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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Campbell" data-source="post: 6730525" data-attributes="member: 16586">We're probably going to have to agree to disagree here. This is a big part of the reason why I prefer disciplined scene framed play with a robust set of tools and why I largely have given up on preparing adventures. There's simply too much dependence between the various parts. If I frame a boring scene, that's just a small part of play and we can move on.Part of this come down to who I am as a person. In the moment without the guidance of my principles I'm not really all that capable of determining what the best path forward is. I'm simply too emotionally invested in the fiction and the game, and I wouldn't have it any other way. When we're down in the thick of the game, I don't like knowing exactly what's going to happen anymore than the players. That's where the fun is. I'm absolutely an active participant when I run games. I tend to think of the meat of play like an experienced veteran sparring with a novice fighter. The novice is totally trying to win, but the veteran is trying to get the novice to react. He's trying to challenge the novice, give him a fighting chance without giving any easy breaks. Without discipline and principled fighting the veteran would knock the novice's block off because of the power disparity between them and because it is still very much a fight. Quick Note: Before we move on let me clarify that I'm not attempting to say anything about my players' skill level here. I'm commenting on the power disparity. GMs have an entire world at their disposal and players just have their characters. When GMing I'm very much throwing metaphorical jabs and some stronger punches at my players and I expect them to raise to punch back in ways I wouldn't see coming. I need to pull my punches, but I'm still fighting. I'm not really talking about combat here - just the fiction and play space. With disciplined GMing and the right games I totally get to eat a bit of my cake.Part of the reason I'm so adamant that we can play games we get compelling drama out of is that I've seen it happen. I've experienced it almost constantly. We aren't like telling stories though. It just happens through principled play.There's also the bit where we don't always want what emerges from play to be the sort of thing we would do if left to our own devices. I mean that's why I like a lot of different games. I want radically different experiences. Part of surrendering yourself over to the game a little bit is getting unexpected drama and game play.</blockquote>

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