On gaming

[hazliya]

I'm coming to think that I'm a pretty relaxed gamer. My object in games (tabletop, LARP, even board games) is to make it interesting to play. If my character gets horribly boned but totally had it coming or it was in a spectacular way, I'm good. Or even if it's something otherwise mundane. It sucks if you have to retcon to make the players happy. What happens happens.

One of the major rules of improv: "Yes, and..." = You take what happens, and go with it. There's no "no, I don't like that, I call mulligan" in improv, which is the major way I like to game.

So when other players express butthurt over something I'm cool with, it takes me a minute to understand why.

Maybe I'm just easy.

(no, not in that way. ask your mom about it.)

Comments

[mneme]

Everyone comes to gaming a different way, and takes different things from it. Me, I'm usually cool with horrible things happening to my character (in an RPG) or losing (in a board/card game), but I'll get pretty bent if people are being cavalier with the established rules--rules that have space for player (incl GM) judgment are mondo cool, but don't run the rules strictly for one section, then overrule them for another because it doesn't fit your vision. I also will -eventually-, if I'm not finding the actual play fun, want to have the situation change; playing with my character mind controlled for one session can be entertaining, 6 sessions and I begin to wonder if I'm even playing.

The key, of course, isn't playing with people with exactly the same OOG goals, but compatable goals.

Also, the icon is a useful PSA. Good to know!

[laurion]

Oh yeah, I love to bring improv theory into my gaming. It makes the storytelling that much richer. Like you, I like a good story. I am goal-driven enough that it doesn't always work out that way, but I'll definitely take a turn for the story.

"Yes, and" is a good one to remember. Endowment is another.

Make stuff up so long as you aren't contradicting anything. Move past the decisions and on to the consequences. Spill secrets like drunken confessional at two in the morning to a complete stranger.

[buddhagrrl.livejournal.com]

Amen, brother!

[laurion]

Oh, and re: butthurt -- get over it. Did you have a good time? Then why let something ruin that fun? Unless someone is breaking the rules, it's not worth getting too upset over.

[buddhagrrl.livejournal.com]

I want a way of indicating that I am a No Mulligan gamer and that I would rather have my character die falling in a plot hole than be forced to "retcon".

On the other hand, improv acting and the enjoyment of Staying The F*** In Character is what I groove off of in LARPs. I get that some people play the game rather than the role and get different things out of it. I just wish we could sign up for special "no retcons allowed" LARP experiences.

Retcon makes me cry.

Even if it means the GM has to say "a mysterious glowing orb floats over your heads briefly, and you suddenly remember the last 15 minutes differentl", it's better than saying "that didn't just happen, so please unplay your previously role-playing because it doesn't count."

It should always count or why are we dicking around wasting our time?

Agh, pet peeve.

[doc-smiley.livejournal.com]

I love that kind of player. I use to joke I was a plot chew toy. I didn't care if I got horribly mangled if it was all for a cool story.

I'm looking at starting a game mondays in a few weeks at Camelot, would you and Adam be interested in joining?

[hazliya.livejournal.com]

Nope. We're both chock full for games this summer.

[darkoni]

I've never been a big fan of retcon either. I prefer to just let the story keep going and see where it goes. In some games, I actively look for ways to screw myself over because it will be more fun.

Another important element to remember is that sometimes a failure in one part of the story could lead to a cooler success down the road when you overcome the thing that thwarted you. Failures can be defining moments of character development. Without those, characters often don't grow. I had a character in a tabletop game who decided to just up and quit his adventuring life after too many of his friends died, the last one from friendly fire. I played a different character for a while and cam back as the original one when he'd had time to heal his mental wounds and was ready to do what needed to be done. He was fairly righteous and leaderly when he returned, committed to making sure as few people died as possible in the future.

Of course, I'm also the type that likes the struggle of trying to overcome the odds whether or not I eventually succeed. If I succeed, cool. If not, then as long as the journey was fun, I'm happy.

Anyway, I agree with you. I guess I'm just rambling.