From: | shadowrn@*********.com (pete filipe) |
---|---|
Subject: | no punches pulled (was Re: Dragons?) |
Date: | Tue Nov 27 13:55:01 2001 |
> good story, to a bit of dice
> >rolling.
>
> I've had a few DMs/GMs who play by the rule "No
> punches pulled." That
> goes both ways. Personally, I don't like it because
> I prefer drama and
> story, but some people prefer the wild chance of the
> die in their game,
> then the story.
I tend to GM in the "no punches pulled" style. I think
it creates a greater sense of danger and drama than
would otherwise exist. It's very difficult to create a
feeling that a character's life is in danger if the
character won't actually be killed. I don't think I've
ever killed off a character, and I would never
intentionally plan to take one out as GM, but every
player in my game knows that character death is a
distinct possibility, and more than one has had to be
called back from the bright light at the end of the
tunnel.
I also think that "no punches pulled" greatly
increases the tension that leads to good roleplaying.
I ran one game in which a character had to deactivate
a nuclear device before it blew. I couldn't belive it,
but it played out like a scene from a movie, with the
bomb deactivated only a few seconds before it would go
off. I'd given what I'd thought was more than enough
time, but a few bad dice rolls greatly heightened the
tension. It was really interesting to see how the
players started to react when the clock got close to
detonation, knowing there was no way out if it went
off.
I know some players don't like gritty, realistic play,
or the randomness of the dice. Its not a style for
everyone, especially if you're going for a heroic
style of play, but IMHO it results in a more vibrant
game and better roleplaying.
Pete
player, GM, and general SR addict
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