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<blockquote data-quote="Umbran" data-source="post: 7768369" data-attributes="member: 177">As usual, I fundamentally disagree with some of the basis of the piece.If we are going to break it down largely as you are doing it, I think you are confusing &quot;New School&quot; games in general with what for lack of a better term I'll call... green New School GMs.An experienced GM working in a new school framework *DOES NOT* have a particular story they are trying to tell, and *DOES NOT* guarantee that characters will succeed or survive.&nbsp; A green, inexperienced, New School GM will lean on the side of ensuring survival or success, or forcing a particular story, as a crude tool for getting at the real point.&nbsp; But, an experienced, skilled GM doesn't have to.A New School GM doesn't want a *particular* story, but they do want some cogent, interesting story to come out of play.&nbsp; They don't have a particular plot in mind, but they may be aiming for a particular flavor or genre or emotional beats.&nbsp; They don't mind if PCs fail, or die, but they want that failure or death to be meaningful to the player, the group, and be relevant emotionally and/or to the plot of the story.To elaborate, let me describe to you an Old School game from my past.&nbsp; The very first game of a new group, back in college, playing 2E.&nbsp; The group came in... and we got completely destroyed.&nbsp; TPK in the first session.&nbsp; The next day, we rolled up new characters (which were pretty much the same as the originals, to be honest), and we tried again, and didn't die.And, today, not a one among us can tell you a darned thing about that first TPK.&nbsp; We remember that it happened, but not a single detail.&nbsp; There is no war story of how we all died in that awesome fight.&nbsp; We just... all died, and tried again the next day.&nbsp; No big whoop.&nbsp; Overall, that TPK became irrelevant to our gaming experience.&nbsp; This *irrelevance* is the antithesis of New School gaming.A New School GM worth their salt would look at that TPK and think, &quot;What a wasted opportunity to make something memorable.&quot;&nbsp; In a New School game, if the PCs are going to lose or die, it should be in a manner that is dramatically satisfying, or funny, or... somehow leaves a mark worth talking about.&nbsp; Sturm Brightblade, standing on the parapet, facing down Kitiara, now *that* is a New School PC death.&nbsp; He died.&nbsp; He didn't win the fight.&nbsp; But the moment mattered.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Umbran, post: 7768369, member: 177"] As usual, I fundamentally disagree with some of the basis of the piece. If we are going to break it down largely as you are doing it, I think you are confusing "New School" games in general with what for lack of a better term I'll call... green New School GMs. An experienced GM working in a new school framework *DOES NOT* have a particular story they are trying to tell, and *DOES NOT* guarantee that characters will succeed or survive. A green, inexperienced, New School GM will lean on the side of ensuring survival or success, or forcing a particular story, as a crude tool for getting at the real point. But, an experienced, skilled GM doesn't have to. A New School GM doesn't want a *particular* story, but they do want some cogent, interesting story to come out of play. They don't have a particular plot in mind, but they may be aiming for a particular flavor or genre or emotional beats. They don't mind if PCs fail, or die, but they want that failure or death to be meaningful to the player, the group, and be relevant emotionally and/or to the plot of the story. To elaborate, let me describe to you an Old School game from my past. The very first game of a new group, back in college, playing 2E. The group came in... and we got completely destroyed. TPK in the first session. The next day, we rolled up new characters (which were pretty much the same as the originals, to be honest), and we tried again, and didn't die. And, today, not a one among us can tell you a darned thing about that first TPK. We remember that it happened, but not a single detail. There is no war story of how we all died in that awesome fight. We just... all died, and tried again the next day. No big whoop. Overall, that TPK became irrelevant to our gaming experience. This *irrelevance* is the antithesis of New School gaming. A New School GM worth their salt would look at that TPK and think, "What a wasted opportunity to make something memorable." In a New School game, if the PCs are going to lose or die, it should be in a manner that is dramatically satisfying, or funny, or... somehow leaves a mark worth talking about. Sturm Brightblade, standing on the parapet, facing down Kitiara, now *that* is a New School PC death. He died. He didn't win the fight. But the moment mattered. [/QUOTE]

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