D&D General The Great Railroad Thread

[Thomas Shey]

This is why I endeavour to have my houserules determined before the campaign begins, so that I can tell them to the players and they can make informed character building decisions.

Yeah. I reserve on-the-fly changes for absolute emergencies, and late-in-the-day houserules for things that just didn't show their problems early on, and more than half the time that's as much by player request as anything.

 

[Thomas Shey]

They all are artistic decisions,

They're far more than just that, and if you're charging for the privilege, I even more conclude the players should have some input if its not a case of one off sessions.

and I'm charging $50 per face per session for my artistic decisions. If a player doesn't want that, there's like ten other GMs in the same community, probably three times more in all others, and chances are, they'll have to deal with way less diva behaviour at that other tables.

If you think anything about this paragraph made me conclude there's less problems here, I have to disabuse you.

It's not player's job to make design decisions. Okay, it isn't GM's job either, it's the job of the designer. And if you put on big designer pants, then you have to take big designer responsibility. What if the house rule is bad? In my case, it's my fault, and I'll drop it or rework it -- but if it was a collective decision, then who is to blame? Everyone is much more inclined to stick to it, even if it turns out to worsen the overall experience.

Not my experience, and I maintain its as much the players (note the collective) to make those decisions as the GM.