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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Arlough" data-source="post: 5434205" data-attributes="member: 79335">It seems to me this is really a difference in game philosophy.Basically, there are two types of D&D here that share rules but not goals.Play-style<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Type A - Collaborative storytelling The story is being created as the game progresses.  NPC's are people too, with all the complexities therein.  This is a time to live out another life in a fantastic and magical environment. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Type B - Lawbringer Hemtose or How I Learned to Stop Negotiating and Love My Fireball. The die has been cast, the course has been set.  A grand horde of foes stands before us and it's killin' time.  A single man cannot change the world... until he is powerful enough to take on the Gods! Which is why we'd better be victorious today.  Whether a dungeon crawl, or a pre-fashioned module, the path to greatness is clear. This is a time to be larger than life, and eat nachos with friends. </li> </ul>Game Purpose<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Type A - The world is a stage. The purpose of the game is to explore the stories of a life yet unlived.  The DM sets the stage, and plays all the non-narrative focused characters, as well as setting the tone.  Then the players enter the scene and build both the story and the world around them, changing lives while living out theirs. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Type B - The world is an obstacle course to glory. The purpose of the game is to win.  To go forth and conquer, and to be the greatest of all. No one will tell the tale of how you bartered down the price of that suit, but they will sing of you lopping the head off of a demon. Heroes are a good beginning, but we want to become Legends. The world is appropriately populated with adequate foes to propel the characters to mythical heights.  But, beware, the same forces that built this world will take as much, if not more, pleasure in your failure as your success. </li> </ul>DM role<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Type A - The DM is an entertainer and arbiter. It's the job of the DM to make sure the players have fun.  He sets up the situation, and decides on rules, but ultimately his job is to see to it that the players have the opportunity to explore their characters, and discover their stories. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Type B - The DM is a foe. It's the job of the DM to try to create situations that the characters can't escape from, only to be thwarted by the ingenuity, cleverness, and raw character power of the players. Sure, it's 5 on 1, but that one has all teh power in the universe and a need to toy with some mortals.  But, if they are clever enough, powerful enough, and most importantly lucky enough, teh players will live to fight on another day...against even more powerful foes. </li> </ul>Of course much of this is also determined by the group you play in. But generally it seems that people gravitate to groups that play in the style they like.  In the one group, a player would most likely deliberately choose not to have his paladin use powers due to story reasons.  No DM arbitration would be needed there, it would be handled as a "story first" type of scenario.In the other group, winning is what is important, and thus the DM would have to enforce the rules strictly in order to uphold his side of the conflict.Both are valid, yet profoundly different, ways of playing the same game.  And, neither is really compatible with the other.I agree that in my games, consequence is much more important than alignment, but I also admit that I have played in games where the DM needed a leash (trust arguement) to put on the players that were allowed greater power options.In the instance of using material like BoED or BoVD, I would probably force the player to build a very strict moral code (good or evil) in order to even have access to the powers.But then again, I wouldn't want to play with a player if I had to worry about him/her exploiting the rules, and if I was the DM of such a player, their character would have a heart attack the first time he said the word "technically" out of character.</blockquote>

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