[UA] Never say die (was OOC Knowledge and Never saying No (was Players screwed over))

[Cassady Toles]

On Thu, 10 May 2001 01:29:11 , ua at lists.uchicago.edu wrote:

  It may be hard, but in this situation I'd simply stop running the
campaign. 
  "I'm sorry, but as Bob knows all of the campaign secrets, and we don't
want 
  to lose him from out group, I'll be running something else from now on."
  
  Then find something obscure and out-of-print and run that instead. 
  Alternatively, find an interesting GURPS supplement (eg New Sun) and run
it 
  with a non-GURPS system, so nobody can tell what books to rush out and
buy.

The issue is that I don't run games just to run games.  I run games I
personally find compelling.  I run 7th sea because I love the genre.  I run
UA because I love the genre.  I run OTE because I love the genre.  I don't
want to have to find some game to run that Fat Jerk doesn't know backwards. 
I want to run the games I like.

Fortunately he's moving in two months and I'll never have to invite him to
another game.
  
   >>>
     That's one of the laws of improvisational anything.
     Never say no.
  
  I think this rule being passed into roleplaying games is one of the worst 
  things that White Wolf ever did to role-playing games.<<<
  
  Depends on the style and the maturity of the gaming group. As roleplaying 
  really is an activity where one idiot can ruin it for everybody, I agree 
  that the GM has to exercise some responsibility.
  
The problem is that one of the other rules of "improvisational anything" is
that you should never say the first thing that comes to mind, you always say
the second.  So people should be saying yes to the honestly clever idea, not
the hackneyed cliche of the week.

Another of the rules is that you don't say "yes" you say "yes, and."  So you
still shouldn't approve it, you should take it, polish it up real nice, turn
it sideways, and then stick it up their candy ass.

But players hate when you do that and they won't always take responsibility
to do the first.  So I really think that saying, you as a gm should is bs. 
Yes, it works with individuals good enough not to ask the question you can't
answer, but really, with those players there should be no reason not to.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"I am the messiah in the bottom of a bottle of Jack Daniel's.  Drink of me
and
no peace." -- Cobra Baghdad www.peoplehateme.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------





_______________________________________________________
Send a cool gift with your E-Card
http://www.bluemountain.com/giftcenter/



_______________________________________________
UA mailing list
UA at lists.uchicago.edu
http://lists.uchicago.edu/mailman/listinfo/ua