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As a Player, why do you play in games you haven't bought into?
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<blockquote data-quote="Lanefan" data-source="post: 8122647" data-attributes="member: 29398"><p>I agree as regards the credibility strain, but there's ways to have a party organically form in such a way to make 'it's-what-the-characters-would-do' sense. Anectodal evidence: my current campaign started with two characters (who were rolled up as pre-existing friends; one was a Bard) travelling through the land and at every village announcing "We're going up into those mountains and we're either going to get rich or die trying! Who wants to join us?", and slowly gathering recruits one at a time until by the time they got to the mountains they'd rounded up the whole party (8 PCs - 2 per player as I knew they'd need 'em - plus one adventuring NPC I threw in as a plot distraction).</p><p></p><p>It's also very easy to come up with situations that kind of throw the party together. The 'shipwrecked' trope is one such - each PC has its own reasons for being on that ship, then it piles up on the rocks and the PCs are among the survivors (or the only survivors, if one doesn't mind that slight credulity stretch); they're now lost on a wild coast somewhere and have to make the best of it.</p><p></p><p>Edit to add: thinking on it, were I in a situation similar to [USER=22779]@Hussar[/USER] where I'm trying to run a marine campaign and am presented with a bunch of very disparate characters with iffy-at-best local connections, I'd seriously consider flexing into a start like this; with the PCs not being local at all, not necessarily known to each other, and thrown together when their ship goes aground somewhere on the coast near Saltmarsh (note this would mean the first "adventure" would be off-script, consisting of the trek to civilization and introduction or foreshadowing of other plot elements)</p><p></p><p>Agreed in principle. The DM sets the setting and its parameters, after which players should feel free to (try to) play anything that fits within those parameters. Clearly-stated DM requests e.g. "as you'll be starting in a Human-centric land please make your first PCs Human; non-Humans can join later once the party travels a bit" are also fine and IMO should be followed.</p><p></p><p>But telling me what my character is allowed to think or how it is allowed to perceive the world, or its methods of interaction with it; or what personality it's allowed to have? Instant argument.</p><p></p><p>And - though many seem willing to gloss over this part - arbitrary restrictions such as "No evil PCs" fall squarely into the realm of telling my character what it's OK and not OK with.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lanefan, post: 8122647, member: 29398"] I agree as regards the credibility strain, but there's ways to have a party organically form in such a way to make 'it's-what-the-characters-would-do' sense. Anectodal evidence: my current campaign started with two characters (who were rolled up as pre-existing friends; one was a Bard) travelling through the land and at every village announcing "We're going up into those mountains and we're either going to get rich or die trying! Who wants to join us?", and slowly gathering recruits one at a time until by the time they got to the mountains they'd rounded up the whole party (8 PCs - 2 per player as I knew they'd need 'em - plus one adventuring NPC I threw in as a plot distraction). It's also very easy to come up with situations that kind of throw the party together. The 'shipwrecked' trope is one such - each PC has its own reasons for being on that ship, then it piles up on the rocks and the PCs are among the survivors (or the only survivors, if one doesn't mind that slight credulity stretch); they're now lost on a wild coast somewhere and have to make the best of it. Edit to add: thinking on it, were I in a situation similar to [USER=22779]@Hussar[/USER] where I'm trying to run a marine campaign and am presented with a bunch of very disparate characters with iffy-at-best local connections, I'd seriously consider flexing into a start like this; with the PCs not being local at all, not necessarily known to each other, and thrown together when their ship goes aground somewhere on the coast near Saltmarsh (note this would mean the first "adventure" would be off-script, consisting of the trek to civilization and introduction or foreshadowing of other plot elements) Agreed in principle. The DM sets the setting and its parameters, after which players should feel free to (try to) play anything that fits within those parameters. Clearly-stated DM requests e.g. "as you'll be starting in a Human-centric land please make your first PCs Human; non-Humans can join later once the party travels a bit" are also fine and IMO should be followed. But telling me what my character is allowed to think or how it is allowed to perceive the world, or its methods of interaction with it; or what personality it's allowed to have? Instant argument. And - though many seem willing to gloss over this part - arbitrary restrictions such as "No evil PCs" fall squarely into the realm of telling my character what it's OK and not OK with. [/QUOTE]
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As a Player, why do you play in games you haven't bought into?
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