The death of tabletop roleplaying

[pandapeep]

Wowsers, there is a lot of 'get off my lawn!' going on in this thread. Look, TTRPGs are healthier now then they've ever been. Huge youtube channels devoted to live plays, many, many, many podcasts that are immensely popular, not to mention just how many games there are. Gatekeeping, 'kids these days!'ing, and elitism are never good looks. So, much like Mark Twain, reports of death are highly exaggerated.

[ghostunderasheet]

Ravingdork wrote:

WhiteWeasel wrote:

Wait, you're supposed to read the rule book cover to cover? Every GM I talked to was like "No don't do that."

Of course not, it would be a threat to their power if players did that and suddenly knew more about that game then they did.

;P

Wait! Hold on the books contain the power to usurp the power of the gm? Is this like high lander if i get the power there must only be one GM to rule the game! Ohh ohh my Gm will not be pleased with you guys. He may even be tempted to call you "YOU FOOLS!".

The power of gming maybe fun in short spurts but i dont think i could gm for a long haul.

Then again he may chackle with glee as he declares himself FREE!

[Ravingdork]

ghostunderasheet wrote:

Ravingdork wrote:

WhiteWeasel wrote:

Wait, you're supposed to read the rule book cover to cover? Every GM I talked to was like "No don't do that."

Of course not, it would be a threat to their power if players did that and suddenly knew more about that game then they did.

;P

Wait! Hold on the books contain the power to usurp the power of the gm? Is this like high lander if i get the power there must only be one GM to rule the game! Ohh ohh my Gm will not be pleased with you guys. He may even be tempted to call you "YOU FOOLS!".

The power of gming maybe fun in short spurts but i dont think i could gm for a long haul.

Then again he may chackle with glee as he declares himself FREE!

lol

[Davor Firetusk]

Stating a preference for how one wishes to game after experiencing multiple formats over the years is hardly gate keeping.

[Azalah]

pandapeep wrote:

Wowsers, there is a lot of 'get off my lawn!' going on in this thread. Look, TTRPGs are healthier now then they've ever been. Huge youtube channels devoted to live plays, many, many, many podcasts that are immensely popular, not to mention just how many games there are. Gatekeeping, 'kids these days!'ing, and elitism are never good looks. So, much like Mark Twain, reports of death are highly exaggerated.

I don't think anyone has said that people shouldn't be allowed to play. And I'm pretty sure if someone actually did, they'd get called out for it specifically instead of just a generalized, "I'm seeing a lot of it."

So who, exactly, has said that people shouldn't play?

[ENHenry]

Ravingdork wrote:

While true, make no mistake, I AM a crochety old grognard (which is hilarious to me, 'cause back in my day my friends and I used to make fun of grognards).

After thinking about it more in-depth, I am inclined to agree that it is likely an observation of a false trend, and that there are actually more active participants within the hobby than there used to be (of all kinds...).

Nevertheless, games (of any kind) that offer faster, easier gratification (because let's face it, scheduling 5 people for an event that amounts to nearly a full day is HARD to do!) remain a threat to the hobby as a whole.

If we live long enough, we live to see ourselves become the grognards... :)

In my case, I often ask about different rules because I have played D&D3, D&D3.5, D&D4, PF1, and D&D5. (I have also played Original D&D, AD&D, and countless d20 variants, but those aren't as relevant to this for me). As a result, some rules I have at least three different versions running around in my head. At least three different ways to handle everything from as basic as op-attacks, to feat progressions, to magic item costs, to even how to count diagonal squares properly. As an open source nut, I am ecstatic every time someone avails themselves of the OGL; however, one large detriment brought by the OGL is the system fatigue from having multiple slightly different variants of given rules that mix together in my head.

Does opening a door take a standard action, a move action, or can be done free as part of a move? Can I draw a potion and attack this turn? What's the casting time on sleep? Does keen and improved critical stack?

I DON'T KNOW!!!! *cries in a corner*

It's just easier to poll and ask the game table or the message forums than it is to look up the reference.

[pandapeep]

Azalah wrote:

pandapeep wrote:

Wowsers, there is a lot of 'get off my lawn!' going on in this thread. Look, TTRPGs are healthier now then they've ever been. Huge youtube channels devoted to live plays, many, many, many podcasts that are immensely popular, not to mention just how many games there are. Gatekeeping, 'kids these days!'ing, and elitism are never good looks. So, much like Mark Twain, reports of death are highly exaggerated.

I don't think anyone has said that people shouldn't be allowed to play. And I'm pretty sure if someone actually did, they'd get called out for it specifically instead of just a generalized, "I'm seeing a lot of it."

So who, exactly, has said that people shouldn't play?

Where in my statement did I say anyone here said people shouldn't play? I didn't. But, people are winging and griping about how people play or that TTRPG is dead! And that's just silly and smacks of grognards huddled in a dark corner of a FLGS glaring at anyone who dares to enter to me.

[Ravingdork]

ENHenry wrote:

In my case, I often ask about different rules because I have played D&D3, D&D3.5, D&D4, PF1, and D&D5. (I have also played Original D&D, AD&D, and countless d20 variants, but those aren't as relevant to this for me). As a result, some rules I have at least three different versions running around in my head. At least three different ways to handle everything from as basic as op-attacks, to feat progressions, to magic item costs, to even how to count diagonal squares properly. As an open source nut, I am ecstatic every time someone avails themselves of the OGL; however, one large detriment brought by the OGL is the system fatigue from having multiple slightly different variants of given rules that mix together in my head.

Does opening a door take a standard action, a move action, or can be done free as part of a move? Can I draw a potion and attack this turn? What's the casting time on sleep? Does keen and improved critical stack?

I DON'T KNOW!!!! *cries in a corner*

It's just easier to poll and ask the game table or the message forums than it is to look up the reference.

I know exactly what you mean. Except I remember all the rules and where they come from. That's the only difference.

Now if I could just remember what I was doing yesterday...

[bonebrah]

Metaphysician wrote:

*cough* Honestly, what irks me more than people asking questions answered in the books ( which can easily just be an oversight or a failure of memory, as often its not the easiest thing to locate specific rule cites )?

Is when people make declarative statements about what is in the rules book, which aren't actually true. Ignorance can be corrected simply by providing knowledge. Willful misinterpretation, not so much.

Which is to say, insofar as the Paizoverse has a "problem", I'd say its less with people who don't read the book, and more with people who do read the book, but with an agenda unfiltered by self-awareness.

I'd agree this is a problem for people who strictly play 1 system and that's it. For my RPG group, we all play and come from a variety of gaming backgrounds, some as far back as dnd 1e. I personally played, simultaneously, in a Warhammer group, Shadowrun 5e, dnd 5e, Pathfinder, Star Wars EoTE and recently throw Starfinder into it. Granted some systems are different enough to not get mixed up, but at least once or twice a session I say something like "This might be a *insert game system* rule, but doesn't X work this way?"