Reply to thread

Message

<blockquote data-quote="nyrfherdr" data-source="post: 1789771" data-attributes="member: 3394">I'm in the middle camp on this one. On the Player Side:I think the DM has an obligation to find hooks that the characters will sink in to.&nbsp; What is the point of writing a character background at the beginning of the game, if not to provide a reason to adventure and to give the DM free hooks.Using Quasqueton's scenario and Diaglo's request for a better hook...DM: &quot;You hear bumps and crashes below deck.&quot;Player: &quot;I'm covering my head with my pillow to get more sleep.&quot;DM: &quot;Just before you do that, you hear a scream and some shouting.&nbsp; The voice sounds very much like your sister.&nbsp; You haven't seen Ella in 3 years.&nbsp; Could that really be her voice?&quot;It doesn't have to be, but at least he has a reason to investigate.On the DM Side:I find the unheroic actions of any character mildly annoying and not particularly productive.&nbsp;&nbsp; I also find that players who create characters with absolutely no reason to be part of the group even worse.&nbsp; Everyone knows that to game as a group, the characters needs to be compatible.&nbsp;&nbsp; At least an unheroic character that is compatible might be good for tension, but the hardened criminal in the midst of Clerics and Paladins is strife, not tension.&nbsp;&nbsp; Anyway, I find that players who don't often play together fall into the trap of individualistic characters and players who have played to type for several campaigns create characters that are against type and often act unheroic at the beginning.&nbsp; If everyone hits that stage at the same time, the campaign may need a slight tweak to get back on track, or to move in a different direction.Specific, constructive feedback is what you need in all cases.Don't say &quot;The campaign will be short if you keep this up.&quot;&nbsp;&nbsp; Be specific and be prepared for specific feedback in return and accept it as helpful.&nbsp; Don't be defensive.&nbsp; The game will improve for both parties.If the group is new to playing together, then be more specific about the campaign style so that the characters can be crafted to fit better.Anyhow... Longer post than I expected.Game ON!Nyrf</blockquote>

[QUOTE="nyrfherdr, post: 1789771, member: 3394"] I'm in the middle camp on this one. On the Player Side: I think the DM has an obligation to find hooks that the characters will sink in to. What is the point of writing a character background at the beginning of the game, if not to provide a reason to adventure and to give the DM free hooks. Using Quasqueton's scenario and Diaglo's request for a better hook... DM: "You hear bumps and crashes below deck." Player: "I'm covering my head with my pillow to get more sleep." DM: "Just before you do that, you hear a scream and some shouting. The voice sounds very much like your sister. You haven't seen Ella in 3 years. Could that really be her voice?" It doesn't have to be, but at least he has a reason to investigate. On the DM Side: I find the unheroic actions of any character mildly annoying and not particularly productive. I also find that players who create characters with absolutely no reason to be part of the group even worse. Everyone knows that to game as a group, the characters needs to be compatible. At least an unheroic character that is compatible might be good for tension, but the hardened criminal in the midst of Clerics and Paladins is strife, not tension. Anyway, I find that players who don't often play together fall into the trap of individualistic characters and players who have played to type for several campaigns create characters that are against type and often act unheroic at the beginning. If everyone hits that stage at the same time, the campaign may need a slight tweak to get back on track, or to move in a different direction. Specific, constructive feedback is what you need in all cases. Don't say "The campaign will be short if you keep this up." Be specific and be prepared for specific feedback in return and accept it as helpful. Don't be defensive. The game will improve for both parties. If the group is new to playing together, then be more specific about the campaign style so that the characters can be crafted to fit better. Anyhow... Longer post than I expected. Game ON! Nyrf [/QUOTE]

Verification