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D&D's Evolution: Rulings, Rules, and "System Matters"
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<blockquote data-quote="hawkeyefan" data-source="post: 8397593" data-attributes="member: 6785785"><p>I didn't mean the historical presence of neutrality, or the importance of it as a defining element. I agree that the idea has been there all along, and indeed comes from the wargames that predated D&D and other early RPGs. </p><p></p><p>I think its importance in the actual play of those games is often overstated.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>This a solid summary. I think that liberties were taken with all of them at different points very early on in the hobby. And all but the most strident of neutral-GM proponents often cherry pick how to apply them. </p><p></p><p>But I think why I'm kind of challenging the idea of a neutral referee in this regard is more about the quality of the game. I want a GM who is invested in what's happening and who wants play to, if not go a specific way in terms of the outcome of events within the fiction, to go well. They do have expectations about how things go. </p><p></p><p>It's not about making sure the PCs are able to kill Acererak, or making sure they discover the fate of the Carlyle Expedition or what have you, but that the players are engaged and interested in the scenario. A neutral referee wouldn't really care.</p><p></p><p>And I think most people would likely agree, even if they'd also agree with your listed points.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="hawkeyefan, post: 8397593, member: 6785785"] I didn't mean the historical presence of neutrality, or the importance of it as a defining element. I agree that the idea has been there all along, and indeed comes from the wargames that predated D&D and other early RPGs. I think its importance in the actual play of those games is often overstated. This a solid summary. I think that liberties were taken with all of them at different points very early on in the hobby. And all but the most strident of neutral-GM proponents often cherry pick how to apply them. But I think why I'm kind of challenging the idea of a neutral referee in this regard is more about the quality of the game. I want a GM who is invested in what's happening and who wants play to, if not go a specific way in terms of the outcome of events within the fiction, to go well. They do have expectations about how things go. It's not about making sure the PCs are able to kill Acererak, or making sure they discover the fate of the Carlyle Expedition or what have you, but that the players are engaged and interested in the scenario. A neutral referee wouldn't really care. And I think most people would likely agree, even if they'd also agree with your listed points. [/QUOTE]
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