Boy reading some responses in this thread make me wonder if I'm the only GM on this site that cant remember a single time in 18 years of running games when a player asked me about a social contract or whether I fudge dice before starting a game. Is this actually common where you guys play?
Boy reading some responses in this thread make me wonder if I'm the only GM on this site that cant remember a single time in 18 years of running games when a player asked me about a social contract or whether I fudge dice before starting a game. Is this actually common where you guys play?
Boy reading some responses in this thread make me wonder if I'm the only GM on this site that cant remember a single time in 18 years of running games when a player asked me about a social contract or whether I fudge dice before starting a game. Is this actually common where you guys play?
"Social contract" is just a jargon way of saying, "the expectations or understanding for how we're going to play the game." I wouldn't be surprised if in most cases it is taken for granted (the expectations are still there, mind you - if you don't talk it out, it will just be an implied or assumed contract). We, however, have a whole jargon for talking about such stuff, because we talk about it so much.
I agree with that. People assume a particular contract/GM style.
've rarely seen an expectation that the GM should/must fudge to keep PCs alive, but it did happen a couple times when I was running 3e in 2008-9, using converted Basic D&D adventures which are pretty lethal. One guy was furious at his 1st level Wizard PC being chopped up by the Bone Golem in B7 'Rahasia'; I came across him still complaining on the Internet several years later!
I cannot speak to that specific incident, of course. But if, for example, he's signed up for a four or six hour game, and he died in the first hour, disappointment is an understandable thing. I'd not worry too much about the exact way that disappointment is expressed - the guy's upset, so maybe he says the GM should have fudged, but he's not in the best place to analyze the issue.
I basically mention to any new players "I hold you to realistic consequences, I will kill you if the dice show up that way, etc." and then answer any questions they have about what I mean. Also, as a player, I've asked two GMs before not to fudge with me (a friend and my brother), but never not to fudge at all. So I know that it's explicit oftentimes when I'm involved, but I have no idea how widespread it is. As always, play what you likeBoy reading some responses in this thread make me wonder if I'm the only GM on this site that cant remember a single time in 18 years of running games when a player asked me about a social contract or whether I fudge dice before starting a game. Is this actually common where you guys play?