By continuing you agree to eChinacities's Privacy Policy .
Sign up with Google
Sign up with Facebook
Q: Do you play D&D?
I recently realised that one of the things I miss about civilised society is D&D.
Being a DM was one of my creative outlets. I have little creative stimulation now. I met an American guy last year (also a mild-mannered book-reading person like myself) who I sometimes had nerdy conversations with. He said wouldn't it be great to find other expatriates to play D&D, but he went back to America after one year.
There is a void in my heart that used to be occupied by D&D, board games, discussions about sci-fi, etc.
Does anyone else think about D&D frequently, or just me?
Do any of you actually play D&D in China? Sons of bitches.
8 years 29 weeks ago in Arts & Entertainment - China
Tabletop? I tried an adaptation of D&D once, with a group who were trying something new and didn't have enough players. The waiting your turn, nitpicking rules, remembering dice rols… my impatience killed my enthusiasm completely. The group also had a "we'll call you when we have need of you" attitude, so they don't just let any impatient stranger become a regular.
D&D computer games are a different matter. My first ever guide, IWD2_4dummies was for Icewind Dale 2. So haphazardly written, i could barely repair the overview later on.
The best D&D game by far is Baldur's Gate 2. There is so many fan-authored additional content, that i still haven't made it to the end of my installation. i must have over 300 individual mods installed, aroung 18gb on my harddrive.
I played Dummies and Dilettantes for many years. I, too, was a Dirge Master...trying to get my students to understand the importance of a thorough education.
I think frequently about how nice it would be to actually have a school full of "go-getters" and eager-to-learn students.
I think we all play the game at some point. some are masters at it, most are tired of it.
Oh wait, are you referring to Dungeons and Dragons, the prerequisite hobby of future neck-beards? The game whereby the Dungeons were allegories for mom's basement and the Dragons were those who actually had a rich social life in and outside of school?
Sorry, couldn't resist - me being me and all.
expatlife26:
yeah you're just being a dick these days. And that's a shame because you're a smart guy who used to have a lot to say. That sinobear was interesting.
I never played any those tabletop games either but i think you have to have real life friends to play them. So what if they aren't the cool kids it's still a rich social life if you have fun & friendship with people who share your interests.
Sinobear:
I guess they don't teach extremely complex things at 'Snowflake University' any more such as 'satire' and 'sarcasm.' Or more importantly, irony. Like when the liberal hypocrites lecture others on why it's not right to judge people, right after they've finished judging them.
I'm really glad that I never grew up in an environment where I had to walk on eggshells and cater to everyone else's sense of entitlement.
What this forum needs is an enema.
expatlife26:
You have me all wrong if you think i'm the PC police or a liberal at all. Things like trigger warnings and safe spaces are asinine concepts.
But you're conflating oversensitivity to imagined aggression with frustration with actual aggression.
I heard some total bullshit that in the US now it's considered racist & hostile to ask an asian person where they are from. And that's fucking stupid, ask an italian where they're from they'll babble about stupid Calabria for 20 minutes.
So that's looking for something to be mad at.
I don't think this is a PC forum at all, if I was I wouldn't want anything to do with it. Every other post is a rant against Chinese people for one thing.
You don't have to walk on eggshells, but shit...don't be deliberately hostile.
Let me give you another example, I've made it very clear that I think ESL teaching is a dead end. That a person who values career development and flexibility over convenience and availability should choose something else and do it quickly.
But I don't go on every ESL thread and shout "LOSERS!!! You guys are bums!" Unless I think that person is actually being a bum specifically.
Sinobear:
So, did you actually read my response? You certainly do like to sit in judgment of other posters.
The first half was satire based on "civilised society", D&D and DM. Civilised society goes with the idea of education, D&D and DM are jargon which is frowned upon in academic circles as it leads to miscommunication (hence the use of satire).
Not baiting anyone, not a judgment call.
The second half deals with the preconceptions of those who indulged in such games during the 80s.
And! I threw in a disclaimer (trigger warning!!!!) as well.
I see you read the Atlantic article. Good on you, but you missed the boat on my attempt at levity.
Wanna get rich? Develop an 'English to sarcasm/satire, sarcasm/satire to English' app. Although I feel that even the resultant English would be beyond most forum member's comprehension.
See? That last statement was a dig. My original response was not a dig.
Still confused? Listen to Steven Wright and Woody Allen (late 60s) stand-up and you'll begin to understand.
I make no apologies, even offering extended explanations are unusual for me. I'm not being aggressive - I did not address Samsara directly, I did not make a value judgment (only a satirical observation), and I made no value judgment on those who participated.
But, once again, because my views and opinions are more direct than those of other sheeple (see, now there's a value judgment!) and because I don't share the liberal hypocrite's (another value judgment for you!) view of the world, I'm suddenly a pariah.
One last dig, please look up this big, complex word in the dictionary (big book full of big words): banter.
P.S. Sorry, Samsara, I did not mean to derail your thread.Tabletop? I tried an adaptation of D&D once, with a group who were trying something new and didn't have enough players. The waiting your turn, nitpicking rules, remembering dice rols… my impatience killed my enthusiasm completely. The group also had a "we'll call you when we have need of you" attitude, so they don't just let any impatient stranger become a regular.
D&D computer games are a different matter. My first ever guide, IWD2_4dummies was for Icewind Dale 2. So haphazardly written, i could barely repair the overview later on.
The best D&D game by far is Baldur's Gate 2. There is so many fan-authored additional content, that i still haven't made it to the end of my installation. i must have over 300 individual mods installed, aroung 18gb on my harddrive.
Think frequently about D&D??? Sure, very frequently (or less if I'm busy). The 5th edition of D&D is awesome, you should give it a try, you can download the basic rules for free at the Wizards of the Coast website.
Amazon CN did deliver to me the 3 basic books and also the AP "Princes of the Apocalypse" yet they took a very long time to deliver each one. The new AP "Out of the Abyss" is already being sold since Sep 19th but Amazon CN has not send it to me yet (maybe because I also preordered the Swords Coast Adventurer´s Guide which isnt being sold yet).
On Taobao it was easy to find the 5e DM Screen, many cheap dice and the latest D&D board game (Temple of the Elemental Evil)
I had one single session with a mixed group of local and foreign players. I am a little rusty and my DMing wasn't at its best, the group didn't like it much and we haven't played again (and I don't think they´ll accept to try again).
A friend and I are just about to finish our first adventure in the Blue Rose setting BUT we are playing by Wechat, it is much slower than face to face but it does provide a satisfactory rpg experience and it is very convenient as the game goes on whenever each one has time.
If you want to DM by post on qq, wechat, forum, email, etc I would be happy to play, or if you wish you can join our current game.
Samsara:
I've been watching YouTube videos about 5th Edition and Pathfinder. I haven't played since 3.5, but it seems that both of the above are revisions of 3.5. Apparently Pathfinder has extensive rules for everything (and tends to require miniatures for combat) whereas D&D is more "theatre of the mind" which I prefer.
I've been considering buying the D&D 5E books (awesomely, all the Pathfinder rules material is available online) but it may be a huge waste of time if I never find a group of like-minded laowai.
Regarding your unfortunate adventure - I think a D&D session is doomed from the start if there isn't strong cohesion between the DM and the majority of players. You can only achieve a good dynamic if people respect each other and want to cooperate. If one or two players are blow-ins, its probably fine, but there has to be familiarity between the regular players and DM or it won't work.
I like the social experience of playing D&D, so I don't really want to play via text, but thank you for the offer (and I respect your dedication)!
I dont play D&D,but I have finished the main story in the Witcher 3 on the PS4 and now Iam playing Mad Max.
psiconauta_retro:
The new D&D videogame "Sword Coast Legends" just came out and they have been doing a lot of promotion about the new feature in which one person can really DM a game for other players across the internet, however the general comment is that the new game is more similar to Diablo than to the previous games such as Baldur´s Gate (which means it is even less similar to a traditional tabletop game).
On the other side D&D´s MMO Neverwinter can be played on PC and on Xbox One. I haven't played it on neither of them:(
Shining_brow:
Ever try DDO?
I played Baldurs and a few others, but don't like the character limitations. (not that I like the D20 and THAC0 idea...)
Elder Scrolls is somewhat similar to Runequest (though RQ doesn't have levels), and it was even suggested that ES was inspired by RQ.
Nerds! Yep. I used to be a DM. Can be a lot of fun. I agree with the comment about it being a creative outlet. It's excellent practice for creative writing. A good DM can craft a narrative that draws the players into the story and surprises them with its twists and turns.
Hangzhou has/had a couple of groups running. I believe there is still a GURPS group happening.
The problem has always been finding a suitable time for everyone! That, and keeping people in the city/country! We had a Vampire group running, and almost finished the story, but the ST lost his job (again), and has a problem getting back into the country :(
Our good D&D GM changed city.. so that went.... so we're sorely in need of someone who wants to take up the mantle.
Otherwise, there is some regular board-gaming happening here. Wednesday night at one of the expat places, and a couple of us get together at other times.
So - come on down! (or up)
Samsara:
Awesome. I want to take up the mantle.
I still have a contract until June 2016 though. Every year I consider moving to a nicer climate, but thus far I have stayed put because my employer is honest and I teach interesting subjects to interested students.
I also love board games. So I'll discuss this topic with you again in 6 months, and that might be sufficient reason to uproot. In the meantime I'm going to start writing content anyway.
I just started again! You're correct, great creative outlet even for players. I found a group through meetup.com, give it a try.
I'll just add - we tried doing V:tM through wechat and Skype... other than technological issues, it was ok - but lacks the atmosphere. It WAS good for having some 1-1 time with the ST/GM - so, if your character wants to do stuff that others shouldn't know about (and doesn't want them to), it makes things a lot easier - nothing can be overheard!! (so thinking of doing Paranoia 
)
Obviously, this format requires a lot of trust... being honest about your dice rolls. (and I prefer rolling, not just hitting a button).
But - if you want to go for it, I'd be interested. I have LOTS of free time at the moment...
We're thinking about putting together a group to try it out here in Lijiang. If we can get a game going in a tiny little city like this, you should be able to do it somewhere like Beijing or Shanghai.
Dungeons and Dragons? yeah was playing it in 1985 mind you it was Fighting Fantasy that really ruled the roost back then. Deathtrap Dungeon, House of Hell etc.
Samsara:
My childhood development was strongly influenced by Fighting Fantasy and the Lone Wolf series.
Sword Coast Legends looks quite good actually. I might be up for some of that.
I second using Meetup.com. I've seen board game groups for Shanghai at least on there.
My downtime is taken up by looking out the window and reading a book.
Before I came to China it was similar but complimented with golf and running.
I'm beginning to wonder that the fact I've never played a computer game in my life marks me as something of a freak.
Anyone else here in my basket?
icnif77:
I had to use an Internet to understand the terms in this thread.
Shining_brow:
Well, remember that we're in the top 10% of wealthy people in the world, so we have access to computers (and golf! And can read books...). So, on a worldwide basis, you're not really that much of a freak.
We all have what we're interested in... I think I've only heard Spice Girls, in full, once!
icnif77:
One should use eyes over ears with Spices
. Similar to M. Carrey: 'she looks better than she sings....'
Nai, I didn't knew about D&D until Big Bang Theory 
Should be cool
a little off topic here,but anyone looking forward to Fallout 4?
xunliang:
Yes. I love Fallout. I'm a bit disappointed with the cartoony graphics. But I'm sure it'll be great.
Karajorma:
Looking forwards to the new Witcher 3 DLC more. But I might give Fallout a try.
If you are in Shanghai send me a message. I know of two groups that actively play.
