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Should a GM be allowed to arbitrarily make things up as they go along?
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<blockquote data-quote="Sunseeker" data-source="post: 6234840"><p>I agree that "arbitrarily" changing the rules is bad. There should be some reason, even if it's a simple reason, that requires the rules to be fudged, broken, or changed.</p><p></p><p>I don't think that "spitballing" is the same as arbitrarily changing the rules. Thinking on the fly is a prerequisite of DMing, the rules do not cover every potential situation, and IMO don't need to. They should just provide general guidelines as to how <em>most</em> situations should be handled.</p><p></p><p>Personally, I'd just talk to the guy, and if he joined my game, try very very hard to restrain myself from "winging it" or making things up on the fly. I would also attempt to play an edition that leaves very little room for either rules-lawyering(which the DM can be equally guilty of) or an edition that leaves a lot of room for hand-waiving. Frankly, I'd recommend "core only" 4e or Pathfinder.</p><p></p><p>Here are some particular responses to your vignettes:</p><p></p><p></p><p>I would say: if this is 4e, tough cookies. If it were 3.5, obviously they can perform certain skills, even if untrained. This applies to 4e as well.</p><p></p><p></p><p>I would argue that in this situation, the rules MUST be made up. And in fact, some people already have made up rules. Handwaiving at the table is not the same as developing a functional rule set to cover situations which the normal rules don't. I would also expect that such rules would be made in advance and ideally be tested beforehand. </p><p>-Your potential player had an objection to "arbitrarily changing the rules". I don't think that's the same as developing new rules, or modifying bad rules with good reason or necessity.</p><p></p><p></p><p>Kill him with something big and mean. Your incredibly powerful player has attracted the attention of some demon-god who thinks your player's awesomeness outshines said demon's own. So he sets out to destroy him. </p><p></p><p></p><p>You're probably both right. I doubt ruined temples cost anything if they're in some jungle. Holding off the locals on the other hand, might be a much higher price. I'd say there's a reasonable extent to which you could go to come up with a price, but beyond that point it's not worth the effort. If your cleric wants a ruined temple, I'd tell him to go find one, and then drop a ruined temple in some forsaken swamp populated by the damned. Now the temple is free! Plus: lots of clerical plot hooks!</p><p></p><p></p><p>I think you're reading too much into it. Creating or altering the rules for a logical and reasonable reason should be acceptable even to the most "don't change the rules!" sort of guy. I really think that his problem lies with changing the rules for <strong>no reason at all</strong>.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Sunseeker, post: 6234840"] I agree that "arbitrarily" changing the rules is bad. There should be some reason, even if it's a simple reason, that requires the rules to be fudged, broken, or changed. I don't think that "spitballing" is the same as arbitrarily changing the rules. Thinking on the fly is a prerequisite of DMing, the rules do not cover every potential situation, and IMO don't need to. They should just provide general guidelines as to how [I]most[/I] situations should be handled. Personally, I'd just talk to the guy, and if he joined my game, try very very hard to restrain myself from "winging it" or making things up on the fly. I would also attempt to play an edition that leaves very little room for either rules-lawyering(which the DM can be equally guilty of) or an edition that leaves a lot of room for hand-waiving. Frankly, I'd recommend "core only" 4e or Pathfinder. Here are some particular responses to your vignettes: I would say: if this is 4e, tough cookies. If it were 3.5, obviously they can perform certain skills, even if untrained. This applies to 4e as well. I would argue that in this situation, the rules MUST be made up. And in fact, some people already have made up rules. Handwaiving at the table is not the same as developing a functional rule set to cover situations which the normal rules don't. I would also expect that such rules would be made in advance and ideally be tested beforehand. -Your potential player had an objection to "arbitrarily changing the rules". I don't think that's the same as developing new rules, or modifying bad rules with good reason or necessity. Kill him with something big and mean. Your incredibly powerful player has attracted the attention of some demon-god who thinks your player's awesomeness outshines said demon's own. So he sets out to destroy him. You're probably both right. I doubt ruined temples cost anything if they're in some jungle. Holding off the locals on the other hand, might be a much higher price. I'd say there's a reasonable extent to which you could go to come up with a price, but beyond that point it's not worth the effort. If your cleric wants a ruined temple, I'd tell him to go find one, and then drop a ruined temple in some forsaken swamp populated by the damned. Now the temple is free! Plus: lots of clerical plot hooks! I think you're reading too much into it. Creating or altering the rules for a logical and reasonable reason should be acceptable even to the most "don't change the rules!" sort of guy. I really think that his problem lies with changing the rules for [B]no reason at all[/B]. [/QUOTE]
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Should a GM be allowed to arbitrarily make things up as they go along?
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