D&D General [rant]The conservatism of D&D fans is exhausting.

[Micah Sweet]

And I've been playing and interacting with gamers since 1975 either directly or remotely, and I've seen plenty of cases where "tolerate" is, if anything, a charitable description. So here we are.

Good thing there's more than one game out there, and more than one playstyle.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Precisely.

When there is an actual rule, spoken, in the open, where we can see it? We can criticize it. We can do something about it.

When everything is social-contract, unspoken, "just trust me bro" etc., etc., etc., how do we fix anything? How can we even see where the problem is, entirely before considering what needs to be done about it?


"Legislation"? Really?

We really have gone off the deep end now. I'm done.

Making new game systems and new rules is, in effect, legislating at the game level. It's not hyperbole, just trying to use a provocative term to emphasize my point.

 

[Thomas Shey]

The solution to the issue of mediocre referees isn’t to bury everything under new systems.

I have to note that the use of "bury" in this sentence is semantically loaded as can be.

 

[Thomas Shey]

Making new game systems and new rules is, in effect, legislating at the game level. It's not hyperbole, just trying to use a provocative term to emphasize my point.

What do you think hyperbole is?

 

[Micah Sweet]

The key word in this post it "try". There are plenty of people who try to do things that they end up failing at with various degrees of frequency. Limits to competence are far more common than malevolence.

Sure. Does that mean we need to constrain their actions so the players are protected from their "incompetence"?

 

[Thomas Shey]

Good thing there's more than one game out there, and more than one playstyle.

You, of all people, are going to suggest that's always an easy solution for everyone when one game dominates the hobby as much as it is? Really?

 

[Micah Sweet]

What do you think hyperbole is?

The term is accurate, just not often used at this scale.

 

[Thomas Shey]

Sure. Does that mean we need to constrain their actions so the players are protected from their "incompetence"?

In some cases. But let's not act like one player has as much impact on the game or has as much ability to push back as the GM here.

 

[Thomas Shey]

The term is accurate, just not often used at this scale.

And again, semantically loaded. Which is usually the point in hyperbole.

 

[AlViking]

No. You were responding to what you thought I was saying. Which isn't what I said.

I would appreciate you responding to the clarified argument, and not to this straw man you've constructed instead.

Because I DID NOT say "trusting your GM never works for anyone ever". I said that the "trust me bro" DEFENSE does not work. As in, a rhetorical argument.

What I'm saying is that I trust my DM to be fair and impartial until proven otherwise. If it's proven otherwise I'll find another game. I also don't think any set of rules will stop a player from being a jerk.