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Message: <blockquote data-quote="RedTonic" data-source="post: 5556054" data-attributes="member: 98994">The style of roleplay I've grown with is extremely collaborative. The earliest RPs I can remember had no numerical systems and the content and outcome of combat (usually between PCs with different agendas and factions) was decided consensually. Most of this gaming happened online via email groups, chatrooms, bbses or IRL round-robin style. And we were adolescents. The goal was to find an option pleasing to everyone in that it made the game more interesting... And PCs did die--regularly. No applecarts were nuked (except that once). What it boils down to is the tastes of the players. Most of the time these games had no one acting in a recognizable DM fashion. I still run and play games of this type, though they're exclusively online for me these days. Collaborative RP doesn't require a single arbiter of choice and outcome. I would argue that a group could set up a campaign such that there's no need for a DM. --As always, these things depend on the "people" factor and are, IMO, entirely independent from the mechanical structure. Given that at least in the 3.x books, the rules are up to the discretion of the DM, I believe this is a given. The main trend in D&D style gaming is that of a DM with a vision and players mostly (not exclusively) along for the ride, but that isn't always the case, nor need it be.OP is right; it's up to your own taste. Personally, I tend to prefer videogames where player-controlled characters are statted out similarly to NPCs (like FFT, Vagrant Story, etc.). In table top and online, however, my groups tend to play the "extraordinary people, extraordinary circumstances" type. We're pretty ordinary in real life, and we like some escapism. The games are no less challenging for the increased stats, but the PCs are inherently superior (usually) to the average members of their societies in terms of resources. I enjoy a grittier (and some might say nitpickier) style of resource management play which often lends itself a little better to more average or even suboptimal (mechanically speaking) PCs. Others really dig the buff teleport attack method (it's certainly fun to turn the tables with it).</blockquote>

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