tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post4765374261216241641..comments2023-10-14T03:58:59.333-06:00Comments on The Tao of D&D: But Sadly, Can't Be FixedAlexis Smolenskhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10539170107563075967noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-71962765846319475722014-02-10T13:08:53.763-07:002014-02-10T13:08:53.763-07:00Reading this made me think of the recent scandal i...Reading this made me think of the recent scandal in the US Air Force where some 34 officers in the nuclear program were found have been involved in cheating on the competency tests.<br /><br />NPRs reporter cited a study that I cannot find where it was shown that when rewards are given too heavily to a single winner, it causes the rest of the participants to engage in unethical behavior and cheating -- being a dick, in other words.<br /><br />Look no further than Wall Street to see examples of this in real life. Hell, watch ANY organized sport. Second place is the first loser and all that.<br /><br />D&D is often played in such a way that the "winner" gets the bulk of money, magic and experience. I think this alone can explain dickishness at the gaming table.<br /><br />What we can do about it is spread the rewards out more evenly. Everyone gets experience for a fight. Monetary rewards are more evenly distributed.<br /><br />Competition isn't the cause of dickishness, it's the lopsided distribution of the rewards that causes it.Original_Carlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03521777462227997158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-2548602850397045152014-02-07T10:44:25.504-07:002014-02-07T10:44:25.504-07:00As an afterthought, and this is certainly worth a ...As an afterthought, and this is certainly worth a post someday.<br /><br />The need to 'prove' things, like being 'a great warrior,' is a very troubling part of role-playing games as well as other activities. And there will always be a select number of players who turn to RPG's in order to obtain self-worth.<br /><br />This may be the root of all evil.Alexis Smolenskhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10539170107563075967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-3076985410419616812014-02-07T10:41:46.265-07:002014-02-07T10:41:46.265-07:00Yes, Matt. D&D is not a sport. I was using a...Yes, Matt. D&D is not a sport. I was using a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metaphor" rel="nofollow">metaphor</a>.<br /><br />As a DM, players challenging players to 'duels' is tiresome, annoying, cliched, anti-social and, in all cases, produces either hard feelings between players or an escalation in the need to 'out-compete' one another until the WHOLE game is about whether Player A is better than Player B.<br /><br />But, as your answer proves, players will <i>Go To Every End</i> to justify this behavior.Alexis Smolenskhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10539170107563075967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-90108477340471298742014-02-07T10:19:20.793-07:002014-02-07T10:19:20.793-07:00There are some ways where the team sports analogy ...There are some ways where the team sports analogy doesn't quite hold up to D&D. It mostly has to do with the goals that the party has. In a sport, the goal is simple: score points to win the game.<br /><br />Even if you are on a team that has no interest in winning at the sport, even if you're just playing a friendly game, even if you aren't even keeping score, the goal is to do the thing that earns you points. No one is going to play a basketball game and decide that they'd rather all lay on the floor and see how well they can pass and catch the basketball using only their feet instead of trying to make baskets. If they do, they'll probably be asked to leave the court, or if the whole team likes the idea, they probably won't call it basketball.<br /><br />In an RPG each player usually has some goals for their characters beyond the default assumptions of the game (get EXP and Gold ad infinitum.)<br /><br />Maybe a player wants his character to avenge their slain father, and maybe another wants her character to become the Duke of Marmalade, and maybe one just wants to be the greatest warrior in the land. In the course of reaching these goals the party will work together as a team, support each others goals, and benefit from the success thereof.<br /><br />In a sport, there really isn't a situation where two players on the same team will be in conflict about which goal to pursue. There is one goal: score points. Maybe there will be some ball-hogging or show-boating, or maybe there will be some conflict about who gets to actually score the points, or what strategy will maximize the points scored. There is no argument over which basket you shoot the ball into.<br /><br />In an RPG evidence could arise the same person who killed one character's father could be the very king who has dominion over the Duchy of Marmalade. The loyalist who seeks a title, and the man who seeks vengeance are put at odds over this. Sure, they could agree to kill the king, and to try take Marmalade in the chaos. They could decide to play the court, and then uncover evidence of the king's vile acts so that he can be deposed later. The loyalist may decide that Marmalade is not worth his friendship, or the avenger could decide that his vengeance is not worth plunging a kingdom into chaos. Further, if they do play the game more politically, then the warrior may not have many chances to prove himself a great warrior. Sure, maybe he can become a knight or a captain in the duke's armies, or maybe he can attend tournaments, or maybe he can just find dragons to fight for the good of the kingdom. <br /><br />I don't think the avenger's player would be being a dick if, upon hearing the loyalist's promise of fealty, he decided to punch the loyalist right in the face. (In character of course. If he slugs the player he is absolutely a dick, and needs to be literally tossed out the door.) I don't think that the loyalist would be a dick if he challenged the avenger to a duel to restore his besmirched honor. I think that as long as the violence doesn't veer into the "I'm going to kill your character and take his shit" territory that inter-character violence is a normal and healthy part of building a stronger team.<br /><br />The important thing is that after that violence there has to be talking, and decision, and compromise that will lead to new goals being drafted. I think that inter-character conflict has a wonderful way of gluing a party together as long as people aren't dicks.<br />Matthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17939309042792833333noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-90206826862412898452014-02-07T04:03:02.981-07:002014-02-07T04:03:02.981-07:00Hey, :)
Hmmm... yes and no, there's more to i...Hey, :)<br /><br />Hmmm... yes and no, there's more to it than that.<br /><br />I've had this particular conversation in many forms, with many people, in many different contexts.<br /><br />Some times, people just don't know that they're doing it. They don't realize it. I find it helps to give them the benefit of the doubt and call them on it, in a non-confrontational manner. Hey, look, this is what's happening, that dude is getting shut out, let's get our crap together and be a group. I've seen that work, many, many times. It pretty much always works unless people get overly defensive.<br /><br />Other times, it takes a bit more effort. People genuinely think that that's the correct way to play, and even though they make an effort to avoid it, every once in a while, they slip back into old habits. Usually, a quick friendly reminder is all it takes to get things back on track.<br /><br />Then again, some times, it doesn't work out.<br /><br />I have a friend, I actually consider him a very close personal friend, with whom I refuse to play RPGs. He's wonderful to play board games with, and he's just a cool guy to hang around when the activities are non-structured, but his personality is such that he simply can't do structured without being competitive. Even when the activity itself is non-competitive, he gets socially competitive, like alpha male competitive, and tries to dominate the proceedings. So, I stopped playing RPGs with him. It just doesn't work out. But it's ok, we hang out all the time, and he's remained a valuable component of my life.<br /><br />I guess what I'm trying to say is, yes, there's abuse (railroading, illusionism, Nurembergism) at many an RPG table, the only strategy available is <i>not</i> bag, tag and boot. Yes, some people are inherently dicks. But, I've met two, maybe three at the outside, over the total course of my life. Most people are decent human beings, if you give them the chance to be.<br /><br />Cheers,<br />J.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-27516205578509248202014-02-06T11:50:01.517-07:002014-02-06T11:50:01.517-07:00I ran a one-shot RPG adventure with friends, and a...I ran a one-shot RPG adventure with friends, and a friend of a friend. The nature of the one-shot is not open ended, like a campaign would be. It was set up. It had the party of PCs answering an invitation. It happened that the friend of the friend (fof) received the invitation. He proceeded to answer the invitation himself, in character, by ignoring the rest of the party members. But, he was in character so everything was alright, right? Apparently he intended to do the whole adventure by himself, while five other players sat around and watched him play. I called him on this and he made it clear that he would rather play something else - when we had all gotten together to play this particular one shot. That night the situation was solved by physically taking the invitation from the fof and giving it to another player. He's not playing with us anymore.Jomo Risinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13552294536240059611noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-83511911186680481642014-02-06T10:09:06.415-07:002014-02-06T10:09:06.415-07:00I don't have any in the three campaigns I'...I don't have any in the three campaigns I'm running either, Lukas. I believe mostly that we grow up and stop congregating where the dicks hang out. I did meet three inside of ten minutes when I went to the D&D clubhouse to play 4e.Alexis Smolenskhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10539170107563075967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3871409676946408069.post-74205979654029019762014-02-06T09:47:22.363-07:002014-02-06T09:47:22.363-07:00If I can't identify any dicks in my current cr...If I can't identify any dicks in my current crew, should I be worried it's me? Or should I be happy we don't have one?<br /><br />I do remember a couple in college, but since then...<br /><br />I wont say I am not known to devastate people on game nights where we play competitive games, but I do hope I am a reasonable person about it.<br /><br />I think they would know if I were going easy on them.Lukashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05779189363430537747noreply@blogger.com