Finally, another IF Quirer Debate! Sorry it took so long, but life does that to you, no? I must admit, it was reading Lilith's The Darkest Hour that reminded me just how much I love our paper, so I'm now back to trying to make it the best it can be! Starting with - Levels Of Control: Your perspective on how much control should be given the Players and the Game Master in Role Playing.
You all may have noticed an influx of RPs running here in our fine city, and after playing a few of them, I got to wondering about people's perspectives on control in an RP.
Player Examples: How much control, if any, do most GMs think the Players should have over the environment, Non Player Characters, and even the results of the players' own actions. I know as a general but firm rule, controlling another's Player Character is forbidden, save in rare cases where both Players worked out what they wanted to happen before hand. But what about mentioning, say, a bird flying overhead? Or, bumping into a shopkeeper the GM didn't specifically say was in the Player's path? Do you think that the player should be able to carry on a simple conversation with an NPC without the GM responding each time? Or in the case of Online RPGs, do the players have the right to describe a scene, or is this entirely up to the GM? These are just a few questions, feel free to pose more of them in your responses.
Game Master Examples: In an RP, GM, is god. My father taught me at a young age that this is the best way to stay out of trouble in an RP. But truthfully, how much control do you think a GM should really have? Should the GM be able to deny actions because it would knock the players off course should the action succeed? Should the GM be able to demand the Characters get along or travel together even if the Characters the Players made would never do so should they be real? Should a GM be able to break their own rules for no perceivable reason, or should a Player be able to call them out on it? When is a GM going overboard, and when should a Player just shoosh up and roll with the punches? These are just a few questions, feel free to pose more of them in your responses.
I know that's a long list of questions about both Players and Game Masters, but I think each one has it's place. I can't wait to hear your thoughts on this, and please look for the top opinions in the next issue if the If Quirer!