Reply to thread

Message

<blockquote data-quote="TwoSix" data-source="post: 6203250" data-attributes="member: 205">&quot;Elfgame&quot; is a term that gets thrown around a lot when the participants involved in these discussions get too heated.&nbsp; &quot;Remember, we're arguing about a game where we play a bunch of elves.&quot;You can't &quot;win&quot; Calvinball, so that isn't what is meant.&nbsp; Certainly not by me, at least.&nbsp; I'm referring to constant reframing of rules and stakes that accompanies a game move that pushes the game into the player's favor, which is the heart of Calvinball play (and I've read every single C&amp;H strip, so I feel comfortable generalizing.)&nbsp; In general, I think it's bad game design to reward smart play (which is what good spell selection is) by making things harder than they would have been if you had played poorly.&nbsp; (By memorizing Amanuensis 17 times.)&nbsp; Now, I admit the example of the king's diviner is a tricky one, as it does seem like something that fits not only into the gonzo Tippyverse that RAW 3e play leads to, but into a more low-key medieval fantasy that many people aspire to.&nbsp; A world with magic available in stores would certainly see a lot of that magic flow to individuals with power.&nbsp; I think it's more of a general aversion to the DM's &quot;Gotcha&quot;, which is something that happens all the time when you're younger.&nbsp; And let's face it, without a good improv DM, you're going to see a lot of flop sweat when you charm the BBEG that was going to be a big boss fight.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="TwoSix, post: 6203250, member: 205"] "Elfgame" is a term that gets thrown around a lot when the participants involved in these discussions get too heated. "Remember, we're arguing about a game where we play a bunch of elves." You can't "win" Calvinball, so that isn't what is meant. Certainly not by me, at least. I'm referring to constant reframing of rules and stakes that accompanies a game move that pushes the game into the player's favor, which is the heart of Calvinball play (and I've read every single C&H strip, so I feel comfortable generalizing.) In general, I think it's bad game design to reward smart play (which is what good spell selection is) by making things harder than they would have been if you had played poorly. (By memorizing Amanuensis 17 times.) Now, I admit the example of the king's diviner is a tricky one, as it does seem like something that fits not only into the gonzo Tippyverse that RAW 3e play leads to, but into a more low-key medieval fantasy that many people aspire to. A world with magic available in stores would certainly see a lot of that magic flow to individuals with power. I think it's more of a general aversion to the DM's "Gotcha", which is something that happens all the time when you're younger. And let's face it, without a good improv DM, you're going to see a lot of flop sweat when you charm the BBEG that was going to be a big boss fight. [/QUOTE]

Verification