The Role Playing Public Radio Forums
General Category => Role Playing Public Radio Podcast => : New Start November 02, 2011, 10:14:46 PM
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So I was perusing the internet last night and saw this:
http://spoonyexperiment.com/2011/11/01/counter-monkey-leaping-wizards/
Now I'm the type of GM that will give my players a brake if the dice are really failing them that night, but to out and out make it so that the players can't lose.... That's a big no no on my game mastering list.
Your thoughts?
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My first experience in playing an RPGA event was a 12 hour game. I'm pretty sure that if anyone at the table died before 2 hours, they would have been PISSED. Sitting there with their ass up their ass while everyone else killed ettercaps and got obsidian dogs and shit.
But Spoony talks about winning and loosing. I'm not one who thinks that you can "win" at D&D. Having fun is what matters, I'm not saying that babying players or outlawing player death is antifun. But sometimes the mood at the table is to kind of fudge things one way or another, as long as it makes more fun, then I'm all for it. Generally in D&D I'm more forgiving than CoC. In CoC I'm a fucking asshole, but fun is had.
But as a tool for recruiting new players and new customers, I can see why the no death makes perfect sense. A strategy of not alienating future customers in a touchy-feely sort of way. Especially since a parent is more likely to be buying a thing if the kid doesn't DIE during a GAME. Its a testament to the strategy working that they haven't changed it in 12 years or w/e.
The GUMSHOE system has a rule for automatic success in general ability tests. Meaning, if the players attempt it, it succeeds. The roll just indicates how poorly you performed said action. Is that winning? Is that cheating?
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RPGA is a different kind of game. It's supposed to introduce new players to the game and to build a collective sense of unity between D&D players. I can understand someone being frustrated at the idea of not being able to lose the game.
If you want a challenge than you can get them. Wizards doesn't just to the RPGA, there's D&D Game Day events (which are generally pretty easy), Free RPG Day (which are moderate), and the occational challenge event (which are fucking impossible without insider knowledge), as well as D&D Encounters.
I've run game day events before. Never killed any characters but I definitely got close.
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I think that, because of the lack of power balance between different classes and builds in DnD, that game can facilitate both play styles at once and in the same game. So a casual gamer who wants guarranteed survival and continuity could build with all the splatbooks and with help from the experienced players at the table, and the more Gygaxian, old school-types can limit themselves to Core-only single class builds, with their dubious survivability and added challenge value.