TheRPGSite

Pen & Paper Roleplaying Central => Pen and Paper Roleplaying Games (RPGs) Discussion => Topic started by: Mcrow on May 21, 2007, 01:26:42 PM

Title: Do it yourself GMs?
Post by: Mcrow on May 21, 2007, 01:26:42 PM
After reading Zachary's thread on homebrewing, I figured a poll should be done.

It seems that we have a higher concentration of "DIY" GM's here than on other sites.


are you a DIY GM?
Title: Do it yourself GMs?
Post by: James McMurray on May 21, 2007, 01:38:39 PM
I need a third option. Currently I'm generating everything from scratch, but I'm also angling the campaign towards a module I bought, which I'll run but also heavily modify to make it fit better.
Title: Do it yourself GMs?
Post by: Mcrow on May 21, 2007, 01:42:25 PM
I would say that if you more often than not create your own worlds, systems,adventures, or other gaming material it woudl count as a "yes". You don't have to make up all of it to be a DYI GM, hacking and modifying count as well.
Title: Do it yourself GMs?
Post by: Koltar on May 21, 2007, 01:47:58 PM
I voted ...I'm more like a two-thirds/one-third kind of guy.
 One third of my stuff is based on either GDW  or SJ Games product, the other two-thirds is stuff that I make up.

 I DO try to make sure the stuff that I make up could believably exist in the TRAVELLER universe.


- Ed C.
Title: Do it yourself GMs?
Post by: Megamanfan on May 21, 2007, 02:39:01 PM
All 3 of my Supers settings were homebrews (Heroes Earth, Guardian Earth and the Lightbringers), I have a fantasy setting that's getting scrapped and salvaged for what I can only describe as a pulp action magitech fantasy adventure setting.  I'm also working on a Sci-Fi space opera setting.  It's going slowly though.

I just love creating settings.  I don't know exactly why, but I derive great enjoyment through world building.
Title: Do it yourself GMs?
Post by: Brimshack on May 21, 2007, 02:40:16 PM
11 Yes, 0 No.

Apparently, we non-conformists are all alike.
Title: Do it yourself GMs?
Post by: Mcrow on May 21, 2007, 02:46:12 PM
I wonder if the lower % for ENworld has to do with the fact that most of the people there play primarily d20?:confused:
Title: Do it yourself GMs?
Post by: Sosthenes on May 21, 2007, 02:47:00 PM
Even though I've been using some pre-existing settings lately, the fact that I barely run pre-generated adventures and add quite a lot during the course of a campaign, I'd consider myself firmly in the DIY camp.

I haven't read boxed adventure text in quite a while ;)
Title: Do it yourself GMs?
Post by: James McMurray on May 21, 2007, 02:54:02 PM
Quote from: McrowI would say that if you more often than not create your own worlds, systems,adventures, or other gaming material it woudl count as a "yes". You don't have to make up all of it to be a DYI GM, hacking and modifying count as well.

In that case I voted Yes. While I prefer to have something to base my games off of, very little survives to make it to my table unchanged, and my players are pretty good at wandering off the beaten path and forcing me to improvise.
Title: Do it yourself GMs?
Post by: Gunslinger on May 21, 2007, 04:35:13 PM
I guess I should explain my solo "no" response.  I rarely stray from the rules as written.  If they seem wonky, I try to make sense of them narratively as opposed to mechanically.
Title: Do it yourself GMs?
Post by: James McMurray on May 21, 2007, 08:27:34 PM
Same here. I'll change a rule if I have to, but not "just because." I thought the thread was aimed at DIY settings and adventures, but I didn't read the thread mentioned in the OP, so I may have voted wrong.
Title: Do it yourself GMs?
Post by: Gunslinger on May 21, 2007, 08:56:07 PM
Quote from: James McMurraySame here. I'll change a rule if I have to, but not "just because." I thought the thread was aimed at DIY settings and adventures, but I didn't read the thread mentioned in the OP, so I may have voted wrong.
Argghh, you're right.  I guess I'm 50/50 depending on which game.
Title: Do it yourself GMs?
Post by: JamesV on May 21, 2007, 10:15:29 PM
I'm not sure how to put it, as I like to take established settings and demolish them with a few choice ideas of my own.
Title: Do it yourself GMs?
Post by: Calithena on May 21, 2007, 10:32:00 PM
Yep. If I weren't I'd probably still be playing 3.14159, and likely would have never spent all that time at the Forge trying to figure out why modern game designs fuck me up so bad. I'm happy for the increased self-understanding but sometimes I sort of wish I'd stuck with chess instead.
Title: Do it yourself GMs?
Post by: Pierce Inverarity on May 21, 2007, 10:53:19 PM
Partly, partly. Totally depends on the game in hand. D&D has always been DIY for me (very loosely based on Greyhawk). Actually, I would probably DIY virtually all fantasy RPGs.

Or would I... I wouldn't modify Talislanta, but I *would* modify Cyradon...

Now I'm confused. What the hell are my criteria? :D
Title: Do it yourself GMs?
Post by: jrients on May 22, 2007, 11:35:10 AM
Quote from: CalithenaYep. If I weren't I'd probably still be playing 3.14159, and likely would have never spent all that time at the Forge trying to figure out why modern game designs fuck me up so bad. I'm happy for the increased self-understanding but sometimes I sort of wish I'd stuck with chess instead.

Heh.  I'm a DIY guy with chess as well.  Check out ChessVariants.com sometimes for a look into that crazy world.  There are competing theories about chess variant design, and discussions over what constitutes a chess game.
Title: Do it yourself GMs?
Post by: SunBoy on May 28, 2007, 04:21:27 AM
I generally homebrew every fantasy setting (what I GM most of the time), but wouldn't change much of, say, Lord of the Rings. Shadowrun, homemade too. Supers, loosely DC universe, mostly homemade. Few times I ran VtM... well, let's say there is not "Montevideo by night", and I hate their metaplot (the vast majority of which I haven't even read, so I couldn't use it even if I wanted too...)
Amber... well, I've tweaked bits of story and setting here and there...
All in all, I voted Yes.

Edit to add: Never worked out a system, yet. Not quite, at least.
Title: Do it yourself GMs?
Post by: jeff37923 on May 28, 2007, 08:35:51 AM
I'm a DIY, but I'll buy published stuff for I&I (Inspiration & Ideas).
Title: Do it yourself GMs?
Post by: Caesar Slaad on May 28, 2007, 09:06:47 PM
I'm not so much a DIY-type as a kitbash type. I have less time and patience to put everything together from scratch, but will eagerly frankenstein together published material and nip and tuck it here and there.
Title: Do it yourself GMs?
Post by: kryyst on May 29, 2007, 07:51:08 AM
I'll use the rules, but often my own setting, unless of course the rules come with a usable setting like WFRP, Shadowrun, Feng Shui, Cthulhu etc...
Title: Do it yourself GMs?
Post by: Rob Lang on May 31, 2007, 02:38:55 AM
Yep. I literally made up everything (http://www.icar.co.uk). For a break, though, I like to run other games but pretty much it's all my own invention.