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<blockquote data-quote="Mallus" data-source="post: 6866540" data-attributes="member: 3887"><p>As a rule, I like to put just the <em>right</em> amount of thinking into what I write. It's a bit like cooking. Too much results in a burnt lump!</p><p></p><p></p><p>On the other hand, any fictional character I create has me as their author. They know whatever I decide they know. As fictional characters, they are ultimately shaped by all the previous experiences I've had gaming & otherwise; all the books I've read read, film and television I've seen. All the genre assumptions that come of that. That's what they're <em>made out of</em>.</p><p></p><p>You may not agree with all that, but it does have the advantage of being true. </p><p></p><p></p><p>Gamers are going to learn the games they play. Short of reading the current published module I'm running, I'm cool with acknowledging the fact experienced players are, in fact, experienced. If I want to confound, challenge, and/or surprise them, all I need do is make their assumptions work against them by customizing things a bit. </p><p></p><p></p><p>Nothing in my description said anything about "natural bounds". I'm guessing if I were to use that phrase, I'd mean something significantly different than you. </p><p></p><p></p><p>If by this you mean something like plain old cheating, i.e. reading the current module to gain an advantage, then yes, I'd agree that's poor form. But outside of that? The whole game is built around having & using outside knowledge. We model PCs after characters in external media. We let genre- and adventure-writing conventions guide our in-character decision making. Character decisions are often shaped by consideration for the other real people at the table, i.e. metagaming in service of the social contract. In most systems we're forced into acquiring some level of system mastery in order to get things done. Most settings can be described as a thin crust of specific custom-written fiction layered over a much larger mantle & core made of shared assumptions/elements derived from various external media (game-related & otherwise). </p><p></p><p></p><p>If all we're talking about is outright, egregious cheating, then yes, I agree.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Mallus, post: 6866540, member: 3887"] As a rule, I like to put just the [i]right[/i] amount of thinking into what I write. It's a bit like cooking. Too much results in a burnt lump! On the other hand, any fictional character I create has me as their author. They know whatever I decide they know. As fictional characters, they are ultimately shaped by all the previous experiences I've had gaming & otherwise; all the books I've read read, film and television I've seen. All the genre assumptions that come of that. That's what they're [i]made out of[/i]. You may not agree with all that, but it does have the advantage of being true. Gamers are going to learn the games they play. Short of reading the current published module I'm running, I'm cool with acknowledging the fact experienced players are, in fact, experienced. If I want to confound, challenge, and/or surprise them, all I need do is make their assumptions work against them by customizing things a bit. Nothing in my description said anything about "natural bounds". I'm guessing if I were to use that phrase, I'd mean something significantly different than you. If by this you mean something like plain old cheating, i.e. reading the current module to gain an advantage, then yes, I'd agree that's poor form. But outside of that? The whole game is built around having & using outside knowledge. We model PCs after characters in external media. We let genre- and adventure-writing conventions guide our in-character decision making. Character decisions are often shaped by consideration for the other real people at the table, i.e. metagaming in service of the social contract. In most systems we're forced into acquiring some level of system mastery in order to get things done. Most settings can be described as a thin crust of specific custom-written fiction layered over a much larger mantle & core made of shared assumptions/elements derived from various external media (game-related & otherwise). If all we're talking about is outright, egregious cheating, then yes, I agree. [/QUOTE]
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