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A GMing telling the players about the gameworld is not like real life
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<blockquote data-quote="pemerton" data-source="post: 7583544" data-attributes="member: 42582"><p>Some thoughts on what it is plausible to suppose a starting PC might know:</p><p></p><p>(1) From Gygax's DMG (p 39):</p><p></p><p style="margin-left: 20px"><u>Acquisition of Magic-User Spells</u></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px">Inform those players who have opted for the magic-user profession that they have just completed a course of apprenticeship with a master who was of unthinkably high level (at least 6th!). Having been a relatively apt pupil, worked diligently, and made every effort to please, master (or mistress, as the case may be) was kind enough to prepare a special present for the character before he or she goes out into the world to seek his or her fortune. At this juncture request the player to ready a piece of paper which will go into his or her records as a permanent fixture. Instruct the player to entitle the page "FIRST LEVEL SPELLS KNOWN".</p><p></p><p>Now if we're talking <em>realism</em>, it seems inconceivable that a 6th or higher level magic-user would send his/her protege out into the world to seek his/her fortune without at least offering a few tips (such as that trolls regenerate unless burned by fire or acid). But obviously this bit of prose from Gygax is just a story-telling device (a "lampshade" as [MENTION=82106]AbdulAlhazred[/MENTION] would say) to provide a fig-leaf of in-fiction explanation for the 1st level MUs training and spellbook.</p><p></p><p>In classic D&D (OD&D, B/X, AD&D) the player of a fighter is entitled to play as cleverly as the player of a MU. Different classes are expected to perform different functions, but not at different levels of skill - "skilled play" is possible independently of class. The player of a MU isn't privleged in this respect just because, in the backstory, s/he was taught by a high level MU.</p><p></p><p>**********************************</p><p></p><p>(2) The suggestion that PCs would acquire their information about the gameworld primarily from interactions in <em>taverns</em> is (to me) a sign of a very particular approach to FRPGing, which frames the PCs as "man with no name"-type wanderers (along the lines of REH's Conan) who have no roots or connections to the world in which they act.</p><p></p><p>Change the fiction to something more like RuneQuest or Chivalry & Sorcery and that suggestion makes little sense.</p><p></p><p>(It makes little sense also if one takes seriously Gygax's default MU backstory, but as I said at (1), that's just a device, not a serious part of the game.)</p><p></p><p>**********************************</p><p></p><p>(3) In games that exemplify (1) and/or (2) - which is to say, that treat PC backstory mostly as a "lampshading" device to explain character abilities, and/or that treat PCs as ungrounded individuals whose main source of socialisaiton is tavern interactions - the primary stance for play will be <em>pawn stance</em>: that is, players will declare action based on real world priorities (like "beat the dungeon" or, perhaps "rescue the children from the orcs") because there is little PC knowledge and motivation to draw upon, and hence no strong foundation for <em>actor stance</em>.</p><p></p><p>One of many reasons that drove games like C&S and RQ, in the late 70s, was to make actor stance possible, by establishing gameworlds, and PCs with groundings in those gameworlds, which would provide the requisite knowledge and motivations.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="pemerton, post: 7583544, member: 42582"] Some thoughts on what it is plausible to suppose a starting PC might know: (1) From Gygax's DMG (p 39): [indent][U]Acquisition of Magic-User Spells[/U] Inform those players who have opted for the magic-user profession that they have just completed a course of apprenticeship with a master who was of unthinkably high level (at least 6th!). Having been a relatively apt pupil, worked diligently, and made every effort to please, master (or mistress, as the case may be) was kind enough to prepare a special present for the character before he or she goes out into the world to seek his or her fortune. At this juncture request the player to ready a piece of paper which will go into his or her records as a permanent fixture. Instruct the player to entitle the page "FIRST LEVEL SPELLS KNOWN".[/indent] Now if we're talking [I]realism[/I], it seems inconceivable that a 6th or higher level magic-user would send his/her protege out into the world to seek his/her fortune without at least offering a few tips (such as that trolls regenerate unless burned by fire or acid). But obviously this bit of prose from Gygax is just a story-telling device (a "lampshade" as [MENTION=82106]AbdulAlhazred[/MENTION] would say) to provide a fig-leaf of in-fiction explanation for the 1st level MUs training and spellbook. In classic D&D (OD&D, B/X, AD&D) the player of a fighter is entitled to play as cleverly as the player of a MU. Different classes are expected to perform different functions, but not at different levels of skill - "skilled play" is possible independently of class. The player of a MU isn't privleged in this respect just because, in the backstory, s/he was taught by a high level MU. ********************************** (2) The suggestion that PCs would acquire their information about the gameworld primarily from interactions in [I]taverns[/I] is (to me) a sign of a very particular approach to FRPGing, which frames the PCs as "man with no name"-type wanderers (along the lines of REH's Conan) who have no roots or connections to the world in which they act. Change the fiction to something more like RuneQuest or Chivalry & Sorcery and that suggestion makes little sense. (It makes little sense also if one takes seriously Gygax's default MU backstory, but as I said at (1), that's just a device, not a serious part of the game.) ********************************** (3) In games that exemplify (1) and/or (2) - which is to say, that treat PC backstory mostly as a "lampshading" device to explain character abilities, and/or that treat PCs as ungrounded individuals whose main source of socialisaiton is tavern interactions - the primary stance for play will be [I]pawn stance[/I]: that is, players will declare action based on real world priorities (like "beat the dungeon" or, perhaps "rescue the children from the orcs") because there is little PC knowledge and motivation to draw upon, and hence no strong foundation for [I]actor stance[/I]. One of many reasons that drove games like C&S and RQ, in the late 70s, was to make actor stance possible, by establishing gameworlds, and PCs with groundings in those gameworlds, which would provide the requisite knowledge and motivations. [/QUOTE]
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