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<blockquote data-quote="pemerton" data-source="post: 7750980" data-attributes="member: 42582"><p>From Gygax's DMG, p 9:</p><p></p><p style="margin-left: 20px">T]he rules call for wandering monsters, but these can be not only irritating - if not deadly - but the appearance of such can actually spoil a game by interfering with an orderly expedition. You have set up an area full of clever tricks and traps, populated it with well-thought-out creature complexes, given clues about it to pique players’ interest,</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px">and the group has worked hard to supply themselves with everything by way of information and equipment they will need to face and overcome the imagined perils. They are gathered together and eager to spend an enjoyable evening playing their favorite game, with the expectation of going to a new, strange area and doing their best to triumph. They are willing to accept the hazards of the dice, be it loss of items, wounding, insanity, disease, death, as long as the process is exciting. But lo!, everytime you throw the ”monster die” a wandering nasty is indicated, and the party’s strength is spent trying to fight their way into the area. Spells expended, battered and wounded, the characters trek back to their base. Expectations have been dashed, and probably interest too, by random chance. Rather than spoil such an otherwise enjoyable time, omit the wandering monsters indicated by the die. No, don’t allow the party to kill them easily or escape unnaturally, for that goes contrary to the major precepts of the game.</p><p></p><p>I'm not saying that Gygax's advice is the only way to do it, but I think it's noteworthy that he draws such a strong contrast between the GM making decisions that regulate the introduction of new challenges into play (eg by ignoring wandering monster dice) and the GM fudging action resolution results.</p><p></p><p>Suggesting that certain GMing choices would <em>go contrary to the major precepts of the game</em>, and for that reason should not be done, comes well within cooee of what [MENTION=6696971]Manbearcat[/MENTION] described.</p><p></p><p>Here's another example, from Burning Wheel (Gold edition, p 30), which is directly relevant to the sort of example [MENTION=6801286]Imaculata[/MENTION] gave:</p><p></p><p style="margin-left: 20px">[W]hat happens after the dice have come to rest and the successes are counted? If the successes equal or exceed the obstacle, the character has succeeded in his goal—he achieved his intent and completed the task.</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px">This is important enough to say again: Characters who are successful complete actions in the manner described by the player. A successful roll is sacrosanct in Burning Wheel and neither GM nor other players can change the fact that the act was successful. The GM may only embellish or reinforce a successful ability test.</p><p></p><p>Slightly less portentously, the Marvel Heroic RP rulebook (p OM8) says:</p><p></p><p style="margin-left: 20px">In some games, the person who runs the game rolls the dice in secret - but there are no secrets in the Bullpen. Roll those bones in full view, Watchers!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="pemerton, post: 7750980, member: 42582"] From Gygax's DMG, p 9: [indent]T]he rules call for wandering monsters, but these can be not only irritating - if not deadly - but the appearance of such can actually spoil a game by interfering with an orderly expedition. You have set up an area full of clever tricks and traps, populated it with well-thought-out creature complexes, given clues about it to pique players’ interest, and the group has worked hard to supply themselves with everything by way of information and equipment they will need to face and overcome the imagined perils. They are gathered together and eager to spend an enjoyable evening playing their favorite game, with the expectation of going to a new, strange area and doing their best to triumph. They are willing to accept the hazards of the dice, be it loss of items, wounding, insanity, disease, death, as long as the process is exciting. But lo!, everytime you throw the ”monster die” a wandering nasty is indicated, and the party’s strength is spent trying to fight their way into the area. Spells expended, battered and wounded, the characters trek back to their base. Expectations have been dashed, and probably interest too, by random chance. Rather than spoil such an otherwise enjoyable time, omit the wandering monsters indicated by the die. No, don’t allow the party to kill them easily or escape unnaturally, for that goes contrary to the major precepts of the game.[/indent] I'm not saying that Gygax's advice is the only way to do it, but I think it's noteworthy that he draws such a strong contrast between the GM making decisions that regulate the introduction of new challenges into play (eg by ignoring wandering monster dice) and the GM fudging action resolution results. Suggesting that certain GMing choices would [I]go contrary to the major precepts of the game[/I], and for that reason should not be done, comes well within cooee of what [MENTION=6696971]Manbearcat[/MENTION] described. Here's another example, from Burning Wheel (Gold edition, p 30), which is directly relevant to the sort of example [MENTION=6801286]Imaculata[/MENTION] gave: [indent][W]hat happens after the dice have come to rest and the successes are counted? If the successes equal or exceed the obstacle, the character has succeeded in his goal—he achieved his intent and completed the task. This is important enough to say again: Characters who are successful complete actions in the manner described by the player. A successful roll is sacrosanct in Burning Wheel and neither GM nor other players can change the fact that the act was successful. The GM may only embellish or reinforce a successful ability test.[/indent] Slightly less portentously, the Marvel Heroic RP rulebook (p OM8) says: [indent]In some games, the person who runs the game rolls the dice in secret - but there are no secrets in the Bullpen. Roll those bones in full view, Watchers![/indent] [/QUOTE]
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