GM discrection is a rule, so... no wrong way RAW. Just enjoy your game and will be fine.
Any way that irritated the rest of the table.
Why are you making me agree with you? Stop that.
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Any way that irritated the rest of the table.Why are you making me agree with you? Stop that.
You will find if you actually read my posts, rather than what people say that I am saying in my posts, it happens a lot.
I don't care what people do at their home games or tables. I do care when people start advocating taking things they allow in their game to other tables and saying that if your GM and other players don't like it, they are wrong.
You adapt to the table unless you are running. If you are running you adapt to your players, unless you decide to find new players.
If no one wants to play with you, you start in the mirror.
You adapt to the table unless you are running. If you are running you adapt to your players, unless you decide to find new players.If no one wants to play with you, you start in the mirror.
Oh no, no new players. I have the best players in the world. If they agree they want to play trivial pursuit (or something) instead, we'll play that. I'd rather play what they want than find somebody to play something I want with, which is usually the same in any case. Plus 4 of the 6 of them can GM, and do from time to time, so it mitigates burnout.
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DnD is like driving a car. Everyone else is doing it wrong except you! ;)
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Oh no, no new players. I have the best players in the world. If they agree they want to play trivial pursuit (or something) instead, we'll play that. I'd rather play what they want than find somebody to play something I want with, which is usually the same in any case. Plus 4 of the 6 of them can GM, and do from time to time, so it mitigates burnout.
You adapt to the table unless you are running. If you are running you adapt to your players, unless you decide to find new players.If no one wants to play with you, you start in the mirror.
I am sitting in the game room and I can see Smallword, Settler of Cataan, Arkham Horror, Betrayal at the House on Haunted Hill, Card Against Humanity (with both expansions) a Wii hooked up to a projector with Jeopardy and MarioKart as well as an XBox with Marvel Alliance (as well as other games for more two player type set ups). And that is just the indoor stuff.
People come over and have fun. Some I game with, some I do other things. I have very good friends who think RPGs are ridiculous, and I have very good friends who I find annoying at the RPG table. So I do other things with them and enjoy playing with those who like how we play.
If by "playing the game" you mean tearing out the pages of the Core Rulebook and devouring them to absorb their power/knowledge... yes.
Having read a lot about how other people play, I was curious what people thought; is there a wrong way to play? As a GM, should I try to break free of some of these generally accepted, yet rarely discussed rules in our group? Is there something to be gained by abandoning them?
No...as others have said there is not really a wrong way to play...if every one is having fun that it is all right.
As a GM yes you should occasionaly change things up. But I would discussed it with the group first. See what they have to say.
As to what to be gained...well you might realize you like the game better one way or another. Or you might just reaffirmed that you guys need that unspoklen rule to enjoy the game.
Also personaly I like chaninging up my style of play once in awhile...sure I enjoy certain type of games more but other can be fun.
I think that covers all of your questions.
Basically we have a group of 6 people or so, 4 of whom are currently GMing, and we alternate between campaigns. We more or less all follow these rules, although much of it is merely implicitly accepted.
1. Our group plays with probably something like a 42 point buy.
2. Our group can sell loot at market price.
3. Our group can craft items at half price without making any craft checks nor does it take any amount of in game time, all so long as you have the feat.(And no, rule 2 and rule 3 combined don't mean infinite wealth. It's sort of implied that crafted items can't be sold.)
4. We allow re-rolls fairly often. We actually typed up rules for re-rolling for HP. (Re-roll 1's and 2's, if you have a d6 HD, etc.)
5. We don't really track living expenses.
6. We have a 10 gp, 10 lb item called "Adventurer's Kit" and assume you have most whatever you want when it comes to mundane stuff.
7. Our characters don't die. Ever. Unless you wanted to switch characters; then we occasionally kill off characters. (Like Spud the cleric who was torn apart by a kraken, may he rest in peace.)
8. Half the players don't role play. (In character 10% of the time, on a good day)
Wowzers. XD
9. We allow leaderhip.
Hey me too! :D
10. Our group often has 2 or 3 encounters each day and then we get to rest back to health and new spells.
11. There's no weather but sun. There's no terrain except for the one you can charge across unfettered....and probably more...
Having read a lot about how other people play, I was curious what people thought; is there a wrong way to play? As a GM, should I try to break free of some of these generally accepted, yet rarely discussed rules in our group? Is there something to be gained by abandoning them?
Eh, I won't say there's a wrong way to play. D&D/Pathfinder is kinda like a Reese's (anyone who watched 90s tv commercials will understand this). I think I'd probably get a little bored in such a game though 'cause it's not really my style. I kind of like non-sunny weather or interesting terrain features 'cause I'm the sort who likes having people dive behind trees for cover, disappear into the brush, flip tables over in taverns, and shoot from the bag of wagons and stuff. I like 15 point buy too. :P
But if it's what you and your group enjoy then it seems like you're doing it right. If you want to branch out and try something different I'd recommend taking it slow. A hill with some goblins shooting bows at your players while they move up the side of the muddy hill might be an interesting way to introduce a little more thought into the encounters without overwhelming your group. It'd be a good way to test the waters.
Specifically, a hill with goblins on it that you could walk around "the long way" to get to the goblins or you could try running up the side of the muddy hill which is difficult 'cause it's both difficult terrain and slippery (and thus requires either an Acrobatics check to keep your footing while you're moving up the hill, or requires you to Climb the hill if you want to get up without risk of sliding back down). This might include the goblins cackling at the PCs if they slip, might make the PCs decide to pull their ranged weapons and give them what-for, or it might make the PCs decide to split and walk around to the two shallow-ends of the hill where the incline isn't so steep and slippery!
You can really use weather as a cool theme tool. I once ran an Eberron game which involved the party fighting a group of mage-warrior assassins atop one of the skybridges in Sharn during a lightning storm. Each round there was a chance for a bolt of lightning to strike with bits of lightning arcing across the platform which was a stage hazard (not a full-strength lightning bolt, just the runoff).
Stuff like that.
Play in a way so that you get kicked out of where you are playing is not really good either if you could still have fun and not get kicked out.
"Play styles - is there a wrong way to play?"
In my opinon, the only wrong way to play is at some else's expense.
If you avoid that and are having fun, let the good times roll.
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I also spend too much time on my PC as it is. Getting away from that at the game table is good for me.
I think the other strength of tabletop is dynamic content generation. An MMO has a set script and only so much you can do with your character in it. Every player has mostly the same experience, where as every tabletop group has a unique experience, even if they play the same module.
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Having read a lot about how other people play, I was curious what people thought; is there a wrong way to play? As a GM, should I try to break free of some of these generally accepted, yet rarely discussed rules in our group? Is there something to be gained by abandoning them?
Is there a wrong way to play? YES if people are not having fun then your group is playing wrong. By the sound of it you guys don't have anything to worry about.
Should you break some of these rules? Well just eyeballing them it looks like you guys are gamists into a high fantasy power level. Altering a rule will change things... but do you really need to? If everyone is already having fun I wouldn't change the main rules you all play with. BUT you could try out a new change in a one-shot adventure with new characters. If everyone likes the change then use it in the main group. Sort of a test run.
The advantages to changing the rules is that people's tastes change and perhaps some of your players may start wanting something different. Changing allows the game to change as the players do.
@The Chort: So have you tried changing the rules? What rules did you changed? What happened?
In the middle of playing or running your next game (doesn't matter what kind of game it is: PF, Settlers, Chess...) stop and look around. No, it's ok; just stop and stare for a sec. Ok, now do the other participants look glazed and disinterested? If so...you're doing it wrong. If not, game on.
If you are doing it wrong, come hell or high water, here are 4 words nearly guaranteed to get it back on track: FULL GROWN BENGAL TIGER.
Say it, or shout it, or whisper it, or whatever. Use these 4 words if your game is going south. It may have nothing to do with the game or it may be a fantastic encounter. Whatever the case, it has the tendency of getting the attention you need to have fun.
I had a GM once. He was a dark sort and many games under his rule went south. But the one game I remember with absolute fondness was one where we all knew we were in a meat grinder (Tomb of Horrors) playing 1e characters and generally getting bored. We all knew we were going to die, none of us were particularly immersed and we'd been through more traps and puzzles than we'd care to mention.
So we come to this chest. It's not locked OR trapped so we're like "ok, what the heck" and we flip the lid. "ok, so what do we see?" I ask. He leaps to his feet and yells "A FULL GROWN BENGAL TIGER!" We were stunned. "...wait...what?" I stammer. The GM announces that since we're all dumbfounded that a small little chest contained a 650 LB tiger we're all surprised. It attacks, does a little damage and gets obliterated. But for that one minute it was a blast of pure insanity needed to pull us all back from the brink.