Xander ,'Lessons'
A thread for the discussion of games: board, LARP, MMORPG, video, tabletop RPG, game theory etc. etc. and all attendant news, developments and ancillary subjects thereof, as well as coordinating/scheduling games either online or IRL. All are welcome to chime in, talk about their favorite games or learn about gaming of any sort.
PLEASE TO WHITEFONT SPOILERS for video games, RPG modules or anything for which foreknowledge of events might lessen one's enjoyment of whatever gaming experience.
I agree on the technical side of take-backsies vs. judgement calls -- but even in a computer context, reverting to a save feels different from a ctrl-z, somehow. Probably somewhere in between, or some of both, or something.
My answer is usually...it's a GAME. It really is a place to mouth off and suffer consequences, without losing your ability to pay rent.
Dude, yeah? Play isn't practicing no consequences, it's practicing taking consequences.
But here's another thought: I also know a few gamers who do PnP RPGs (and things like WoW) as an outlet for their real-life frustrations. They want to be the biggest baddest killers around, and mouth off to everyone in a way they can't in real life. Which, if the game is not designed for the PCs to be mouthy bullies, gets them into trouble. So, bewildered, they wonder why they are having to live with the consequences even in a game.
I've had many players like this. My response to their petulant "But WHY? It's not like it's REAL!" whining is "You're detracting from the enjoyment of the other players. Thus, I must punish you.
Plus, you're being a dickweed. See above, re: Thus."
"You're detracting from the enjoyment of the other players. Thus, I must punish you.
Plus, you're being a dickweed. See above, re: Thus."
It would be so great to be able to use this at meetings.
Isn't that rather a lot of 'splaining when you could just say, "A flaming cow falls from the sky!"
"A flaming cow falls from the sky!"
would not work at meetings.
would not work at meetings.
Depends on where you work, surely?
I think we all need better meetings.
I think we all need better meetings.
or more flaming cows.
or more flaming cows.
They would be an improvement.
I have used the flaming cow falling from the sky, and had it used on me. Actually, it's kind of a fun way to design an encounter -- a flaming cow flies into the party. Why?
Most of the time, with most players, we don't need a CTRL Z. And even with really stupid tricks that turn out not to work, we can live with the consequences.
I've had two incidences (back under D&D 2.0), where a particular fight led to a TPK, which each time prompted the DM to open the next session with the words, "Okay. You all wake up from the terrible shared nightmare where you all died."
I had one Shadowrun session where Joe had to do a retcon for something that would have severely messed up my spellcaster, after we all remembered *several* minutes after the fact that my character has been invisible, and that couldn't have happened that way.