[UA] Players screwed over

[Chad Underkoffler]

> Date: Mon, 7 May 2001 11:11:10 -0700 (PDT)
> From: Royal Minister of Stuff <yokeltania at yahoo.com>
>
> What the hell is it with this punishment mentality
> gaming seems to have developed.  I quite liked that
> little statement I still find in some more
> lighthearted games.  This is a game where nobody
> loses.
> 
> Now, I know failure is a big element in UA, but
> there's a big difference between exploring the aspects
> of being "down and out" and being an absolutely piker.

Agreed.

Personally, I think some of the focus of UA seems to be shifting
over to "preordained failure" rather than "real chance of
failure." I've no problem with the latter, but the former irks
me.

It could just be my perception, mind you.

> A game where everyone is doomed to failure is inately
> humorous [snip] or innately tragic (if you allow that 
> magic has some aura of greatness and wonder to it.)

And often just frustrating.

> I prefer the funnier aspects of any situation, myself.

Ditto.

> It doesn't make it any more tragic, but dooming my
> players to a cycle of unending double standards and
> crippling loses just reminds me too much of the life
> and times of planet Earth.

I have a player who won't play UA anymore. This was even with my
avowed Pulp orientation-- he felt the system was far to stacked
against PCs. I see his point.

[snip]
> Not a real fair shake, but at least they have a chance.
>
> And that's the entire point.  Players have spent so
> many years not having a chance to express themselves
> -of being slapped down by GMs who can't or won't
> introduce consistent rules or plot elements into their
> games (and I admit that I'm guilty of this)- that,
> when it comes time for them to let loose and do some
> serious exploring, you always have to spend the first
> few sessions saying "it's okay, this won't really
> hurt.  I'm not going to embarrass you, I'm going to
> tell a sad story with you." (or a funny one or
> whatever.)

And often, they get frustrated, because they'd rather be in a
different sort of story.

> Players need knowledge, confidence and focus to be
> good, to entertain each other, and you can't acheive
> knowledge with "clues and hints" that just you think
> are obvious.  You can't acheive confidence by pulling
> the rug out from under people with a knowing grin
> every couple of minutes and you can't acheive focus
> with double standards and a manic glee in character
> failure.
>
> So there.

Well said. 

I also feel that a player being very immersed in a character may
increase the frustration level to ludicrous heights thorugh
continual failures and getting whomped on in an UA campaign. And
UA just won't work in a pure "playing piece PC" mode. So there
needs to be this odd, half-immersion thing.

My 2 cents.



=====
Chad Underkoffler [chadu at yahoo.com]
http://www.geocities.com/chadu/index.html
God isn't silent, he just speaks very softly. In Etruscan.

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