I mentioned in my previous post that I had had an epiphany near the conclusion of the last game in which Chris ran us through Mauve Castle. It may not mean much and it's probably not that great of an epiphany to any one else, but it certainly gelled several things in my mind.
What was my epiphany? Well, we were sitting there and just talking about rules, players, games and the talk drifted to the NTRPG con in June. And as we sat there and bandied about names of the "old guys from TSR days" who'll be there and rulesets were tossed around without explanation (Holmes, B/X, AD&D), it just hit me that we were beginning to sound just like snobs. I don't mean to put us down or point fingers or anything, but I was just suddenly aware of how "elitist" we sounded. Just like back during the 3.5/4e edition wars in which each side tried to paint the other as elitist. I could see where it came from, and I could see how to stop it. Here's what we do: we say "I'm running a non-serious D&D game. I'm the DM and here's how you roll up a character." Or "here's the characters, pick one." Then, "get out your dice, I'll tell you when to roll and what to roll. You tell me everything else you're doing." Thus, you choose if you want to play or not. Ask me questions about the game, not the rules. And as a player, I'll do the same when you run. I am responsible for my own happiness with the game. If I'm not happy, I'll not come back.
So, my next game will start off this way. Roll 3d6 straight down: Str, Dex, Int, Wis, Con, Chr. (Don't argue with me about their order. This is my game.) If you're not happy with what you have, you may reroll two of these, keeping the highest roll. Your class choices are: Human Fighter, Human Mage, Human Cleric, Elf Mage, Elf Fighter, Dwarf Warrior, Halfling Fighter. No, there are no stat changes because you want to play elf, dwarf, or halfling. Deal with it. Now, pick either chain, leather or no armor. Pick one melee weapon. Pick one ranged weapon. It comes with 20 pieces of ammo. Look at the chart here, and pick a pack. Choose an alignment: Lawful or Neutral. Roll a d% and I'll give you a past job to help get a grip on your character. Now, roll a d12. That's your starting gold.
I guess this attitude is new, or maybe I'm just more aware of it. I don't know. Maybe it's because I'll be 50 very soon or maybe I'm just really sick and tired of tone of voice I sometimes hear when folks talk about other editions. I really don't know. I just hope I'm not hurting feelings with it. And I understand the need to compromise in a group setting because it is a very social game after all. But despite how small our hobby appears to be, it's actually pretty good sized. Just look at the numbers for GaryCon (over 500 attendees this year), and the numbers for NTRPG have been almost doubling each year. So, again, why play something I dislike when I can play what I want? Join me and let me hear your ideas. I'll probably use them.
4 comments:
Regarding the first topic -- editions wars/edition elitism -- it's my opinion that there is no perfect edition, and that a good GM and mature players can enjoy just about any edition or game system (though some are better suited for some style of play than others). I think WOTC has made some bad business decisions in the past but I'll give 5e a try (though I may reject it like I did 4e, and to some extent, 3e & Pathfinder). I think it's fair to have opinions about editions, companies and systems, but hey, it's just a game. The goal is to have fun. So I don't think edition flame wars are helpful, especially when they escalate into perceived personal attacks (this is made more risky in the medium of the internet, where some statements are easily misconstrued and lead to bad vibes between players who would otherwise enjoy each others company at the game table). Just my $0.02. :-)
More in a bit on social contracts and player expectations which is the other topic you raised.
Steve,
I'm with you. I came to a similar epiphany, although for different reasons, on my drive home Friday evening.
I'm less concerned about snobbery, or the perception of it, than I am about introducing new people to this game I love.
I implemented some of those suggestions in my game the next morning.
One of my players who is new to non-video game rpgs commented that he didn't miss all the race/class options. Having the limited menu allowed him to focus on playing the game and having fun, rather than trying to "optimize [his] build".
I need to figure out how to adapt Flashing Blades to do the same thing. Character creation is just brutal in that game if you don't already understand how all the pieces fit together and the assumptions of the game.
Chris -- I don't know how hip you are on Savage Worlds, but you could easily adapt the Solomon Kane setting rules (see the shared Solomon Kane players guide in our shared Google Docs folder) and run Flashing Blades based on this -- it has weapons and other rules to support play in the 1500s and 1600s. Dueling Edges, fencing and what-not are in there as I recall. Savage Words character creation is pretty fast.
For that matter, it would not take much to create your own Flashing Blades Savage Worlds commercial setting -- if you ever want to do that I could assist as I've published books before and I'm currently working on a Savage Worlds setting for a Firefly/Traveller type universe.
Peginc.om has their licensing rules -- they are a great company to publish your own settings for as their licensing is almost OGL-ish.
See http://www.peginc.com/Licensing.html.
The 3 Musketeers artwork I'm using on the blog for Flashing Blades is all free since the copyrights have expired -- the interior artwork would cost nothing!
Another system that is set in 3 Musketeers France (but with Monsters, uses the Ubiquity system) is this:
http://www.tripleacegames.com/AllForOne.php
Regarding social contracts and player expectations:
I think it can be a nice touch to set player expectations (especially if it is a multi-session campaign you are planning) about the nature and tone of the game you'll be running. One nice tool for this is GM Merit Badges which serves as a great check list of things to consider telling your players about your GM'ing style.
See http://strangemagic.robertsongames.com
and
See Stan's 'GM Merit Badge'
Here is my take on a typical 'Old School DM' approach for example (which is different than how I'm running Savage Worlds at the moment):
I frequently Tinker with the rules of the game
Players in my game should be prepared to Run when the odds are against them
My games rely on a lot of Improvisation rather than pre scripted content
Players characters Death is a likely event in my games
My games are more of the Social, Fun and "Beer & Pretzels" style
The GM is In Charge in my games and "rule-zero" is in effect
Here is a full listing of the 'GM Merit Badge' attributes which you can tell players about (in addition to system rules and house rules):
Tactics are an important part of my games
My games will tell an interesting Story
My games will be Scary
My games focuses on Exploration & Mystery
There will be Player vs Player combat allowed in my games
My games are Safe and you don't need to worry about content or character death
I will Mirror back player ideas I think are interesting in the game
My games use a pre-made Map and pre scripted content
My games rely on a lot of Improvisation rather than pre scripted content
My games are Gonzo and can include a lot of strangeness
Characters in my games are Destined for greatness, not random death
I roll Dice in the open and don't fudge the results in my games
My games include Disturbing content
My games focus on interesting Characters and Drama
Players characters Death is a likely event in my games
I play By-The-Book and "rule-zero" is not being used to alter existing rules
My games are more of the Social, Fun and "Beer & Pretzels" style
My game is primarily Non-Combat in nature
Players in my game should be prepared to Run when the odds are against them
My game has Shared GMing responsibility with the other players
I frequently Tinker with the rules of the game
My game focuses on Player Skill rather than character abilities
Post a Comment