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General Tabletop Discussion
*Dungeons & Dragons
GM's are you bored of your combat and is it because you made it boring?
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<blockquote data-quote="Ovinomancer" data-source="post: 8087351" data-attributes="member: 16814"><p>I don't think a GM should be using fiat to help or hinder PCs. I also think that the term "adversarial GM" isn't helpful. My job as GM is to be a fan of the PCs and also to heap adversity on them. That means I use my authority (fiat, if you must) to frame all kinds of pressure on PCs, but never use it to create outcomes. If the PCs win through, yay! I'm a fan. If they don't, I'm still a fan but it's time for me to frame in adverse consequence.</p><p></p><p>Being a fan of the OCs doesn't nean putting my thumb on the scale to help them, it means that I'm keenly interested in seeing what they do. And that means my job as GM is to give them every opportunity to do so I have to bring the adversity of situation and the adjudicate fairly. Else, I'm not really a fan, I'm forcing my own preferred outcomes.</p><p></p><p>All this means that my dragons should represent a true adversity for the PCs. When I choose actions for the dragon, they should be the best for the dragon, not the PCs. If I'm not willing to do this because I think it unfair, then I shouldn't use a dragon, I should present something else. Otherwise, I'm cheapening the PCs' successes, and that's not what a good fan does. It's a hard task, for sure, and it's easy to go soft or pull a punch, and just as easy to fall in love with your own imagining of the outcome and push there. I am an adversarial GM because I bring mountains of adversity crashing onto the PCs. I'm a fan of the PCs in that I'll never put my thumb on the scales for or against them because I'm keenly interested in what what they do. I will always endeavor to find out what happens through play.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Ovinomancer, post: 8087351, member: 16814"] I don't think a GM should be using fiat to help or hinder PCs. I also think that the term "adversarial GM" isn't helpful. My job as GM is to be a fan of the PCs and also to heap adversity on them. That means I use my authority (fiat, if you must) to frame all kinds of pressure on PCs, but never use it to create outcomes. If the PCs win through, yay! I'm a fan. If they don't, I'm still a fan but it's time for me to frame in adverse consequence. Being a fan of the OCs doesn't nean putting my thumb on the scale to help them, it means that I'm keenly interested in seeing what they do. And that means my job as GM is to give them every opportunity to do so I have to bring the adversity of situation and the adjudicate fairly. Else, I'm not really a fan, I'm forcing my own preferred outcomes. All this means that my dragons should represent a true adversity for the PCs. When I choose actions for the dragon, they should be the best for the dragon, not the PCs. If I'm not willing to do this because I think it unfair, then I shouldn't use a dragon, I should present something else. Otherwise, I'm cheapening the PCs' successes, and that's not what a good fan does. It's a hard task, for sure, and it's easy to go soft or pull a punch, and just as easy to fall in love with your own imagining of the outcome and push there. I am an adversarial GM because I bring mountains of adversity crashing onto the PCs. I'm a fan of the PCs in that I'll never put my thumb on the scales for or against them because I'm keenly interested in what what they do. I will always endeavor to find out what happens through play. [/QUOTE]
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GM's are you bored of your combat and is it because you made it boring?
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