Why I hate Dungeons and Dragons

satanisgreat · Post by **satanisgreat** » Sat Aug 23, 2003 4:29 am

I spent hundreds of dollars on the books and many hours of my life playing that fucking game. The main reason why I hate it is that if you want to have extensive knowledge on the rules and setting, you're forced to spend shitloads of money on those books and then spend hours and days reading them and studying them like you're in school or something. Then while playing you have to go back and look up rules again to make sure you're doing it right.

The rules are overly complicated. I started playing because a few of my friends said it was cool and I gave in to peer pressure. Then I realized the setting sucks, and now I hate all medieval fantasy settings. I hate the way the characters talk, I hate their names, I hate the storylines, I hate the generic setting. When I got into White Wolf games I found the rule system so much simpler and effective. Instead of going through three books cross referencing tables and shit, you could just focus on the game. Which is what RPGs are supposed to be about: the playing, not the rules.

The handbooks for the WW games and lesser known games like Shadowrun and Noir had like ten pages about rules, the rest established the setting and atmosphere. And that's all you ever had to buy to play games and they cost less. The D&D books were like 250 pages on rules, that's it. Total crap.

I ending up selling all of my RPGs books two years ago in a moment of clarity and utter disgust. I spent the money on booze and drugs, and that was a much better investment.

I just hate D&D.

Spazmo · Post by **Spazmo** » Sat Aug 23, 2003 4:35 am

So then don't play it.

satanisgreat · Post by **satanisgreat** » Sat Aug 23, 2003 4:37 am

I don't. I was just explaining.

OnTheBounce · Post by **OnTheBounce** » Sat Aug 23, 2003 4:43 am

I got into AD&D, 1st Ed., way back when it was a new thing. My Player's Handbook was tattered from having been studied so much. The system grew as I did, then it became such a jumbled mess that they decided to release a 2nd Edition and I -- like you said -- went out and blew a bunch of money then spent days and weeks refamiliarizing myself w/the new rules.

The T$R got really damned greedy and started cranking out a new boxed set for the Forgotten Realms every month and I really couldn't keep up. Neither w/the new rules, or financially, especially since my group played with miniatures, which increased the expenditure astronomically.

Add to that all of the various expansion books and "kits" for everything -- most of which suffered from very limited playability -- that really took the imagination out of the player's hands, and viola! you had a recipe for OTB to get bored and disenchanted.

The setting -- as you say -- has been done to death and now I don't play anything even remotely resembling a high fantasy setting. (Although I plan to make an exception for Troika's Temple of Elemental Evil...)

Oh, BTW, if you think AD&D was complex, you should definitely steer away from Rune Quest which was Avalon Hill's foray into the fantasy genre. They were a company known for making ultra-complex games out of pretty much anything, even things like retro-future games like Merchant of Venus.

OTB

satanisgreat · Post by **satanisgreat** » Sat Aug 23, 2003 4:52 am

Spazmo wrote:So then don't play it.

And it's not even the fact that I don't play it now, it's more of the fact that I had to spend all that money to even get into it and decide I don't like it.

Hammer · Post by **Hammer** » Sat Aug 23, 2003 5:15 am

Switch to Battletech, my Binary of Clan Mechs will pwn you.

Plus Battletech doesnt carry the stigma that D&D does.

Grey Fil · Post by **Grey Fil** » Sat Aug 23, 2003 6:08 am

I never, ever played that shit. I feel like a winner. AD&D in CRPGÃƒâ€šÃ‚Â´s suxx too, I hate the standard, always the same, repeat again, once more class system with the facking elvoids, mighty (fucking illogical) dwarfz, and all the stupid races.
LetÃƒâ€šÃ‚Â´s put some god damn logic in this chit, the bigger a person is the stronger they can be, itÃƒâ€šÃ‚Â´s a matter of biophysics and no midget sized (and it doesnt matter how sturdy they are) fncking dwarf can ever be a tank thats a job for giants or something like that.
The magick system requires a PhD to master with all the millions of spells that are exactly the same and really do not bring anything new. But the part that really makes me angry is when the only way to kill the Moron King in the moronic haunted village is to get the "almighty sword of Morron"tm an otherwise absolutly worthless thingy.
And dont even get me started on character creation, rerolls pfss

airsoft guy · Post by **airsoft guy** » Sat Aug 23, 2003 8:26 am

My freind talked me into playing once, it was fun for about 10 minutes, not because of the the playing but because he was such a bitch DM, I got him to give me a Glock in 10mm and a Maula Pistol, things that shouldn't exist in that craptastic world, that's right a modern firearm and a weapon from the Dune universe in another universe with magic and midgets and bullshit. His story sucked too, something about getting to the ocean to see some worthless cock smoker, but we had to go get this one superdeeduper weapon to kill these 10,000 invisible monster things guarding the only path to the ocean. Whatever, I smacked him and told him it was crap, came home and played Fallout, killed some children for shits and giggles, it was good times.

Evil Natured Robot · Post by **Evil Natured Robot** » Sat Aug 23, 2003 10:23 am

Yeah, I bought the DMG about 6 years ago and used my friend's Player's Handbook. Probably played maybe five or six times, at the most. Fantasy sucks.

the guardian · Post by **the guardian** » Sat Aug 23, 2003 1:02 pm

More D&D haters to join forces with me later on for my Crusade Against The Funny Deformed Dice!

atoga · Post by **atoga** » Sat Aug 23, 2003 3:52 pm

I used to play DND for a while but now I play a bunch of other RPGs. I never really was into the rules, since nine times out of ten when you're playing they get skipped / ignored anyway. It's best if you make it up as you go along and let your creativity roam... and you save lots of money. If you must have the rules, just download scanned versions of the books and take whatever ideas from there that you like (OMG piracy alert).

Spazmo · Post by **Spazmo** » Sat Aug 23, 2003 4:16 pm

Yeah, Second Edition was utter ass. Just lots of ridiculous and conflicting rules. But if you want a really ruletastic system, go for RoleMaster. Tables, tables, tables!

However, Third Edition is pretty good. It's a very straightforward, simple system that works pretty damned well.

As for setting concerns, maybe I'm just not a ruff n tuff grizzled veteran type like some around here, but as long as the setting is interesting, well-designed and consistent, I'll play in it.

As for the cost, well, I got my 3rd Ed core rulebooks for five bucks each. Mint condition, too, like new. I know it doesn't really change anything about what most people will think of the game, but I wanted to point out that I'm a money ninja.

airsoft guy, you're clearly just about as stupid as your DM was.

atoga · Post by **atoga** » Sat Aug 23, 2003 4:21 pm

Spazmo wrote:As for the cost, well, I got my 3rd Ed core rulebooks for five bucks each.

Off EBay? Reveal your secrets you money ninja you!

I had some good times playing DND in a Planescape setting actually. It was good, wacky, clean fun. Planescape's a pretty cool world, and I hear some people are making a 3rd ed translation of it (http://www.planewalker.com/index.php). Looks good IMO.

Spazmo · Post by **Spazmo** » Sat Aug 23, 2003 4:42 pm

Well, my local library was having a book sale and my mom was volunteering in it. One day, my mom asked me to help her price some D&D books that had appeared. I was expecting some old 2nd Ed junk, but I show up and I see nothing less than all three core rulebooks in mint condition. I told her they were worth five bucks each and bought them myself. I got a First Edition PHB, too, for only two bucks.

Calal · Post by **Calal** » Sat Aug 23, 2003 7:29 pm

Hehe, best scam evah!

I actually never had to pay for any of the books or the supplements since our former DM 'lended' me his scanned books. It' s kind of stupid for your whole rpg-group to buy all the books. And that' s the major part that bugs me; it' s way to expensive.

Don' t come telling me you won' t play DnD 'cause you don' t like the setting. There are several different settings out there; Ravenloft, Greyhawk, Oriental Adventures, ... even Modern. If even then there' s not one you like then make one up. Every well respected and creative DM can do that.

As for crpg' s and ADnD, well yes, that never did work. So please don' t compare ADnD or DnD to the so-called rules system in those games, 'cause they ain' t the same. But I' m hopeing TOEE will change all that.

spyder07 · Post by **spyder07** » Sat Aug 23, 2003 8:13 pm

A guy at work talked me into playing Call of Cthulu (sp?). It's pretty cool. All modern or 1930's so you have all kinds of guns including an uber l33t minigun k3wl!!1 I the rules don't seem to be that complex, just have to be good at rolling dice.

Smiley · Post by **Smiley** » Sat Aug 23, 2003 10:28 pm

As for the cost, well, I got my 3rd Ed core rulebooks for five bucks each.

Same here. My sister works at a distribution company dealing with roleplaying material, books, warhammer stuff, comics and so on. So I get just about anything for the same price as shops do.
Only I don't have to buy a whole box.

Calal wrote:... even Modern.

Which is utterly shite... Rarely have I seen so half-finished a project...!
Just look at the money-system, or the small selection of firearms...

As for the settings, well... I've found that creating your own items, skills and feats for a new world altogether, but still basing it on basic rules of 3rd E. is much more fun.

atoga · Post by **atoga** » Sat Aug 23, 2003 11:44 pm

spyder07 wrote:A guy at work talked me into playing Call of Cthulu (sp?). It's pretty cool. All modern or 1930's so you have all kinds of guns including an uber l33t minigun k3wl!!1 I the rules don't seem to be that complex, just have to be good at rolling dice.

COC is mostly a mystery game, not a combat one. It's pretty cool, but the 1920's setting is a lot better than the modern one. (There's also an 1890's setting as well.)

Garf · Post by **Garf** » Sun Aug 24, 2003 12:17 am

Don't like PnP games, nor fantasy games.. so I guess I'm inclined to agree with this topic.

Spazmo · Post by **Spazmo** » Sun Aug 24, 2003 12:38 am

Care to explain why? We don't care for broad statements with no backing around here.