| From: | Bob Tockley <zzdeden@*******.COM.AU> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Re: Opinions needed (OT) (HEAT ON 2!) |
| Date: | Mon, 21 Dec 1998 04:29:42 +1000 |
them
>through. If they cannot be done so, then find a way to continue. If that
>means the dynamic of the group must be changed, then so be it. But in the
>future, when/if the situation repeats itself, sit back and ask ...
>
>"Who's Imagination am I Dreaming in...."???
Looks like someone got a little riled up about group difficulties?
Previous experience or current occurrance K? Anyhow, just to add my two
cents...
Oh, and now that I think of it.... PRESS NEXT ON YOUR MAIL PROGRAM IF YOU
DON'T WANT TO READ A BARELY COHERENT, OFF-TOPIC, RAMBLING BY SOME FOOL WHO
PROBABLY DOESN'T KNOW WHAT HE'S TALKING ABOUT. \=)
I've personally played and gamemastered in dozens of different groups
over the last ten or twelve years, and know how difficulties can pop up in
the dynamic of a gaming group. Some games - some groups are geared
differently to others. I don't mean that they're using Heavy Pistols
instead of Light Pistols, that they're using Delta-Grade and Cultured for
anything and everything implanted in their characters, or that they're all
Initiated to Grade 10 and beyond - though those can be contributing
factors. What I'm talking about is how the group plays - what they enjoy
and what they don't enjoy and how they fit together in terms of personality.
I've played/gamemastered in groups that figure that good gaming consists
of nothing but one long combat sequence broken occasionally by the chance
to heal, re-arm, or upgrade, in games where combat is almost never an issue
and where dialogue, characterization, and storyline hold the game together,
and in every type of game in between, but I've never been in a good game
where the group dynamic hasn't worked one hundred percent.
If it turns out that the majority of your fellow gamers favour one style
of game and you favour another, you have two choices: Either learn to live
with it - staying with the group and compromising (If you're lucky you'll
slowly be able to sway certain parts of the game into areas you prefer. If
the other gamers are at least marginally mature they should recognize this
fact and respect it) or leave the group and find another that has
preferences similar to your own (This, of course, has its own problems -
especially in towns with only a few gaming groups).
Similarly, if the personalities of the gamers involved in the group
clash, you can live with it or you can leave. Though, as I stated
previously, I've never been in a good game where the group dynamic hasn't
worked one hundred percent.
As K stated communication is also essential. I'm lucky (though I may not
always acknowledge it) in the fact that my current players speak their
minds. They're not afraid to tell me that the last run sucked because of
whatever reasons (though I do hate when they do it...), but then again I
run an open campaign. Anything and everything are fair game for the
players - assuming they can realistically get their hands on it, find
someone to teach them it, find someone to install it, and so on.
My advice to the original poster would have to be to compromise.
Obviously your gamers aren't happy by the restrictions you're placing on
them. Give them free reign to all published material and tell them that
anything that isn't canon (or at least isn't explicitly approved by you)
simply won't be used.
Then limit the availability (and I'm not talking about modifying the
Availability rules...) of certain 'dangerous' items (like the
Move-By-Wire(4) System) by requiring that they can't simply walk into a
shop and buy/install the new cyberware or whatever. If you then make the
requirements suitably difficult, you make them effectively unobtainable (at
least in the short term). Eventually they may get one of these
'gamebreakers', but that's probably at the end of a very difficult and very
time-consuming campaign. If you keep things realistic, they'll never even
realize what's happening...
Sure you know that they'll never get their hands on them, but THEY don't.
It'll give them hope that they can upgrade in time, so they'll save their
money up and you won't have to worry about them having too much money.
It'll give you the hooks for new adventures as they try and track down the
requirements for each of your 'gamebreakers'. And most importantly, it'll
stop them complaining. \=)
This may seem underhanded or deceitful, but it's the sort of thing you
have to do as a gamemaster (well, that and indiscriminately killing off
characters with stupid street names... hehehe... no, I'm joking...
really...). Slight of hand and misdirection are much better tools for a
gamemaster to develop than are rules knowledge or stubborness.
[>]ARKHAM
"I used to think the human mind was the most fascinating part of the
body... until I realized what was telling me that..."
