GM Authority (Edited For Clarity, Post #148)

[Lanefan]

It's starting to sound like some of your players might have known more about the setting you wanted to run than you & you weren't interested in learning. If your wanting to run a game strictly confined to a specific setting expect a world of hurt if you haven't even started reading the books when your players start leveraging knowledge from them..

An equivalent would be trying to run a Middle Earth campaign having only seen the movies, then having a player start going on about some guy named Tom Bombadil...

 

[zarionofarabel]

Recommendation: read the books ASAP.

Some of your players may be basing their character concepts on ideas from the books that either didn't get into the TV series or didn't translate well.

Tried. Failed. Much like Tolkien, I can't stand Martin's writing style. Oh crap, I just revealed that I've never read Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit. Does that destroy my GM credentials? How about if I've never read Lewis or Pratchett? Does it help if I read Feist? What about Elizabeth Moon?

 

[zarionofarabel]

game of thrones is the name of book one. It's starting to sound like some of your players might have known more about the setting you wanted to run than you & you weren't interested in learning. If your wanting to run a game strictly confined to a specific setting expect a world of hurt if you haven't even started reading the books when your players start leveraging knowledge from them..


edit: That is after all one of the big reasons that comes up when you start asking people who hate doing it why they hate running games set in FR... Having read the books, it's going to be baaaaad.

Never read the books. Did read alot of FR books in my youth.

EDIT: Do the Children of the Forest feature as viewpoint characters in the series? Are they like, main characters, that have whole chapters (perhaps several) dedicated to them? Or are they just secondary (or support) characters?

 

[zarionofarabel]

An equivalent would be trying to run a Middle Earth campaign having only seen the movies, then having a player start going on about some guy named Tom Bombadil...

Never read Tolkien, can't stand his writing style.

 

[Lanefan]

Tried. Failed. Much like Tolkien, I can't stand Martin's writing style. Oh crap, I just revealed that I've never read Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit. Does that destroy my GM credentials?

Not until the Nerd Police get there with the shredder. They're on their way...

How about if I've never read Lewis or Pratchett? Does it help if I read Feist? What about Elizabeth Moon?

I've never had much use for Lewis or Pratchett. Feist is alright. Haven't read any Moon in ages.

But Martin is execllent, and face it: they're all trying to be Tolkein, just like every band since 1963 has been trying to be the Beatles.

 

[Thomas Shey]

Well, I see amidst the jokes the thread really has degenerated into everyone left picking out their corners and defending to the death, so, shine on, folks.

 

[Maxperson]

Not until the Nerd Police get there with the shredder. They're on their way...

I've never had much use for Lewis or Pratchett. Feist is alright. Haven't read any Moon in ages.

But Martin is execllent, and face it: they're all trying to be Tolkein, just like every band since 1963 has been trying to be the Beatles.

Pratchett is comedic genius. He's the only author that can write about real world issues in fantasy without me becoming irritated.

 

[prabe]

Pratchett is comedic genius. He's the only author that can write about real world issues in fantasy without me becoming irritated.

I hope I'm not breaking bad news to you, but you know it should be past tense, right? (I realize you might be talking about his work in present tense, now that I'm thinking about it, in which case carry on.)

 

[Maxperson]

I hope I'm not breaking bad news to you, but you know it should be past tense, right? (I realize you might be talking about his work in present tense, now that I'm thinking about it, in which case carry on.)

Yeah. I'm kinda hoping he's a ghost writer now.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Player 4: I want to play an elf.

DM: See ya next campaign!

Player 2: I want guns.

DM: See ya next campaign!

Player 3: Shadow Monk!

DM: See ya next campaign!

Player 4: Let's start at Level 5!

DM: See ya next campaign!

DM sitting at empty table: Finally, the perfect GoT campaign!

I’m still laughing at the idea that “let’s start at level 5” is even vaguely kind of comparable to “I’d like to play an elf”.