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A Question Of Agency?
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<blockquote data-quote="Ovinomancer" data-source="post: 8129505" data-attributes="member: 16814"><p>You're not talking about Illusionism, though. You've confused it for prep. If I, as a GM, prepare a cool forest encounter, but leave it on the shelf until and unless the players choose to go to a forest, this isn't Illusionism. I didn't offer them a choice that isn't, I've just prepared some material in case the players make that choice. Anticipation isn't Illusionism.</p><p></p><p>Again, Illusionism is only the case where you appear to offer the players a choice but the outcome is already decided. My earlier example was actually a clear example of Illusionism. The GM is offering the players a choice of how they will traverse the Dark Forest. The players weigh the options and decide that their going to sneak through the forest so as to avoid encounters. However, the GM wants to run his Orc encounter, so he has the players be caught out by the orcs even though they tried to sneak through to avoid encounters. Had the players just gone through the forest normally, the same would have happened. This is Illusionism -- the choice to sneak by the players is meaningless because the GM determines the outcome is the same as the other option.</p><p></p><p>Now, had the GM just prepared an orc encounter in the Dark Forest, and then asked the players how their going to traverse the Forest and followed through on that choice, this is prep, not Illusionism. If the players, in this case, decide to sneak through the Forest, they can avoid the orcs entirely. Their decision matters. That you prepped the orcs beforehand is irrelevant, because Illusionism is not about prepared material or improved material, but about whether or not the offered choice matters or not.</p><p></p><p>If you're, instead, asking what the difference is between preparing an orc encounter and using it if the players choose to sneak and fail their checks or inventing the orcs on the spot after the players fail their sneaking checks, then, yeah, you're right, there's little difference in outcome. A good bit in where the GM's work occurs, but that's a different discussion, and largely depends on the game.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Ovinomancer, post: 8129505, member: 16814"] You're not talking about Illusionism, though. You've confused it for prep. If I, as a GM, prepare a cool forest encounter, but leave it on the shelf until and unless the players choose to go to a forest, this isn't Illusionism. I didn't offer them a choice that isn't, I've just prepared some material in case the players make that choice. Anticipation isn't Illusionism. Again, Illusionism is only the case where you appear to offer the players a choice but the outcome is already decided. My earlier example was actually a clear example of Illusionism. The GM is offering the players a choice of how they will traverse the Dark Forest. The players weigh the options and decide that their going to sneak through the forest so as to avoid encounters. However, the GM wants to run his Orc encounter, so he has the players be caught out by the orcs even though they tried to sneak through to avoid encounters. Had the players just gone through the forest normally, the same would have happened. This is Illusionism -- the choice to sneak by the players is meaningless because the GM determines the outcome is the same as the other option. Now, had the GM just prepared an orc encounter in the Dark Forest, and then asked the players how their going to traverse the Forest and followed through on that choice, this is prep, not Illusionism. If the players, in this case, decide to sneak through the Forest, they can avoid the orcs entirely. Their decision matters. That you prepped the orcs beforehand is irrelevant, because Illusionism is not about prepared material or improved material, but about whether or not the offered choice matters or not. If you're, instead, asking what the difference is between preparing an orc encounter and using it if the players choose to sneak and fail their checks or inventing the orcs on the spot after the players fail their sneaking checks, then, yeah, you're right, there's little difference in outcome. A good bit in where the GM's work occurs, but that's a different discussion, and largely depends on the game. [/QUOTE]
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