Take the GM out of the Equation- A 3e design philosophy

[reanjr]

Yes, yes, whatever.



If you honestly think that skill DCs have no relationship to believability, skill difficulty or realism, INGSI.



Ah, you mean like Skills & Powers.

That's not a compliment, BTW.



George Hammond, is that you?



George Hammond, is that you?



Your conceptualisation of "story" is inflexible and inappropriate for a shared authorship medium.



Ah, not just a crap DM, but a self-sacrificing one too. Truly, you are the salt of the earth.

Hmmm... I was planning on continuing the debate, but you don't seem to have really said anything. I guess I won.

 

[hong]

Hmmm... I was planning on continuing the debate, but you don't seem to have really said anything. I guess I won.

Well, you can think that if you like.

 

[weasel fierce]

I have not to date seen an RPG system that was exactly what my group wanted, neither what I wanted. We already pay enough as it is, for the books. I dont see even one semi plausible reason why a group should be forced to stick to the exact word of the rules, when said rules are often incomplete, inadequate or plain out wrong for the game or situation in question.

 

[FireLance]

Any attempts to apply the term "fair" to an RPG is pretty much doomed to fail, by the very nature of the medium, particularly a fantasy game like D&D

I'm not sure why it's so difficult to achieve fairness. To me, fairness simply means that if the DM has made a rules mistake, and a player points it out, the DM acknowledges that he has made a mistake. It that so hard to do?

 

[reanjr]

My, that was a quick backdown.

Ummm... I can't backdown from something I never... nevermind... doesn't matter...

IOW, you have an issue to take up with your group, which in the end is only peripherally to do with the 3E ruleset as such. Thank you.

I like the ruleset. I think it's great. That's why I play 3e. Never suggested the ruleset had anything to do with it. And I'm not sure how having a fun time gaming with my group is an issue I have to take up. Clarification?

 

[weasel fierce]

I'm not sure why it's so difficult to achieve fairness. To me, fairness simply means that if the DM has made a rules mistake, and a player points it out, the DM acknowledges that he has made a mistake. It that so hard to do?

Not at all, assuming the correct rule is actually more interesting, or adds more to the game.

 

[hong]

Ummm... I can't backdown from something I never... nevermind... doesn't matter...

I thought you said you won?

I like the ruleset. I think it's great. That's why I play 3e. Never suggested the ruleset had anything to do with it. And I'm not sure how having a fun time gaming with my group is an issue I have to take up. Clarification?

Right. So IOW, when you said

I never had anyone question my judgement in 2e.

Now, when someone jumps off a horse with sword drawn to attack the villain and I say it provokes, he points out that jumping is part of movement and therefore does not provoke.

If I grant an ad hoc bonus or penalty to a situation, oh man, I never hear the end of it. People start calculating it into their game plan expecting it to happen every single time in the exact same way.

...

I could go on for literally hours.

You really meant you could go on for hours about the price of tea in China, or something.

 

[reanjr]

Well, you can think that if you like.

I was being facetious. I just didn't find anything in the post worth responding to. Skills and Powers is still a rule book, and thus can not provide rules for everything. I don't know who George Hammond is (I know of a famous George Hammond, but don't know how it applies, so you are probably referring to someone else). One comment you made was made to not retort, but instead ignore what I said, another was simply a dig. The remaining response was INGSI, which aptly deserves no response.

 

[FireLance]

Not at all, assuming the correct rule is actually more interesting, or adds more to the game.

I was not aware that fair == interesting, athough for my group, fair tends to correlate with fun. We derive our gaming satisfaction from knowing that we have overcome the challenges fairly (within the context of the rules), and not because of DM whim, or to serve the greater needs of the story.

Of course, YMMV.

 

[hong]

I was being facetious.

D00d, did I or did I not say that you could think you won if you liked?