RAISTLIN: I'm trying to kill Tahkhisi, come back later
*millions of peasants and a goat swarm over Raistlin and eat him*

Jack_Simth
2008-02-14, 07:08 AM
Kingdom eats Wizard

PEASANT: Raistlin Majere, the people are hungry.
RAISTLIN: I'm trying to kill Tahkhisi, come back later
*millions of peasants and a goat swarm over Raistlin and eat him*

Wizard comes up with a spell by which anyone who consumes even a small portion of his body can be dominated or Magic Jarred at the whim of the Wizard, regardless of range. He then goes on a nightly visit with a Wounding Weapon and scratches his arm, bleeding into the various town wells. In this manner, he starts to gain complete and utter control of the town. Enter the PC's...