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It's important to note that "plotless" doesn't mean "prepless". If anything, I find it harder to prep now that I don't use plots, maybe because it's a different part of the ol' noggin I'm using. :) You have to come up with an interesting situation, NPCs with their own goals and connections to...

I have two thoughts here. First, not everybody on the board plays D&D as their primary game. (Hey, this is the general discussion forum.) Second, regardless of system, deadliness is a stylistic choice. So is realism. If your game's about the thrill and danger of battle and adventure, and...

This is what some people call "The Impossible Thing Before Breakfast": the idea that the GM is all-powerful and provides the story, but that the players have full freedom of action. Obviously there's some sort of compromise between the two, it's just that (as we see in this thread) it's often...

I guess I get the whole "no do-overs" thing. It's just that there's literally no PC death in my games unless it's the player's idea. There's still a ton of bad things that can happen, don't get me wrong, but it's like Jack Bauer in 24 -- you may end up with a truckload of mental issues, have...

My hat is off to you. Wow. There was a PC-driven performance in the NWN campaign we ran years ago -- the PCs had received a broken-down theater in town that was haunted by the ghosts of the actors (Ravenloft-esque setting, most of the town had been killed years ago, and they were gradually...

Eh, you've already made a decision. That's cool. I will point out that you're making a rule to fudge if this happens in the future, so I find it hard to see why you wouldn't apply that decision retroactively to the reason for the rule in the first place. :) And as for your question abou the...

As entertaining as this p!ssing contest is, gentlemen, I've got something for the original poster. You have a group of relative newbies. Please, PLEASE don't throw all the complex stuff at them. They could give a toss what the physics and game-balance justification is, if they want a little...

Here's a definition I've seen that I think is useful. Force is when a GM directs the flow of play. (Obviously, every game has some of this.) Railroading is just what we call it when the amount of force applied makes the players unhappy. Usually this is when it goes to the point of taking away...

Just fudge him to -9, man. What's more important, playing it "honest" about a couple of points of damage, or allowing your player to keep enjoying a character he created? It sounded to me like the original player would have been more attentive, and would have backed off his PC for healing after...

It's true, there were a lot of elements in GB that I didn't see again in a RPG until a few years ago. The default method of play didn't involve a PC party, and might have several sides working at cross purposes (a FBI agent trying to stop a criminal's plot, with a journalist uncovering the...

I can envision an alternate universe where roleplaying didn't originate from wargaming roots. It wouldn't be about trying to "simulate" anything, except perhaps the dramatic give-and-take of a good movie, TV show, or novel. Mechanics wouldn't be about how much you could lift or how fast you...

I think if this character used his unearthly powers of persuasion (and come on, 24 Charisma plus magic items equals supernatural to me), his reputation would spread very quickly. Whatever precautions people use against Sirens and the like would apply -- you'd have enemies who, warned of this...

Just sounds like a scheduling conflict to me. Once a few people pull out of a game, it's common that others will, since that often leads to a campaign being canceled. (Kind of a self-fulfilling prophecy, just like how people are more likely to miss a session if they know someone else already...

I think it's important to note that "kill your darlings" doesn't just apply to NPCs -- it can apply to any area where player input is being subordinated to the GM's will. I would argue it's more about inclusion than exclusion. I try to take this idea so far that my creative contributions as a...

Just wanted to throw some more thoughts in here: I think you should use a system that encourages the behavior you want in your game. If you want a complicated tactical wargame that encourages number crunching and creative applications of a complex ruleset, D&D is right up your alley. However...

I play biweekly (skipping a sesson every so often when people can't make it), and I've found that shorter sessions have helped a lot. A friend ran a weekly 8-hour marathon game a while back, and often it'd be weeks before we could get everyone in the room. These days we play from 7 to 10 on a...

I have this feeling that the average ENWorlder's stance on rules-light vs. rules-heavy is going to lean waaay more towards rules-heavy than it would if you polled other segments of the roleplaying population. There's a *lot* of crunch discussion here, after all, so it's going to attract people...

I know this is the rules forum, but I have to go with something in the original post: There's a player who'd enjoy playing a bard. That, to me, is sufficient reason for him to do it. (Especially because we've seen how flexible the class is -- someone who's motivated to make it interesting will...

Oh, to live in a world where "It's a cool idea, and would be fun in play" is sufficient reason to allow something. :) I hated those stupid little droids in the prequels, but the original poster's writeup has officially changed my mind. I hope you get to play him.

This should be in fifty point bold text. It's a terrible, terrible idea to deal with this in character. It sounds like your mind's made up, but if you take it out on the substitute DM in game, I give your campaign maybe two more sessions before it ends abruptly. :( In any case, it sounds like...