[UA] The Lingo

[Tim Bisaillon]

>Having just finished the least successful V:TM campaign ever (its official,
>I checked with WW) using game jargon is something I dread. After one of my
>players went behind my back and read every WW sourcebook in all the shops
>locally (bastard) he was jabbering on about Tzimisce, Anarchs etc.
>
>The other two, totally unused to this, just looked on in terror.
>
>In the end I subsitiuted "Melty flesh guys" for Tzimisce, "Shadow blokes"
>for lasombra etc.

Don't you just hate that. I hate it when you are playing a game and then a 
player breaks out the rule book to question you  (the game master) on 
something that you did wrong.

To me a game is storytelling, and atmosphere... if I wanted a game to go by 
the book then I would be playing an interactive computer game since you 
actions are dictated by the route you take.  In table top games, all the fun 
is in the social interactions, the unpredicability of the players and the 
guzzling of several pots of java.

This, to me, is what makes rpg's fun.

It's nice that UA has its "default" world. But, when I do some gaming, I 
usually create my world around the concept of the game. I dislike it when a 
player seems to know more about an NPC that you throw in since that player 
either has read the rule book and sources... to me that takes a lot of edge 
out of a good game.

For example, a group of players are being introduced to UA world, they are 
about to go underground, they meet a tall black man, in a business suit, on 
his hands is a ring, behind him just a few paces is a tall imposing figure 
in a trench coat... they are walking towards you... and that's when a player 
says "Be careful guys this is Alex Able and that his his henchman Eponymus. 
Let's not tick them off."

Now this ruins the planned encounter, since the rest of the party is now 
either going to be on good behaviour or try to take em out. And also puts a 
crimp in my game as well.

tjb



"Strange things are afoot at the Circle K."
             Ted Theodore Logan
             Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure


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