tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2991825497413540598.post7553525961326484094..comments2024-03-28T07:46:35.069-04:00Comments on The Sign of the Frothing Mug: The Delicate BalanceJDG Perldeinerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07632961831809544262noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2991825497413540598.post-66495804847763232792012-03-20T03:45:21.157-04:002012-03-20T03:45:21.157-04:00Some games are like riding a roller coaster. Ooh, ...Some games are like riding a roller coaster. Ooh, that sounds all exciting, right? Sure, you get to go fast and do the loop, but anybody without a heart condition can do it, with no more effort than it takes to sit down in the cart and click the lap belt. You know you're going to get there, and there isn't any challenge to it. But sure, you can have your fun going fast around that loop.<Guy Fullertonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12034114718540912559noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2991825497413540598.post-5406329680124609282012-03-17T23:13:00.251-04:002012-03-17T23:13:00.251-04:00Well, I would present a counter-argument that the ...Well, I would present a counter-argument that the GM (as laid out in an older sense) is not present to facilitate a story, but rather to be a final impartial arbiter of reality. Player death scenarios aren't a function of the GM, but rather of the players and their own faculties (or lack thereof).JDG Perldeinerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07632961831809544262noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2991825497413540598.post-59621052877473140412012-03-17T19:21:14.029-04:002012-03-17T19:21:14.029-04:00I disagree completely. The rollercoaster is exactl...I disagree completely. The rollercoaster is exactly what I, and I believe most gamers, want to ride. I'm not saying character death should be impossible- on the contrary it should be very real, but used sparingly.<br /><br />People play roleplaying games to tell a story, and to be a part of that story. It is the work of all to make that a good story. Good stories are, at their heart, nothing David Astleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15027277298852667402noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2991825497413540598.post-49327576601385137932012-03-17T14:46:33.172-04:002012-03-17T14:46:33.172-04:00@Josh, What you see as one issue, I see as two. ...@Josh, What you see as one issue, I see as two. The power scale issue and the rules issue. If you just look at D&D, the game has shifted on both issues at the same time, so it's easy to conflate them. However, it's perfectly possible to have a game that combines different levels of these ideas. I've seen 4th edition gamemasters that have tough games where the players need Philo Pharynxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05332233751045766942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2991825497413540598.post-40325603612308827872012-03-04T19:52:10.135-05:002012-03-04T19:52:10.135-05:00I tend to fall hard on the DM power scale, as I...I tend to fall hard on the DM power scale, as I'm sure you cogitated. I never thought it was the player's right to win, but rather that it was a reward for a hard-fought battle (metaphorical or literal).JDG Perldeinerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07632961831809544262noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2991825497413540598.post-9347359993685389712012-03-04T17:39:58.983-05:002012-03-04T17:39:58.983-05:00I, for one, never felt "entitled" to any...I, for one, never felt "entitled" to anything as a PC in your games. And as for the sense of "winning awesomely," I seem to recall trusting in your flair for the dramatic - when the dramatic was called for. There need be nothing "fucking awesome" about the normal routines of the games.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00685821917685771361noreply@blogger.com