Smite and MetalJim had some very interesting points they brought up this week. I’d like to throw in my two cents as well….

I would like to start by saying that I agree with both of them. Each brings up valid points and each has a unique playing style (which I can attest to since I’ve played with both as a player and a DM). I lean much more toward Smite’s views as a DM. Players should not map out their character development without any input from the DM. On the other hand, the DM should at least try and provide his players with elements they enjoy. After all, that’s what everyone plays for, to have a great time together and tell an interesting story. A D&D game is a group effort - something that the participants sometimes forget.

Originally, D&D was seen as the Dungeon Master’s game, where the DM had complete control over all aspects of the world. This is, after all, how the game was originally presented and how it remains written, even to this day (despite what the players think). Along the way, the players took control of the game, taking the direction away from their “leader.” In most situations where the “inmates run the asylum” this leads to anarchy, chaos, and bedlam. Rules are broken for the “sake of the story,” but whose story is being told when you have four or more people telling their own version? Obviously, if a single player dominates play there is a problem, but how do you stop ALL the players from dominating play all at once?

Part of the problem could be called the “Pandora Principle” - once you open a can of worms its hard to get them to go back in the can. We can’t go back to the way things used to be played. No one will limit themselves to the way things were when there are rules now for just about anything a player could desire. The problem with this is that you NEED a Dungeon Master to play D&D. If the DM isn’t having fun, or finds that the players are simply opposing everything he does, he won’t want to play anymore. Attention spans are also shortening - if a conflict can’t be resolved with a couple of rolls or a Skill check, then no one really cares what happens. Gone are the epic battles of yesteryear where large combats with multiple opponents were played out for hours in combat simulations that resembled wargames more than a role-playing game. I remember entire sessions where no dice were rolled - nothing but “in character role-play” all night long!

So why put ourselves through such misery for the game? Well, we remember how much fun we used to have and want to keep recapturing that moment. There are rules we have not used yet and we want to try a little bit of everything before calling it quits. There are more stories to be told and damn it, they SHOULD be told! Plus we all get a little out of the thrill of that perfect moment when everyone is on the same page, we’re all role-playing in character, and the imaginary world we’ve created together comes alive for us. Those are the reasons why I keep playing. It’s also why I’ve left behind the campaigns of the past to explore new vistas and try new options. Sure, the players may have their choices to make, but there’s no guarantee that any of them will pan out, or that the newest supplement won’t have something better.

Although I’ve noted that planning one’s journey from beginning to end may appeal to some, it’s not my brand of gaming. If that’s what makes the game fun for you then great. I prefer to be surprised once in a while, even as a Dungeon Master. Sometimes the wonderful randomness of a dice roll is so much more satisfying than a guaranteed choice for the next 80 or so sessions of game play. Then again, I tend to like playing the young-farmkid who becomes a hero through his actions than starting play as the uber-badass that can destroy all his enemies with a glance. Somehow, the latter seems less than heroic and more like power-tripping. After all, the greatest heroes in the biggest stories have always been wide-eyed kids trying to do right - Luke Skywalker, Arthur Pendragon, Taran Farwanderer, Frodo Baggins, even Conan (well, in the movie version at least). I think I’ll stick to the established hero-formula since there’s so much proof that it works.