Does everything about gaming HAVE to be fun?

[Fenes 2]

Re: re

I hope not. I like to run encounters that aren't very fun for the players at times. Very few players like to have to run from an enemy, but I'll be damned if I am going to make every encounter I run defeatable on the first try. Players should know fear and mortality at times, not play in a watered down world where they defeat everything and walk away happily with the girl. I don't even like those kind of movies.

If it is not fun, I don't play or DM. But then, I don't have fun if my character wins all the time - I have no problem with running from an enemy, scraping for some copper pieces to survive, etc.

I don't want to know fear and mortality though - I can roleplay my PC fearing something and being mortal just fine without actually fearing for my PC. Matter of fact, having to fear for my PC makes a game no fun for me - I don't like the "play smart or die" approach.

 

[TiQuinn]

So, does everything about a game HAVE to be fun, or can you play a game that is just mostly fun?

A role playing game only has to be more fun than Civ III or Neverwinter Nights. If it isn't, then why bother?