From the article archive
Writing Practice, 01/15/2002
News: Mr. Clueless has learned how to upload .pdf files to GO. so the TotWFS series will be appearing as a series of .pdf documents instead of standard articles. Expert part two tomorrow.
Challenging the Players
One thing I hate are GMs who let the players win. RPGs are about adventures. RPGs are about challenges. RPGs involve the chance of failure and/or unexpected death. Sometimes the bad guys win. People, by "shading" things so the PCs win you are cheating your players and degrading your game.
Let me put it another way. Letting the players win stinks worse than the dubbing on most wuxia flicks.
In case I haven't made myself clear, I'm against it.
For one thing, it leads to bad play. Such as PCs who won't withdraw in the face of overwhelming odds. Or think that bashing everything is the answer to every problem. The players come to expect they're going to win no matter what they do. So they do really stupid things.
It's a bad thing all around.
You want to challenge your players, get them to think. Get them to consider alternatives. Such as escaping from the major bad guy and spending some time on a scheme that might give them an advantage over the villain.
Stupid play is a 1st level magic user armed with a dagger taking on a red dragon all by himself. Smart play is a 1st level magic user talking a balrog into beating up the dragon for him. (Happened about 1976, in case you're wondering.)
You want to encourage your players, and their PCs, to get better at adventuring, not worse.
Be honest with your players, let them know there is every possibility their characters could die out there. Or worse. As the GM be fair in your application of the rules. As the villain, monster, preteen brat play the role to the best of the NPC's abilities. Most important, keep GM knowledge and GMC (Game Master Character) knowledge separate. Never use knowledge only the GM knows to aid a villain, but use knowledge the villain knows instead.
Let your players know there are consequences for being damn fools, besides PC death. The villain's conquest of the world is a good one. The PCs' bodies getting eaten by the dire wolves is another. (The worst thing about being eaten by a dragon, and then resurrected, is that you feel like shit for weeks.)
All in all, never cheat in favor of anybody. Even if she shares your bed. Let the players in your group know that the game is one place where you must be honest and evenhanded with everybody. And that bad things can, and will, happen to good people.
Never let the players win. If they get lucky, so be it. If they win through smarts, grits, and good play, so much the better. But never shade events in their favor. Make a victory an event to be celebrated, not another day at the office.
I'm all ranted out now. It's your turn.
*****
Coming up: Confession time, I haven't really written any columns ahead of time. I need to correct that. OTOH, since TotWFS is going to be "product" instead of "article" I'll be presenting a series of excerpts from the series. Tomorrow I'll be presenting one or two "just so" stories from the Wolf Folk Sea. Till then.
Alan
Challenging the Players
One thing I hate are GMs who let the players win. RPGs are about adventures. RPGs are about challenges. RPGs involve the chance of failure and/or unexpected death. Sometimes the bad guys win. People, by "shading" things so the PCs win you are cheating your players and degrading your game.
Let me put it another way. Letting the players win stinks worse than the dubbing on most wuxia flicks.
In case I haven't made myself clear, I'm against it.
For one thing, it leads to bad play. Such as PCs who won't withdraw in the face of overwhelming odds. Or think that bashing everything is the answer to every problem. The players come to expect they're going to win no matter what they do. So they do really stupid things.
It's a bad thing all around.
You want to challenge your players, get them to think. Get them to consider alternatives. Such as escaping from the major bad guy and spending some time on a scheme that might give them an advantage over the villain.
Stupid play is a 1st level magic user armed with a dagger taking on a red dragon all by himself. Smart play is a 1st level magic user talking a balrog into beating up the dragon for him. (Happened about 1976, in case you're wondering.)
You want to encourage your players, and their PCs, to get better at adventuring, not worse.
Be honest with your players, let them know there is every possibility their characters could die out there. Or worse. As the GM be fair in your application of the rules. As the villain, monster, preteen brat play the role to the best of the NPC's abilities. Most important, keep GM knowledge and GMC (Game Master Character) knowledge separate. Never use knowledge only the GM knows to aid a villain, but use knowledge the villain knows instead.
Let your players know there are consequences for being damn fools, besides PC death. The villain's conquest of the world is a good one. The PCs' bodies getting eaten by the dire wolves is another. (The worst thing about being eaten by a dragon, and then resurrected, is that you feel like shit for weeks.)
All in all, never cheat in favor of anybody. Even if she shares your bed. Let the players in your group know that the game is one place where you must be honest and evenhanded with everybody. And that bad things can, and will, happen to good people.
Never let the players win. If they get lucky, so be it. If they win through smarts, grits, and good play, so much the better. But never shade events in their favor. Make a victory an event to be celebrated, not another day at the office.
I'm all ranted out now. It's your turn.
*****
Coming up: Confession time, I haven't really written any columns ahead of time. I need to correct that. OTOH, since TotWFS is going to be "product" instead of "article" I'll be presenting a series of excerpts from the series. Tomorrow I'll be presenting one or two "just so" stories from the Wolf Folk Sea. Till then.
Alan
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