Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="pemerton" data-source="post: 5986542" data-attributes="member: 42582">I think GM adjudication is an important part of the game. I like the description on p 8 of the 4e PHB, though other descriptions might do just as well:The DM sets the pace of the story and presents the various challenges and encounters the players must overcome. . . [and] controls the monsters and villains the player characters battle against, choosing their actions and rolling dice for their attacks. . . When it’s not clear what ought to happen next, the DM decides how to apply the rules and adjudicate the story.Where I see the GM as having an important role is (i) in scene framing, and (ii) in adjudicating those aspects of action resolution that are not settled by the mechanics. In 4e this often means choosing what NPCs say, or what they do. (Not always: if a player uses Come and Get It, for example, s/he gets to choose what some of the NPCs do.) Just as importantly, it means adjudicating consequences of successful or unsuccessful checks by players. This is not such a big deal in a simple jump or tumbling check - the mechanics often dictate the full consequences of such checks. But it is very important in skill challenges (see the discussion <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/new-horizons-upcoming-edition-d-d/326200-why-i-like-skill-challenges-noncombat-resolution-mechanic.html" target="_blank">here[/url).</a><a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/new-horizons-upcoming-edition-d-d/326200-why-i-like-skill-challenges-noncombat-resolution-mechanic.html" target="_blank"></a><a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/new-horizons-upcoming-edition-d-d/326200-why-i-like-skill-challenges-noncombat-resolution-mechanic.html" target="_blank">It's not a big part of this that the GM design house rules or fiat action resolution mechanics on the fly: in fact I much prefer the 4e approach of level-appropriate DCs, damage, conditions etc, because this makes the question of whether the check succeeds or fails easier to determine, leaving the GM to focus on complications and consequences.</a><a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/new-horizons-upcoming-edition-d-d/326200-why-i-like-skill-challenges-noncombat-resolution-mechanic.html" target="_blank"></a><a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/new-horizons-upcoming-edition-d-d/326200-why-i-like-skill-challenges-noncombat-resolution-mechanic.html" target="_blank">These preference are not due to experiences with bad GMs. They're about having a rules framework in which unexpected outcomes will regularly occur. Because I don't think the GM is in charge of the plot, or has some special power or authority to tweak action resolution "in the interests of the story". In a system whose PC build rules produce interesting characters, and with good action resolution mechanics, a worthwhile story will result from play without anyone needing to worry about it, provided everyone does their bit properly: the GM frames worthwhile scenes, the players engage them via their PCs, and the GM adjudicates the consequences and reframes in response.</a><a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/new-horizons-upcoming-edition-d-d/326200-why-i-like-skill-challenges-noncombat-resolution-mechanic.html" target="_blank"></a><a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/new-horizons-upcoming-edition-d-d/326200-why-i-like-skill-challenges-noncombat-resolution-mechanic.html" target="_blank">As a side point: if you want wonder and mystery from items in 4e, you use artefacts. That's excatly what they are for.</a><a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/new-horizons-upcoming-edition-d-d/326200-why-i-like-skill-challenges-noncombat-resolution-mechanic.html" target="_blank"></a><a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/new-horizons-upcoming-edition-d-d/326200-why-i-like-skill-challenges-noncombat-resolution-mechanic.html" target="_blank">Ordinary magic items, though, are in the PHB because they are one facet of the PC build mechanics. It's a bit like in Champions, where if you're playing Captain America you don't wait to find your shield in a villain's lair - you pay for it out of character build points.</a><a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/new-horizons-upcoming-edition-d-d/326200-why-i-like-skill-challenges-noncombat-resolution-mechanic.html" target="_blank"></a><a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/new-horizons-upcoming-edition-d-d/326200-why-i-like-skill-challenges-noncombat-resolution-mechanic.html" target="_blank">I agree with this. Including the bit about challenging the players: as a GM I want the action resolution rules to be robust enough, and the encounter buildig guidlines to be reliable enough, that I can frame the scene I want and then let my NPCs and monsters go! I don't want to have to second-guess my play in these situations with worries about whether or not I'm being unfair to the players.</a></blockquote>

Verification