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Hot Take: Uncertainty Makes D&D Better
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<blockquote data-quote="DMZ2112" data-source="post: 8923158" data-attributes="member: 78752"><p>If you need to take your opponents' arguments out of context to support your case, your case is pretty weak. Absolute with caveats is not absolute, it's just bad use of vocabulary.</p><p></p><p></p><p>Obviously not clear enough for you to be correct about my intentions, so I apologize for that.</p><p></p><p></p><p>I never claimed absolute power, and the reality of play is that it is a living, human process that is benefited by a flexible approach that permits different priorities in different situations. It's not black and white.</p><p></p><p></p><p>I didn't say that either. I'm happy to punch back when I'm being punched, especially against an easy target. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p><p></p><p></p><p><em>It's not black and white.</em></p><p></p><p></p><p>It absolutely is a two-way street. Ignoring the warmongering crap about "meekly submitting" and "obviously knowing what's best," I simply disagree that "anything less" is wrong. It's not black and white. My players trust me to make the occasional delicate call for their benefit, based on my experience with them and my access to information they cannot know without it being additionally detrimental to their enjoyment.</p><p> </p><p></p><p>Now we're getting personal <em>and</em> escalatory. I'm not Harvey Weinstein, you jerk, I'm trying my best to do a job that has had its core responsibilities laid out in text for 40 years. You can disagree with the contract as written, and you can write your own contract with your players,<em> but don't come at me like I'm changing the deal and my players should pray I do not change it further</em>.</p><p></p><p></p><p>Agreed on all points. Dungeon mastery requires a high ethical standard. Preaching to the choir.</p><p></p><p></p><p>Well, I don't apologize for being an elitist. Being elite isn't something to be ashamed of. Being elitist at someone else's expense is selfishness, and I always make a conscious effort not to be selfish. C.S. Lewis was a fantasy author and a Christian apologist, not a political science expert.</p><p></p><p>For perspective on my position on consensus, I studied and worked for six years at a Quaker institution that relied on consensus for essentially all of its major decisions. I rarely saw the process leave more people happy than not, and much of the time it meant institutionalized bullying, silencing of the busy or nonconfrontational, much wasted time and effort, and a result that saw everyone in strong dissent simply standing outside the consensus in order to get out of the room. Consensus is a joke. It's a beard for autocrats.</p><p></p><p>The fact is that there are probably situations where the technique is useful and even ideal. Personally, I will never trust it on paper again, and I don't use it in my personal dealings.</p><p></p><p>I am a big believer in representative democracy. The dungeon master is an elected executive, and they can be recalled.</p><p> </p><p></p><p>Apology in the sense of defending, not expressing regrets.</p><p></p><p></p><p>Convenient semantics! If there are entitled players, then player entitlement exists as point of fact.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="DMZ2112, post: 8923158, member: 78752"] If you need to take your opponents' arguments out of context to support your case, your case is pretty weak. Absolute with caveats is not absolute, it's just bad use of vocabulary. Obviously not clear enough for you to be correct about my intentions, so I apologize for that. I never claimed absolute power, and the reality of play is that it is a living, human process that is benefited by a flexible approach that permits different priorities in different situations. It's not black and white. I didn't say that either. I'm happy to punch back when I'm being punched, especially against an easy target. :) [I]It's not black and white.[/I] It absolutely is a two-way street. Ignoring the warmongering crap about "meekly submitting" and "obviously knowing what's best," I simply disagree that "anything less" is wrong. It's not black and white. My players trust me to make the occasional delicate call for their benefit, based on my experience with them and my access to information they cannot know without it being additionally detrimental to their enjoyment. Now we're getting personal [I]and[/I] escalatory. I'm not Harvey Weinstein, you jerk, I'm trying my best to do a job that has had its core responsibilities laid out in text for 40 years. You can disagree with the contract as written, and you can write your own contract with your players,[I] but don't come at me like I'm changing the deal and my players should pray I do not change it further[/I]. Agreed on all points. Dungeon mastery requires a high ethical standard. Preaching to the choir. Well, I don't apologize for being an elitist. Being elite isn't something to be ashamed of. Being elitist at someone else's expense is selfishness, and I always make a conscious effort not to be selfish. C.S. Lewis was a fantasy author and a Christian apologist, not a political science expert. For perspective on my position on consensus, I studied and worked for six years at a Quaker institution that relied on consensus for essentially all of its major decisions. I rarely saw the process leave more people happy than not, and much of the time it meant institutionalized bullying, silencing of the busy or nonconfrontational, much wasted time and effort, and a result that saw everyone in strong dissent simply standing outside the consensus in order to get out of the room. Consensus is a joke. It's a beard for autocrats. The fact is that there are probably situations where the technique is useful and even ideal. Personally, I will never trust it on paper again, and I don't use it in my personal dealings. I am a big believer in representative democracy. The dungeon master is an elected executive, and they can be recalled. Apology in the sense of defending, not expressing regrets. Convenient semantics! If there are entitled players, then player entitlement exists as point of fact. [/QUOTE]
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