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Message: <blockquote data-quote="payn" data-source="post: 8244952" data-attributes="member: 90374">I love enthusiasm, however its something I feel game and adventure design has been very hit and miss on. I love the various character options out there such as; traits, backgrounds, archetypes, prestige classes, etc. Often, these options are not well balanced amongst themselves, which makes some options much more stronger than others. It also leads to homogeneity in the gaming community as folks come to consensus on the best options to take. The Paizo adventure paths do a good job on both the character options and adventure campaigns. Its great to not only see options tailored to the campaign, but also included in the modules to assist the GM. I say a good job, but not a great one. I think this is a space that is ripe for the next gaming design breakout. Or, maybe that's just where my hopes lay. At the table, the GM often has a lot of responsibility to make sure the enthusiasm comes alive. It's great if a player hits the table with a cool background, and gaming options to fit. However, if the character never encounters the chance to explore these endeavors, it kills enthusiasm dead. For decades that large burden rested on the GMs shoulders, but I hope adventure design can help bring up the average GM in this area.Affection is reactive for sure. It can be a very difficult element to cultivate at the table for both GM and players. I've seen GMs put a lot of love into a cute cuddly NPC only to have the players take a giant dook on it. A GM has to understand that the players wont bite on every hook, and sometimes you have to follow their lead. This can take you to really fun places and its memorable for sure, but it can also kill a GMs enthusiasm dead if the players hate their ideas. I think the enthusiasm is a lot stronger of a motivating element than affection. Affection is just so difficult to think about in a tangible way like enthusiasm or even fear. Fear has long held its position as a motivator because its so tangible. It's baked right into the rules and its conditions are clearly spelled out. Every adventure module hits the fear factors, not so much the enthusiasm or affection points. Though, as adventure design grows and changes, maybe these intangible items can become a stronger motivation factor as folks learn to utilize them better at their tables?</blockquote>

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