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pyatPyat’s Non-Universal Rules of Gaming*
*Note: I believe these behaviours arose out of a sort of grim dynamic that existed between my high-school gaming buddies and a particularly misanthropic GM. For good or ill, the guidelines below have remained with me and largely shape my habits in most games. I make no guarantees about how welcome the application of these rules will be in any given player group.
Rule One: “Shake the Pillars of Heaven”
The goal of your character should not be comfort and security, nor wealth, nor admiration, but rather to have his or her name written in letters of fire across the pages of history. It is not important if you are remembered as a hero or a fool – it is enough to be remembered.
Rule Two: “Chaos is a friend of mine.”
When your party can’t directly take control of a situation, it is sometimes possible to remove control from the opponent via an unexpected action. Smash the Dragon Orb! Jump into a garbage compactor! Initiate the Corbomite Maneuver! And do it NOW. Like the man said, “Better to act quickly and err than to hesitate until the time of action is past.”
Rule Three: “He can never know that he is dead."
Your character, that is. Don’t treat your character as disposable, don’t be suicidal – but also remember that you are in the game to help tell an interesting story. All interesting stories have an end, preferably one involving a tremendous explosion.
Rule Four: “Try not to die like a dog.”
If you think you are going to die, don’t spend your last combat round looking for a healing potion or medpak. Take off your hat and face the Infinite with a sneer, a smile, a leer, a wink, or a snarl – whatever works best for your character.
*Note: I believe these behaviours arose out of a sort of grim dynamic that existed between my high-school gaming buddies and a particularly misanthropic GM. For good or ill, the guidelines below have remained with me and largely shape my habits in most games. I make no guarantees about how welcome the application of these rules will be in any given player group.
Rule One: “Shake the Pillars of Heaven”
The goal of your character should not be comfort and security, nor wealth, nor admiration, but rather to have his or her name written in letters of fire across the pages of history. It is not important if you are remembered as a hero or a fool – it is enough to be remembered.
Rule Two: “Chaos is a friend of mine.”
When your party can’t directly take control of a situation, it is sometimes possible to remove control from the opponent via an unexpected action. Smash the Dragon Orb! Jump into a garbage compactor! Initiate the Corbomite Maneuver! And do it NOW. Like the man said, “Better to act quickly and err than to hesitate until the time of action is past.”
Rule Three: “He can never know that he is dead."
Your character, that is. Don’t treat your character as disposable, don’t be suicidal – but also remember that you are in the game to help tell an interesting story. All interesting stories have an end, preferably one involving a tremendous explosion.
Rule Four: “Try not to die like a dog.”
If you think you are going to die, don’t spend your last combat round looking for a healing potion or medpak. Take off your hat and face the Infinite with a sneer, a smile, a leer, a wink, or a snarl – whatever works best for your character.
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no subject
Date: 2007-07-24 06:04 pm (UTC)Quoted for Truth.
In a recent "intense medieval simulation" game, faced with puzzling murders without clues, intrigues we never quite caught wind of, and guilty parties who could hide behind secular, ecclesiatic, or guild offices ... to combat our increasing frustration, and to the rising horror of the GM, we unleashed "Full Force Investigation." Every door exists to be smashed, every tight-lipped bureaucrat exists to be dangled from battlements, and every investigation starts right at the top.
We were stuck wil the well-deserved appelation of "knighted hoodlums" but we got to the bottom of things real quick.
Doug.
no subject
Date: 2007-07-25 12:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-25 01:46 pm (UTC)"Hmmm. Finish the new Budget proposal, or join the rest of the Cabinet on the C-SPAN server for a Lvl 60 raid?"
"I'd like to call the Parliamentary Committee on Presidential Misappropriations to Order. First Item. When we left off we were in the Octagonal Room with purple marble pillars, and the Member representing Pierrefonds—Dollard had failed his Sense Traps test while trying to pry the golden statue off the pedestal in the center."
Doug.
no subject
Date: 2007-07-25 01:54 pm (UTC)President: "I try to find Osama."
GM: "Gimme a Find Information check."
President: "Crap. A 1. I take 20!"
GM: "Sorry, that negative wisdom modifier makes it impossible. Maybe if you roleplayed out what you were doing...?"
President: "Screw that. Let's just arrest everyone who shoots at us and ask them where Osama is."