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<blockquote data-quote="Tony Vargas" data-source="post: 7569730" data-attributes="member: 996">Well, to start with, it's not just the GMs.&nbsp; Players aren't all sweetness &amp; lite, either.But, mostly, it's that the big fish, the 500lb gorilla, the founding elder, the nucleus, the foundation, the axis mundi of the hobby - D&amp;D - totally attracts, nurtures, and empowers jerks.&nbsp; 3.x was more of an incubator for jerk players, while AD&amp;D &amp; 5e breed more jerk DMs.&nbsp; But the unwritten rule of &quot;don't be a jerk&quot; exists because so many gamers break it.Mearls even recently shared that 5e had embraced the phenomenon.&nbsp; OK, he spun it very nicely:&nbsp; that WotC was done 'distrusting' it's player base.&nbsp; That is, he was done trying to produce a game that would in any way discourage, guard against or expose such behavior (ie, trying to design in anything resembling robust game balance or even basic functionality, in favor of letting the DM take up the slack).And, to be fair, it works great when you have a great DM.&nbsp; But great DMing takes great skill, and/or a lot of experience - or some pretty incredible talent - and DMing, even if you're great, isn't always the most enjoyable way to spend a session, playing has an appeal, even to the best DMs, and even the best DMs (especially the best DMs, because there's so much demand for them to run yet another game) will burn out.&nbsp; So, you have a gaming 'market' that favors DMs - which means players put up with jerks who are willing to DM, however bad they may be, because the alternative is not gaming at all.Ironically, this has only added to 5e's appeal:&nbsp; since the jerks are plentifully supplied with victims, they aren't feeling bitter or betrayed or let-down - at least, not enough to prosecute an edition war with extreme prejudice.&nbsp; There's a 'dark side' to Empowerment, sure.The check on DM privilege is DMing.&nbsp; Walking away from the table an starting your own table, that sucks less.&nbsp; The easier D&amp;D is to DM, the more of an option that becomes.&nbsp; DM Empowerment is awesome, but it doesn't make the game easier for a player to segue into DMing.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Tony Vargas, post: 7569730, member: 996"] Well, to start with, it's not just the GMs. Players aren't all sweetness & lite, either. But, mostly, it's that the big fish, the 500lb gorilla, the founding elder, the nucleus, the foundation, the axis mundi of the hobby - D&D - totally attracts, nurtures, and empowers jerks. 3.x was more of an incubator for jerk players, while AD&D & 5e breed more jerk DMs. But the unwritten rule of "don't be a jerk" exists because so many gamers break it. Mearls even recently shared that 5e had embraced the phenomenon. OK, he spun it very nicely: that WotC was done 'distrusting' it's player base. That is, he was done trying to produce a game that would in any way discourage, guard against or expose such behavior (ie, trying to design in anything resembling robust game balance or even basic functionality, in favor of letting the DM take up the slack). And, to be fair, it works great when you have a great DM. But great DMing takes great skill, and/or a lot of experience - or some pretty incredible talent - and DMing, even if you're great, isn't always the most enjoyable way to spend a session, playing has an appeal, even to the best DMs, and even the best DMs (especially the best DMs, because there's so much demand for them to run yet another game) will burn out. So, you have a gaming 'market' that favors DMs - which means players put up with jerks who are willing to DM, however bad they may be, because the alternative is not gaming at all. Ironically, this has only added to 5e's appeal: since the jerks are plentifully supplied with victims, they aren't feeling bitter or betrayed or let-down - at least, not enough to prosecute an edition war with extreme prejudice. There's a 'dark side' to Empowerment, sure. The check on DM privilege is DMing. Walking away from the table an starting your own table, that sucks less. The easier D&D is to DM, the more of an option that becomes. DM Empowerment is awesome, but it doesn't make the game easier for a player to segue into DMing. [/QUOTE]

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