GM Authority (Edited For Clarity, Post #148)

[Neonchameleon]

And despite all of the above, I would assume that a GoT inspired game featuring regular people would not include elves, unless the GM specifically said otherwise. Just as I would assume it wouldn’t include Vulcans or vampires as player characters, until the GM said otherwise.

I'd assume that an arbitrary GoT game wouldn't include elves unless the GM said otherwise. I'd assume a D&D game inspired by GoT would include elves unless the DM said otherwise with "D&D" bringing the elves into play. The rules are a part of the pitch.

 

[Jd Smith1]

They were much more subtle early on. I think the coma experience included a dream/out of body experience as a spirit/psychic projection that was later discovered to be more than just a dream but can't remember who it was on. He could communicate with animals but that was tough to show on tv. In the books bran crossed the wall searching for his ancestor the (three eyed crow then guiding him) because powers got dialed up to 11 & were causing him problems

I thin you're reading too much into the coma scenes. But that's a pewrsonal interpetation either way.

Valaryan steel was absolutely magical. There were only a tiny number of smiths even capable of forging a blade with it, the blades were shaper lighter & so on than any other weapon... and critically later on it hurts white walkers. Just about everything valaryan was magical & usually of the artifact grade. The fact that an extremely skilled & specialized smith could melt down the two handed sword ice & forge two smaller swords from it doesn't change that.

They only affect white walkers in the lame TV series.

In the books, Martin makes clear reference to a smithing process similar to pattern-welded steel, which in its day was slightly lighter, and definitely stronger and holding a better edge. He has, of course, patterned in on Damascus steel, which for a long time was a closely-guarded Syrian secret. He even includes the fact that they can be reforged by ordinary smiths.

 

[Panjumanju]

There is no question here. The DM runs the game. If the player wants to play an elf they can wait for the next game. The DM is the one that has to do the work.

I don't understand this (seemly resent) notion that players can treat DMs like video game systems.

//Panjumanju

 

[billd91]

I agree that it starts out lighter in magical spells and rituals and increases in its fantastic qualities, but repeatedly we are told even in these early books that there was more magic in older times. Because it's meant to be about "bringing the magic back".

Indeed. It's a consistent background theme for SoIaF that magic is, somehow, resurging. Old dragon eggs hatch producing functional dragons rather than the cat-sized ones that once represented their end, wildfire suddenly becomes easier to manufacture, Thoros of Myr develops the power to sort-of resurrect people and use a flaming sword without resorting to chicanery, and, of course, the white walkers are more active. The TV show never really expounds on the theme too much or what drives it. I'm hoping that a bit more attention drifts its way in the next couple of books.

How this would play out in a GoT-themed RPG, including D&D, campaign that starts with normal people - I might expect the PCs to encounter increasing magic as the campaign develops if the GM envisioned incorporating it. There are plenty of other things a GoT-themed campaign could satisfactorily explore and still leave this off the table.

 

[Aldarc]

How this would play out in a GoT-themed RPG, including D&D, campaign that starts with normal people - I might expect the PCs to encounter increasing magic as the campaign develops if the GM envisioned incorporating it. There are plenty of other things a GoT-themed campaign could satisfactorily explore and still leave this off the table.

"An elf? We've not seen your kind around here in over a thousand years..."

 

[billd91]

In the books, Martin makes clear reference to a smithing process similar to pattern-welded steel, which in its day was slightly lighter, and definitely stronger and holding a better edge. He has, of course, patterned in on Damascus steel, which for a long time was a closely-guarded Syrian secret. He even includes the fact that they can be reforged by ordinary smiths.

Not entirely. Inspired by Damascus steel, sure. But Valyrian steel is more than just that.

The Citadel: So Spake Martin - The Process of Making Valyrian Steel

www.westeros.org

Moreover, it isn't an ordinary smith who reforges Ice. It's a smith trained in Qohor, where they claim to retain the lore and spells needed to work Valyrian steel.

 

[billd91]

"An elf? We've not seen your kind around here in over a thousand years..."

Kind of jumps the gun if the PCs are supposed to be normal folk.

 

[Aldarc]

Kind of jumps the gun if the PCs are supposed to be normal folk.

 

[Neonchameleon]

Kind of jumps the gun if the PCs are supposed to be normal folk.

The average American has one breast and one testicle.

What normal is is an open question. As for that matter the meanings of different races in the game world.

 

[tetrasodium]

I thin you're reading too much into the coma scenes. But that's a pewrsonal interpetation either way.

They only affect white walkers in the lame TV series.

In the books, Martin makes clear reference to a smithing process similar to pattern-welded steel, which in its day was slightly lighter, and definitely stronger and holding a better edge. He has, of course, patterned in on Damascus steel, which for a long time was a closely-guarded Syrian secret. He even includes the fact that they can be reforged by ordinary smiths.

in the books too , just obsidian is easier to obtain than a magically processed metal that might in itself be magical so there was more focus there. valeryan steel can't be reforged by "ordinary smiths", that took a specifically trained exotic smith who still can't make more valeryan steel even if he can reforge existing valaryan steel. The only difference between the coma scene & bran's later more controlled equivalents when he understood what was going on is that he didn't know it wasn't a dream at the time.