How flexible are you as player and as a GM?

[MNblockhead]

In my experience there's a similar realization available to long-term GMs who get or take or make an opportunity to play. Alas many GMs don't seem to learn any more from the reversal of perspective than the players you're talking about.

As a mostly forever GM, on those rare occasions I do get to play, I'm very appreciative. I have run into issues as a player, but that had more to do with different group dynamics and play styles than I was used to. Most notably, I sat in on an Adventurer's League session with a group that had been playing together for a while. There was a group culture of moving through the adventure quickly and getting the XP and loot to level up within the AL system. It was a very railroady, check-box ticking way of playing and they would get annoyed if I ever suggested any course of action other than the obvious one. My group tends to play more sandboxy games and for long sessions. Trying to rush through the pre-ordained steps of an AL adventure in 3-4 hours to maximize your XP and loot in as short a time as possible was hard for me to adjust to. The way these folks played, I swear they had either played through or read the adventure before or just have played so many AL modules that they just knew what they were expected to do.

 

[pointofyou]

As a mostly forever GM, on those rare occasions I do get to play, I'm very appreciative. I have run into issues as a player, but that had more to do with different group dynamics and play styles than I was used to. Most notably, I sat in on an Adventurer's League session with a group that had been playing together for a while. There was a group culture of moving through the adventure quickly and getting the XP and loot to level up within the AL system. It was a very railroady, check-box ticking way of playing and they would get annoyed if I ever suggested any course of action other than the obvious one. My group tends to play more sandboxy games and for long sessions. Trying to rush through the pre-ordained steps of an AL adventure in 3-4 hours to maximize your XP and loot in as short a time as possible was hard for me to adjust to. The way these folks played, I swear they had either played through or read the adventure before or just have played so many AL modules that they just knew what they were expected to do.

TRPGing with a group you don't know can absolutely be a surreal experience as well as a revelatory one.

 

[bloodtide]

I'm sorry, but I have to ask. How must meal breaks be done?

Is it more about not eating while playing as it would detract from the energy and focus of the group (and to protect gaming materials from spills) or about not wasting time driving to pick up food somewhere?

The most basic is that it's right about in the middle of the game, generally at a good place to stop and that it's a half hour.

I don't put up with the player(s) or the couple(when a player brings their other) taking something like an hour just to decide WHAT they want to eat. Then driving something like an HOUR just to get that special food, plus another half hour to go another place to get some "special condiment".

One of the classic back in the day was a player that would zoom off to like six different places, for like two hours, because they want a sandwich from X, drink from Y, Fries from Z, and so on. This is MUCH less of a thing nowadays with like 'dooradsh".

Typically:

1.Pot Luck: Everyone brings something. This works for some groups.

2.A set meal. As a group we have a set order delivered or someone will cook. Often we would order something like a plain pizza, and each person would bring the toppings they wanted. Sometimes someone will want to, or be paid to cook at meal. Over the years we have done tons of "non standard" type meals.

3.Simply bring your own food.

 

[hawkeyefan]

I’m pretty flexible. As a player, I want to know what the game is about and what’s expected of me as a player. Once I know that, I’m pretty open to most games.

As GM it’s pretty similar. I want the players to know what the game is about and to engage with it accordingly. Other than that, I’m generally going to try to work with players on what they want. I want the game to be collaborative.

 

[Jd Smith1]

The most basic is that it's right about in the middle of the game, generally at a good place to stop and that it's a half hour.

This is interesting. I have rarely had meals during a game. Since going on line, I have a hard and fast rule that if you are eating, mute your mike (I have very sensitive headphones, and I have no desire to hear mastication).

 

[cranberry]

As a player, I remain completely flexible. Different people have different ideas and motivations and play styles, and I think everyone is better off when all of that is part of the game.

The only thing that rubs me the wrong way is if the DM changes the rules (mechanics) in mid combat. If a DM comes to the conclusion that something needs to change, it should be done after combat ends, and explained to everyone.

The specific example I'm thinking of was in regard to a spell's range. The DM tried to have a wizard pirate hit my PC with a spell, but it was out of range, so he decided then and there to change the range to line of sight.

 

[loverdrive]

I'm reasonably flexible (as in, I can and do enjoy very different kinds of games), as long as there's a loud and clear primer of what to expect. I'm not picking up a cat in the bag, and if things suddenly change mid-game, I'm probably gonna bail.

The same goes for when I choose a game to play. If the book mumbles about infinite possibilities, instead of going like "you're scattered remnants of an army fleeing the undead hordes of the Cinder king", it's gonna stay on the shelf.

 

[HaroldTheHobbit]

I'm not a player. As a GM I have my comfort zone of traditionalist systems with low-mid to high crunch and reasonable prep requirements. But within that framing, I'm extremely flexible.