Rat Bastardry: Is there an equivalent for players?

[Delemental]

Much has been made on these boards about the virtues of being a Rat Bastard DM (tm). I don't dispute the level of enjoyment it can bring to a game, but it leaves me wondering; is there a term to describe a player who aims for similar goals?

First, a definition of Rat Bastardry, from their website:

A philosophy that asserts that a role-playing game's capacity for providing enjoyment can be greatly increased by weaving a complex web of psychological challenges, moral or ethical dilemmas, frequent plot twists, and unforeseen consequences to create a gaming environment with verisimilitude that rises above the mundane with the ultimate aim of creating an atmosphere of awed paranoia for the players.

In my opinion, the player-equivalent to this would be one who also strives to elevate the game by introducing unforeseen elements which can either complement or confound the DM. The important distinction would be that this influence on the game would be through channels outside the normal bounds of the system, either through a unique approach to a situation, or novel uses of available resources.

The player who defeats your BBEG in one round using his triple-empowered, double-maximized, sonic-substituted meteor swarm does not qualify. The player who defeats your BBEG in one round using a sack of flour and an empty oil lamp does.

The player who manages to end a war between two countries by rolling a 43 on their Diplomacy check does not qualify. The player who manages to end a war between two countries via their own extensive knowledge of pre-Industrial era agrarian economics judiciously applied to the family potato farm that's mentioned in their character background does qualify.

So, what would we call such a player? The term Rat Bastard should be reserved for the DM. What would be a good formal definition for this type of player (like the one above for Rat Bastardry). Anyone want to share their own personal moments of such play, or those you've witnessed?

 

[Marius Delphus]

Much has been made on these boards about the virtues of being a Rat Bastard DM (tm). I don't dispute the level of enjoyment it can bring to a game, but it leaves me wondering; is there a term to describe a player who aims for similar goals?

I nominate "Cheese Bastard Player (tm)."

A philosophy that asserts that a role-playing game's capacity for providing enjoyment can be greatly increased by effortlessly navigating any complex web of psychological challenges, moral or ethical dilemmas, frequent plot twists, and unforeseen consequences to create a gaming environment with verisimilitude that rises above the mundane with the ultimate aim of creating an atmosphere of awed paranoia for the DM.

Examples? Hmm... I can think of a player in a recent game who, after merely asking a few questions, deduced the NPCs' goals and much of the DM's plot, taking no more than about 5 minutes to do so (while the rest of us spent over 2 hours fighting bad guys). But I don't think it qualifies as it was more smart play than Cheese Bastardry....

 

[kigmatzomat]

Anyone want to share their own personal moments of such play, or those you've witnessed?

Oh, so many situations.

#1 Party declines to pay the black dragon's toll and decides to fight. Minor detail noted in the dragon's horde is that he is a compulsive coin collector who sorts his coins by type, nationality, age, and condition. One player has a ring of flight that involves a djinni's whirlwind, flies over the horde and accidentally scatters a large amount of coins. Dragon (me, the GM) shows irritation by breathing on miscreant. Hyper-perceptive elven girl says "ohhh, you melted all your pretty coins!" One failed will save later and the dragon is curled in a catatonic ball.

#2 While assaulting a castle of draconians, one interprising individual decides to be the distraction. He flies to the castle and demands to speak with the commander, claiming to be a representative of the Gods of Magic. When his ruse finally gives out as the other players get into noisy combat, he pulls off one of his earrings, tosses it towards the commander, and dives behind a heavy stone bench. I ask, as GM, "what happens" and he replies "oh, nothing *this* round." Assuming a bead of blasting, the draconians immediately take cover. And wait. He holds action. Wait another round. The draconians peek from behind cover. He yells "BANG!" at the top of his lungs which not only sends the draconians back behind cover for the rest of their action but catches the attention of some other players who come to rescue him.

#3 I was the player in a Vampire game and we were being stalked by a psychotic vampire hunter. He'd recently left an intentionally pathetic plastique bomb on the gate with a note saying "Soon" and then called the house to gloat. I put the mouthiest person on the phone and grabbed the sniper-type character and headed for the roof. GM, looking worried, asks "What are you up to?" My character was a master of mind games with a psychology of 7 and and I'd had a moment of insight. "This guy's gloating and taunting us. Caller ID said payphone so he's in one of the three phone booths in line of sight of the house." Ten seconds later the hunter was on the ground bleeding from both legs and his pistol arm as a ghoul falcon clawed at his eyes.

#4 The party fighter was just swallowed by a Behir. He didn't have spiked gauntlets, armor spikes, or any small weapons after throwing his daggers earlier so he was just biding time until completely digested. Or so I thought. He reaches for his belt and activates his Rod of Security. I panic with visions of the fighter still firmly entrenched in the Behir's bowels in an extradimensional pocket. But the sneaky bugger had already read that it required a willing subject so he "poofs" out of the beasty's gut, guzzles healing potions, and bamfs back to continue the fight. His new battle cry is "Eat me!"

 

[Wikidogre]

I have on in my group and i call him cheese ..

but in my expirience with this young lad, he seems to always become a "nothing", in the sense that he has no clue how too be a munchkin and tries to be one, and attempts to min/max, but fail, and ends up having a character like his current, he is a 7th level Psion "nothing".

For example; last weeks game was the 6th in my camp.. and he was just then able to kill his first monster...."A wounded Kobald"

enough for now, i think i might have to have a story hour about the "nothing"

 

[KnowTheToe]

It is a long title, but I vote for "the player everyone wishes would stay ****ing home ans quit wrecking the game"


I have known a few people who should of had this title.

 

[Darklone]

My favorite paladin encounter. Players were the last remnants of the army in a country that was halfways overrun by an orc horde. The allies to the west were overdue, as the players looked down from the hill to the meeting point, they saw a huge orc encampment.

The paladin mounts his horse and rides down into the camp, visor open and stops in front of the orc chieftains tent (these orcs didn't have watchmen, though many were gawking at the suicidal human... as was the DM).

The paladin greets the chieftains bodyguard nicely and asks as the chieftain leaves his tent to find out about that uproar in his most polite manner:
"Excuse me for interrupting your most likely pleasant pasttime (torturing), I would like to inquire if any of you perchance saw the (name of the allied horsemen army), they are supposed to be in these lands and I would hate to miss them."
DM: *gulping once again, then orcvoice* "Paladins... don't .... lie?"

The players on the hill saw how the orcs packed within minutes and headed northeast... the paladin rode back totally unharmed. The cleric asked: "What did you tell them?", the paladin told the truth...
Afterwards there was a huge in character discussion whether the paladin should have known (as some others in the group) that the allied army not to be expected anymore... but the player had wisely evaded in character any opportunities.

 

[the_mighty_agrippa]

Brilliant.

My character recently took over a town and annexed another, but that's about the limit of my genius and I think the DM is going to have it come back on me anyway.

 

[Enkhidu]

Here's one I think qualifies, because more than anything it was a player aiding and abetting a Rat Bastard DM.

We've been going through the Night Below (2nd Ed adventure) and had just made it through book one when we realized that we were very fighter-heavy. So the guy with the Paladin PC decided to shelve him for a while and make him a permanant NPC and brought in a super spellcaster (a half elf wizard priest multiclass - if you played 2nd Ed, you know how nasty they could get later on). He joins up as we're heading down (through a fairly intesive roleplaying session or two) and quickly becomes a lynchpin of the party - he was a utility caster with massive healing capability, and it showed. He was also a bit of a coward (one fight I remember him hiding underneath a fallen orc and Chanting the battle away while we did the dirty work. He also used a bow, and was so bad at it he shot several of us by accident over the course of several fights. But, since he always healed us afterward, there were no real hard feelings - he was just too useful to get rid of. And it wasn't as if we were hard up in the fighter dept either - the Paladin came along as an NPC, so we weren't at all underpowered there either.

Session after session, the half-elf proved his worth, even doing his level best to drag the dying paladin out of a crevice he had fallen into while already wounded. He failed, and the paladin died, but the thought was what counted. It didn't take long for him to really ingratiate himself in the party.

Until, of course, the little so-and-so Polymorphed himself back into an Ogre Mage in the middle of a fight and caught us all with a Cone of Cold. He'd been shamming all along - we found out later that the Paladin had died only because the Ogre Mage had stabbed him til dead - and thendragged him the rest of the way out of the pit.

I loved it - and I wasn't even the OgreMage!

 

[Darklone]

Hmm, I had some bad experiences with evil players (and PCs) in a party... not all parties like that or can live with it.

 

[Luddite]

Well here is my Cheese Bastardly Player moment. First off it was in Champions. My characters main abilty was he was the subject of a "Somebody elses Problem." Field. Simply put people just never noticed my character, and if they did, they quickly forgot about him. His weakness, were Telepaths. They would notice him. Suffice to say, he did not like Telepaths.

The GM, long before we actaul stated the campain, metioned that EGO-ist were chornic smokers his games. They would sit and smoke while concentrating.

So anyway...The situation was people were going "crazy." And the suspect was reported at being at the scene of the incidents. Well durring one encounter where my character was on look-out, the Suspect is spotted and begins to smoke and concentrate. Well that was enough evidence for my character. So I took out my trusty 30-06 (he did not have any offensive supper powers) and roled a critical hit.

Suffice to say the GM was shocked. I had just killed the Villan in the first act of module.

I have never seen a GM so shocked and at a loss of what to do. And he was a Rat Bastad GM....But that is another story.

-The Luddite