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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Bendris Noulg" data-source="post: 1425245" data-attributes="member: 6398">The adventure, yes, but not the world, as implied earlier. Oh, I agree that over-preperation (especially world-scaled preparation) is generally asking for trouble, and GMs that do it certainly might make mistakes to avoid re-working everything. However, the opposite also also true: Many GMs know exactly what rules/balance changes they are making and then design the world around the modified rules set.  For instance, in the current "flagship" game right now, there are intended to be 3 primary antogonists within the city in which the PCs are currently located.  One is going to be political in nature, another demonic, and the final a "false god" (essentially a psionic-leach that uses followers as sources of additional psychic power but requires those followers to believe -falsely- that he is of a divine nature) who will seem to be little more than the leader of a minor (but growing) cult that the PCs have very few dealings with (if any beyond the presence of the rumor mill).  While I have the necessary mechanics (I know the races, classes, etc.), I still haven't written up two of them because I don't know where the PCs will be 3 "game months" from now when the urban-based events start to come to a head (that is, I know they'll be in the city because they're awaiting a celestial convergance of three stars and a comet, but I'm still considering the odds of leveling up before this occurs, item creation, tactics and resources (they're forming their own mercenary army, which could be small or large depending on their methodology in gathering would-be-soldiers to them, as they definately have the funding); the third they are about to start interacting with on a political level, and the chances of opting for assassination over debate in council is a very real possibility (LE PCs) and her ability to survive such an attempt needs to be determined now (and if I have to add a level or two for actual face-to-face confrontation later, I can do just that). Assuming all three have remained "RP-based" antogonists prior to the convergence, it should be a hell of a night when control of the city goes up for grabs. I wouldn't say "can't" deal with, as it implies inability (true in some cases, yes, but not all).  Assuming you are including the "don't want to" croud (be it for flavor, preference, what ever), than you're close to on mark. As for realism, I can say that I prefer "realism", but it should also be acknowledged that "reality" can never be accurately simulated via a game (well, give it 4 hundred years, AI, and holodecks, and we might be able to, but I'm obviously not worried about it in my life time).  What most of us want is (A) more internal consistancy, (B) more "layers" of realism as opposed to a near-total absense of it, and (C) less comic-book/Xena/He-Man cheesiness (this last being something that the standard rules are more capable of emulating than LotR or The Black Company). For example, I have little problem with PCs (and a few NPCs) being able to jump out of a 30' window without making a harsh splat even though the fall would kill most other people (should be hurt, yes, but not necessarily dead); What I have a problem with is a PC jumping out of a 100' window, hitting the ground, and getting back up and walking away without a single mark or ache to show for it.  That's not heroic, it's just silly. I'm definately of this camp.  While I'm not particularly looking forward to WotC's new setting, I am curious to see it in order to determine if the setting actually tries to keep itself in check or if it's simply a world of contridictions and inconsistancies that are simply excused as being the result of "magic".  What I suspect though is, "new world, more cheese".</blockquote>

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