Thanks to everyone who voted.
The results:
Yes, and they can use their knowledge in play: 19 (48%)
Yes, but they can't use their knowledge in play: 11 (28%)
No: 5 (12%)
Other: 4 (10%)
Total Votes: 39
Yes: totals out to 30 votes out of 39 for yes, which a majority allowing the knowledge to have value in play. Some comments on my previous post explained how that knowledge matters or doesn't matter, but I'd love to hear more. I already expounded on my approach but I would enjoy hearing others.
Only 12% don't allow their players to read the books. Which leads to the question, how do you stop them?
Is there a way to stop people from gaining knowledge of the game system's bestiary? I wonder especially for people who run D&D and OSR clones? - stopping them would entail stopping them from playing online games, D&D-based video games, or even read the whole of the Labyrinth Lord rulebook? I'm very curious - so if you've got a way to do it, let me know in the comments! I may need it someday . . .
IMHO you can't stop that, but you can make it useless: just make a white dragon breatch acid or a werewolf vulnerable to gold weapons and you solve that (if you really want to).
ReplyDeleteI figure that counts as "Yes, but they can't use their knowledge in play." If you've changed it, you've made that knowledge irrelevant.
DeleteInteresting excerpt from another blog post:
ReplyDeleteReading through the monsters section will punish you. Revenant undead (vampire, draug, druj, wight, ghoul…) are all statted uniquely. Trolls do not necessarily regenerate, and if so, their weakness is not necessarily fire. Dragons are unique, not just cookie-cutter fire-breathing lizards. Words like ‘Hobgoblin’ do not refer to specific species, but are general terms.
http://reignofjotuns.wordpress.com/2012/02/21/northern-shore-house-rules/
I think that's a good way of putting it: you can read the manual, but if you do you will likely be operating with bad info.
That's a good find, thanks!
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