Talk:Writeup Guidelines

Case Against

(moved from Link)

Velcanthus:

While I think that gathering this information is an excellent idea, it seems to me that it places an unnecessary burden on DMs. Some may not find this kind of thing onerous at all. Others, contrariwise, may find hatred alive in their hearts for whosoever forced them to this noisome labour. I am a member of that tribe.

The workload of the DM is much greater than anything that the players contribute to the execution of the game. And, their input is more critical, in the sense that a game run by a poorly prepared DM is much less fun than one where a player is poorly prepared. Surely, it would be better to assign a task like this to the party scribe (or some other player)?

In fact, it seems to me a much better policy that work of this nature is assigned to players in general, allowing the DM to run the game sensibly, and effectively. Blithely assuming that DMs don't mind extra work is the product of someone who rarely DMs, if they DM at all. And, it's a bloody cheek, as well.

Jim, I am more than happy for the onus to be placed back on the player and wish that would be the way this went as I concur with you on the amount of work a GM has to do.

What this 'checklist' was designed for was to provide framework for GM's to use for the important information they must provide at the end of a session.

I think players who want to become more than two dimensional characters should take their own notes for future reference / interaction and have the GM sign them off at the end of the session. This would build more background and life into the PC and give the GM tie ins to perhaps use in the planning etc.

I am not saying GM workload should increase but looking at guidelines to perhaps assist things such as the 'faction' chit discussion currently raging (which would again add to GM workload as "I now have to calculate how many points the PC gained in these 29 factions vs. the loss in these 20 factions and why they didn't affect this faction at all") arghh.

Cheers, Chris

Chris, (which would again add to GM workload as "I now have to calculate how many points the PC gained in these 29 factions vs. the loss in these 20 factions and why they didn't affect this faction at all")

Where are you getting the 50 + factions to calculate points for from? I would have thought that PCs would typically do something to change their standing with 0 to 2 groups per season.

Cheers, Errol

Errol, Apologies but I should have said that I am against the numeric quantification of factions in the game and the added levels of GM work involved. The fact that on adventure a PC may interact with a great number of people with varying factions would mean the faction levels would need to be calculated for perhaps at least 10 per session and perhaps 10 times that number per year and 10 times that per decade factions over and over, with each faction influencing the reaction of other factions.

0 to 2 factions/groups per session seems very low unless in a very small and narrowly focused game. Even spending 2 nights in a town you interact with/become known to/influence a number of groups such as: Town Guard, Hoteliers, Local Gentry, Servants, Local Mages, Hostile group 1, Friendly Group 1, Neutral Group 1, City Councillers (controlling body) etc.

Again the level of interaction on a game reflects the involvement of the players and their characterisation / roleplaying of the PC in the milieu.

Q: With factions how will we detail all the interactions that have occurred in the past or will everyone start at neutral? Given the faction issue will most heavily affect med-high level PC's who have been around for many a year.

Cheers, Chris

Chris, standard interactions with people aren't going to change your standing with them, and don't need to be recorded - or that is what I got from looking at the list of things that affect standing. Exchanging info with Friendly Group 1 (even where the party learns more than they tell) doesn't generate a cost of 2 status points, as it just isn't worth tracking. In fact, I considered suggesting that the values in all the tables be divided by 5, to lower the temtation to use smaller increments.

I have removed the guidelines document. Chris