thread: 2009-06-22 : Secrets: the Smelly Chamberlain
On 2009-07-01, Josh W wrote:
I wanted to mention my cure for "this is just what my guy would do":
"where?"
"what?"
"in what outside situation would he do that?"
"this one"
"Ok fine, but we agreed that I get to tell you what the situation is like, and you get to tell me what your character does, in accordance with that situation"
"umm ok"
"so what part of the situation is causing him to act like that, or is it just coming from inside his head?"
"...."
This is based on an understanding that the GM gets to make the context for the characters. So by defining elements of the chamberlain, the players are breaking the rules by recontextualising the characters. Now that's fine, the GM doesn't need to get all "chain of command" on them if he is willing to flow with it, but the important feature of the structure is that it means that players can pull "rank" on a specific area, if someone is just being domineering. Just like the GM or other players can suggest stuff that the players might want to do, and players (like my brother) can go "no he does it this way instead, he's my character!!".
It's happened so often in our flexy woolly games that I've got an idea of how someone elses character should behave, they can't decide, and I've suggested stuff. People can feel defensive, or they can realise that they get the final say, and just say no politely. 'Course, sometimes the GM takes up my suggestion anyway via "rule of cool", and we have to fight to stop permanent change once we realise the owner of the character doesn't want that! So no wonder people can get defensive at my suggestions!
Now finally, what if the GM goes with what they players have said? Well you can either say that the GM has according to the rules photo-copyed everything that they did and made it real, or that the rules that people actually play by have shifted, so that players can introduce stuff if they think it strongly fits their character.
In other words, it's real if it is according to the rules, and is made real when the rules are applied, because tautologically, the rules define what is legit SIS and what is "could be".
