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<blockquote data-quote="Raven Crowking" data-source="post: 4705314" data-attributes="member: 18280"><p>The world is not static; but neither is the world pointed toward the PCs. When a dragon goes on a hungry rampage, it isn't doing so for the players' convenience. It might hit their village; it might not. If it does, they might be there; and they might not.</p><p></p><p>Mallus' "What if the DM sends an unavoidable TPK <strong><em>after the PCs</em></strong>" is a very different animal than "What if the PCs encounter a dragon". In the first case, the DM determines what the encounter is (a TPK), and the players have nothing to do (except die). In the second case, the encounter is with a dragon, but <em><strong>what the encounter is</strong></em> is responsive to how the players react to the situation their characters are in. Is it an encounter where the PCs die heroically (or not so heroically)? Is it an encounter where they speak to the dragon? Where they run and hide? Where they buy him off? The DM doesn't know when the encounter begins.</p><p></p><p>(This doesn't mean that the DM doesn't have a proposed sketch of the encounter aforehand, merely that this sketch isn't set in stone......The DM extrapolates from it in response to the players.)</p><p></p><p>Moreover, while a dragon may encounter the PCs as a result of a wandering encounter, or as the logical result of the campaign world's progression, what does not happen is the DM deciding that he wants the PCs to encounter Smaug, therefore they will encounter Smaug.</p><p></p><p>From other discussions, I have the impression that most of the sandbox-type DMs here are non-fudgers when it comes to the dice. After all, fudging the dice to determine what happens invalidates the point of allow the players to make choices.</p><p></p><p>I also have the impression that most of the "There's no difference" folks here are fudgers when it comes to the dice. After all, not fudging the dice to determine what happens invalidates the way they planned the encounters to go.</p><p></p><p>And that is, perhaps, a good encapsulation of the difference: Whose choices does the DM empower? His, or his players'?</p><p></p><p></p><p>RC</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Raven Crowking, post: 4705314, member: 18280"] The world is not static; but neither is the world pointed toward the PCs. When a dragon goes on a hungry rampage, it isn't doing so for the players' convenience. It might hit their village; it might not. If it does, they might be there; and they might not. Mallus' "What if the DM sends an unavoidable TPK [B][I]after the PCs[/I][/B]" is a very different animal than "What if the PCs encounter a dragon". In the first case, the DM determines what the encounter is (a TPK), and the players have nothing to do (except die). In the second case, the encounter is with a dragon, but [i][b]what the encounter is[/b][/i][b][/b] is responsive to how the players react to the situation their characters are in. Is it an encounter where the PCs die heroically (or not so heroically)? Is it an encounter where they speak to the dragon? Where they run and hide? Where they buy him off? The DM doesn't know when the encounter begins. (This doesn't mean that the DM doesn't have a proposed sketch of the encounter aforehand, merely that this sketch isn't set in stone......The DM extrapolates from it in response to the players.) Moreover, while a dragon may encounter the PCs as a result of a wandering encounter, or as the logical result of the campaign world's progression, what does not happen is the DM deciding that he wants the PCs to encounter Smaug, therefore they will encounter Smaug. From other discussions, I have the impression that most of the sandbox-type DMs here are non-fudgers when it comes to the dice. After all, fudging the dice to determine what happens invalidates the point of allow the players to make choices. I also have the impression that most of the "There's no difference" folks here are fudgers when it comes to the dice. After all, not fudging the dice to determine what happens invalidates the way they planned the encounters to go. And that is, perhaps, a good encapsulation of the difference: Whose choices does the DM empower? His, or his players'? RC [/QUOTE]
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