| From: | "S.F. Eley" <gt6877c@*****.GATECH.EDU> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Re: munchkins and game masters |
| Date: | Mon, 21 Aug 1995 16:04:14 -0400 |
> This is not a direct response Sebastien, but your post triggered this train
> of thought: munchkins are the larval form of game masters. Think about the
> traits ascribed to munchkins - a desire to be 'all-powerful', they expect to
> 'win', they're willing to 'bend' the rules or take them to absurd lengths to
> further their own ends.
For their characters. Yes. Munchkins do this, and ignore any consideration
of whether their actions make sense.
> Now consider recent posts by game masters on the 'fudging dice rolls' thread
> and the 'by the book' thread - GM's claim the right to be all powerful
> [anything less is stifling to their creativity]; they not only expect to
> win, they fudge dice rolls to ensure it; they're not only willing to bend
> and stretch rules, they make them up out of whole cloth to further their own
> ends.
> Whaddya think?
I think you should try being a Gamemaster before making such blanket
criticisms. Have you tried it? No, obviously not.. If you did, you
would understand that the concept of "winning" is entirely, totally,
completely meaningless from the GM's viewpoint; even more so than it is
for players. You've just shown that you have no understanding of this,
and even less understanding what the "ends" of a Gamemaster really are.
Please try it sometime, Associate Professor Amburgey. Spend six hours some
week designing NPC's and settings. Read and reread the rulebooks repeatedly
to make sure you understand and can handle situations before they arise.
THEN spend six to eight hours in a gaming session, trying to handle half a
dozen players at once, each with their own priorities and their own agendas,
matching their combined wit and cleverness against your own. Try to keep
them organized, and deal with their needs one at a time. When they do
things you couldn't possibly expect, try not to be too upset as you ignore
everything you wrote up that week and spend less than thirty seconds
creating new threats that will be difficult enough to be entertaining,
without overpowering them.
It's a difficult balance. And Gamemastering is a difficult job. Some do
the job better than others, but any GM who knows what he's doing puts the
PC's first and foremost in his mind. Everything you criticize GM's for,
they do for the group's benefit. GM's push themselves, and push
themselves HARD, harder than any other single player, for the primary
purpose of entertaining the group.
I don't expect you to appreciate this. You've decided you have a grudge,
and nobody's going to change that by arguing. Perhaps you've played with
a lousy GM; I don't know. I don't care, either. I DO care that you're
trying to give GM's a bad image, and that you criticize them for being
Gamemasters without making any attempt to understand their motivations.
Some Gamemasters are "munchkinish," yes, and some are just plain clueless --
but not for the things you hold against them.
Blessings,
_TNX._
--
Stephen F. Eley (-) gt6877c@*****.gatech.edu )-( Student Pagan Community
http://wc62.residence.gatech.edu|
My opinions are my opinions. | "Everybody wants to go to heaven,
Please don't blame anyone else. | but nobody wants to die."
