Crushing creativity.

This is a place for G.M.s and GM wannabes to share ideas and their own methods of play. It is not a locked forum so be aware your players may be watching!

Moderators: Immortals, Supreme Beings, Old Ones

User avatar
say652
Palladin
Posts: 6609
Joined: Wed Jun 20, 2012 11:32 am
Comment: Avid Cyborg and Braka Braka enthusiast.
Location: 'Murica

Crushing creativity.

Unread post by say652 »

So its a gms job to make anything a player wants suck?
Or limit the occ to a useless selection of wimps?

Seems to me, I am not good at crushing creativity to stroke my own ego.

I suck.

Warning: Trolling/Flamebaiting.
User avatar
Bill
Megaversal® Ambassador
Posts: 1567
Joined: Wed Jul 27, 2011 2:25 pm
Location: Reno, Nevada

Re: Crushing creativity.

Unread post by Bill »

A little melodramatic. Points for self-depreciation though.

Say, we shouldn't be in the same group. I find what you love about games to be obnoxious. Building characters to the maximum potential allowable (sometimes by bending or even breaking rules) is utterly pointless and contributes nothing to my actual game-play experience.

However, neither of us is going about things wrong. I hope that the group you regularly play with enjoys how you do things immensely too. There is no right way to play these games and the source of the friction that you're encountering here is from your aggressiveness in presenting your point of view as correct or better than anyone else's. Even that's not wrong. We all do it on the internet. Just try not to take it so personally that you make melodramatic posts over it. Sometimes it helps to walk away for a day and remind yourself that it's just a stupid game. I do that pretty frequently.
User avatar
say652
Palladin
Posts: 6609
Joined: Wed Jun 20, 2012 11:32 am
Comment: Avid Cyborg and Braka Braka enthusiast.
Location: 'Murica

Re: Crushing creativity.

Unread post by say652 »

We roleplay, actual combat is rare. Because if you do things right nobody knows you were there.
User avatar
Bill
Megaversal® Ambassador
Posts: 1567
Joined: Wed Jul 27, 2011 2:25 pm
Location: Reno, Nevada

Re: Crushing creativity.

Unread post by Bill »

Then what does it matter if the GM is restricting things?
User avatar
say652
Palladin
Posts: 6609
Joined: Wed Jun 20, 2012 11:32 am
Comment: Avid Cyborg and Braka Braka enthusiast.
Location: 'Murica

Re: Crushing creativity.

Unread post by say652 »

I feel a persons definition of the bestest character is their own to create.
Not my place to say, wow great character but in my game.....
For lack of a better term.
User avatar
Bill
Megaversal® Ambassador
Posts: 1567
Joined: Wed Jul 27, 2011 2:25 pm
Location: Reno, Nevada

Re: Crushing creativity.

Unread post by Bill »

And that's your prerogative, for your games. In my games, I am likely to tell you up front that the game will be about a specific concept (where, roughly who the character is [bodyguards for a pharaoh, demon hunters, chi-town dogpack, etc.]) and expect that you'll make a character that fits it. Nobody will make you play my game, if you're not up for it that's okay.
User avatar
drewkitty ~..~
Monk
Posts: 17737
Joined: Sat Sep 30, 2000 1:01 am
Location: Eastvale, calif
Contact:

Re: Crushing creativity.

Unread post by drewkitty ~..~ »

say652 wrote:So its a gms job to make anything a player wants suck?
Or limit the occ to a useless selection of wimps?

Seems to me, I am not good at crushing creativity to stroke my own ego.

I suck.

That everyone plays by the same rules, so everyone can have fun.
May you be blessed with the ability to change course when you are off the mark.
Each question should be give the canon answer 1st, then you can proclaim your house rules.
Reading and writing (literacy) is how people on BBS interact.
User avatar
eliakon
Palladin
Posts: 9093
Joined: Sat Jul 14, 2007 9:40 pm
Comment: Palladium Books Canon is set solely by Kevin Siembieda, either in person, or by his approval of published material.
Contact:

Re: Crushing creativity.

Unread post by eliakon »

say652 wrote:So its a gms job to make anything a player wants suck?
Or limit the occ to a useless selection of wimps?

Seems to me, I am not good at crushing creativity to stroke my own ego.

I suck.

No the GMs job is to make the world for the players to play in. Then the GM helps the group make a group of characters that will be fun and interesting and will work in that world. The first part requires that the GM know what their group will find fun and enjoyable to play. The second part requires all the players and the GM to work together to make a group of characters that are both what the group wants to play, and are appropriate for the situation. And sometimes the GM needs to change the game. If the GM has an intricate story of mystery intrigue and social drama....and everyone has their heart set on playing semi-feral combat experts then I would say that the GM should shelve that game for later and pull out something that fits the brawlers the party wants to play.
But if the GM has that game, and five of the players have made investigators from the London gentry so they can investigate the mystery and be involved in the whirl of the social scene and one guy wants to make a super tough combat monster, then I would say it is the player that needs to compromise. They don't have to give up completely though. Maybe they can play a west end boxer who is involved in the exhibition matches that the gentry watches, with the parties common noble patron sponsoring him....but a Ninja assassin with nothing but weapon and physical skills and no cover is going to be a bit harder to fit in....
The rules are not a bludgeon with which to hammer a character into a game. They are a guide to how a group of friends can get together to weave a collective story that entertains everyone involved. We forget that at our peril.

Edmund Burke wrote:The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."
User avatar
Glistam
Megaversal® Ambassador
Posts: 3631
Joined: Tue Apr 05, 2005 2:09 pm
Comment: The silent thief of Rozrehxeson.
Location: Connecticut
Contact:

Re: Crushing creativity.

Unread post by Glistam »

say652 wrote:So its a gms job to make anything a player wants suck?
Or limit the occ to a useless selection of wimps?

Seems to me, I am not good at crushing creativity to stroke my own ego.

I suck.

If the G.M. has guidelines for character creation, they aren't there to stroke his or her ego. They are there to help ensure that everyone, including the G.M., can have a good time. A person who was really creative could limit their characters so that they fit within those guidelines and still have fun in the role playing. And who knows? They might even find out they accidentally enjoy the character, restrictions and all, in the process.

It does suck when you can't see eye-to-eye with your G.M. in this regard. I have a player in my game who could tell a similar story about me, but what he doesn't understand is how much it bothers me when I have to tell him "No" to a character concept in my Heroes Unlimited campaign. I want him to have fun and enjoy the game, but not at the expense of the other players, or my own enjoyment.
Zerebus: "I like MDC. MDC is a hundred times better than SDC."

kiralon: "...the best way to kill an old one is to crash a moon into it."

Image

Temporal Wizard O.C.C. update 0.8 | Rifts random encounters
New Fire magic | New Temporal magic
Grim Gulf, the Nightlands version of Century Station

Let Chaos Magic flow in your campaigns.
User avatar
say652
Palladin
Posts: 6609
Joined: Wed Jun 20, 2012 11:32 am
Comment: Avid Cyborg and Braka Braka enthusiast.
Location: 'Murica

Re: Crushing creativity.

Unread post by say652 »

I don't have this problem irl, and have had many fun games.
I just noticed the same herd attacks posts and either gets people banned our the merge forming Nerftron and bash any original concept to dust.
User avatar
The Dark Elf
Rifter® Contributer
Posts: 3074
Joined: Tue Sep 20, 2005 8:04 am
Comment: "So gentlemen, are you prepared to open your minds and travel to worlds hitherto undreamed of?"
Location: UK

Re: Crushing creativity.

Unread post by The Dark Elf »

Mentioned ago there needs to be a few limits (or precautions) for any role playing game to work its best.
Like others I discuss the general nature of the campaign I wish to run (dungeon crawl, wandering, city based, galaxy wide etc...) then together we work out a party that won't leave anyone out of the spotlight for too long.
Then I view the classes and develop the story arcs around them (also making them personal).

So an example of a limitation in my current adventure I'm preparing is that the first half relies on travelling by ground, but one of huge players has PA that's flies. So ive explained my concerns and he's countered it with "not intending to leave the rest of the group or his mount"
Makes sense and he will help keep that part of the adventure on track for me(nope, for all of us enjoying the game).

Someone mentioned earlier that the GM needs to enjoy their role too.

If I have to adjust certain power creeps (one person wants to play a dragon whilst the others all wanna be rogue scholars) then I simply make the next adventure campaign a South American wander where all the PCs are dragons, Golding or whatever they like and we smash the place up! Lol.
Time and a place for everything.
Rifter 52 Cannibal Magic
Rifter 55 The Ancestral Mystic P.C.C.
Rifter 59 The Lopanic Games adventure "The Lion, the Ditch & the Warlock". Illustrations to this adventure can be found here.
Rifter 71 & 72 Double Issue Ninjas & Superspies adventure "On a Wing & a Prayer"
Rifter 80 Masters Unlimited
User avatar
say652
Palladin
Posts: 6609
Joined: Wed Jun 20, 2012 11:32 am
Comment: Avid Cyborg and Braka Braka enthusiast.
Location: 'Murica

Re: Crushing creativity.

Unread post by say652 »

As a gm the most difficult player characters are psychics.
Any thing else is either a brawler or a blaster. Piece of cake.
User avatar
Zer0 Kay
Megaversal® Ambassador
Posts: 13730
Joined: Tue Jul 06, 2004 1:59 pm
Location: Snoqualmie, WA

Re: Crushing creativity.

Unread post by Zer0 Kay »

If the majority of players want to do a CS army campaign then we make characters from the CS. However, I've never ran a CS game and usually run a sandbox style game. I've got an alien technopath, an ex-CS scientist (who has received some interesting things from the Randomeer item table), a dragon who started out a hatchling and through events was transported to the PF world for centuries and returned much... much older, a BTS psychic using a new on the fly system I made (which will probably be changed to magic), an elite PA pilot and a mystic.
:thwak: you some might think you're a :clown: but you're cool in book :ok: :thwak:--Mecha-Viper
BEST IDEA EVER!!! -- The Galactus Kid
Holy crapy, you're Zer0 Kay?! --TriaxTech
Zer0 Kay is my hero. --Atramentus
The Zer0 of Kay, who started this fray,
Kept us laughing until the end. -The Fifth Business (In loving Memory of the teleport thread)
User avatar
Zer0 Kay
Megaversal® Ambassador
Posts: 13730
Joined: Tue Jul 06, 2004 1:59 pm
Location: Snoqualmie, WA

Re: Crushing creativity.

Unread post by Zer0 Kay »

say652 wrote:As a gm the most difficult player characters are psychics.
Any thing else is either a brawler or a blaster. Piece of cake.

So temporal mages are blasters? What about sage classes, ya know low combat high skills, are they a blaster or brawler? I think if characters are only lopped into those two categories, except for psychics, then the game may be focused too much on combat.
:thwak: you some might think you're a :clown: but you're cool in book :ok: :thwak:--Mecha-Viper
BEST IDEA EVER!!! -- The Galactus Kid
Holy crapy, you're Zer0 Kay?! --TriaxTech
Zer0 Kay is my hero. --Atramentus
The Zer0 of Kay, who started this fray,
Kept us laughing until the end. -The Fifth Business (In loving Memory of the teleport thread)
User avatar
say652
Palladin
Posts: 6609
Joined: Wed Jun 20, 2012 11:32 am
Comment: Avid Cyborg and Braka Braka enthusiast.
Location: 'Murica

Re: Crushing creativity.

Unread post by say652 »

Effectively yes mages are blaster types.
A Temporal warrior is a brawler.
User avatar
say652
Palladin
Posts: 6609
Joined: Wed Jun 20, 2012 11:32 am
Comment: Avid Cyborg and Braka Braka enthusiast.
Location: 'Murica

Re: Crushing creativity.

Unread post by say652 »

A skills heavy character is imo a poorman's munchkin.
User avatar
say652
Palladin
Posts: 6609
Joined: Wed Jun 20, 2012 11:32 am
Comment: Avid Cyborg and Braka Braka enthusiast.
Location: 'Murica

Re: Crushing creativity.

Unread post by say652 »

Imma disarm a bomb, hijack a Samas, and do field surgery, followed by designing an aquaduct to water the field.
User avatar
Glistam
Megaversal® Ambassador
Posts: 3631
Joined: Tue Apr 05, 2005 2:09 pm
Comment: The silent thief of Rozrehxeson.
Location: Connecticut
Contact:

Re: Crushing creativity.

Unread post by Glistam »

Zer0 Kay wrote:
say652 wrote:As a gm the most difficult player characters are psychics.
Any thing else is either a brawler or a blaster. Piece of cake.

So temporal mages are blasters? What about sage classes, ya know low combat high skills, are they a blaster or brawler? I think if characters are only lopped into those two categories, except for psychics, then the game may be focused too much on combat.

I tried to turn my Temporal Mage into a brawler once. It was the only time in the game that the brawler I consistently rescued from death almost every combat actually rescued me instead.
Zerebus: "I like MDC. MDC is a hundred times better than SDC."

kiralon: "...the best way to kill an old one is to crash a moon into it."

Image

Temporal Wizard O.C.C. update 0.8 | Rifts random encounters
New Fire magic | New Temporal magic
Grim Gulf, the Nightlands version of Century Station

Let Chaos Magic flow in your campaigns.
User avatar
say652
Palladin
Posts: 6609
Joined: Wed Jun 20, 2012 11:32 am
Comment: Avid Cyborg and Braka Braka enthusiast.
Location: 'Murica

Re: Crushing creativity.

Unread post by say652 »

A Temporal Warrior is definitely a BAMF other than having less sdc and no AutoDodge the Temporal Mage is nearly as tough.
User avatar
Zer0 Kay
Megaversal® Ambassador
Posts: 13730
Joined: Tue Jul 06, 2004 1:59 pm
Location: Snoqualmie, WA

Re: Crushing creativity.

Unread post by Zer0 Kay »

say652 wrote:A Temporal Warrior is definitely a BAMF other than having less sdc and no AutoDodge the Temporal Mage is nearly as tough.

Mage not warrior. One who uses the magic not the Traider race and not one trained how to use it in combat. The issue I'm trying to raise being messing with time.
:thwak: you some might think you're a :clown: but you're cool in book :ok: :thwak:--Mecha-Viper
BEST IDEA EVER!!! -- The Galactus Kid
Holy crapy, you're Zer0 Kay?! --TriaxTech
Zer0 Kay is my hero. --Atramentus
The Zer0 of Kay, who started this fray,
Kept us laughing until the end. -The Fifth Business (In loving Memory of the teleport thread)
User avatar
say652
Palladin
Posts: 6609
Joined: Wed Jun 20, 2012 11:32 am
Comment: Avid Cyborg and Braka Braka enthusiast.
Location: 'Murica

Re: Crushing creativity.

Unread post by say652 »

Temporal falls into the Blaster category.
User avatar
Bill
Megaversal® Ambassador
Posts: 1567
Joined: Wed Jul 27, 2011 2:25 pm
Location: Reno, Nevada

Re: Crushing creativity.

Unread post by Bill »

say652 wrote:I just noticed the same herd attacks posts and either gets people banned our the merge forming Nerftron and bash any original concept to dust.

You have a problem with this community and the standards that are commonly held by it. I have to say, you're not going to get very far with this community by attacking it. Also, you don't offer original concepts. At best, you combine rules that were never intended to be combined to create an outcome that excites you personally. We respond by pointing out where you've violated the intent and letter of the rules, which seems to offend you.

If you were producing original races and classes, you'd probably get much more positive feedback. No one could question your interpretation of the rules at that point and we'd focus on whether it was unnecessarily duplicating an existing class or race or how much more powerful the option you're presenting is than similar classes instead. Consider it as a possible alternative to the senseless arguments you're presently suffering under.
User avatar
Bill
Megaversal® Ambassador
Posts: 1567
Joined: Wed Jul 27, 2011 2:25 pm
Location: Reno, Nevada

Re: Crushing creativity.

Unread post by Bill »

say652 wrote:Effectively yes mages are blaster types.

A tragic misuse of a mage. They're not at all suited to the role of a ranged attacker compared to technological options. Mages are portable tool-kits for problem-solving. The temporal classes in particular are much more useful for bypassing problems than fighting them.
User avatar
say652
Palladin
Posts: 6609
Joined: Wed Jun 20, 2012 11:32 am
Comment: Avid Cyborg and Braka Braka enthusiast.
Location: 'Murica

Re: Crushing creativity.

Unread post by say652 »

Gunslinger etc fall into the Blaster category.
User avatar
say652
Palladin
Posts: 6609
Joined: Wed Jun 20, 2012 11:32 am
Comment: Avid Cyborg and Braka Braka enthusiast.
Location: 'Murica

Re: Crushing creativity.

Unread post by say652 »

Bill wrote:
say652 wrote:I just noticed the same herd attacks posts and either gets people banned our the merge forming Nerftron and bash any original concept to dust.

You have a problem with this community and the standards that are commonly held by it. I have to say, you're not going to get very far with this community by attacking it. Also, you don't offer original concepts. At best, you combine rules that were never intended to be combined to create an outcome that excites you personally. We respond by pointing out where you've violated the intent and letter of the rules, which seems to offend you.

If you were producing original races and classes, you'd probably get much more positive feedback. No one could question your interpretation of the rules at that point and we'd focus on whether it was unnecessarily duplicating an existing class or race or how much more powerful the option you're presenting is than similar classes instead. Consider it as a possible alternative to the senseless arguments you're presently suffering under.


Handy foe setting seems to have alleviated my headache.
Imagine that.
User avatar
Bill
Megaversal® Ambassador
Posts: 1567
Joined: Wed Jul 27, 2011 2:25 pm
Location: Reno, Nevada

Re: Crushing creativity.

Unread post by Bill »

Ignoring a problem won't make it go away. Particularly when it's the community standards that you're not happy with. How many of us will you ignore before the forum dries up complete for you?
User avatar
say652
Palladin
Posts: 6609
Joined: Wed Jun 20, 2012 11:32 am
Comment: Avid Cyborg and Braka Braka enthusiast.
Location: 'Murica

Re: Crushing creativity.

Unread post by say652 »

So far three.
Seems to be working.
User avatar
eliakon
Palladin
Posts: 9093
Joined: Sat Jul 14, 2007 9:40 pm
Comment: Palladium Books Canon is set solely by Kevin Siembieda, either in person, or by his approval of published material.
Contact:

Re: Crushing creativity.

Unread post by eliakon »

Bill wrote:
say652 wrote:Effectively yes mages are blaster types.

A tragic misuse of a mage. They're not at all suited to the role of a ranged attacker compared to technological options. Mages are portable tool-kits for problem-solving. The temporal classes in particular are much more useful for bypassing problems than fighting them.

I will agree with this whole heartedly.
Most mages simply don't have the PPE to be blasters and while there are a lot of direct damage (DD) spells in the game, the majority of them are somewhat on the lower power end of the spectrum.
I have found that most mages do best if they bring a weapon or two for their combat and use their spells to do stuff you cant just replicate with a gun, a suit of body armor, and a few hundred credits worth of basic gear.
Stealth, Healing, Divination, Charm, Mind Control, Teleportation, Specialized Attacks (like drains, stuns, armor pennitrating) Buffs, Debuffs, Summonings......stuff you cant replicate easily with other materials.
The rules are not a bludgeon with which to hammer a character into a game. They are a guide to how a group of friends can get together to weave a collective story that entertains everyone involved. We forget that at our peril.

Edmund Burke wrote:The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."
User avatar
eliakon
Palladin
Posts: 9093
Joined: Sat Jul 14, 2007 9:40 pm
Comment: Palladium Books Canon is set solely by Kevin Siembieda, either in person, or by his approval of published material.
Contact:

Re: Crushing creativity.

Unread post by eliakon »

Zer0 Kay wrote:
say652 wrote:As a gm the most difficult player characters are psychics.
Any thing else is either a brawler or a blaster. Piece of cake.

So temporal mages are blasters? What about sage classes, ya know low combat high skills, are they a blaster or brawler? I think if characters are only lopped into those two categories, except for psychics, then the game may be focused too much on combat.

And even there its pretty narrowly defining what roles a player can have...
Esper, Brawler, Blaster....
Just sticking with the major tropes here that still leaves out
The Face, Skulkers, Bricks, Wizards (can do a bit of anything), Experts (all those skills), Ninja's, Snipers.....

But if the game is one where the only solution is massive comic book style slug matches then yah, you only need blasters and brawlers and everyone should optimize for maximum damage and durability.
But if the game is one of social intrigues and mysteries then it really wont matter how many DC you have or how many dice your fireball does...

Ask some of the players in my Tellas game where some of the most important rolls of the game for several players.....were the Dancing and Etiquette rolls at a couple of balls. And where cutting insults and witty banter were able to alter the face of the war in ways that no mere army or vanity of demi-gods could....
The rules are not a bludgeon with which to hammer a character into a game. They are a guide to how a group of friends can get together to weave a collective story that entertains everyone involved. We forget that at our peril.

Edmund Burke wrote:The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."
User avatar
Damian Magecraft
Knight
Posts: 3472
Joined: Sun May 12, 2002 1:01 am
Comment: Evil GM
Master of Magics
Defender of the Faith
Location: chillicothe, ohio; usa
Contact:

Re: Crushing creativity.

Unread post by Damian Magecraft »

Restrictions breed creativity
DM is correct by the way. - Ninjabunny
It's a shoddy carpenter who blames his tools. - Killer Cyborg
Every group has one problem player. If you cannot spot the one in your group; look in the mirror.
It is not a good session until at least one player looks you in the eye and says "you sick twisted evil ****"
User avatar
say652
Palladin
Posts: 6609
Joined: Wed Jun 20, 2012 11:32 am
Comment: Avid Cyborg and Braka Braka enthusiast.
Location: 'Murica

Re: Crushing creativity.

Unread post by say652 »

To a point. I feel restrictions create munchkins.
User avatar
Damian Magecraft
Knight
Posts: 3472
Joined: Sun May 12, 2002 1:01 am
Comment: Evil GM
Master of Magics
Defender of the Faith
Location: chillicothe, ohio; usa
Contact:

Re: Crushing creativity.

Unread post by Damian Magecraft »

say652 wrote:To a point. I feel restrictions create munchkins.
no that would be lack of restrictions creates munchkins
DM is correct by the way. - Ninjabunny
It's a shoddy carpenter who blames his tools. - Killer Cyborg
Every group has one problem player. If you cannot spot the one in your group; look in the mirror.
It is not a good session until at least one player looks you in the eye and says "you sick twisted evil ****"
User avatar
say652
Palladin
Posts: 6609
Joined: Wed Jun 20, 2012 11:32 am
Comment: Avid Cyborg and Braka Braka enthusiast.
Location: 'Murica

Re: Crushing creativity.

Unread post by say652 »

No.
Sure you can play a hatchling, is different than munch together a list of add ons to get the same powers.
Real talk.
User avatar
Zer0 Kay
Megaversal® Ambassador
Posts: 13730
Joined: Tue Jul 06, 2004 1:59 pm
Location: Snoqualmie, WA

Re: Crushing creativity.

Unread post by Zer0 Kay »

say652 wrote:To a point. I feel restrictions create munchkins.

Creativity and munchkins are two sides of the same coin. that coin being how your idea is received by the GM and players.
:thwak: you some might think you're a :clown: but you're cool in book :ok: :thwak:--Mecha-Viper
BEST IDEA EVER!!! -- The Galactus Kid
Holy crapy, you're Zer0 Kay?! --TriaxTech
Zer0 Kay is my hero. --Atramentus
The Zer0 of Kay, who started this fray,
Kept us laughing until the end. -The Fifth Business (In loving Memory of the teleport thread)
User avatar
Zer0 Kay
Megaversal® Ambassador
Posts: 13730
Joined: Tue Jul 06, 2004 1:59 pm
Location: Snoqualmie, WA

Re: Crushing creativity.

Unread post by Zer0 Kay »

eliakon wrote:
Zer0 Kay wrote:
say652 wrote:As a gm the most difficult player characters are psychics.
Any thing else is either a brawler or a blaster. Piece of cake.

So temporal mages are blasters? What about sage classes, ya know low combat high skills, are they a blaster or brawler? I think if characters are only lopped into those two categories, except for psychics, then the game may be focused too much on combat.

And even there its pretty narrowly defining what roles a player can have...
Esper, Brawler, Blaster....
Just sticking with the major tropes here that still leaves out
The Face, Skulkers, Bricks, Wizards (can do a bit of anything), Experts (all those skills), Ninja's, Snipers.....

But if the game is one where the only solution is massive comic book style slug matches then yah, you only need blasters and brawlers and everyone should optimize for maximum damage and durability.
But if the game is one of social intrigues and mysteries then it really wont matter how many DC you have or how many dice your fireball does...

Ask some of the players in my Tellas game where some of the most important rolls of the game for several players.....were the Dancing and Etiquette rolls at a couple of balls. And where cutting insults and witty banter were able to alter the face of the war in ways that no mere army or vanity of demi-gods could....

I take it those were Big Balls? :-D
:thwak: you some might think you're a :clown: but you're cool in book :ok: :thwak:--Mecha-Viper
BEST IDEA EVER!!! -- The Galactus Kid
Holy crapy, you're Zer0 Kay?! --TriaxTech
Zer0 Kay is my hero. --Atramentus
The Zer0 of Kay, who started this fray,
Kept us laughing until the end. -The Fifth Business (In loving Memory of the teleport thread)
User avatar
Zer0 Kay
Megaversal® Ambassador
Posts: 13730
Joined: Tue Jul 06, 2004 1:59 pm
Location: Snoqualmie, WA

Re: Crushing creativity.

Unread post by Zer0 Kay »

say652 wrote:So far three.
Seems to be working.

Wow I didn't think you were like that. :-(
:thwak: you some might think you're a :clown: but you're cool in book :ok: :thwak:--Mecha-Viper
BEST IDEA EVER!!! -- The Galactus Kid
Holy crapy, you're Zer0 Kay?! --TriaxTech
Zer0 Kay is my hero. --Atramentus
The Zer0 of Kay, who started this fray,
Kept us laughing until the end. -The Fifth Business (In loving Memory of the teleport thread)
User avatar
Zer0 Kay
Megaversal® Ambassador
Posts: 13730
Joined: Tue Jul 06, 2004 1:59 pm
Location: Snoqualmie, WA

Re: Crushing creativity.

Unread post by Zer0 Kay »

say652 wrote:To a point. I feel restrictions create munchkins.

I agree with both of you. A munch would be created if they couldn't handle the restrictions and essentially had a tantrum. Creativity is if a person does the same thing as the munch but not with the intent of "oh yeah, I'll show you". So intent would actually be the coin previously mentioned.
:thwak: you some might think you're a :clown: but you're cool in book :ok: :thwak:--Mecha-Viper
BEST IDEA EVER!!! -- The Galactus Kid
Holy crapy, you're Zer0 Kay?! --TriaxTech
Zer0 Kay is my hero. --Atramentus
The Zer0 of Kay, who started this fray,
Kept us laughing until the end. -The Fifth Business (In loving Memory of the teleport thread)
User avatar
say652
Palladin
Posts: 6609
Joined: Wed Jun 20, 2012 11:32 am
Comment: Avid Cyborg and Braka Braka enthusiast.
Location: 'Murica

Re: Crushing creativity.

Unread post by say652 »

Zer0 Kay wrote:
eliakon wrote:
Zer0 Kay wrote:
say652 wrote:As a gm the most difficult player characters are psychics.
Any thing else is either a brawler or a blaster. Piece of cake.

So temporal mages are blasters? What about sage classes, ya know low combat high skills, are they a blaster or brawler? I think if characters are only lopped into those two categories, except for psychics, then the game may be focused too much on combat.

And even there its pretty narrowly defining what roles a player can have...
Esper, Brawler, Blaster....
Just sticking with the major tropes here that still leaves out
The Face, Skulkers, Bricks, Wizards (can do a bit of anything), Experts (all those skills), Ninja's, Snipers.....

But if the game is one where the only solution is massive comic book style slug matches then yah, you only need blasters and brawlers and everyone should optimize for maximum damage and durability.
But if the game is one of social intrigues and mysteries then it really wont matter how many DC you have or how many dice your fireball does...

Ask some of the players in my Tellas game where some of the most important rolls of the game for several players.....were the Dancing and Etiquette rolls at a couple of balls. And where cutting insults and witty banter were able to alter the face of the war in ways that no mere army or vanity of demi-gods could....

I take it those were Big Balls? :-D


The biggest balls of them all.
Ooga chaka ooga chaka...
User avatar
say652
Palladin
Posts: 6609
Joined: Wed Jun 20, 2012 11:32 am
Comment: Avid Cyborg and Braka Braka enthusiast.
Location: 'Murica

Re: Crushing creativity.

Unread post by say652 »

Zer0 Kay wrote:
say652 wrote:To a point. I feel restrictions create munchkins.

I agree with both of you. A munch would be created if they couldn't handle the restrictions and essentially had a tantrum. Creativity is if a person does the same thing as the munch but not with the intent of "oh yeah, I'll show you". So intent would actually be the coin previously mentioned.

For a long time Borg was my go to munchkin occ.
User avatar
eliakon
Palladin
Posts: 9093
Joined: Sat Jul 14, 2007 9:40 pm
Comment: Palladium Books Canon is set solely by Kevin Siembieda, either in person, or by his approval of published material.
Contact:

Re: Crushing creativity.

Unread post by eliakon »

Zer0 Kay wrote:
say652 wrote:To a point. I feel restrictions create munchkins.

I agree with both of you. A munch would be created if they couldn't handle the restrictions and essentially had a tantrum. Creativity is if a person does the same thing as the munch but not with the intent of "oh yeah, I'll show you". So intent would actually be the coin previously mentioned.

The same thing can be a munchkin or cool depending on intent....
The hypothetical Zentradi Demon Queller I mentioned is a good example
Creative is "Oh this would make a cool giant monster wrestling guy, go go Godzilla!"
Munchkin is "Heh and then using 1st edition rules I can multiply his stats by ten and then......"
The rules are not a bludgeon with which to hammer a character into a game. They are a guide to how a group of friends can get together to weave a collective story that entertains everyone involved. We forget that at our peril.

Edmund Burke wrote:The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."
Locked

Return to “G.M.s Forum”