I should note: don't expect me to post on here too often, as neither "actual play" nor "craft" is very much my style.

But I wanted to note that tonight I had a fantastic gaming experience and it was due to at least one of my players recognizing that good Roleplaying isn't something that comes out of being able to always exude uber-coolness and appear to be unbeatably awesome (as certain other games promote in their setting, like Exalted; or try to claim players want as part of the system, like virtually any of the GM-neutering Forge games); but rather it comes out of players being able to portray a character in intense difficulties struggling to overcome those difficulties.

Case in point: my player in the superhero campaign that spent the entire session having lost his powers. He started already without powers, and ended the session without the slightest hint that his powers might return, in a situation where lesser players would have bitched and moaned about "unfairness", he ran with it and turned it into a deeply meaningful roleplaying experience.

That's how its done, bitches.  So Kudos to Federico, aka Sun Boy.

RPGPundit

Hey Pundit, I was curious what superhero RPG you're running currently?  I know you shared my high regard for Truth & Justice--are you playing that or another system?

It's a matter of trust. You can throw stuff like total disenrfanchisement at the players, if they know that you are playing fair with them. Wherein "fair" means, that he has options, and that he can actually do something worthwhile, no matter what the odds. "Fair" is not neccessarily balanced, though.
If your players trust you, your game will shine. Trust cannot be written in rules, it's a thing about your personality and your history of judgements.

No, I'm running a Legion of Super-Heroes campaign, using the Star Wars D20 rules as the basic system.

Its working out smashingly well.

RPGPundit

Any chance of getting you to post the rules you came up with if you have them on your comp?

Quote from: SettembriniIt's a matter of trust. You can throw stuff like total disenrfanchisement at the players, if they know that you are playing fair with them. Wherein "fair" means, that he has options, and that he can actually do something worthwhile, no matter what the odds. "Fair" is not neccessarily balanced, though.
If your players trust you, your game will shine. Trust cannot be written in rules, it's a thing about your personality and your history of judgements.

Repeated for verisimilitude.

It's good to be fair, as you define it.

this is the moment when your players escalate the game beyond what even you had planned, or when they make decisions that are character nor player led.

Quote from: cnath.rmAny chance of getting you to post the rules you came up with if you have them on your comp?

In answer to this question, and speaking of "disenfranchisement" and how it can be a good thing:

Check out my blog entry for today...

RPGPundit

Man, i'm, like, so cool.

Sigh. I've often wished for players who were cool, or mature. Sadly the best players also have real lives that prevent their appearance at my table on a regular basis.

John "One-Shot" Whitaker wanted to play a cleric of Midnight, goddess of magic. I gave him all the powers from the book EXCEPT the ability "to cast normally in a dead magic or wild magic zone". And the adventure took place in a dead magic zone. No more magic, no more spells. Some players (and by that I mean...me.) would say, "Okay, I can't cast, but then what CAN I do?" and do that. John cried and cried and cried and cried about not having any spells or magic and being useless and worthless and then left the table for the night. He had no confidence in himself, no faith in his character, no trust in his DM.

The end of BUFFY season 2, Angel says, "You've got no weapons, no friends, no hope. What do you have left?" And swings his sword to cut her head off. She catches the sword and says, "Me."

I can give a dozen more examples of players who only focus on their disadvantages instead of realizing what they have left, and making the most of what's available.

Never give up. Never surrender.