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Message: <blockquote data-quote="steenan" data-source="post: 7830455" data-attributes="member: 23240">I don't think I have said something like the phrase in the topic in the last 10 years or so. The character belongs to their player; it's the player who decides what the character would do. Our games are about the story, but not the GM's story - they are about the story all players create together.On the other hand, there are phrases that I use sometimes:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">"Are you sure? You remember facts X and Y, I hope?" We play every 2-3 weeks, so there's a lot of life happening in the meantime. It's not surprising that people forget things. If somebody declares something that seems out of place to me, it usually means that we're not on the same page about the state of fiction and we need to align.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">"How does it go with this aspect/belief/aspiration/other flag on your character sheet?" It's the closest I go to "That's not what your character would do", but with the emphasis on "That's not how the character as you described them and as I understand them would do". Sometimes, the player steps back and does something else. Sometimes they explain their way of thinking and now I have a better mental model of their character. Sometimes (and I think that's what happens most often in our group) it's the character sheet that's not up to date with how the player sees their character, so it needs to be modified.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">"That's not what we all agreed on". If we decided together that we want a lighthearted game and a player mentions how their character was abused. Or if we wanted a serious, emotional game and someone cracks a joke in a dramatic moment. Or if we agreed on heroic characters closely cooperating and no somebody tries to betray the party. Fortunately, I play with mature people and it's a rare case that I have to remind them of the boundaries.</li> </ul></blockquote>

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