tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1451289460116297018.post8033298257319785320..comments2022-07-28T09:14:34.744+01:00Comments on The Paladin in the Bag: Having Fun With The GameHalexBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03426923162016945320noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1451289460116297018.post-15044395544769091632012-05-09T07:24:57.389+01:002012-05-09T07:24:57.389+01:00I think your post is a very good starting point, H...I think your post is a very good starting point, Hugo. I consider the "Look at the stats" advice to be a simple one to follow although of course it's merely the tip of the iceberg.<br />What I find extremely interesting is the second part, which actually emerged from your comment on my blog, about the players being in turn responsible for the game master's enjoyment. That's kind of true and I think it is often overlooked in all those discussions about what they game should or shouldn't be about. Thanks for pointing that out.aceofdicehttp://rpg.aceofdice.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1451289460116297018.post-64378849379097530322012-05-08T23:23:49.500+01:002012-05-08T23:23:49.500+01:00Thanks for your insights.Another option is to fore...Thanks for your insights.Another option is to forego trying to tell a story at all, and let the events of the game as they unfold become the emergent story.<br /><br />That's certainly a valid concept, however, if you create certain types of characters, you are already telling the gamemaster how do you want to tackle certain situations. A fighter character is very different from a thief character. If the gamemaster never introduces traps into the game, he's certainly not caring for the player who created the character. A player of a cleric is not only signalling his willingness to cast helpful spells but to aid his group, perhaps in other ways.As a player, there are things on my character sheet which don't reflect something I want from the game [snip]... Forcing my character into situations where I was forced to tap that skill would actually work against what I wanted from the game.Certainly. I never said everything on the character sheet would be an indication of what the player wants in game. In fact, some things are just there because the player wants to add an additional layer of complexity to the character, be it a skill that just reveals a facet of a character ("I can do this!") or background stuff. In any case, there are some things in the sheet that may aid the gamemaster involving the players.Another option is to leave it up to the player to decide how to go about getting the armor, and play the cleric solely on the cleric's motivations without regard to the player and his character.Agreed. I don't have to throw the cleric in the player's path. What I'm saying is that I should keep it in the back of my mind just in case. And keep him going following his own motivations will only make him harder to find or somesuch and victory will be sweeter. In any case, the NPCs in my game exist only as a foil to the player-characters' actions. If they serve no other purpose, they don't exist. You should check my Less is More approach if you haven already.Hugo Barbosahttp://paladininthebag.blogspot.pt/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1451289460116297018.post-89352923802217250922012-05-08T23:22:12.761+01:002012-05-08T23:22:12.761+01:00Thanks for your insights.
Another option is to fo...Thanks for your insights.<br /><br /><i>Another option is to forego trying to tell a story at all, and let the events of the game as they unfold become the emergent story.</i><br /> <br />That's certainly a valid concept, however, if you create certain types of characters, you are already telling the gamemaster how do you want to tackle certain situations. A fighter character is very different from a thief character. If the gamemaster never introduces traps into the game, he's certainly not caring for the player who created the character. A player of a cleric is not only signalling his willingness to cast helpful spells but to aid his group, perhaps in other ways.<br /><br /><i>As a player, there are things on my character sheet which don't reflect something I want from the game [snip]... Forcing my character into situations where I was forced to tap that skill would actually work against what I wanted from the game.</i><br /><br />Certainly. I never said everything on the character sheet would be an indication of what the player wants in game. In fact, some things are just there because the player wants to add an additional layer of complexity to the character, be it a skill that just reveals a facet of a character ("I can do this!") or background stuff. In any case, there are <i>some things</i> in the sheet that may aid the gamemaster involving the players.<br /><br /><i>Another option is to leave it up to the player to decide how to go about getting the armor, and play the cleric solely on the cleric's motivations without regard to the player and his character.</i><br /><br />Agreed. I don't have to throw the cleric in the player's path. What I'm saying is that I should keep it in the back of my mind just in case. And keep him going following his own motivations will only make him harder to find or somesuch and victory will be sweeter. In any case, the NPCs in my game exist only as a foil to the player-characters' actions. If they serve no other purpose, they don't exist. You should check my Less is More approach if you haven already.Hugo Barbosahttp://paladininthebag.blogspot.pt/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1451289460116297018.post-37204928411443343172012-05-08T17:10:59.178+01:002012-05-08T17:10:59.178+01:00"A story should be based on the players' ...<i>"A story should be based on the players' wants and somehow tied to their character concept."</i><br /><br />Another option is to forego trying to tell a story at all, and let the events of the game as they unfold become the emergent story.<br /><br /><i>"Short of asking outright, how does a gamemaster figure out what each player wants from his game? Simply by looking at their character sheets."</i><br /><br />As a player, there are things on my character sheet which don't reflect something I want from the game, but rather represent a resource I can tap. I created a character who had a couple of skill points in Craft (construction), solely so I could take ten on some routine tasks like building a foxhole. It wasn't a clue to the referee that I wanted to build foxholes, however - it was simply something I wanted to have in my quiver of options for dealing with the situations that arose in the game. Forcing my character into situations where I was forced to tap that skill would actually work against what I wanted from the game.<br /><br /><i>"As a gamemaster, it is my job to make sure it is possible for him to get the armor but also to make it difficult."</i><br /><br />Another option is to leave it up to the player to decide how to go about getting the armor, and play the cleric solely on the cleric's motivations without regard to the player and his character.<br /><br />In short, there's a lot here with which I disagree, that I do not do as a referee and that I don't enjoy as a player. That's part of knowing your players, too.Black Vulmeanoreply@blogger.com