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<blockquote data-quote="Wendigo_Bob" data-source="post: 7757446" data-attributes="member: 6971427"><p><strong>My take on this</strong></p><p></p><p>I can see the advantages of this in an open setting (IE, where the GM has no choice over players and does not know them) but myself I wouldn’t use it.</p><p>(I’m going to avoid the topics of abusive usage & various psychological issues and focus on my perception of how it affects gameplay).</p><p>Now, I tend to stick to PG stuff in my games, have yet to have a player express discomfort, and have generally good-natured players who aren’t likely to abuse such a system. Nonetheless, I have some issues with it.</p><p><strong>1)It reinforces the notion of “GM as entertainer/administrator”, rather than equal participant.</strong></p><p>This is a mindset that can be hard to deal with. It’s also the reason why I have avoided certain narrative focused games. Essentially, it supports the notion that the GM is present to service the player, rather than being an equal participant in the game. System like dungeon world & numenara (to name two I have played myself) tend to relegate GM-ing to an administrative role, there to solely absorb the player’s intent & ideas and generate a context that fits with it.</p><p>In an equal participation setup, the players play their characters, while the GM plays the world around them. If the player makes an action, the GM has no right to veto it; in the same way, players should not have a mechanism to veto GM actions.</p><p><strong>2) It forces sudden changes with little time for the GM to react.</strong></p><p>The bug example is very troublesome to me, in particular since I have used bugs as a theme before and having them removed from play would have required a complete re-creation of theme, story motivations and characters. I like to improvise, but I’m not so good I can pull an entire session together in half a second. I like to prepare my games, and they are usually much better for it. While this isn’t a universal problem (if it’s a single bug, changing it to a dog or a land squid aint hard) it is most problematic for GMs that prepare, or that try to work on a theme.</p><p> </p><p>My overall point is that I object to any mechanic that gives players or the GM an absolute veto on something happening. These quibbles will be seen as minor or irrelevant by some, but they are meaningful to me. It’s also why I prefer simulationist systems, as it allows the player a specific, quantitative measurement of their ability, rather than a loose notion of what you are good at depending on GM whims.</p><p>Now, I am sensitive to the overall issue of dealing with discomfort in games. I approach it in a different fashion however.</p><p><strong>1) Ask players before the first game about major issues.</strong></p><p>If someone has a major phobia of insects, I will look for ideas other than an insect-filled dungeons. Same goes for what the player enjoys; combat, storytelling, character-building. These things MUST be determined before the first play sessions.</p><p><strong>2) Develop a culture of openness.</strong></p><p>This may be a no-brainer, but players need to know you will listen to them, both for praise, criticism and general comments. If they have issues, or major difficulties addressing a particular subject on that very day, having it shared before the beginning of the game allows the GM some time to react and adjust things that can be adjusted. As a last resort, the GM can also ask the player to sit this game out and come back for the next one; they aren’t the only player, and if the others do want to deal with the subject they should be allowed to.</p><p><strong>3) For difficult subjects, avoid flowery prose</strong></p><p>To return to the bug example, I have known a lot of GMs who LOVE flowery prose. Who will describe in tortuous detail how you disembowel an enemy, or the various terrible feature of the swarm of bugs about to assail you. That is not necessary. Stick to the essential elements (IE, there is a dangerous swarm of bugs on the floor) and avoid detail. While it will not completely remove the issue, this will allow it to pass as quickly and painlessly as possible.</p><p><strong>4) Not all player and GM styles are compatible</strong></p><p>I can see that this is not necessarily a point a lot of people can deal with. When you run a game where you have no choice of players, then the X/O can be useful, because as was said, we can’t read minds. However, I run highly thematic, sometimes high-concept games (current work: a conceptual/memetic maze). I have lost players on my premises alone, and the dominance of D&D (and related systems) has a lot of people focused on the traditional, combat-heavy standard medieval fantasy premise and they have little interest in anything else. I also tend to run story-heavy games, which I know will bore my dungeon-diving friends to tears.</p><p><strong>5) Know thyself; I know it’s hard, but you will get maximum fun by doing so.</strong></p><p>There are a number of game types I will pointedly avoid. Horror games make me paranoid, high-mortality games make me anxious and pure-narrativist systems leave me confused. I also avoid playing characters who resemble me too much, as I get too invested in the character emotionally. As a player (and a GM) you need to know what you are comfortable with, and be open about it.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Wendigo_Bob, post: 7757446, member: 6971427"] [b]My take on this[/b] I can see the advantages of this in an open setting (IE, where the GM has no choice over players and does not know them) but myself I wouldn’t use it. (I’m going to avoid the topics of abusive usage & various psychological issues and focus on my perception of how it affects gameplay). Now, I tend to stick to PG stuff in my games, have yet to have a player express discomfort, and have generally good-natured players who aren’t likely to abuse such a system. Nonetheless, I have some issues with it. [B]1)It reinforces the notion of “GM as entertainer/administrator”, rather than equal participant.[/B] This is a mindset that can be hard to deal with. It’s also the reason why I have avoided certain narrative focused games. Essentially, it supports the notion that the GM is present to service the player, rather than being an equal participant in the game. System like dungeon world & numenara (to name two I have played myself) tend to relegate GM-ing to an administrative role, there to solely absorb the player’s intent & ideas and generate a context that fits with it. In an equal participation setup, the players play their characters, while the GM plays the world around them. If the player makes an action, the GM has no right to veto it; in the same way, players should not have a mechanism to veto GM actions. [B]2) It forces sudden changes with little time for the GM to react.[/B] The bug example is very troublesome to me, in particular since I have used bugs as a theme before and having them removed from play would have required a complete re-creation of theme, story motivations and characters. I like to improvise, but I’m not so good I can pull an entire session together in half a second. I like to prepare my games, and they are usually much better for it. While this isn’t a universal problem (if it’s a single bug, changing it to a dog or a land squid aint hard) it is most problematic for GMs that prepare, or that try to work on a theme. My overall point is that I object to any mechanic that gives players or the GM an absolute veto on something happening. These quibbles will be seen as minor or irrelevant by some, but they are meaningful to me. It’s also why I prefer simulationist systems, as it allows the player a specific, quantitative measurement of their ability, rather than a loose notion of what you are good at depending on GM whims. Now, I am sensitive to the overall issue of dealing with discomfort in games. I approach it in a different fashion however. [B]1) Ask players before the first game about major issues.[/B] If someone has a major phobia of insects, I will look for ideas other than an insect-filled dungeons. Same goes for what the player enjoys; combat, storytelling, character-building. These things MUST be determined before the first play sessions. [B]2) Develop a culture of openness.[/B] This may be a no-brainer, but players need to know you will listen to them, both for praise, criticism and general comments. If they have issues, or major difficulties addressing a particular subject on that very day, having it shared before the beginning of the game allows the GM some time to react and adjust things that can be adjusted. As a last resort, the GM can also ask the player to sit this game out and come back for the next one; they aren’t the only player, and if the others do want to deal with the subject they should be allowed to. [B]3) For difficult subjects, avoid flowery prose[/B] To return to the bug example, I have known a lot of GMs who LOVE flowery prose. Who will describe in tortuous detail how you disembowel an enemy, or the various terrible feature of the swarm of bugs about to assail you. That is not necessary. Stick to the essential elements (IE, there is a dangerous swarm of bugs on the floor) and avoid detail. While it will not completely remove the issue, this will allow it to pass as quickly and painlessly as possible. [B]4) Not all player and GM styles are compatible[/B] I can see that this is not necessarily a point a lot of people can deal with. When you run a game where you have no choice of players, then the X/O can be useful, because as was said, we can’t read minds. However, I run highly thematic, sometimes high-concept games (current work: a conceptual/memetic maze). I have lost players on my premises alone, and the dominance of D&D (and related systems) has a lot of people focused on the traditional, combat-heavy standard medieval fantasy premise and they have little interest in anything else. I also tend to run story-heavy games, which I know will bore my dungeon-diving friends to tears. [B]5) Know thyself; I know it’s hard, but you will get maximum fun by doing so.[/B] There are a number of game types I will pointedly avoid. Horror games make me paranoid, high-mortality games make me anxious and pure-narrativist systems leave me confused. I also avoid playing characters who resemble me too much, as I get too invested in the character emotionally. As a player (and a GM) you need to know what you are comfortable with, and be open about it. [/QUOTE]
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