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What DM flaw has caused you to actually leave a game?
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<blockquote data-quote="Kobold Boots" data-source="post: 7506748" data-attributes="member: 92239"><p>Ok so... This is what I think, I think.</p><p></p><p>A player may choose a background, they may have a concept that's agreed to by all at the table and they start the game that way. Whether or not those boundaries stay in place or move around has everything to do with how the character takes advantage of or respects the NPC that's in play. Buying a background does not mean that the patron is a player character. The obvious outcome being that the patron is a NPC, and NPCs are controlled by the DM. </p><p></p><p>Anything less is a gross compromise of some basic definitions in use within the game. Now that's not to say some DMs don't do this as a matter of course for some things. I remember having a witch character in a Pathfinder game that had a follower two levels lower than himself. The GM allowed me to run that character myself, as a matter of administration and I had a wide range of authority over that character's motivations and such; but the understanding was that if he needed to bring free will to the character to avoid exploitation of the rules or the character, he would do so.</p><p></p><p>Does GM/DM control over backgrounds and such thwart player agency? Maybe. I know I've chosen to not DM for players who had the thought of writing their own personal epics with no regard to prepped adventure or plot. However, that's usually after I've made it pretty clear that I run partial sandbox because I don't want campaigns lasting years anymore and folks take things too far in the other direction.</p><p></p><p>If you want a patron, but you don't want the patron to have its own agenda, then you want to play a mage. If you want to play a "fey" mage, then I'd strongly suggest taking an opposing bent to the character and hunting fey and fey knowledge instead of frolicking with them.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Kobold Boots, post: 7506748, member: 92239"] Ok so... This is what I think, I think. A player may choose a background, they may have a concept that's agreed to by all at the table and they start the game that way. Whether or not those boundaries stay in place or move around has everything to do with how the character takes advantage of or respects the NPC that's in play. Buying a background does not mean that the patron is a player character. The obvious outcome being that the patron is a NPC, and NPCs are controlled by the DM. Anything less is a gross compromise of some basic definitions in use within the game. Now that's not to say some DMs don't do this as a matter of course for some things. I remember having a witch character in a Pathfinder game that had a follower two levels lower than himself. The GM allowed me to run that character myself, as a matter of administration and I had a wide range of authority over that character's motivations and such; but the understanding was that if he needed to bring free will to the character to avoid exploitation of the rules or the character, he would do so. Does GM/DM control over backgrounds and such thwart player agency? Maybe. I know I've chosen to not DM for players who had the thought of writing their own personal epics with no regard to prepped adventure or plot. However, that's usually after I've made it pretty clear that I run partial sandbox because I don't want campaigns lasting years anymore and folks take things too far in the other direction. If you want a patron, but you don't want the patron to have its own agenda, then you want to play a mage. If you want to play a "fey" mage, then I'd strongly suggest taking an opposing bent to the character and hunting fey and fey knowledge instead of frolicking with them. [/QUOTE]
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What DM flaw has caused you to actually leave a game?
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