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A Question Of Agency?
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<blockquote data-quote="prabe" data-source="post: 8168534" data-attributes="member: 7016699"><p>Yeah. I can see how it would be difficult to do anything that involved the PCs not knowing things. Even a result like "The GM will tell you three things that are true and useful" seems as though it'd be likely to make it hard to keep secrets from the PCs. It seems as though this is probably the root of the differences in the types of stories that'd emerge from play.</p><p></p><p>I think anything that adds to the GM's mental workload needs to accomplish a lot--there's enough on the GM's plate, I think. Heck, I think a TRPG that insists on the GM taking notes is probably adding to the workload (definitely would be adding to mine).</p><p></p><p>This doesn't seem like a change to me. I don't know of any instances I've contradicted anything major that'd been established. Part of the challenge is fitting my ideas into/around/between what's already there. Now, I suppose in a more zero-myth game, I'd find it a little harder, because I feel as though I'm more comfortable if I have prep to fall back on, if I know the world well enough to extrapolate if I have to (both of which seem counter to the principles of the zero-myth game/s).</p><p></p><p>I've never had any trouble surprising my players, in any system, so that's not a surprise. When there are factions at play in a place the PCs arrive to, I generally take a moment or three to decide which ones are waxing or waning or holding steady, but I don't bother ranking them or anything like that. I use those notes to see which ones might need the PCs help, maybe figure out who's beating up on whom. They show me potential interactions.</p><p></p><p>Staying consistent is important to me. I suppose I might come across as a bit of a control freak as a DM, but I really don't think I am. I honestly don't care where a given game-world fact is coming from. I just find it easier to remain consistent with stuff I've worked out and written up than with something a player hands me (literally or metaphorically).</p><p></p><p>I guess I've come to the conclusion that <strong>for me</strong>, the world feels more consistent when there's one good GM running it than when the players are running it, too. I agree the players need to be able to understand the world well enough to be able to make reasonably informed decisions, but I don't think player-facing mechanics are a panacea for this.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="prabe, post: 8168534, member: 7016699"] Yeah. I can see how it would be difficult to do anything that involved the PCs not knowing things. Even a result like "The GM will tell you three things that are true and useful" seems as though it'd be likely to make it hard to keep secrets from the PCs. It seems as though this is probably the root of the differences in the types of stories that'd emerge from play. I think anything that adds to the GM's mental workload needs to accomplish a lot--there's enough on the GM's plate, I think. Heck, I think a TRPG that insists on the GM taking notes is probably adding to the workload (definitely would be adding to mine). This doesn't seem like a change to me. I don't know of any instances I've contradicted anything major that'd been established. Part of the challenge is fitting my ideas into/around/between what's already there. Now, I suppose in a more zero-myth game, I'd find it a little harder, because I feel as though I'm more comfortable if I have prep to fall back on, if I know the world well enough to extrapolate if I have to (both of which seem counter to the principles of the zero-myth game/s). I've never had any trouble surprising my players, in any system, so that's not a surprise. When there are factions at play in a place the PCs arrive to, I generally take a moment or three to decide which ones are waxing or waning or holding steady, but I don't bother ranking them or anything like that. I use those notes to see which ones might need the PCs help, maybe figure out who's beating up on whom. They show me potential interactions. Staying consistent is important to me. I suppose I might come across as a bit of a control freak as a DM, but I really don't think I am. I honestly don't care where a given game-world fact is coming from. I just find it easier to remain consistent with stuff I've worked out and written up than with something a player hands me (literally or metaphorically). I guess I've come to the conclusion that [B]for me[/B], the world feels more consistent when there's one good GM running it than when the players are running it, too. I agree the players need to be able to understand the world well enough to be able to make reasonably informed decisions, but I don't think player-facing mechanics are a panacea for this. [/QUOTE]
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