GM advice needed: Am I too soft?

[strayshift]

Sandbox-wise this comes down to how you design your challenges. Generally I subsume this to the story-arc, the minor encounters build the picture (such as alluding to/giving info on the BBG/evil plot, etc) but are not 'lethal' unless handled stupidly, there is always a short-cut or the challenge is of a weaker nature.

By the time the pcs get to the 'main event' however, the gloves are off and the BBG will probably be prepared and ready for the pcs.

Character death is rarely popular but generally accepted at dramatically significant moments as it has a heroic aspect to it.

I do believe in encouraging good/smart play but also we roll our dice in the open (me included) and so there is also room for 'fate' to intervene (as previously cited in other threads 3 out of 4 hasted ogres making DC 20 saves when in amongst the party's spell-users).

[Tigger_mk4]

Adamantine Dragon wrote:

You can expect a slew of obligatory "if you are having fun, you're doing it right" platitudes.

Ignore them.

You are allowing the rules to be ignored in order to protect characters from their own decisions.

Sure, you can all have fun that way. But I suggest from my own experience that it is MORE fun when actions have consequences.

Yes, actions should have consequences.

But players that dont have fun stop playing.

(And remember dying and going insane can be fun too.)

However rules over fun doesnt work long term, thats the point. There is certainly a balance to be had. Noone is not saying that.

Saying "ignore them" is , i think , at best a dismissive and poorly informed attitude to an approach that is immensely successful in all sorts of peoples gaming, across a broad spectrum of rule systems, , and at worst a post that is trying to irritate people.

A game needs to have abalance between tension and narrative. Adhering too closely to the rules can lead to the destruction of entire parties and thus the narrative (a flaw of the otherwise excellent cthulhu campaign "masks of nyarlathotep," for example ...however, without tension there is no drama.

So, i return to the point of "are they having fun?" If there is insufficient tension, they will not be having fun... But if they are having fun, then clearly there is tension. As for more or less fun... Thats a judhement thats impossible to make without knowing the players individually. What is true for your group may not be true for others in this case.