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From:	shadowrn@*********.com (pete filipe)
Subject:	no punches pulled (was Re: Dragons?)
Date:	Tue Nov 27 13:55:01 2001

Message no. 1 > >Well... each to their own taste, but I prefer a
> 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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From:	shadowrn@*********.com (Holly Feray)
Subject:	no punches pulled (was Re: Dragons?)
Date:	Tue Nov 27 16:00:00 2001

Message no. 2 On Tue, 27 Nov 2001 13:56:04 -0500 (EST) pete filipe
<rodrigo_berenguer@*****.ca> writes:
> > >Well... each to their own taste, but I prefer a
> > good story, to a bit of dice
> > >rolling.

I think that you can get the good bit of story puctuated by some no
punches pulled violence with the propoer GM. Besisdes not all violence
has to have dice if you have agreeable players. Sometimes it is more fun
for the purpose of drama to fall down or take the big hit.

><snip>
>
> 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.<snip>

I suggest in these type of games that there is a two game "waiting
period" for new players before you can mame them into nonexsistence.

>
> I also think that "no punches pulled" greatly
> increases the tension that leads to good roleplaying.
> I<snip>yers 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.
>
>

I agree.

Bandit (curled up sleeping in the bottom of the oreo scented crate,
making pathetic mewing noises from actually getting more than her fill of
her special treat)
Holly

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From:	shadowrn@*********.com (Gurth)
Subject:	no punches pulled (was Re: Dragons?)
Date:	Wed Nov 28 05:45:00 2001

Message no. 3 According to pete filipe, on Tue, 27 Nov 2001 the word on the street was...

> 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.

Same here, though at the same time I tend to give characters a break
(without telling the players) when they're close to death. That's not to
say that I let them survive automatically, but rather that I don't pay too
much attention to how long the character has been dying, exactly, as long
as the players put some effort into saving the character in question.

> 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.

My view is that if a character dies, then that's tough luck -- make a new
one. As a GM, I've only once tried to kill a specific PC in an ongoing
campaign (and somehow failed...) but plenty of others did get killed.

--
Gurth@******.nl - http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/index.html
Come down here and I'll show you the wrong way.
-> NAGEE Editor * ShadowRN GridSec * Triangle Virtuoso <-
-> The Plastic Warriors Page: http://plastic.dumpshock.com <-

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