Balancing "RP" and "G"

[swrushing]

Well as fudging is usually done for the party's benefit by the GM, I don't think that anyone would call a character a cheater if whenever he chose his change it was for the other side's benefit.

BTW, your email bounced so the sig question answer is "absolutely! enjoy."

 

[swrushing]

This whole discussion is why I prefer the addition of action points/hero points- they give the heroes some protection from untimely bad rolls that result from the d20 spread without me having to fudge rolls.

"fudging" = "rules lite hero points"

 

[RedWick]

One wonders how diceless games manage to adjucate fun at all...

<-- plays Amber diceless

*chuckles*

 

[Lord Mhoram]

BTW, your email bounced so the sig question answer is "absolutely! enjoy."

Thanks. I had forgotten to update my profile when it changed all those years ago.

*sigh*

 

[swrushing]

Thanks. I had forgotten to update my profile when it changed all those years ago.

*sigh*

hey now that you mention it, I am lucky mine worked.

 

[Raven Crowking]

On the other hand, if the dice are all that matter, as opposed to plot, story and character, then why not just play Magic: The Gathering or the D&D Mini game. Same thing. It's just tactics and randomness.

I am sorry, but are you actually making a claim that the G portion damages the RP portion?

 

[swrushing]

I am sorry, but are you actually making a claim that the G portion damages the RP portion?

Actually given the "if" clause, i think he might be saying that it CAN do so, if that is overemphasized and becomes "all that matters".

 

[Lord Mhoram]

I am sorry, but are you actually making a claim that the G portion damages the RP portion?

As much or as little as people think RP damages that G aspect, yes.

To wit....
If a GM sticks strictly by dice and numbers and a character dies by bad luck on the dice, and that character has no access to "bring 'em back" magic, when the purpose of the player playing the game is to play _that_ character, then yes specfiically the Game aspect damages the Roleplay aspect, no question. As much as percieved "cheating by dice fudging" can damage the game aspect to someone where overcoming challenges is the primary goal.


Edit:
I was also using an extreme example to draw a parallel between the "fugding = read a novel" argument is just as absurd as "game first = playing a mini game".

 

[Lord Mhoram]

Actually given the "if" clause, i think he might be saying that it CAN do so, if that is overemphasized and becomes "all that matters".

We have a winner.

 

[Digital M@]

It's not luck, DonTadow - it's the elimination of luck.

It's not enhancing gameplay - it's setting aside actual gameplay for the purposes of dramatic storytelling.

And it's not some sort of mystic art of game mastering - it's a crutch to lean on when encounters go south in unexpected ways.

This is getting tedious...no, it's been tedious for awhile now. I'm done here. See you in the funnypapers.

Story telling is part of the game, that is why you role play. Sometimes it is a result of poor planning on a DM, I know it has been for me, but should I punish players for a mathmatical oversite on my part? Should I let a campaign end because I threw together a fight that when it is released is unwinnable for the PCs? Is a DM changing the campign or conflict right before the PCs enter it because of what happened earlier in the night cheating the PCs of the original encounter? It is really no different.

What is your infatuation with dice? Have you tested all of your dice to make sure they are correctly balanced and will land on every number equally? If not, then you have messed up with chance element which is so key for you. I just don't get why it matters. DMs make dozens of decisions on the fly every session and they all impact your success in one way or another, this is really no different. DMs can set low DCs to ensure success or incredably high ones to ensure failure, but they still make you roll, just because some players love to roll dice and a straight forward answer is not good enough for them.

I can say I fudge a die or result 1 every other session, that is eight hours of game play. I can't see how that one roll ruins all eight hours we played and all of the future hours as well. I know for a fact that it does not because my players know I do it and they all seem to have fun. Remember, it is a social game, not a mathmatical test of wits.