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From: west@utcsri.UUCP (Thomas L. West)
Newsgroups: net.games.frp
Subject: Re: Extension of gripe
Message-ID: <844@utcsri.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 4-Mar-85 18:54:10 EST
Article-I.D.: utcsri.844
Posted: Mon Mar  4 18:54:10 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 4-Mar-85 19:20:05 EST
References: <11691@watmath.UUCP> <4940@ukc.UUCP>
Reply-To: west@utcsri.UUCP (Thomas L. West)
Distribution: net
Organization: CSRI, University of Toronto
Lines: 39
Summary: 

> They can't quote the rules at me, because I make them up as I go along.  They
> know that, and accept it.
> -Nigel Gale

  Strong disagreement here.  While I strongly like the idea that the players
don't know all the rules, I think it is extremely important that the players
know that you are being impartial.  Having been a DM, I know that occasionaly
it is *extremely* tempting to 'save' crucial NPCs who are done in by accident
by the players (i.e. by doing something that was fatal to the NPCs even if the
players were not aware of it.) or the reverse thereof, where the party is going
to get creamed because of something in the modifications they are unaware of.
  If rulings are arbitrary, it is extremely easy to rule in favour whatever
happens to do the least destruction to the campaign.  However this has the net
effect of (1) reducing the players victories and (2) reducing the player's
risks.  I've been in a campaign where this occured, and it is extremely 
frustrating when you do something that the DM hasn't forseen that will badly
trash the world situation in a way the DM doesn't want.  Suprise, suprise,
there is a new rule that we weren't aware of.  If we knew this was impartially
set before it would be acceptable, but knowing it was made up on the spot had
the effect of snatching victory out of our hands at the DM's discretion.  Not
a very fun situation at all.

   Hence in my own campaign, while there are a lot of strange things and
strange rules (I've rewritten the entire Gods idea, and cross world/plane
travel is totally different) these are entirely set out and the players know
it.  Thus they know that any victory is theirs as well as any defeats.  This,
I believe, is necessary to get full satisfaction out of the game.  How else
do you know that this strange rules mod that saved your party wasn't just
placed because the DM was merciful.  How else can you know that the weird
type of spell caster also had innate teleport ability and not just a wish by
the DM that he continue to live.

  Of course, the alternative to this is the *appearance* of total impartiality.
I prefer true impartiality since appearances can be seen through eventually.
However if your players can be duped (or more importantly, they want to
believe that their victories are by their abilities, not your whim) then 
arbitrary rulings are acceptable.

           Tom West                 aka Feanor the Xenophobic.