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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Remathilis" data-source="post: 3640772" data-attributes="member: 7635">Can I Sig that? ;-)Ok, a couple days of interesting points came through the pipe, and rather than respond to each individual criticism, I'll try to give commentary to the ten points.0.) "Demand" - By Demand, I mean "I'd like the DM to know I don't expect the following ten things to happen or I won't remain a player long." Put another way "these things give me satisfaction in an RPG, not having them makes me unsatisfied".1.) A "planned" encounter is one where the ability to avoid it is nearly impossible (short of giving up on the current plot hook) but there is no specific goal to the encounter other than "to overcome it" be it through diplomacy, stealth, guile, magic, or force of arms. A first level PC who meets a wyrm dragon who will become there patron isn't an "encounter" but a plot device. The PCs have to have some level of risk (can they take him in combat, successfully negociate, or sneak past him) but without an practically guaranteed chance of failure. 2.) This one is to basically say "Hey, keep the loot even, and keep it relative to our challenges". If you fight orcs all the time, gold on ail and whores and sharp sword is sufficient. If you expect us to fight Demons, you better allow us some access to holy, cold iron weapons eventually. Don't pitch Giants at PCs who only have ACs in the upper teens (the best of them). 3.) Sure, there are always something badder than the PCs, and there are some things we cannot do (jump a 35 foot cliff unaided at 5th level) but then, don't expect us to do so. Goes back to one: leave an option for failure that doesn't lead to dramatic death. Its a bit Anti-Tomb of Horrors, PCs should (usually, but not always) get a second chance at (if not success) escaping a terrible situation if tactics/dice/luck fail. Don't make every challenge a fight to the death.4.) Give me some sense I'm making progress, both in story and in the game. I don't care if you give 1/2 xp, 1/4 xp, or level us every 6th session, just the feeling I'm accomplishing something with my character, watching him grow, and being rewarded for my good playing and problem solving. 5.) Some DMs forget to inform you of things, like "In my game, gnomes are 7 feet tall and eat nothing but tar, didn't I say that before you rolled up your gnome bard?" Or they love to share with you their new limb-removal system RIGHT about the time your PC first gets critted. House rules can (and have) been the dealbreaker with me and certain DMs, I'd like to know what I'm getting into before I do it. 6.) Some DMs love to run a social-political game. Others run beer-and-pretzels D&D. I just want an inkling as to what you expect. I won't make a half-elf courtier for a B&P D&D, nor a half-orc bbn for a game of courtly intrigue. 7.) If you run a killer DM game where PCs routinely are cattle for the slaughter, I will not put more into the game than I need to. If I come up with a background, but you never even read it much less use it, I will have my next PC's family slaughtered by orcs. I don't want to get attached to a character who is going to be ignored or slain outright. If a good character dies, that's life. Bad luck happens, but there is no reason I should not take preparations if I see it coming...8.) Games should focus on us, the players. Not the exclusion of all else, but enough so we are not lackeys to your Pet NPC (who gets to do everything important), tourists to your intricately designed world (which we have no real chance of influencing) or playthings to your uber-baddie (which we have no chance of facing, let alone stopping). Make us matter, or post it as a story-hour and I'll read it at my leisure.9.) There are some DMs who use their role as gamemaster to be a bully pulpit. They think they have the perfect gaming philosophy, and if you do not share it, you will be assimilated or destroyed. Its rare, but I've seen it. They use the DM power to express their own views on morality, society, ethics, race, gender, and justice. Almost always, its to the detriment of the players and PCs. One word: Don't. 10.) As a player, I want to know I have a voice in the game beyond the one attributed to my character. I want to be able to give feedback (last session was awesome), criticism (I don't like that new crit system), suggestions (how bout we try this) and corrections (I know you said vampires are immune to lightning, but the MM says...) in a reasonable manner (that doesn't disrupt a game/session) and have my voice count. It ties back to 9 a bit, that we aren't here for DM amusement, but here for mutual amusement. Sometimes, that needs to be re-iterated to some DMs.I hope that clears up some misconceptions about my Player's Bill of Rights.</blockquote>

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