MichaelSomething
Legend
When I DM, I don't want to get or not get the PCs. I, ideally, am a conduit of the fiction, and it gets (or not gets) the PCs on its terms. Who else operates like this? Care to share example??
D&D General When (or if?) the FICTION is out to get you??
- Thread starter MichaelSomething
- Start date
Lanefan
Victoria Rules
The inevitable response to this (and sorry for being the one to post it, I'm just jumping the queue) is that it's still the DM out to get or not get the PCs as the DM is largely-to-entirely responsible for creating the fiction.
That said, IMO once a DM has created whatever fiction the PCs are likely to encounter it's then on said DM to present that fiction neutrally and fairly and let the players/PCs make of it what they will.
That said, IMO once a DM has created whatever fiction the PCs are likely to encounter it's then on said DM to present that fiction neutrally and fairly and let the players/PCs make of it what they will.
I know some authors describe their work as "connecting to the big plot-source in the sky", but that's a a conceit. We are not conduits from some other place - we are a source of the fiction.
Necropolitan
Hero
That's the GM equivalent of a player using "It's what my character would do" as an excuse.
MichaelSomething
Legend
But not THE source of the fiction. The rules of the RPG, the players, and the fictional frame of the situation are also sources of the fiction. While the DM can (and should) nudge things, they should not override the entire construct of the fiction to force it towards their preferred outcome.
overgeeked
Open-World Sandbox
The referee is not out to get the PCs, their goal is creating interesting game play. The only way to do that is by creating tension and conflict. It's up to the referee to provide points of friction for the PCs to interact with. Create NPCs with goals and set them loose. The PCs will inevitably encounter those NPCs and interfere with their goals. The NPCs will naturally respond. That creates conflict.
It's an idea as old as the hobby, but here's a recent video by SlyFlourish on the topic.
It's an idea as old as the hobby, but here's a recent video by SlyFlourish on the topic.
The GM is usually the source of the fictional frame, as well. That doesn't come out of the aether. And, in D&D, every choice every NPC and monster makes is OURS, and we are generally setting the DCs for rolls as well.
So, the number of places we can call ourselves a "conduit" seems pretty small, to me.
That's not what's up for discussion here. When you say, "the story is out to get them" - most of that is cleanly traceable back to the GM, even if the GM isn't forcing a particular direction.
Like, when Wyle E. Coyote looks up at the anvil that's about to fall on his head, he knows the guy with the pencil put it there.
MichaelSomething
Legend
Do you think it's possible for that to not be the case???
jmartkdr2
Hero
You could offload the work to random tables or AI, but there’s reasons people don’t like that in actual play.
SteveC
Doing the best imitation of myself
I think this is the case where the dice come into play. There are many situations where things could go either way, and everyone at the table wants a particular outcome. If the GM (and the table in general) lets the dice determine what happens, then the fiction becomes its own thing.
I'm not saying that's always the best solution. In my own game, I write that if the GM and the table as a whole can't accept a potential outcome, then don't roll the dice. But I do believe that not dictating how an event comes out makes the game feel more real. And, of course, your mileage may vary.
