Changing rules midstream

[Cardinal Thor]

I'm currently running the Goodman Games module "Dungeon Crawl Classic #17 - Legacy of the Savage Kings" and the players just started getting in deep into the swamp. I'm tempted to make some rules changes based on various house rules I've found on these forums and on other C&C pages but am hesitant to make substantial changes in the middle of an adventure.

Have you done this in the past? Were the results positive or negative? Any advice on the topic would be appreciated as I have not been CKing very long.

-CT

[Treebore]

It works easily when you tell your players what you want to do and they agree to it being done.

[Cardinal Thor]

I suppose so. What concerns me most is the volume of rules I'm thinking of changing. I don't want to overwhelm my players at the beginning of a session by saying something like "Okay, I'd like to change the following 28 rules: Turning undead will now function like so... combat dominance like so... etc."

Should I give them a printout or something?

[Treebore]

Definitely do not rush into it, and print outs are always handy.

I suggest you take the time to sit down with your players and explain to them what you would like to do and why. Then ask them if they like the ideas, and even if they have suggestions on how to do things differently/better. Its much easier to get them to accept the changes when they are in on making those changes. That is how most of my house rules got created.

[finarvyn]

I was running an urban fantasy type campaign using d20 Call of Cthulhu rules and the game seemed kind of flat and didn't fit my style, so I switched mid-stream to the Buffy tVS rules set becasue they were more fast and loose. The whole game perked up.

I guess the key for me is that if something doesn't go well you have two options: let it ride and see if it gets better, or tweak things to hopefully make it get better.

I'd also suggest you chat with the players to see how they view the game, because some of the adventures I thought were flat are the ones my players say they like best. Strange, but sometimes it's hard to judge how the game is going from their perspective.

Bottom line for me is that if you don't like it, change it. Just be sure the players aren't caught by surprise by the changes.

[serleran]

When I wish to change how something works, I do it through a magic item. I find this is a good way to test new stuff and if something does not work right, you can easily make it go away.

[Relaxo]

I used to do it all the time.
Usually, when possible, I'd introduce a new rule idea at the beginning of a session, explain it, and ask, "are you ok with this?" and see what everyone thought. I'd do that on the fly too, and it would become a "from now on" kind of thing. Certainly asking the players if they approve of made up rules changes keeps grumbles to a minimum.