Hey you game masters

[telerib]

robin_d_laws - of "Robin's Laws for Good Gamemastering" - has a LJ, if you didn't know. (So does game writer/designer Kenneth Hite, as princeofcairo, and I recommend his writing, too.) Anyway, Robin has a post up today pondering risk aversion and risk seeking, and how they relate to tactical vs. narrative games. Like his Laws, it's stuff you probably already knew in your gut but might not have articulated in your head.

As someone who in theory likes a narrative style of GMing/playing but in practice can't shake the desire to come up with Cunning Plans, I found it interesting.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

nifty.

There's something about player v. player and player v. GM competition here, too. I prefer stories (as GM or player) where the PCs can do what seems good at the time - even if it's kindof risky, trusting that in the end, it'll all work out. (Maybe not optimally, but... I like survival being guaranteed unless death is dramatically appropriate and discussed in advance.) I've found, though, that a number of folks (incl. Teleri) like to take time to come up with carefully thought-out plans, and (as GM) expect the players to think through their actions... The Tactician seems to be the major proponent of careful thinking, but power gamer also tends that way...

-SarahM