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Message: <blockquote data-quote="N'raac" data-source="post: 6110452" data-attributes="member: 6681948">Let’s assume another scenario, just to illustrate the “bad GM” conundrum.  We have four players, and four PC’s, a wizard, a fighter, a cleric and a rogue.  They were tossed together by chance and are just getting to know one another.  Their first scenario saw them encounter a transport device that can cross the planes, and they are returning to their home from the wrapup of their first story arc, when Wizard makes a terrible roll and the conveyance is tossed across the planes. Far from being home, the GM describes a wilderness outside, and in the distance on a plateau, what seems to be a city, with some kind of lighthouse tower.  The players set to discussion.  Each frames what they want to do in the context of their character’s personality and background.  Wizard is very excited – he wants to explore that city.  Fighter and Cleric both find this a distraction – they have responsibilities back home and wish to waste no further time with this cross-planar nonsense.  Yes, it takes the conveyance several hours to recharge, but we can cool our heels and wait.  The rogue thinks it could be fun to explore the city, but doesn’t want to make life tough for the other two, so abstains from voting. Wizard makes a knowledge check and points out that this device can cross temporal planes, so we can arrive home just after we left, however long we take here.  So let’s explore that city, guys!  Fighter and Cleric are having nothing to do with it.  So fine, Wizard agrees to try to get them back, and rolls a stunning Knowledge check which the GM indicates is a perfect success for him.  After the recharge period (nothing happens sitting in the conveyance, so it’s a few handwaved hours), Wizard fires up the conveyance, which jerks and bobbles, and groans steadily louder, until he shuts it down. What happened?  Wizard pokes around, makes another skill check, then announces that, in that last bouncy trip, it wasn’t just us that got jostled – a part of the conveyance is broken.  It’s easily repaired, but a key material is now gone, and we can’t leave without it.  Good news, though, his knowledge check indicates a suitable replacement material would also be consumed by that magical lighthouse, so there should be lots in that city.  He doesn’t seem too disappointed – he wanted to explore the city anyway! Stupid powertripping GM forcing the Fighter and Cleric to explore his city with his contrived mechanical breakdown?  Great GM ensuring the Wizard (and, to a lesser extent, Rogue) gets what he expressed an interest in, albeit with his contrived mechanical breakdown? Well… FOR ME: Interested in comments before you read the spoiler, and then any impact the added spoiler info has. [spoiler]Impartial referee GM.  He was prepared for either eventuality, and the scene was primarily, in his mind, to let the characters role play and find out more about one another while the GM just sat back and watched.   But the Wizard asked (by note/off stage) whether he could figure out how to sabotage the conveyance in a manner they could likely fix with materials from the city – maybe that lighthouse.  Then he made that stunning Knowledge check which, as the GM indicated, was a perfect check for him – not for the other players.   GM gets to sit through several sessions of equal parts of wilderness and city exploration and being criticize/bitched at by two of the players for railroading the party into exploring his irrelevant other planar wilderness and city.  Until Wizard role plays a pang of conscience when a PC is in great danger, and confesses his actions to the other PC’s, thanks to a player pang of conscience watching the GM get crapped on because of his in character role play.[/spoiler] Apologies to the script writer from whom I stole and modified this setup.  I suspect a few people might recognize it.</blockquote>

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