| From: | TopCat <topcat@******.net> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Re: My take on Munchkinism |
| Date: | Sat, 18 May 1996 13:32:35 -0500 |
>differentiated Karma awards, after one of our players quit the group and
>gaming altogether after taking a significantly lower award than the others
>as a personal attack.
That was that player's problem. The player obviously didn't have the grasp
of the game needed to enjoy it, he needed "experience points and treasure"
or the game didn't mean anything. Introduce him to D&D.
> In general, I have nothing against the concept of handing out
>different Karma awards depending on the players (though I rarely use it
>anymore). But even then the GM has to keep it in check - I mean, the
>amount of Personal Karma you get is normally just one or a few points, and
>aren't unbalancing in themselves. But when the GM chisels in stone "Player
>X shall always have more Karma than others, because he roleplays better",
>then what was originally used as a carrot for the group in general to
>*play* more has gone over the edge to unbalancing practice. GM favoritism,
>in other words. And that's not fair, it's munchkinous.
As I said before, roleplaying is worth a piddly extra point (or maybe two if
lucky) at the end of a run. Any more than that is getting out of hand. If
a GM chisels any awards in stone, it's time for a new GM.
>> That and the GBD are stats on a page that could have very good
>> historys/backgrounds/etc to go with them and make very good characters.
>> Yes, they are tough, but as it's been demonstrated, everyone has a weakness.
> But exposing that weakness takes cutting through a lot of power,
>and if the other players get caught in the cross-fire, they're going to
>be *very* sorry.
Yup, but that's what happens sometimes. Run with the big dogs and you might
get bit, sort of thing. GM's _have_ to take part in chargen to keep this
stuff from happening. Is it the players fault that nobody told him to make
a more rounded character or the GM's for actually letting him go through
with it?
>[snipped the competition problem]
Competition doesn't always mean combat. What about mental challenges (clue
finding, riddle solving, etiquette situations, etc)? They encourage
roleplaying and don't require a gun, spell, or high combat skills to complete.
> That's why I would come down hard on any player wishing to play a
>GBD or TT - because it makes my job as a GM so much harder, and make the
>other players yawn.
As GM, you should balance the group for the level of campaign you'll be
running at chargen. Not doing so hurts the game all around. Gamemaster
doesn't just mean "the guy who plays the NPC's". And balance doesn't mean
combat balance. It means all around. It also doesn't mean PC balance, the
game level may need to be tweaked.
>> Now, if I was in a group and I played the GBD and the group asked me not
>> to play him anymore, because I'm ruining the entire game for everyone
>> else (and I don't know how being a combat god can do that, unless
>> everyone else is trying to be a combat god and aren't.) then I would
>> change. What's fun and what's not depends on your group.
I whole-heartedly agree with Mike here. I stopped playing TopCat for this
very reason and would do so again if it ever happened.
> How noble, sacrificing yourself like that. My eyes water... :-)
Sacrifice it isn't. A decision to enjoy the game and to help others enjoy
it is what this is. Despite (somewhat) common belief, it isn't fun to be
godlike powered in a weaker group.
> Anyway, the fun part is the essential chokepoint here. I guess my
>group and I like to have our games tough but not impossible overall, and
>with all characters being good at various things, but with no-one
>extremely better than the others. If you like to run games where you play
>a dragonslayer and the others are street punks, then go ahead, you have my
>blessing. But I'm never going to do that.
The GM is the only one to fault if it happens...
-------------------------------------
"I was thinking of the immortal words
of Socrates, who said: I drank what?"
-- Real Genius
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TopCat at the bottom...
