Why we are Switching to Homebrew

Over the past three to fours years we have been playing D&D campaigns comprised almost entirely of module books. We had a small amount of homebrew for the time in between the different modules but it was still within Faerun. There were some issues we wanted to deal with that we often came across in the modules.

The first difference I noticed was that we all felt really rushed. Sometimes the story moved forward before could get everything we wanted done. It was harder to set up a home base because we just didn’t have the time to dedicate to just setting up a base. It was just easier to plan on the go since we had to keep moving forward. We also couldn’t set up a business that we could focus on for an extended period. We set up two bars in two locations in our first campaign because we had to leave the first one to continue the story. A few times, we made good friends with certain NPC’s but had to leave them quickly because the story was moving on to something else.

We were using dndbeyond for our character sheets because all the modules were accessible through the website. However, it did create a fixation on phones at the table. We were constantly looking at our phones instead of being immersed in the story. It doesn’t seem like much of a difference but it kind of took the fun out of it. Also it is really hard not to look at other things on your phone when it’s in your hand. In our new homebrew campaign we will be going strictly pen and paper. I think this will bring everyone into the story better and gives more responsibility of maintaining their player characters to the people at the table.

Let’s face it. Some of the names in the modules are kind of ridiculous. There were so many strange name choices in the Icewind Dale module we finished a couple of months ago. They resulted in many jokes and also served to take us out of the story. I don’t have a problem with clever or witty names but many were a bit vulgar or so on the nose that we all collectively rolled our eyes. Some of the names for different people were too similar like the names of the town speakers from Bryn Shander and Goodmeade. Those instances created a lot of confusion, even for the players that kept meticulous notes..

I don’t think homebrew will be perfect but I’m looking forward to slowing down and enjoying myself. The purpose of this new world and campaign is to make the players feel like living people with a story unfolding as we go, at our pace. I look forward to exploring a brand new world with my friends.

Have any questions or comments? Message below or find me on Twitter @DnDWifeStories and on Instagram @dndwife. I would love to hear from you!