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<blockquote data-quote="tetrasodium" data-source="post: 8949276" data-attributes="member: 93670"><p>There's truth to this but it exposes a deeper problem. We've all seen the word "player agency" but reading it made me realize that this may have been the first time I've <em>ever</em> seen the phrase "GM agency". A quick google search suggests that I'm probably not alone</p><p>[spoiler]</p><p>[ATTACH=full]276601[/ATTACH]</p><p><a href="https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS977US977&sxsrf=AJOqlzXMkEc6RgDSfgjMYDD0uin0jkaeYQ:1677348108202&q=%22GM+agency%22+dnd&spell=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjps53RoLH9AhWUUjABHQOQDx0QBSgAegQIChAB&biw=1639&bih=708&dpr=1" target="_blank">the google search</a>.</p><p>[/spoiler]</p><p>I didn't click <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/RPGdesign/comments/5yn2zw/gm_agency_does_it_exist_what_is_it/" target="_blank">that reddit thread</a> until after typing everything above & ironically it starts out very close to being a direct quote of the post itself</p><p></p><p></p><p>That absence from the discussion is a big part of the problem. In past editions PCs faced a high level of risk & those PCs required a lot of things from the GM to meet the system's expectations. Those risks & needs allowed GM's a wide latitude to excise "GM agency" in a way that felt cooperative & friendly in ways that encouraged both sides to engage in mutual give & take. That shifted in 5e where PCs face practically no risk after the first few levels & enjoy a system where their PC needs absolutely nothing from the GM before factotring in the fact that the math has PCs starting out overtuned against everything in the GM toolbox due to a baseline expectation of no feats no magic items with weirdly negative levels of charop. The shift results in a situation where the GM has nothing to incentivize players to interact in a mutually cooperative style until they nerf something or present a situation like an overCR'd encounterthat makes them look bad or something.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="tetrasodium, post: 8949276, member: 93670"] There's truth to this but it exposes a deeper problem. We've all seen the word "player agency" but reading it made me realize that this may have been the first time I've [I]ever[/I] seen the phrase "GM agency". A quick google search suggests that I'm probably not alone [spoiler] [ATTACH type="full" alt="1677348362348.png"]276601[/ATTACH] [URL='https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS977US977&sxsrf=AJOqlzXMkEc6RgDSfgjMYDD0uin0jkaeYQ:1677348108202&q=%22GM+agency%22+dnd&spell=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjps53RoLH9AhWUUjABHQOQDx0QBSgAegQIChAB&biw=1639&bih=708&dpr=1']the google search[/URL]. [/spoiler] I didn't click [URL='https://www.reddit.com/r/RPGdesign/comments/5yn2zw/gm_agency_does_it_exist_what_is_it/']that reddit thread[/URL] until after typing everything above & ironically it starts out very close to being a direct quote of the post itself That absence from the discussion is a big part of the problem. In past editions PCs faced a high level of risk & those PCs required a lot of things from the GM to meet the system's expectations. Those risks & needs allowed GM's a wide latitude to excise "GM agency" in a way that felt cooperative & friendly in ways that encouraged both sides to engage in mutual give & take. That shifted in 5e where PCs face practically no risk after the first few levels & enjoy a system where their PC needs absolutely nothing from the GM before factotring in the fact that the math has PCs starting out overtuned against everything in the GM toolbox due to a baseline expectation of no feats no magic items with weirdly negative levels of charop. The shift results in a situation where the GM has nothing to incentivize players to interact in a mutually cooperative style until they nerf something or present a situation like an overCR'd encounterthat makes them look bad or something. [/QUOTE]
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