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Pretty much. I was excited about 4e for the same reason I lost interest in 3e. Why should I, having the 3e books, drop $100 on books for a game that would essentially play the same? A few tweaks here and there - no. I don't lay out cash for fixes, I lay it out for new games. Not into any...

My work to allow a good story to happen occurs at the table, not before and not after. I have a strong, strong suspician that if we'd never had this debate and he just played in my games it would feel exactly like his ideal RPG. Its not like I go into detail about story structures, just a...

No, they are the same thing. The same character choice with the same results could come about from wanting to make a good story and wanting to be true to a character. We could continue this for hundreds of pages I supposed, but I don't think we're going to get much further. What it comes down...

The actions of the PCs are what drive the story. The GM isn't like a conductor in an orchestra, pointing at people when he wants them to play. He's like the bass player in a rock band, he keeps everything moving at a smooth pace. I don't recall having to veto very often, but it does happen...

The biggest hurdle is getting them to disassociate what's on their character sheet with what they can do. Don't just let them roll a skill check, ask them exactly what they are doing. Social skills, of course, but with all skills. For instance, rather than 'I rolled 17 on Athletics and jump...

Why do you think these are mutually exclusive? I decide outcomes on where I think the story should go all the time. The actions of the players matter greatly. Here's how a typical maddman session goes. I'll start with some Teaser - a described cut scene, a fight, or a conflict of some kind...

This made me think of BRP Call of Cthulhu. There are the mostly familiar scores in there, Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, etc. But really, they don't matter much. They have small game mechanical effects sure, but your skills are mostly unaffected by them and the skills are what you use for...

The people who say this want to be playing games with character mechanics. D&D/d20 mechanics are heavily focused on what people can do, and almost nothing on what they are. Personally one of the reasons I don't care for it much any more. I make a D&D character and I feel like I don't know...

This is really the entirety of my point. A player takes an action. It might be justified for story reasons. It might be because he felt that would be 'true' to his character. It might be because its getting late and his wife is going to be on his case if he doesn't get home soon. Who knows...

Thanks for all the tips! Here's my thoughts - I opened the game with some Dread-style questionnaires. I might do a couple more and ask everyone what sets them off, what gets them angry. - As far as winning, I think that may be part of the problem too. She's got a lot of social skills and a...

Call of Cthulhu fixes everything. :) Why yes, you find powerful magical items. Books full of spells! Guns - this is the 20s, man! You can order tommy guns out of the Sears catalogue. :devil:

The fun kind The unfun kind. What else could you imagine I mean?

Because he's trying to get everyone else on the pets forum to think you aren't a pet owner because you like cats.

My girlfriend is feeling like she's in an RPG rut. She typically plays characters that are empathic caregivers or airheads. Both of these are lots of fun, but wants to expand her roleplaying chops to well, a more violent character. So for our new Hunter game, she made a teenage barfly with...

Judging from his posts above, you could be playing 4e D&D, and if your primary goal is to create a fun story, you aren't playing a roleplaying game. I've got a player's handbook, miniatures, a d20, and a story of fantasy adventure, but somehow am not playing a roleplaying game. Because I don't...

Its not that you call it a storytelling game. Its that you claim it is not an RPG any more. I don't know how to take that other than 'Maddman doesn't play RPGs right.' Would you object if I called your style of game 'Exploration games' and say that its all good and fine and its great you...

Welcome to Sunnydale Military Monster Hunters Tea and Crossbows :tears:

I think he's being pretty clear. You can be playing D&D but if you don't play it according to the One True Exploder Wizard Way, you aren't really playing a roleplaying game. He's not talking about Capes or Baron Munchausen or other outliers that most people could make the reasonable...

Okay, exactly what games are you talked about? I play a lot of indie stuff and tend toward the narrative side of things, and this does not bear true to me. The point of trying to make the story resulting from play into a good story is that it make the game more fun. No, this is completely...

I don't allow things in that I don't own. And I don't buy all that many suppliments. To be honest, if a player wants something new for their character I'd rather make something up than sift through a rulebook. I only buy suppliments that will be heavily used in game.