Rights and Responsibilities of Players and DM's - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Rights and Responsibilities of Players and DM's

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
unholydragoon_dup
Jul 12, 2003 4:41:14 There are many, many things that are required to have a truly enjoyable session of gaming. One of the most important is for the parties involved to understand what is actually the purview of the DM and the purview of the player. In other words, what the players are responsible for in game and what the DM is responsible for in game. It seems like it should be common sense. But like common sense, it isn't that common at all.

There are three general (VERY general ;) ) areas of a gaming session: The Setting, the Plot, and the Story. Plot and Story should be the same, ye say? I think not, and shall explain their differences. I'll start with setting, since it is the easiest.

The campaign world, the background, this is all the Setting. It is where the Plot and Story take place. This aspect of the game belongs entirely to the DM. Regardless if the Characters can influence it to a small or large degree, the ultimate responsibility for its creation and handling belongs entirely to the DM. After all, it is the DM that describes all the wonderfully unique (or not so unique...) areas that the PC's travel through and interact with. She is also responsible to bring life to the NPC's, who very much make up the setting. Of course, all of this is useless without a plot.

The Plot is one of the more challenging areas to develop at times. This category is all of the possible hooks, story arcs, and plot lines that the DM writes up for her players to use and abuse. :P The plot of the damsel in distress, the good old fashioned dungeon crawl, the "save the weebles" crusade, all of the storylines that the characters could possible follow up on and interact with. All of this is, surprisingly enough, in the hands of the DM. Of course, it makes more sense why this is after ye understand what Story is.

Ah, the Story. What happens to the characters, their choices and actions all make up the story itself. What the players opt to do, how they interact with the NPC's, monsters and dungeons, how they heroically save the princess. Or, if ye have players like mine, how they heroically reduce a tavern to rubble with a good-old-fashioned bar brawl. Anyway, the story is the domain of the players - as it should be. This is all aboot them, ain't it?

So how does this all work together? Look at it like this: The Setting is the where, the Plot is the why, and the Story is the how, when, and what. As ye can see, ye cannot have one without the other. And when ye mix the duties up, ye have problems.

That is where railroading, one of the Great Evils(tm), often becomes a problem. Railroading is the DM trying to control the how, when, and what (the Story). Suddenly, players no longer have any real say in the game. That is bad juju.

Another of the Great Evils(tm) is for the players to actively deny and avoid all plots that the DM throws at them. Instead, these players often attempt to simply interact randomly, often abusively, with the setting the DM provides. While loads of fun for the players, this is extremely frustrating for the DM, as then she doesn't get to do anything. Think of it as Reverse Railroading. Again, this is one of the quickest ways to kill a campaign.

Ruining an adventure happens quickly when the DM (or the players!) grossly violates the way in which all three aspects of the game interact with each other. Each area - Setting, Plot, and Story - must be kept in a harmonious balance. So it requries walking a fine line sometimes, that it does.

If all three of these areas can be handled well by the parties involved, by acting on each other fluidly and evenly, an adventure (be it one shot or campaign) will leave everyone satisfied and fulfilled. This should be the goal of every gaming group - fun and satisfaction for the enitre gaming group. What more can we ask of each other than to have fun and enjoy this great pastime of ours?

With any luck, this little rant of mine will come in handy. Or, I might just be talking out of me arse again. Wouldn't be the first time. ;) :P

-DREZ IMAGE(http://www.geocities.com/canamrock/NotDragon.txt)
#2
stembolt
Jul 13, 2003 22:58:13 Basically this thread is not really worth putting on this board. It says nothing either innovative (like “playing into the game”) nor is it a comprehensive treatment of the subject. My advice is to try again.
#3
slivvy_gaidin
Jul 14, 2003 21:43:28 I like your breakdown of the game into the story, plot and setting. It makes it easier to understand what I (as a very new DM) should strive to achieve, without encroaching on the space of my players.

Thanks. I'll copy this down and keep it.
#4
Ertai_Planeswalker
Jul 15, 2003 14:05:49 While it's not something i did not knew already, your analytical view of setting, story, plot is something my playing group should read.

Nice.
#5
zombiegleemax
Jul 18, 2003 11:47:29 Fantastic! This is something I will have all of my players read when I start a new campaign. It lays out the groudwork for who does what quite nicely and gives me something to refer to if players decide to go on a rampage for "the fun of it".

Thanks for your commentary Unholydragoon.
#6
zombiegleemax
Jul 18, 2003 22:21:29
Or, if ye have players like mine, how they heroically reduce a tavern to rubble with a good-old-fashioned bar brawl.

Ha, I thought only the players in our group did that! Entertaining entry to say the least. Good job.

-ShadeGirl
#7
zombiegleemax
Aug 10, 2003 6:43:32 Separating plot and story is a very useful insight.

It is clearly essential, and yet many DMs do not do it, nor even realize that they should.

Many DMs do actually do it as a matter of course, and thus might consider this to be obvious and unnecessary advice.

But this is the first time I have actually seen it written down clearly by one of the latter DMs as advice to the former, and that makes it more than worthwhile.

And whilst it seems almost everyone is willing to call a DM a bad one for railroading, I think a lot of players would do well to learn that deliberately ignoring potential plots is just as undesirable.
#8
zombiegleemax
Aug 17, 2003 6:32:36 I agree with Mayhem, that players who ignore everything the DM tries to do are just as bad as a rail-roading DM. There has to be balance or the whole things comes off the tracks.

While not a brilliant light shining in through the window, it IS stated concisely and clearly, which is in and of itself a benefit.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 unholydragoon_dup Jul 12, 2003 4:41:14	There are many, many things that are required to have a truly enjoyable session of gaming. One of the most important is for the parties involved to understand what is actually the purview of the DM and the purview of the player. In other words, what the players are responsible for in game and what the DM is responsible for in game. It seems like it should be common sense. But like common sense, it isn't that common at all. There are three general (VERY general ;) ) areas of a gaming session: The Setting, the Plot, and the Story. Plot and Story should be the same, ye say? I think not, and shall explain their differences. I'll start with setting, since it is the easiest. The campaign world, the background, this is all the Setting. It is where the Plot and Story take place. This aspect of the game belongs entirely to the DM. Regardless if the Characters can influence it to a small or large degree, the ultimate responsibility for its creation and handling belongs entirely to the DM. After all, it is the DM that describes all the wonderfully unique (or not so unique...) areas that the PC's travel through and interact with. She is also responsible to bring life to the NPC's, who very much make up the setting. Of course, all of this is useless without a plot. The Plot is one of the more challenging areas to develop at times. This category is all of the possible hooks, story arcs, and plot lines that the DM writes up for her players to use and abuse. :P The plot of the damsel in distress, the good old fashioned dungeon crawl, the "save the weebles" crusade, all of the storylines that the characters could possible follow up on and interact with. All of this is, surprisingly enough, in the hands of the DM. Of course, it makes more sense why this is after ye understand what Story is. Ah, the Story. What happens to the characters, their choices and actions all make up the story itself. What the players opt to do, how they interact with the NPC's, monsters and dungeons, how they heroically save the princess. Or, if ye have players like mine, how they heroically reduce a tavern to rubble with a good-old-fashioned bar brawl. Anyway, the story is the domain of the players - as it should be. This is all aboot them, ain't it? So how does this all work together? Look at it like this: The Setting is the where, the Plot is the why, and the Story is the how, when, and what. As ye can see, ye cannot have one without the other. And when ye mix the duties up, ye have problems. That is where railroading, one of the Great Evils(tm), often becomes a problem. Railroading is the DM trying to control the how, when, and what (the Story). Suddenly, players no longer have any real say in the game. That is bad juju. Another of the Great Evils(tm) is for the players to actively deny and avoid all plots that the DM throws at them. Instead, these players often attempt to simply interact randomly, often abusively, with the setting the DM provides. While loads of fun for the players, this is extremely frustrating for the DM, as then she doesn't get to do anything. Think of it as Reverse Railroading. Again, this is one of the quickest ways to kill a campaign. Ruining an adventure happens quickly when the DM (or the players!) grossly violates the way in which all three aspects of the game interact with each other. Each area - Setting, Plot, and Story - must be kept in a harmonious balance. So it requries walking a fine line sometimes, that it does. If all three of these areas can be handled well by the parties involved, by acting on each other fluidly and evenly, an adventure (be it one shot or campaign) will leave everyone satisfied and fulfilled. This should be the goal of every gaming group - fun and satisfaction for the enitre gaming group. What more can we ask of each other than to have fun and enjoy this great pastime of ours? With any luck, this little rant of mine will come in handy. Or, I might just be talking out of me arse again. Wouldn't be the first time. ;) :P -DREZ
#2 stembolt Jul 13, 2003 22:58:13	Basically this thread is not really worth putting on this board. It says nothing either innovative (like “playing into the game”) nor is it a comprehensive treatment of the subject. My advice is to try again.
#3 slivvy_gaidin Jul 14, 2003 21:43:28	I like your breakdown of the game into the story, plot and setting. It makes it easier to understand what I (as a very new DM) should strive to achieve, without encroaching on the space of my players. Thanks. I'll copy this down and keep it.
#4 Ertai_Planeswalker Jul 15, 2003 14:05:49	While it's not something i did not knew already, your analytical view of setting, story, plot is something my playing group should read. Nice.
#5 zombiegleemax Jul 18, 2003 11:47:29	Fantastic! This is something I will have all of my players read when I start a new campaign. It lays out the groudwork for who does what quite nicely and gives me something to refer to if players decide to go on a rampage for "the fun of it". Thanks for your commentary Unholydragoon.
#6 zombiegleemax Jul 18, 2003 22:21:29	Or, if ye have players like mine, how they heroically reduce a tavern to rubble with a good-old-fashioned bar brawl. Ha, I thought only the players in our group did that! Entertaining entry to say the least. Good job. -ShadeGirl
#7 zombiegleemax Aug 10, 2003 6:43:32	Separating plot and story is a very useful insight. It is clearly essential, and yet many DMs do not do it, nor even realize that they should. Many DMs do actually do it as a matter of course, and thus might consider this to be obvious and unnecessary advice. But this is the first time I have actually seen it written down clearly by one of the latter DMs as advice to the former, and that makes it more than worthwhile. And whilst it seems almost everyone is willing to call a DM a bad one for railroading, I think a lot of players would do well to learn that deliberately ignoring potential plots is just as undesirable.
#8 zombiegleemax Aug 17, 2003 6:32:36	I agree with Mayhem, that players who ignore everything the DM tries to do are just as bad as a rail-roading DM. There has to be balance or the whole things comes off the tracks. While not a brilliant light shining in through the window, it IS stated concisely and clearly, which is in and of itself a benefit.