| From: | Janne Jalkanen <jalkanen@*********.CERN.CH> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Re: Playing by the book (long) |
| Date: | Tue, 26 Jul 1994 18:17:47 +0200 |
mailboxes with lotsa small mails...
On Tue, 26 Jul 1994, Ivy Ryan wrote:
> Actually your opinion is valid up until you get a player. A player
> expects to play by the book he or she bought.
Unless, of course, he or she did not buy the book. This actually
interests me somewhat: Here in Finland it is NOT common for players to
own the rulebooks. How about elsewhere? Do your players also own all the
rulebooks or does just the GM sell his sister and kids to flesh out the
money for the books? :)
Besides, players who expect certain things to happen end up dead. A good
runner is always alert, and knows to expect the unexpected...
> Ask an Italian cook about that one time, then duck. Or, if he or she is
> nice, they will simply give you a sorrowful look and stop talking to
> you. There are ways to do everything, and while you may like your
> modifications, it still isn't old time spaghetti. It's "Spaghetti ala
> Larke" instead. Whole different animal.
Ah yes, but many Italian cooks have a different viewpoint on what is the
right form of spaghetti. They all have their personal preferences. Who's
to say which spaghetti is the right one? How can you tell which one is the
'old time spaghetti'? ...You can't.
Should we call 'Chainmail' The Role Playing Game since it was the first?
Surely not. Or (A)D&D because it is the most popular? No. They are all
Role Playing Games. I call SR II 'Shadowrun'. I called SR I 'Shadowrun'
as well. Names are not important. They are used just to get along with other
people, so that you can make yourself understood and vice versa. If
someone says he/she plays SR, I have no problem with that. Even if they'd
use a ton of house rules.
Maybe we should label the normal SR II as 'SR BTB' and all other SR
variants 'SR HRLZ' (for house rules) and call them as a group
'Shadowrun'.
> Like, when you play Metal Health, do you stay with the rythmn and the
> beat, or do you wander off somewhere and then tell everyone "It's Metal
> Health, I just "improved" it a bit. But it's the same thing."
Nonononono... Not "improved", more like "adapted to their
personalities".
Hell, even the bands themselves don't play their songs every time the
same way. And still it is called <insert your favorite song here>.
> Ivy
On Tue, 26 Jul 1994, Terry Amburgey wrote:
> I'm largely in agreement with Ivy about using the rules, but for a slightly
> different reason - if you use the rules everyone has access to the same
> information (assuming they get the rules). My experience may be idiosyncratic
> but in 17 years of playing various RPG systems most house rules have been
> invoked in the following way: my character attempts to fill-in-the-blank and
> the referee says "I don't like rule x, this is the way it works in my
game".
Sometimes the GM must make a house rule on the spot, especially when he
cannot find the correct rule/dislikes it for some reason. That is the job
of the GM, to make instantaneous correct judgements, right ;->?
Most of the time, these house rules don't carry out to the next game,
however, since the situations are not so common. Sometimes, on the other
hand, house rules tend to 'stick' around to patch some holes in the game
system itself. To bind this to SR, I haven't yet found a rule on what
damage comes on a character who jumps out of a moving car. We made a
house rule on that. So far, no complaints.
> Many people point that the rules are fluid and the GM can do what he/she
wants.
> What about the players? Do those of you making modifications consult players
or
> is it 'your' game? Do you make printed copies of new rules or modifications so
> that everyone knows exactly what the rules are?
Our group usually agrees on every house rule before using it. Sometimes,
however, I must use the Ultimate Power of GM (tm) to enforce some rules,
that otherwise wouldn't work, especially from the GM viewpoint. But as a
matter of fact, some modifications were the ideas of the players...
Okay, I'll now present the house rules we did for SR II (preparing for
flame assault :) )
House rules from players:
- More Successes Rule (if you roll good enough, you can get more than
one success on one die)
- Trash Team Karma Pool (distracted our style of play too much. Works
actually pretty well.)
- Overkill (can make more than D damage with one blow/shot/whatever. No,
I still can't find it anywhere in the rulebook. :)
House rules from GM:
- Hit Location system (and more detailed Damage generation. We like
gore and splatter...)
- Appearance (not much use, but nice for the effect ;>)
- Trash More Successes Rule (slowed down play too much. It's fine with
the players who can roll the dice every now and then, but the poor GM has
to roll them too often :(. This is a new one, not yet playtested...)
- Players May Not Use Electronic Devices To Roll Their Dice But The GM
Can - Rule. Works also pretty well ;->
As you can see, there are not that many house rules in my game. And I
still call it SR II. I don't think they change the game balance anywhere,
just make it more interesting...
> Terry
Sorry for the inconsistencies, wierd grammar, typos and odditional
behaviour. Too hot here...
Janne Jalkanen ///! For those who have to fight for it
jalkanen@******.cern.ch /// ! life has a flavor
Janne.Jalkanen@***.fi \\\/// ! the protected will never understand
-'Keep on going...' \XX/ ! (anonymous, Viet Nam, 1968)
