In gaming...and in real life, my friend. :-(
That's because you're not yellowdingo, and therefore are presumptively not crazier than a rhinocerous on bad acid. I'm not going to follow the rest of this thread, so this may have already been brought up and if that's the case, I apologize. I'm not familiar with YellowDingo, or anyone involved in this debate, so I don't know the background. What I can say I've observed, though, is that Orfamay Quest, you are an extremely condescending and insulting jackass to YD, and at least to this point YD has not responded to the bile you've been raining down on him. I'm not saying I agree with his views, at all, but you, in this thread at least, continually mix fairly strong attacks on YD's character, mental state, and who knows what else with your otherwise rational and logical counter-arguments to his position. As I said, I don't know your history with this guy, but frankly, you could have been Neil DeGrasse Tyson, and I would have shifted my support from you simply based on the perception that you're an offensive a-hole. I thought the forums were supposed to be free of this type of rancor. If you want to disagree with the guy, by all means, go ahead, but is it really necessary to call him names while you do it? Grow up. UPDATE - Obviously some of the Moderators were on top of things and got involved long before I ever got here.
Fireable offense, in my opinion. He's out as GM. There's a difference between GM fiat and completely altering game reality because you a) didn't plan well, b) forgot or misunderstood something, or c)...you're a dick. Seriously, I'd confront him (non-confrontationally) and ask him to explain why he made such boneheaded/arbitrary calls, and if he can't adequately justify his reasons, I would tell him you simply don't feel you can keep playing with him as GM if you want to continue being friends. Good luck. Something like that would send me around the bend.
First of all: inter-party conflict can be fun and entertaining, etc., but when one player actually, continually, murders the other players' characters, that's a kick-outable offense right there. Add in all the other crap, definitely invite him to exit stage left. Next: WHERE do you work that you have free time enough to ROLE PLAY for hours and not get your asses fired...and do you have any openings???
Following what I hope is an enticing subject line, allow me to clarify... I am a soon to be Pathfinder GM. Own most of the books in PDF form, and many in hardcover. Have never gotten the chance to play or run yet, though. I've been buying the books like crazy because I love the system, and the world that Paizo has created. My question is, though, for many of the posters on the boards. I read thread after thread where all people talk about is DPS and DPR and how to build the most effective/damage causing/stat maxed whatever possible. "Don't play the monk cause they're underpowered", or "What build is best for a sorceror to cause the most amount of damage in the least amount of time?" I'm really not trying to be a jerk or start a flame war (is that term even used anymore?), but I really am curious...what happened to players playing a character? Now, before anyone jumps all over me, I know there are a ton of role players who don't hang the success of their character on how how much damage they do. But there are obviously enough statisticians on the boards for this to be a legit query. Why is it SO important to so many people, apparently, to maximize a character's damage potential? If it's that much about numbers and combat effectiveness, why not just go play WoW? I'm just curious, like I said. What is it about the numbers that drives so many people? When did the #s replace character? Anyone? Bueller?
In the game I am in the planning stages for, I'm going to allow much, if not all, of everything. The trick, as Pendin Fust argues, is that it all has to make sense. During the course of the game, a Gnome artificer working with a Dwarf engineer are going to discover gunpowder. This will lead to the invention first of fireworks, then someone will figure the trick to filling the ends of hollowed out sticks with the GP that hurl smoothed rocks, working up to flintlocks, then six-shooters and maybe eventually lever action rifles. My hope is to have the game go long enough to reach a "wild west" sort of feel...in certain areas. I like the idea of of an anachronistic mix of pseudo Western gunfighters, Eurpean duelists/musketeers, walking amidst true fantasy character types. And to me, it's a natural progression. Why wouldn't someone in a fantasy world discover gunpowder? As for dinosaurs, as far as I see them, they're just another kind of creature. What makes a dinosaur so different from a bullette or a giant slug? I don't think i'll be making them pop up in Absalom, but in the Mwangi Expanse? Sure, why not? I also plan on introducing some steam punk elements, much like the gunpowder. I like Eberron's flying ships. Instead of harnessing elementals, though, I was thinking that some enterprising engineer (perhaps the same Dwarf) discovers helium, and then figures out how to attach a couple helium balloons to either side of a ship in order to give it flight. Just because there's magic doesn't mean there can't be technology as well, or vice versa. That being said, I'm not sure about introducing actual spaceships or laser guns. That type of techno goes beyond even my acceptance of sci-fi in fantasy settings.
I use background music extensively, and have had more success than not. Those rare moments when the music cue syncs perfectly with what is happening in-game can be pretty thrilling. But, as discussed, it can be distracting. Here are a couple of approaches myself and some other GMs from my group(s) have utilized: Right off the bat, I tell my players that I use background music. I inform them I'll be using a lot of different music, much of it from movies, anime and video games. I tell them that even if they hear something they recognize to keep references to it from out of game. Volume. Keep it down. It should be clear enough to hear the music, but the music should never be loud enough to drown out the GM and players speaking. Stay away from lyrics. Those are distracting, for the most part, and it can't be helped, really. The one exception I've found, there are a lot of songs out there that easily fit as background in a tavern, or similar situations. Your players walk in, the music starts playing, and you say "This is what you hear the bard singing." Something that helps in a big way is a little pre-planning. First, a good idea, especially if you have a lot of music, is to use playlists. Create one for "Action Cues", or "Romantic Moments" or "Sad Themes", etc. That way, when you get to the big fight, you open the playlist, set it on random and you're set. All that will come up is music you've already deemed appropriate for the situation. Once the fight is done, switch to the next playlist, depending on what sort of scene it is. A remote can be invaluable in this way, as you can swiftly jump from playlist to playlist, or track to track without fiddling with your ipod or laptop. I've gone so far as to actually identifying music cues that fit specific moments I've planned in my game. With timing (and luck) you'll find your cues work more often than not. I'll try to have a specific playlist that follows the plot of the adventure, and then when those specific moments pass, and a scene starts, I switch to one of my pre-programmed playlists. Pardon the alliteration. The important thing is to not let the music become more important than the game it's supposed to enhance. But used wisely, the addition of music can really add flavor and emotion to a game. |
