Rules-Lawryering, Metagaming and Other Stuff
Rules-Lawyering in Its Many Forms and Flavors
- I don't mind debates about the rules. Not only do I not mind rules-lawyering, I am a rules-lawyer -- perhaps because I'm a lawyer in real life. Setting aside the issue of house rules that are explicitly called out in the game information, you are always free to take issue with my interpretation or application of a rule. I may be reading it wrong. I may have overlooked errata. It may simply be that the rules are ambiguous and can fairly be read in different ways and you have a case to make for your reading. Please don't hesitate to approach me -- in the OOC thread, in an OOC comment in your in-character thread or in a PM. You might persuade me to read a rule differently -- it has happened in the past and will likely happn again. You may not persuade me, but I'm happy to explain why I read a rule the way I do.
- What this means, however, is that my default approach is to apply the rules, not to ignore them. This may be frustrating or annoying for you at times, when you want to do something cinematic or dramatic that isn't really contemplated by the mechanics of the game -- build an elaborate trap; swing from a chandelier, do a back-flip, stab the bad guy, then grab the girl and spin her around, ending with a kiss, all in the same round. We will likely end up in a lengthy discussion of what's required for Craft: Trap-Making or how many and what types of actions (full, standard, move, swift, immediate, free) can be taken in a single round. We'll end up deep in the weeds of the rules minutiae.
- Why do I have this default mode? There are a few reasons.
- First, if I wanted to play a rules-light game that allows for cinematic actions unhampered by an analysis of standard vs. move vs. swift vs. whatever actions, I wouldn't be GM'ing a Pathfinder game. I chose this system for a reason, and I assume the players did as well -- and that if the players aren't prepared for dealing with the rules minutiae, they would have signed up for a free-form or some other game.
- Second, it's a check on the players and the PCs. The PCs have defined capabilities; there are ways to expand those capabilities and to be able to get away with the cinematic flourishes, or to do amazing things, all within the constraints of the system. If you want to be able to do X, then spend the skill points, or feat slots, or buy the magic items that let you do X.
- Third, it's a constraint on myself as GM -- I have to figure out how my NPCs can accomplish their goals within the constraints of the rules, on the same bases as the PCs. It's a level-playing field (well, except that frequently the players are much better at exploiting the rules than I am).
- First, if I wanted to play a rules-light game that allows for cinematic actions unhampered by an analysis of standard vs. move vs. swift vs. whatever actions, I wouldn't be GM'ing a Pathfinder game. I chose this system for a reason, and I assume the players did as well -- and that if the players aren't prepared for dealing with the rules minutiae, they would have signed up for a free-form or some other game.
- If rules-niggling and nitpicking is a problem for you, then I am not likely to be the "right" GM for you.
GM Posts from NPC-Perspectives, Spoilers, and Metagaming
- I will at times actually post the thoughts of NPCs (and occasionally even entire scenes/interludes from an NPC's perspective). This does not mean that your character knows what the NPC is thinking/doing or what happened in an interlude where your character was not present. I expect players to be skilled enough to separate out-of-character knowledge from in-character play.
- In connection with that, you should be aware that the "What's Happening Off-Screen" thread may very well contain spoilers relevant to your storyline. I generally will not hide this spoiler-ific information, though I may indicate at the very top of any new post whose characters might be affected by information. It is up to you to decide whether or not to read those posts.
- My default for scenes where fewer than all PCs are present is that all events are public to all members of the campaign. If you have a reason to keep something secret about your PC, then PM me and make your case for running something in a non-public thread. You are always free to include a private line to me within any given public post.
PC vs. PC (a/k/a I'm Not Your Mom)
- As a default rule, I as GM am perfectly okay with players having their characters work against one another, although in the 5+ years of this game players have seldom done so. However, some of the more recent PCs/players joined with the express direction that they were creating PCs that were meant to work with the other existing players/PCs in the storyline. This is because the existing PCs/players had expressed a strong preference for avoiding intra-party conflict.
- For those of you in those storylines (and if you are in doubt, please let me know -- some of you may in fact be running storylines with such players even if you joined long ago and without an express statement of "no pvp, please"), you are expected to abide by the prerequisite of "getting along." Does that mean you have to keep running a PC in a storyline where you can't rationalize why your PC would continue adventuring with other PCs who rub him/her the wrong way (or for some other reason your PC would not continue adventuring with)? No -- it means that you don't get a solo storyline when you decide you need to separate from that group. Your options are:
1. Create another PC for the same storyline, after discussing with the GM and the other players why the first one just didn't work out -- try to figure out how the group, as a whole, can minimize the chances of your second PC also not working out.
2. Discuss with the GM whether you can join a different storyline, either with your original PC (who might fit better with another group) or with a new PC. The viability of this option depends on available space in the other groups.
3. Discuss with the GM whether there is an abandoned PC or an appropriate-level NPC that you might be able to take over, either in your initial storyline or in another.
- On the other hand, for those of you who joined a storyline with the express understanding that the existing players/PCs were game for PC-vs-PC conflict -- you are free to go after the existing PCs, just as they are free to go after your PC. However, I expect everyone to handle such situations maturely -- don't be a jerk just because you can. And don't get your nose out of joint when the other PC (or NPCs) react appropriately to your jerkiness -- even to the point of murderous retaliation. Annoy someone, and expect them to respond in kind. Attack someone, and expect them to respond in kind. A claim of "that's what my character would do" does not get you a free pass from the effects of what other PCs or NPCs would do in response even if I agree that, in fact, your PC's actions are perfectly "in character." For more on this from the GM's perspective and NPC reactions, see "The Truth About Consequences" section below.
- Keep in mind that regardless of "who started it," I reserve the right to kill your character off and kick you out of the campaign if I feel that you're using the "I'm just playing my character in keeping with his personality" just to make everyone else's experience unpleasant. In short, I expect better behavior from the players, and more mature interaction among the PCs, than from my twelve and ten-year-olds.
The Truth About Consequences
- I have at times had ... shall we call them, issues ... with players who approach this game as if it is one where PCs are always considered heroes, always guaranteed success, and subject to only fleeting and insignificant consequences for the choices they make and the actions they take. This is not that type of game. If you want to be a Murder Hobo and get away with it without any blowback, you need to go play in another game.
- In other words, NPCs have agendas and viewpoints. They can like or dislike you, become your fast friend or hold grudges and hate you forever. They can decide to put a bounty on your head and hunt you down if you break the law or piss them off in some way. As GM, I get to decide how the setting and NPCs react to your PC.
- If you need some clarification about what your PC would know about customs, traditions, local laws, etc., so your PC can make an informed choice about what to do, I will gladly clarify what your PC would actually know (or might learn if you make a successful Gather Info or Sense Motive or similar check).
- The key point, however, is that your PC may screw up royally and make NPCs -- minor or major -- very unhappy. This may mean you will get hunted down, or your chances of achieving any particular goal are reduced from slim to none. What your PC chooses to do changes the world around him/her -- sometimes in ways that are bad for your PC. You don't get a vote on how the NPCs/setting react.
Miscellaneous
- You are not required to have the details of the world memorized, and should feel free to ask questions both where the answers are already available and where the details have not yet been filled in. The public notices provide only sketchy/general outlines, designed more to give you the bare minimum of what you need to know to come up with a character who fits somewhere in the world. I have more information in my head, which I am happy to share with you if you need it. (That said, I don't have everything detailed; I often deal only in broad brushstrokes, providing detail only where it is needed -- I simply don't have the time or energy to do a pointillist account of every square inch of the world, or every possible NPC. I make things up off-the-cuff.)
- In the same vein, you are not required to memorize the details of everything in your thread or any other thread. I know it's hard to remember what the shopkeeper with the lazy eye told your PC 200 messages earlier. If I think it would be helpful to remind you of something, I will do so -- and you are always free to ask, "could you remind me ...?"
- Edits to the rules will occur on a very irregular basis, depending upon my whim. I will post notices of significant changes in the OOC thread; for one week after the edits are made, the most recent changes will be shown by
strike-throughsfor deletions and blue text for additions. The changes take effect immediately when posted, not just when you get around to reading them.
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