tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2600947515654238699.post3566283617548852108..comments2024-03-09T19:23:22.482-03:00Comments on The RPGPundit: 10th Anniversary Classic Rant: 2 Declarations in Relationship to RulesRPGPundithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17267330191433119298noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2600947515654238699.post-14710865026671732992015-12-10T17:25:11.491-03:002015-12-10T17:25:11.491-03:00Well, I've run two different FATE campaigns (o...Well, I've run two different FATE campaigns (one with Starblazer Adventures, and another with ICONS). So generally I like it; but I usually strip it of the narrative-control part that lets players use Fate points to change the setting.RPGPundithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17267330191433119298noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2600947515654238699.post-9622191923078105752015-12-10T16:38:34.342-03:002015-12-10T16:38:34.342-03:00I can't see a game where GM and players are at...I can't see a game where GM and players are at odds with each other. I've seen it, but it doesn't have to be. A GM is the story teller and the world runner. S/he will have to really screw up to end up in an antagonistic relationship with his or her players. On the other hand, I have seen egotistical munchkins and competitive rules lawyers, who can't see the game for their personal issues. They will have THEIR character and they will have THEIR supplements to power up their PC's. This is largely the fault of the D&D manufacturers, who switched the marketing focus from making products mainly for DM's to making products mainly for the more numerous players to customize and empower their PC's.<br /><br />I have avoided these problems mainly by gaming in my own setting. When players create their characters, they WRITE it into my setting. The obverse is that once I agree to their character, everything in their bio becomes part of the canon. If your family owns a merchant fleet, then you your family owns a merchant fleet with all of the in-game advantages of doing so. The game takes place in the regions, where there are six human ethnic groups, each with their culture, language and history, that at different times settled the region. Each of these groups have produced their own merchants, priests, nobility, mages, and warriors. Differing schools of magic, different warrior cultures, emphasizing different skill sets. Player is lost, they can't help, but sink in the immersiveness of it all and enjoy the ride. <br /><br />Ultimately, the key to harmonious play is trust between the DM and players. If players are newcomers, I don't confuse them with rules. I just tell them the story and offer them choices. I had one guy, a total newbie, who got really mad and held it in, because he thought, that when I had him roll a second d20 to confirm a critical hit, I had him re-roll, because I was trying to screw him. I explained the game mechanic to him, once I figured out why he was getting pissed, and I got his trust. Later on he DM'd his own adventure, but he didn't know the rules, so I handled the game mechanics for him, while he ran the adventure. His story and setting were original, unexpected, since he never read D&D literature, and players enjoyed themselves. In another case, I had a player, who tried to turn others against me, because he wanted to DM himself. Without me knowing anything at the time, players ignored him, he ended up picking a fight with me over something trivial, and leaving. I had people leave, but not over rules, they were disturbed with things in the game - strong female NPC's with power, the mysticism and the demonic nature of some monsters, putting the players into their character's shoes when combat occurs instead of using miniatures. I got a game that challenged their worldview. I am satisfied. <br /><br />In short, the DM has control over your first point, and I agree with your second point based on my experience. Brooser Bearhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08487438364129415650noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2600947515654238699.post-42268254038322331942015-12-10T11:39:04.349-03:002015-12-10T11:39:04.349-03:00What's your opinion of FATE?What's your opinion of FATE? Tim (Kalyr)https://www.blogger.com/profile/00960811565368970485noreply@blogger.com