Self Written Content & Munchkinism
I ran into a problem yesterday. I wanted to play a specific character with specific moves and realised i couldn’t. A Wizard can’t take a Druid Move at level 2. No multiclass move.
People like Bernd Pressler voiced the opinion that the Class System sometimes restrict you in the kind of character you want to play. You can’t take a combination of certain moves, races and abilities.
For me this is okay, more often then not. Burning Wheel taught me that it is cool that you don’t always get the character you want to play.
I later found out that i could create the character using the #inverseworld Sky Dancer but it would take up to level 4 more or less. That is okay, you don’t always get what you want immediately, sometimes you have to work on it.
Kasper Brohus said i should just write a Compendium Class that would let me do what i wanted. For me that is cheating, what do you think?
I guess it’s one thing to write certain abilities into the game that didn’t exist before. The Arcane Archer was written to have a magical/trick arrow archer in the game. I wrote it to have that potential option not to instantly play this gal.
Writing something just to get around the Class System is cheating however. You can write a CC that gives you exactly what you want and potentially with an easy trigger directly made for that character.
The answer to that problem: Make someone else write it. They will have another take on your concept and give you not exactly what you want but something that will push you into a new direction.
The same goes for moves i think. Don’t write a move because it would totally make sense for this one character you want to play. Write it because it makes sense for the whole class.
I am not saying you can’t write balanced and great stuff for yourself that won’t hurt the game i just think it’s a bit munchkiny.
What do you think?
By the way, the easiest way to make my concept work is a magic item that would allow you to summon drakes. Just state that you are searching for that item in the first session when asked why you venture into the dungeon.
That is using the system for fun and profit.
I’m really not a fan of classes at all. I’d rather start with only one move that sets me apart and then be able to freely multiclass. But, aren’t we to follow the fiction? If your wizard encounters a primal spring and drinks waters that tap into the time before time when all things had no shape and could talk to each other without language, then I as the DM (with a consensus of the table) should offer you something akin to what you want. As far as writing a custom CC goes, again if the DM is on board and it makes sense in the fiction, why not? Portray a fantastic world, anything can happen!
Here’s the thing. When I go out dancing, I can get on the dance floor, dance the way I want to, and instantly start having the exact type of fun I want to be having. When I decide to watch a DVD, nobody will say I’m “cheating” if I stop watching a film I’m not enjoying and pop in one I’ll like better.
So why shouldn’t I be able to play the character I actually want to play, right from the beginning? Gaming is a leisure and entertainment activity, right? I don’t have to “earn” my fun.
But you don’t go to a Salsa dancing event to dance Bourree right? When dance X is playing you dance a dance that is matching the music.
When i want to play a group of princes in Princess drive why shouldn’t i be able to play a group of boys from the beginning.
There are certain restrictions in the game and they are there for a reason aren’t they?
But I can just as easily choose to go to a club where I can dance however the hell I want. Or do an “80s Night” where only the music is restricted. I should be able to choose the level and nature of restriction.
Well, I’m not going to send the Princess Police to your house to stop you. 😉 it would make me wonder why you didn’t pick a game more supportive of the themes you wanted to play with, though.
That doesn’t seem to be the case in your OP. it doesn’t sound like you want a character that actually violates the expectations of DW, just one that would be hard to play as a beginning character without some custom content.
Tim Franzke I think the restrictions are meant to spur creativity by letting you focus on easily grasped archetypes, not to actually hinder you.
Wouldn’t it depend on your group, ultimately, to decide what is and isn’t cheating? Different groups might have different opinions, of course. (To use your analogy, dance Bouree with your Bouree group and Salsa with a Salsa group.)
BESM D20 worked out a point build system for d20. I imagine a similar system would work for DW. I’ve started work on one but it needs fine tuning. As a base charge 1cp for a new feture on a move, 2 cp for a narrow new move and 4 cp for a broad one like spell casting. support moves are free. hp load & damage die are a set. D4 (6hp, 4 load)is free, d6 is 1cp then double for each step. So d10 (12hp, 10 load) is 4cp.
good luck Konrad Zielinski
A lot of people houserule that all classes have multiclass dabbler, so long as you don’t multiclass into classes someone else is playing.
I don’t think this is an unreasonable houserule. The limits on the multiclassing is really mostly a D&D legacy mechanic. Feel free to dump it.
This isn’t really all that different from having a name that’s not on the list. There are all sorts of strictures, and we chose which ones to apply to the gaming table. Some — like class moves — feel more sacred than others — like Look — but in the end, have the fun you want by telling the story you want with the character(s) you want to play.