Unpopular opinions go here

[overgeeked]

But if you don't trust the people you are playing with, and particularly don't trust the DM, why are you playing?

Exactly. Play solo for a while, play video games, play cards, do something else. I cannot imagine sitting down to a table and not trusting the referee.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

We also play OSE/Beyond the Wall primarily, so there are minimal skills, buttons, or switches to pull.

Are you playing Beyond the Wall in one shots or do you have a campaign going? Did you do all of the group activities to build the setting?

I've never played it beyond one shots, but I'm fascinated by the campaign play tools.

 

[Hussar]

Exactly. Play solo for a while, play video games, play cards, do something else. I cannot imagine sitting down to a table and not trusting the referee.

You have to remember that you probably aren’t the first dm someone has has. Maybe not even the tenth. And it’s a two way street. Many dms refuse to trust the players as well.

And there are levels of trust. I struggle with a lot of new players trying to be cagey about their goals when declaring actions because they’ve obviously been bitten in the past by various dms.

So they’ll declare an action that I’m not really sure the reason of so they can then declare the next step and so on until they reach their goal.

Breaking players of that habit is difficult. I constantly have to ask players what they’re trying to do so I can just skip all the overly detailed minutiae that they are only doing because of their previous gaming experiences.

And I really don’t blame them for it.

 

[Jd Smith1]

Right. But if you don't trust the people you are playing with, and particularly don't trust the DM, why are you playing?

There is a great deal of truth in this.

 

[Hussar]

There is a great deal of truth in this.

Again, there are degrees of trust. And it might not even be something that happens all the time. It might only come up at certain points. So you learn to avoid those points and have a fun game.

If you’re pretty sure that if you do x it’s going to bite you on the bum but if you do y then it won’t, you just do y.

The idea that a dm should be 100% trusted at all times is a notion that needs to die in a fire. Trust is earned. You want your players to place that kind of trust in you? Don’t take it for granted.

You are not owed anything other than my polite attention and honest effort to make the game fun for everyone when you dm. Anything more is on you to earn.

 

[Cruentus]

Are you playing Beyond the Wall in one shots or do you have a campaign going? Did you do all of the group activities to build the setting?

I've never played it beyond one shots, but I'm fascinated by the campaign play tools.

Playing it in a campaign, used the character playbooks and village creation processes/rules, and using the spell system, and have placed it in Greyhawk. We’re having a lot of fun with just exploring around the village and building out the world. Happy to discuss.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Playing it in a campaign, used the character playbooks and village creation processes/rules, and using the spell system, and have placed it in Greyhawk. We’re having a lot of fun with just exploring around the village and building out the world. Happy to discuss.

Did you ever use the rules from Further Afield? I've held off on picking that up, but I find all of Flatland's systems to be super-interesting and creative. I still use the dungeon building templates in Grizzled Heroes for my Shadowdark games, for instance.

 

[payn]

The problem is even your method can seem harsh if the player has a vastly different idea of what those results are likely to mean. Its why a lot of people really aren't that fond of judgment-call based resolution, even if it uses mechanics; it can be way out of kilter with what they expect.

Again, there are degrees of trust. And it might not even be something that happens all the time. It might only come up at certain points. So you learn to avoid those points and have a fun game.

If you’re pretty sure that if you do x it’s going to bite you on the bum but if you do y then it won’t, you just do y.

The idea that a dm should be 100% trusted at all times is a notion that needs to die in a fire. Trust is earned. You want your players to place that kind of trust in you? Don’t take it for granted.

You are not owed anything other than my polite attention and honest effort to make the game fun for everyone when you dm. Anything more is on you to earn.

My technics are conversational and meant to build trust. As GM, I'm going to provide the info the character and player should know. We can come to terms on what the situation means and how to resolve it together. As GM, I reserve the right to make the final call, but im very open to working together for it and earning that trust.

 

[Thomas Shey]

Right. But if you don't trust the people you are playing with, and particularly don't trust the DM, why are you playing?

Because a lot of people don't entirely trust any GM from their history, but they'd still like to play. As the saying goes, "Its the only game in town".

 

[MichaelSomething]

Is it possible to trust the DM but not the fiction?