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How Do You Get Your Players To Stay On An Adventure Path?
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<blockquote data-quote="howandwhy99" data-source="post: 6725341" data-attributes="member: 3192"><p>Randomized generation of a map is not improvisation. It is generation. It is repeating the pattern that is the game so players can game it. You should remember this terminology as you were around early on. All those DMs saying, "I'm not making it up!" DMs are never to make choices after the code of the game is selected prior to play. D&D is after all a (wildly enormous) variant of Mastermind.</p><p></p><p>On this point you are completely wrong. You're selling <em>games</em> down the river. </p><p></p><p>Like every single game, D&D enables players to play a game by presenting them with a pattern design to decipher. Just like Tic-Tac-Toe, just like Chess, just like every wargame. </p><p></p><p>Heck, even every sport. Running isn't a sport. A race with a pre-defined track is, even if played solo.</p><p></p><p>When the players go off the map the DM must generate more, either on the fly during a session which can slow it down, or by stopping the session. </p><p></p><p>Arbitrarily making something up, that isn't part of the pattern of the game, means you are expressing babble. The only game left to the player is deciphering the language code you're using to communicate. Which might improve reading ability, but little else.</p><p></p><p>This isn't about being offended. I'm not. Any DM not acting like a referee, but attempting to affect the game either favorably for the players or detrimentally is breaking their oath to be impartial. They are trying to be a player in a code breaking game they created. As the DM is only ever allowed to relate what is on the game board, a manifestation of the game, they are never allowed to improvise. They are only and ever a referee.</p><p></p><p>I think your meaning of improvisation requires some explanation. Unless you're referring to unbiased, un-improvised refereeing, I don't see how what you say could be true.</p><p></p><p>This is categorically false. Storytelling has never been part of games. Not until White Wolf published the "Storyteller system" to very disagreeing game public did anyone confuse games with stories. (Heck, storytelling as a culture didn't even exist all that long ago). To be clear, storytelling is not gaming. Code breaking is gaming. They are not even the same culture.</p><p></p><p>That's my objection. The DM never has any expectations of the players. Let the dice fall where they may. A DM isn't playing the game, so they cannot ever "force" any action.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="howandwhy99, post: 6725341, member: 3192"] Randomized generation of a map is not improvisation. It is generation. It is repeating the pattern that is the game so players can game it. You should remember this terminology as you were around early on. All those DMs saying, "I'm not making it up!" DMs are never to make choices after the code of the game is selected prior to play. D&D is after all a (wildly enormous) variant of Mastermind. On this point you are completely wrong. You're selling [I]games[/I] down the river. Like every single game, D&D enables players to play a game by presenting them with a pattern design to decipher. Just like Tic-Tac-Toe, just like Chess, just like every wargame. Heck, even every sport. Running isn't a sport. A race with a pre-defined track is, even if played solo. When the players go off the map the DM must generate more, either on the fly during a session which can slow it down, or by stopping the session. Arbitrarily making something up, that isn't part of the pattern of the game, means you are expressing babble. The only game left to the player is deciphering the language code you're using to communicate. Which might improve reading ability, but little else. This isn't about being offended. I'm not. Any DM not acting like a referee, but attempting to affect the game either favorably for the players or detrimentally is breaking their oath to be impartial. They are trying to be a player in a code breaking game they created. As the DM is only ever allowed to relate what is on the game board, a manifestation of the game, they are never allowed to improvise. They are only and ever a referee. I think your meaning of improvisation requires some explanation. Unless you're referring to unbiased, un-improvised refereeing, I don't see how what you say could be true. This is categorically false. Storytelling has never been part of games. Not until White Wolf published the "Storyteller system" to very disagreeing game public did anyone confuse games with stories. (Heck, storytelling as a culture didn't even exist all that long ago). To be clear, storytelling is not gaming. Code breaking is gaming. They are not even the same culture. That's my objection. The DM never has any expectations of the players. Let the dice fall where they may. A DM isn't playing the game, so they cannot ever "force" any action. [/QUOTE]
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How Do You Get Your Players To Stay On An Adventure Path?
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