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Legends and Lore : The Fine Art of Dungeon Mastering
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<blockquote data-quote="MrMyth" data-source="post: 5677150" data-attributes="member: 61155"><p>Oh yeah. I mean, I'm used to gaming with folks I am already friends with, so reading some of these occasional horror stories is almost hard to believe - that some folks don't have that luxury, and do rely on 'local gaming groups' or other opportunities to get their D&D fix, and that sometimes, that involves dealing with some folks who really, really don't belong in the DMing seat (or even, often, at the table.)</p><p> </p><p></p><p> </p><p>I think (and hope!) stories about DMs like this are a relatively rare occurence, and even their seeming presence is more due to stories about bad DMs being more memorable than stories about good ones. </p><p> </p><p>That said - I've seen enough of those stories that I think it is worth considering as a DM. And while I haven't encountered the worst examples of it... I've come across some DMs, in Living Campaigns, that do come close. And I think that is a specific area where Mearls' discussion is quite relevant - how do you keep the DMs in such an environment from being able to arbitrarily murder one set of PCs? In theory, the more codified the rules, the more such DMs are held in check. </p><p> </p><p>Should it be the sole focus of the rules? Of course not. But I don't think it is worth simply dismissing it as unsolvable or irrelevant. And while I don't think Tomb of Horrors is an example of what Mearls meant, I think it is relevant in that it gives an even better goal - to have a set of rules that can allow for something like that while hopefully hindering DMs ability to inflict similar arbitrary deaths for no reason at all. </p><p> </p><p>Is that even possible? Hard to say. Current editions have moved away from 'insta-death' mechanics which has gone far to hinder this sort of bad DMing - but also makes it harder to run a truly lethal 'Tomb of Horrors'. You can still get close, but the dynamic is fundamentally different - in the end, there has been a trade-off. </p><p> </p><p>Is there a way to get the best of both worlds? Maybe yes, maybe no, but I think Mearls fundamental goal remains to get people talking about it, and seeing what sort of options play out from there.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="MrMyth, post: 5677150, member: 61155"] Oh yeah. I mean, I'm used to gaming with folks I am already friends with, so reading some of these occasional horror stories is almost hard to believe - that some folks don't have that luxury, and do rely on 'local gaming groups' or other opportunities to get their D&D fix, and that sometimes, that involves dealing with some folks who really, really don't belong in the DMing seat (or even, often, at the table.) I think (and hope!) stories about DMs like this are a relatively rare occurence, and even their seeming presence is more due to stories about bad DMs being more memorable than stories about good ones. That said - I've seen enough of those stories that I think it is worth considering as a DM. And while I haven't encountered the worst examples of it... I've come across some DMs, in Living Campaigns, that do come close. And I think that is a specific area where Mearls' discussion is quite relevant - how do you keep the DMs in such an environment from being able to arbitrarily murder one set of PCs? In theory, the more codified the rules, the more such DMs are held in check. Should it be the sole focus of the rules? Of course not. But I don't think it is worth simply dismissing it as unsolvable or irrelevant. And while I don't think Tomb of Horrors is an example of what Mearls meant, I think it is relevant in that it gives an even better goal - to have a set of rules that can allow for something like that while hopefully hindering DMs ability to inflict similar arbitrary deaths for no reason at all. Is that even possible? Hard to say. Current editions have moved away from 'insta-death' mechanics which has gone far to hinder this sort of bad DMing - but also makes it harder to run a truly lethal 'Tomb of Horrors'. You can still get close, but the dynamic is fundamentally different - in the end, there has been a trade-off. Is there a way to get the best of both worlds? Maybe yes, maybe no, but I think Mearls fundamental goal remains to get people talking about it, and seeing what sort of options play out from there. [/QUOTE]
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