Remathilis said:
See, here (even though ALL CAPPED) I assume a bit of hyperbole, as I assumed with Edena's first post. I read this as "The following is what I want in a game". And, frankly, if you're not enjoying a game, you should walk. I firmly believe that the DM has a right to say "My way or the highway", but that policy doesn't work unless one also believes that the player has every right to say "The highway it is, then".
1.) A fair shot against most "planned" encounters. You should not hand me a first level PC, give him a +1 sword, and expect him to do anything with a great wyrm dragon. A well played Wyrm can kill a low level PC no matter what he does, tactics be damned. Unless you (the DM) are willing to give me a Loony-Tune's Style method of defeating him or are willing to play him absolutely bone-stupid, I cannot, nor should not survive such an encounter.
A chance for survival is a reasonable expectation, and by "planned" encounters I assume Remathilis means an encounter that the DM is going to throw at him that cannot be avoided. I.e., if Smaug lives in the Lonely Mountain, and the PCs choose to go there anyway, that's a different kettle of fish.
I would also point out that having a fair shot doesn't always mean defeating an encounter. Sometimes it just means getting away with your skin intact. Having a big monster demand treasure is a good tactic for making villians the PCs love to hate....so long as they can eventually beat the tar our of it and get their revenge.
2.) Reasonable treasure for a character of my level. "Reasonable" does not have to be the DMG wealth guideline, but it must be a.) equal to other PCs at a given level and b.) enough to handle the challenges the campaign is dolling out.
The PCs divide the treasure in my game, not the DM, so (a) is out of my control.
3.) I expect to be challenged, not abused. I want to know that there is a sliver of margin of error, and not a grisly game of "guess what I'm thinking or you're dead". Deadly logic puzzles, impossible DCs, save-or-die (or worse, no save, just die) effects and other "meatgrinder" methods are a sure fire way to remove a portion of your player pool.
Again, not an unreasonable expectation, excepting that deadly logic puzzles
can and do exist in my world (but the mechanisms are not invulnerable due to plot reasons....you can use other methods), impossible DCs
can and do exist in my world (don't try a 14-mile leap, some traps might be beyond your ability to detect), etc.
4.) Regular enough advancement to make me feel like the things I do in game are being rewarded. This includes regularly giving out XP/character points/whatever and proper treasure/equipment (see 2.) Nothing is more disheartening to know you have played for 6 months to reach 3rd level and have a mwk sword...
Always remembering that advancement is relative to the world that you are playing in.
5.) Character Generation and House Rules SPELLED OUT before they affect my character. If something is being "playtested" I want to know before I become teh guinea pig. If you don't have elves, use only PH spells, or use a complex method of determining critical hits, please tell me before I decide to roll up an elf, pick a spell out of SC, or get my arm lobbed off by a kobold.
I think that this is pretty fair to ask. I am very much of the school of "he who runs the game chooses the rules" but it is important for the DM to say "There might be feats and prestige classes you've never heard of, spells you've never heard of, and new or changed monsters in this game."
6.) Inform me WHAT type of game you intend to run. Not the genre, the TYPE. Social-political intrigue? Grim-and-gritty realism? Mystery and exploration? Kick-in-the-door dungeoneering 1-20? A world infested with undead? Planescape? These things will determine the character choices I make, and will affect my enjoyment accordingly.
Again, that seems fair to me.
7.) The amount of personality/history/role-playing I put into my PC is directly proportional to his anticipated lifespan. I'll give detail and richness to Remathilis, the noble-turned-outlaw elven thief looking for his lost love, but not to Bob, the 5th fighter I've rolled up in 4 sessions...
Anticipated lifespan is very much up to the players IMC. Most PC deaths are the direct results of PC actions.
8.) We are the Players. Not your audience. The game is about us, our characters, and our choices. It is NOT about a.) your uber PC b.) your carefully detailed pseudo-realistic world, c.) your intricately complex storyline or d.) your ultimate uber badguy of ultimate destiny. We are the ones here to play, not to watch you tell a story to yourself.
The game is about the PCs, and how they interact with the world (including NPCs and the plots of NPCs). If the PCs aren't making meaningful decisions, what is the point of playing?
9.) We are your friends, not your subordinates. This is not a job, classroom, or dictatorship. We do not have to bow to your demands on time, place, playing style, or anything else.
Well, that's actually not quite true. If you expect the DM to meet your requirements as players, you sure as darn tootin' need to meet his requirements as a DM. If I can only DM at a specific time & place, and you can't make it, you can't play. If I'm only interested in political games, and you only want to "kill some bad things and take their stuff" then you can't play.
It isn't my job as DM to run games that I don't enjoy. Neither is it you job as a player to play in games that you don't enjoy. It goes both ways.
And, in terms of any rules or game-related issues, players are subordinate to the DM. The DM's ruling is final. You can always walk if you don't like it.
10.) Above all, I'm here to have fun. If I'm not having fun, I reserve the right to petition change to make the game more fun. If not compromise can be reached, I reserve the right to leave or find another person to DM.
If no compromise can be reached, and the game isn't fun for you, you shouldn't reserve the right to leave. You should just do it. Start another game or find another DM.
RC
