thread: 2010-06-14 : A Bit of Hardcore
On 2010-06-24, Rafael wrote:
Josh W.: the player character's planning and moral decisions, where they include assumptions that were not previously stated, are broadly confirmed[....] [I]f the GM does contradict this, he is expected to "sell" the changes in terms of plausibility given the forms of cause and effect that the players agree with[....] There's a third possibility too, which is something I love shadowrun for; first you plan, creating the setting semi-collaboratively by active searching, then the GM looks at what you have prepared and looks for flaws, and then when you play the mission it is subverted just enough that your improvisation skills are extremely tested, with a margin of safety/outs to avoid total wrecking.
I think these are two ends of a spectrum rather than two alternatives, since even in the "Shadowrun version" the GM is expected to justify the points in which the world didn't behave as the players expected (or at least to have a justification—the players may not immediately be told why there were twice as many guards as expected, but then they want to be able to investigate and discover a reason).
I would agree that we play like this, tending towards the "more surprises" end of the scale.
If you compare that to Simon's way of playing, and it seems more like the patterns of cause and effect are hidden and unknown, rather than where they are suggested and then confirmed or subverted.
Interesting suggestion. Simon?
when people talk about mechanics that do not spoil "the story", is that spoiling can be pretty relative; if you don't like certain stories, then certain mechanics tailored to those stories will leave you cold.
Ok. This is what I mean by the game occuring in the minds of the partipants; it doesn't matter if the story is "objectively" cool, or even one that the players would find cool if they read it as a story, if they lose their engagement with it as players (although I understand the Jesse's argument that you can practice rolling with story changes and learn to enjoy shifts that might have left you cold at first).
playing those games and trying to push them along with your standard habits could lead to frustration of both types of story.
This is why it would be helpful to have someone in our group with experience in a successful new wave game.
