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Judgement calls vs "railroading"
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<blockquote data-quote="Tony Vargas" data-source="post: 7054251" data-attributes="member: 996"><p>It'd look a lot like a game, really. Most games (not restricting it to RPGs), don't require a DM or referee. The rules are fewer, simpler, & clearer, the scope of play more constrained, and players are left to hammer out any ambiguities or house rules, among themselves. RPGs are generally much more ambitious in scope, requiring far more complex rulesets (which require interpretation, using judgement) or openness to operating without rules (which requires judgement). The DM position, early on, often called a 'judge' or 'referee,' provides that judgement.</p><p></p><p> A shared-storytelling game can follow a round-robin narrative, for instance, you could think of it as taking turns DMing, but it's really just taking turns telling a story, building on what's come before and adding new ideas to it. All the players are thus equal. </p><p></p><p>The clearer, more consistent, & better-balanced the system, and the more tightly focused and constrained in scope the adventure, the more practical it'd be to have even an RPG without a DM. </p><p></p><p> Assuming the game has a DM to exercise judgement about what the rules say/mean, when/how they apply, and what the details and nature of the world and situations within it are like, then, yes, those judgements will at times determine (not merely influence) player success or failure. 5e is an obvious example: The player declares an action, the DM exercises his judgement to determine if it will succeed, fail or should be resolved with a dice roll (and sets a DC, which could be set high or low enough to make failure or success inevitable).</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Tony Vargas, post: 7054251, member: 996"] It'd look a lot like a game, really. Most games (not restricting it to RPGs), don't require a DM or referee. The rules are fewer, simpler, & clearer, the scope of play more constrained, and players are left to hammer out any ambiguities or house rules, among themselves. RPGs are generally much more ambitious in scope, requiring far more complex rulesets (which require interpretation, using judgement) or openness to operating without rules (which requires judgement). The DM position, early on, often called a 'judge' or 'referee,' provides that judgement. A shared-storytelling game can follow a round-robin narrative, for instance, you could think of it as taking turns DMing, but it's really just taking turns telling a story, building on what's come before and adding new ideas to it. All the players are thus equal. The clearer, more consistent, & better-balanced the system, and the more tightly focused and constrained in scope the adventure, the more practical it'd be to have even an RPG without a DM. Assuming the game has a DM to exercise judgement about what the rules say/mean, when/how they apply, and what the details and nature of the world and situations within it are like, then, yes, those judgements will at times determine (not merely influence) player success or failure. 5e is an obvious example: The player declares an action, the DM exercises his judgement to determine if it will succeed, fail or should be resolved with a dice roll (and sets a DC, which could be set high or low enough to make failure or success inevitable). [/QUOTE]
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