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<blockquote data-quote="pemerton" data-source="post: 7753579" data-attributes="member: 42582"><p>But the game is described as a <em>wargame</em>. The rules are "guidelines" for adjudicaiton of the ficiton, of PC development, etc. There is not the least hint that the GM might just make up outcomes because they are "good for the story"/"good for the fun of the participants".</p><p></p><p>And he then goes on to give two examples: allowing the PCs (and thus players) to discover a secret door leading to a new dungeon area (ie content introduction); and treating a death result against a skilled player who got unlucky as maiming or unconsciousness instead (which I mentioned in my post).</p><p></p><p>He also says that the GM's adjudication should <em>take into account what the monster has done</em> in reducing a PC to zero hp; and that the GM should <em>always give a monster an even break</em>. There is not the least suggestion that something like the White Wolf "golden rule" should apply - ie that the GM is expected or entitled to fiat outcomes in the interests of "the story". That doesn't come into D&D books until 2nd ed AD&D. (When the game is not presented as anything like a wargame.)</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>None of this is relevant to what I posted. I didn't say anything about <em>following the rules closely</em> or <em>not changing the rules</em>. I talked about the sort of adjudication that the GM was expected to engage in.</p><p></p><p>For instance, how can anyone think that Gygax's DMG would support fudging combat outcomes when, in the first page of the introduction (those opening paragraphs that [MENTION=29398]Lanefan[/MENTION] mentions), he says that while a GM <em>is </em>entitled to disregard a positive wandering monster roll where the players are playing well but getting unlucky and hence having their session spoiled, a GM <em>should not</em> have the wanderers appear and then allow the PCs to easily defeat them or escape from them, because that would be "contrary to the major precepts of the game."</p><p></p><p>What are those precepts? That players who play well should have their PCs propser, and that those who play with little skill should have their PCs suffer the consequences. This could hardly be clearer across his PHB and DMG.</p><p></p><p>The precepts that underpin "rule zero" as some in this thread are presenting it - that is, that every outcome at every moment of play, that the signficance of every player decision and every player die roll is, in principal, a matter over which the GM is entitled to exercise unreserved fiat - are not found at all in Gygax's AD&D books.</p><p></p><p>His sole focus is on (what he calls) "skilled play".</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="pemerton, post: 7753579, member: 42582"] But the game is described as a [I]wargame[/I]. The rules are "guidelines" for adjudicaiton of the ficiton, of PC development, etc. There is not the least hint that the GM might just make up outcomes because they are "good for the story"/"good for the fun of the participants". And he then goes on to give two examples: allowing the PCs (and thus players) to discover a secret door leading to a new dungeon area (ie content introduction); and treating a death result against a skilled player who got unlucky as maiming or unconsciousness instead (which I mentioned in my post). He also says that the GM's adjudication should [I]take into account what the monster has done[/I] in reducing a PC to zero hp; and that the GM should [I]always give a monster an even break[/I]. There is not the least suggestion that something like the White Wolf "golden rule" should apply - ie that the GM is expected or entitled to fiat outcomes in the interests of "the story". That doesn't come into D&D books until 2nd ed AD&D. (When the game is not presented as anything like a wargame.) None of this is relevant to what I posted. I didn't say anything about [I]following the rules closely[/I] or [I]not changing the rules[/I]. I talked about the sort of adjudication that the GM was expected to engage in. For instance, how can anyone think that Gygax's DMG would support fudging combat outcomes when, in the first page of the introduction (those opening paragraphs that [MENTION=29398]Lanefan[/MENTION] mentions), he says that while a GM [I]is [/I]entitled to disregard a positive wandering monster roll where the players are playing well but getting unlucky and hence having their session spoiled, a GM [I]should not[/I] have the wanderers appear and then allow the PCs to easily defeat them or escape from them, because that would be "contrary to the major precepts of the game." What are those precepts? That players who play well should have their PCs propser, and that those who play with little skill should have their PCs suffer the consequences. This could hardly be clearer across his PHB and DMG. The precepts that underpin "rule zero" as some in this thread are presenting it - that is, that every outcome at every moment of play, that the signficance of every player decision and every player die roll is, in principal, a matter over which the GM is entitled to exercise unreserved fiat - are not found at all in Gygax's AD&D books. His sole focus is on (what he calls) "skilled play". [/QUOTE]
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