Demandments of FRP roleplaying
Dave Spielman
Colin Davis <cda...@thepentagon.com> wrote in message
news:36E4AE6B...@thepentagon.com...
>In my local gaming group we will soon be moving to a new location, and I
>had wanted to formalize a set of rules for the game. Digging through
>archives on my computer, I came up with the Demandments of FRP
>role-playing (an admittidly biased paper, written by my self, with
>contributions from the net).
>Can anyone help me update this to an acceptable document?
>
>DEMANDMENTS OF FRP GAMES
<snip>
>II. No Game-Mechanics while Role-Playing!
>
>Ex: Character A, speaking in character: "I would never do that; I'm
>Lawful Good."
> Character B, sarcastically: "Is that what that the letters 'LG'
>on that badge mean?"
>[When there is no such badge]
Is that game mechanics or anachronisms?
Game mechanics, to me, would be more like askind an NPC what alignment,
level, etc. they are.
>
>
>III. Ask Not for Whom the Bell tolls; Just Shut Up!
>
>[We have a problem with a lot of out-of-character table-talk]
>
>Ex: "My other character would use his short sword of wounding"
>
>Ex: "If only phasers existed in this world"
As a DM, that really doesn't bother me. I am sort of the class clown type,
and I may not remember the minute details of AD&D games I played years ago,
some of the banter and, especially, puns atill make me chuckle.
<snip>
The list is pretty cool as a whole, but I have found it more effective to
just level with the players before a game and tell them what I am expecting.
Much of your list would be stuff I would deal with, especially mentioning
that even when things may seem wierd or unfair, I have a reason.
When I was but a wee lad, I would have had a list like yours, plus about ten
more, with the kids I gamed with. But now, in my near-dotage, I am running a
campaign with two adults (age 30+). Having a party of two is tough, but fun
and easy to handle at first. If I add more players, it will be slowly, so
that the fun and companionship will continue. I have found that just tossing
in a bunch of folks at first leads to a lot of chaos until everyone gets
used to the DMs playing style.
Also, I have the advantage of working with two players that are husband and
wife.... so they tend to get along better as PCs (though not always!).
Colin Davis
had wanted to formalize a set of rules for the game. Digging through
archives on my computer, I came up with the Demandments of FRP
role-playing (an admittidly biased paper, written by my self, with
contributions from the net).
Can anyone help me update this to an acceptable document?
DEMANDMENTS OF FRP GAMES
I. Don't Know it if you Don't Know it
[Player knowledge is not the same as character knowledge.]
Ex: A player's 2nd level thief, of low to medium intelligence,
tries to invent gunpowder
Ex: Although the character is in a different building half-way
through a beer, player a overhears the Gm inform a comrade
that some strange noise has been heard outside her bedroom
door. Player A's character says: "I leave my beer and head
back to our rooms."
II. No Game-Mechanics while Role-Playing!
Ex: Character A, speaking in character: "I would never do that; I'm
Lawful Good."
Character B, sarcastically: "Is that what that the letters 'LG'
on that badge mean?"
[When there is no such badge]
III. Ask Not for Whom the Bell tolls; Just Shut Up!
[We have a problem with a lot of out-of-character table-talk]
Ex: "My other character would use his short sword of wounding"
Ex: "If only phasers existed in this world"
IV. No Game Lawyers!
Ex: "Well, I no that's what it says in the Handbook, but if you
look in Spell Law on P. #6, it could be interpreted to mean
this; then I read this article in Dragon.....
V. The GM is Always Right
[This is tough, and not to be taken with idiotic literacy;
NOT : GM: "Night falls."
Player: "Hey, you said it was noon 20 game-minutes ago.
GM: "shut up. The planets realigned...”
The GM should say "OOPS I forgot. Never mind."
BUT : GM: "Night Falls, surprisingly."
Player: "Hey, you said it was noon 20 game-minutes ago.”
GM: “There's a reason.”
[If the player goes on now he's breaking demandment VII]
VI. If you say it, you’ve said it.
[Do not say things that sound like they are in character, but then
retract them when they do not get the reaction you like]
Ex. Player A: “I’m sorry, your majesty, we cannot perform that quest
for you.”
GM, as lord: “Well then, GUARDS!”
Player A: “Oh, no! I meant that out of character!!”
[when he obviously did not]
VII. Play your own character. Let everyone else play theirs.
Ex. Player A: “Player B's character shoots the wizard!”
Player B: “NO, he doesn’t”
Player A: “Shut up! Like I was saying.....”
VIII. Make your Character Stay in Character!
Ex. A champion of justice, who, up to this point has never killed a man
with out a trial, does so for the convenience of plot.
IX. Bust Enemies, not furniture.
[We have a problem with Players leaning back on weak chairs.]
X. Thou Shall Not Snivel About Unfairness.
[This follows along the lines of rule VII above. The GM usually has a
reason for his decisions.]
Ex: "Why are they shooting at ME? I'm farther away than Bob here.
That's not faaaaaiiiiiiirrrrrr!!"
XI. Inter-player fighting shall not be carried over into in-character
situations and vice versa.
Ex: Player A & Player B have recently had a disagreement out of game.
Player A: “My character Shoots Player B’s character”
GM: “Why?”
Player B: “He’s my character, and I said he does!”
XII. Remember the Gaming Day and keep it Holy.
[Be prepared to show up at the appointed time for a game. If you cannot
make it, give plenty of notice]
XIII. Thy shall not monopolize the GM’s time.
[Do not spend the entire night on your character. This rule applies does
not apply to role-playing situations, but rather the creation of items,
building a castle, researching a new spell, etc. ]
Jon Inge Teigland
>
> DEMANDMENTS OF FRP GAMES
>
> V. The GM is Always Right
>
> [This is tough, and not to be taken with idiotic literacy;
>
> NOT : GM: "Night falls."
> Player: "Hey, you said it was noon 20 game-minutes ago.
> GM: "shut up. The planets realigned...”
>
> The GM should say "OOPS I forgot. Never mind."
>
> BUT : GM: "Night Falls, surprisingly."
> Player: "Hey, you said it was noon 20 game-minutes ago.”
> GM: “There's a reason.”
>
GM: "Yep. Like I said, you're very surprised."
Jon Inge Teigland
Duane VanderPol
<cda...@thepentagon.com> wrote:
>Can anyone help me update this to an acceptable document?
First, do you mean "Commandments"? "Demandment" is not a word
I'm familiar with although I could take a guess at it's meaning which
would be slightly different than commandment. Anyway, a lot of these
ought to simply be understood by players having had them explained by
the DM without having to put them down in writing.
>I. Don't Know it if you Don't Know it
>[Player knowledge is not the same as character knowledge.]
This would be one of them. I suppose if you're dealing with a
number of NEW players then they will not have heard this and other
commonly understood axioms of roleplaying.
>II. No Game-Mechanics while Role-Playing!
>
>Ex: Character A, speaking in character: "I would never do that; I'm
>Lawful Good."
> Character B, sarcastically: "Is that what that the letters 'LG'
>on that badge mean?"
>[When there is no such badge]
I think this one actually should be combined with number VI
below. Retitle it: Sticks and stones won't break his bones, but words
will put your character in traction for weeks! Players must exercise
restraint with mixing in-character speech, game terminology, and out
of character joking.
I've seen DM's get OVERLY snotty about this so some joking
about and anachronistic speech by characters has to be tolerated. The
DM must simply be patient and firm when it's _called for_. When you
look directly at the player and ask "Is that REALLY what you're
saying?" and the response is "Yes." then pull no punches.
>III. Ask Not for Whom the Bell tolls; Just Shut Up!
>
>[We have a problem with a lot of out-of-character table-talk]
Hmn. This is related to number II above somewhat as well.
D&D is also a social gathering so players are naturally going to be
taking the opportunity to discuss THEIR lives as well as their
character's lives. A reasonable level of this must therefore be
tolerated but the DM, again, has to be patient and fair when it's
called for and simply tell the players to cut down on the chatter and
get with the program.
I flatter myself that I have the patience of a saint and am a
good listener as well. I don't mind spending most of a day jawing
instead of actually playing once in a while, but there have been days
when I've simply not even bothered to try and shut them up. I usually
just wait for THEM to get on each other about getting down to
business. When they all are looking at me and not talking anymore
then I know I can start/resume the game. If I'm not interested in the
conversation then I busy myself with those endless game-related DM's
tasks.
>IV. No Game Lawyers!
For me this is also one that just goes without saying because
I lay down the law up front. If you disagree with a DM ruling or
omission of a rule then by all means make your case succinctly but I
won't tolerate bringing the game to a screeching halt while players
argue with the DM.
>V. The GM is Always Right
>
>[This is tough, and not to be taken with idiotic literacy;
Another one that goes without saying except for the newbies.
>VI. If you say it, you’ve said it.
>
>[Do not say things that sound like they are in character, but then
>retract them when they do not get the reaction you like]
See number II above.
>VII. Play your own character. Let everyone else play theirs.
Never, ever had a problem with this in any campaign. The
closest I could come is the problems that arise with letting others
play the characters of a missing player until he gets back. I just
don't go there no more.
>VIII. Make your Character Stay in Character!
Well THIS is just roleplaying in and of itself rather than a
roleplaying commandment.
>IX. Bust Enemies, not furniture.
>
>[We have a problem with Players leaning back on weak chairs.]
Hasn't everyone had this problem at one time or another?
Include abuse and destruction of the gaming table with that. Not sure
that it should be a commandment though as it's something that should
simply be anticipated as a byproduct of gaming in and around the same
chair for hours at a time on a regular basis. Either buy stronger
chairs that will take the abuse or cheaper chairs that can be easily
replaced.
>X. Thou Shall Not Snivel About Unfairness.
Snip it entirely. See number V - The DM is Always Right.
>XI. Inter-player fighting shall not be carried over into in-character
>situations and vice versa.
Yeah, it happens but hopefully not enough that you need a
commandment about it. If you DO then you have problems that a
commandment won't actually fix.
>XII. Remember the Gaming Day and keep it Holy.
>
>[Be prepared to show up at the appointed time for a game. If you cannot
>make it, give plenty of notice]
Eh. Common courtesy - or SHOULD be anyway. Again, if you
gotta actually have a commandment for this then the offending player
has problems that a commandment won't fix.
>XIII. Thy shall not monopolize the GM’s time.
>
>[Do not spend the entire night on your character. This rule applies does
>not apply to role-playing situations, but rather the creation of items,
>building a castle, researching a new spell, etc. ]
No, it applies to roleplaying situations too. For example,
the player who has his character go off on his own in a dungeon simply
to spice things up for himself or because he's feeling greedy and is
hoping to pocket some stray zillion gold piece gem. No matter the
motivation, the DM is then obligated (to an extent) to spend a
disproportionate amount of time dealing with ONLY that character to
the exclusion of the others. My solution is to simply squash them
like bugs unless I think they've got a GOOD reason for it.
Duane VP
Visit the Castle of the Glowing Sky at:
http://home.earthlink.net/~duanevp/
Jon Inge Teigland
> On Tue, 09 Mar 1999 00:15:24 -0500, Colin Davis
> <cda...@thepentagon.com> wrote:
>
> >VII. Play your own character. Let everyone else play theirs.
>
> Never, ever had a problem with this in any campaign. The
> closest I could come is the problems that arise with letting others
> play the characters of a missing player until he gets back. I just
> don't go there no more.
>
either. The closest I've come has been when one player says when his
character will do, and other players start telling him not to, or giving
him advise and such.
This gets very silly if a low int fighter starts advising the mage as to
what spell to cast.
Jon Inge Teigland
verkuilen john v
>Duane VanderPol wrote:
>> On Tue, 09 Mar 1999 00:15:24 -0500, Colin Davis
>> <cda...@thepentagon.com> wrote:
>>
>> >VII. Play your own character. Let everyone else play theirs.
>>
>> Never, ever had a problem with this in any campaign. The
>> closest I could come is the problems that arise with letting others
>> play the characters of a missing player until he gets back. I just
>> don't go there no more.
>>
>I've never encountered a situation such as the one described myself
>either. The closest I've come has been when one player says when his
>character will do, and other players start telling him not to, or giving
>him advise and such.
>This gets very silly if a low int fighter starts advising the mage as to
>what spell to cast.
Right, although I've heard (and said) on occasion: I don't think your
character would reasonably think of that. A little help can be OK so long
as it doesn't become "back seat roleplaying." And players can and should
point out abuses of player knowledge if the GM misses it. On occasion, if
a player makes a suggestion that really should be in character and I feel
that it's a bit of a stretch that the character would think of it, I've
required an Intelligence, Wisdom, or proficiency check of some kind for the
suggestion to be offered. Sometimes when I'm playing and I feel it is
doubtful that my character would be able to offer a comment I think of, I
will make such a check myself for a little guidance.
Jay
--
J. Verkuilen ja...@uiuc.edu
WWCD? (What would Cthulu do?)
Alain Homsy
Duane VanderPol wrote:
> First, do you mean "Commandments"? "Demandment" is not a word
> I'm familiar with although I could take a guess at it's meaning which
> would be slightly different than commandment. Anyway, a lot of these
> ought to simply be understood by players having had them explained by
> the DM without having to put them down in writing.
I think maybe it means something like requisites (sp?) - waht you need to RP.
> >IV. No Game Lawyers!
I'd agree with this 99% of the time except when the DM has in fact (let's
say) 'forgotten' a basic rule which he agrees with (ie one he hasn't
dismissed or replaced with a house rule). In that case I think the player
should point it out (civilly) and everybody is happy. However I do agree that
the chance of this happening is very small, but there are exceptions to every
rule. Don't make the players so freaked out that they won't dare to point out
an obvious mistake ("You just keep your mouth shut or I'll take of
1000XP's!")>IX. Bust Enemies, not furniture.
> >
> >[We have a problem with Players leaning back on weak chairs.]
>
I think you should add "No throwing dangerous objects around the room". We
haveone hot tempered englishman playing with us and he throws whatever is
handy whenever he is hit. Pens, dice, dice boxes, paper pads.
> >XII. Remember the Gaming Day and keep it Holy.
> >
> >[Be prepared to show up at the appointed time for a game. If you cannot
> >make it, give plenty of notice]
We had one player who chose to go shopping rather than show up for the most
sacred game. He didn't even tell us and just didn't show up - we waited an
hour before beginning without him. When he found out we carried on without
him he ranted about us wanting to get rid of him all the time and quit the
group. So I'd add somewhere that it helps not to be too paranoid - even if
all the DM's pet monsters seem to have something against you - and if you
have a problem with a player/Dm, say it rather than waiting for it to pass.
But I giess that applies for all situations.
Oli