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Message: <blockquote data-quote="howandwhy99" data-source="post: 4842037" data-attributes="member: 3192">I agree there is something of a distinction between "you have 20 attempts to guess what I'm thinking" or "I have to answer honestly" versus "this is basis or definition for what I am thinking".  The first are rules for the game, the second are guidelines to be followed by the answerer.  Most all RPG rules are guidelines to be followed by the DM.  However, that doesn't mean not following them isn't cheating on the DM's part.  It just means they aren't explicitly "game rules" rules known between players to define their options when playing a game.  Heck, in RPGs players really only have to roleplay their characters.  There are little to no rules for them at all.  Just like "try and answer the riddle" is the basic rule for most guessing games. IMO most game modules must be predetermined in order to be roleplaying challenges for the players to face.  Adhering to the damage output of a weapon is a guideline I cannot ignore without cheating in the exact same way I cannot change anything else that is predetermined, like the design of the map or the characterization of an NPC.  Once the game has begun I don't get to change what was designed without essentially raising or lowering the pole vault bar before the jumper reaches it.  It must remain the same throughout the attempt.  Any aspect of an adventure may inform play throughout the challenge.  Keeping it uniform for all the players means no part is subject to my whim once the game has begun.  Can I set the bar beforehand?  Yes, but not during the game.The defined end is to gain XP.  Or in a tournament adventure to accomplish the task particular to the adventure played like "kill the giants" or "raid the tomb", which of course gives points too.  But these points aren't necessarily XP.  Points are given for acting appropriately even if what specifically earns a player points isn't known to them before or during play.  In fact, I think that makes playing the game more challenging.  If I only know the objective I am to accomplish, the the points I get for roleplaying other elements well becomes more e a matter of my skill as a player too.  Not just the accomplishing an overall task or other acts I know which give XP.  If your PC dies, yes, I'd say you could continue in the game.  But you certainly do not get to keep any of the points you earned from your previous attempt.  That's true in campaign play as well as when playing a single adventure.  I know tournament games do not necessarily let players continue who had characters die, but tournaments are almost always more rigorous than home games.I suspect you may be characterizing a campaign as a story to be followed rather than a group of modules meshed into a "campaign world".  If true, I don't think that's what roleplaying games are.  IMO, storygames are for folks getting together to tell stories.  RPGs are more about players getting together to be challenged through roleplay.I don't believe it is a faulty characterization. I believe it applies for any guessing game designed.  Just because we might take on game designer status and act like the judges on Jeopardy doesn't mean we get to rewrite clues and answers after the players start trying to answer them.  In campaigns this is (most likely) hopping from one module to the next.  In one shots, anything outside the module is irrelevant.  I think most home games put one shots in campaign settings to broaden the scope somewhat. But that still doesn't mean anything but the module being played is relevant to that module's design.I disagree. Players can always elect to quit the module.  But starting a new one does require a new module is prepped and ready to go.  Actually, this is why I believe 4E choose to go back to the old design of limited range teleport.</blockquote>

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