"You Have a Destiny, My Son"

[selenite0]

RPG.net has recurring flame wars on the subject of how much authority gamemasters should have over the players. The latest iteration included a debate on whether GMs are born or if it's learned skills. That inspired Rayp to say:

With the number of older roleplayers now rearing children perhaps we will find out whether GMing ability does inherit.

If so, we can start a breeding program for GMs with the aim of producing the kwisatz haderach.

Fortunately for Maggie, Jamie, and little should-be-here-by-now celticdragonfly is opposed to arranged marriages.

Comments

[celticdragonfly.livejournal.com]

/smacks you one.

The highest honor any Cetagandan could achieve, higher even than the bestowal of a haut bride, was to have his or her genome formally taken up into the Star Crèche's banks—for disassembly, close examination, and possible selective insertion of the approved bits into the haut race's next generation.

Miles, rolling his sleeve back down, muttered to Pel, “It's prob'ly nurture, not nature, y'know.”

Her exquisite lips resisted an upward crook to form the silent syllable, Sh.

[selenite.livejournal.com]

You say that, but will you let our kids be used in controlled experiments? No. So how can you be sure? :P

Don't MAKE me get out my gom jabbar

[celticdragonfly.livejournal.com]

Hey! You're the one who says our kids are the control group.

Step *away* from the spice.

Re: Don't MAKE me get out my gom jabbar

[kishiriadgr.livejournal.com]

You two crack me up.

Master planned or not, your kids are adorable.

[queen-in-autumn.livejournal.com]

Thanks for making me smile tonight: not just the post, but the icon.

My elven year-old daughter sent her first email a couple of weeks ago; it was to the GM of our game, and she cc'd the person playing the captain of the ship. I was so proud!

She hasn't tried GM'ing yet, but both her parents have been reasonably successful GM's -- and she likes to be in charge -- so I suspect I'll find out very shortly how this aspect of the genetic experiment went.

Kids

[(Anonymous)]

Funny, I read those threads and sat there thinking, are these people in the same reality I am in?



Well I don't know my small horde of kids

Kids

[(Anonymous)]

Funny, I read those threads and sat there thinking, are these people in the same reality I am in?

On the subject of selectively breeding super GMS. I think it's instinctual.

Otherwise you could never explain how I met Jenn.

BTW, ended up talking about you guys and the old Champions game two nights ago.

Corey.

[noumignon.livejournal.com]

Since Shamus Young (the DM of the Rings guy) just hosted one of those RPG flame wars, I thought I'd link you to him just in case you never saw him. Link

[mukhtar.livejournal.com]

Being a semi-second generation gm, I'd have to say it's a learned skill. However, creative people having progeny and then exposing them to massive amounts of sci-fi/fantasy material usually produces the better ones. So I guess what I'm saying is it's learned, but parents who are gamers are somewhat genetically predisposed to give them a leg up.

I'm going back to working on a new D&D campaign that will never be played (I've been working on the details for an entire world for about 5 years now, and no one has played more than 1 session. :P), and then it's off to paint more models for warhammer 40k.

[gryphynkit.livejournal.com]

:giggles:

[selenite.livejournal.com]

You're welcome, I'm glad I could give you a smile.

Re: Kids

[selenite.livejournal.com]

Hmmm. I've never played Champions.

[selenite.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I read his comic so I'd seen some of that discussion.

I mostly avoid railroading by giving the characters a built-in motive to go get involved in the situation (money, usually). The last time I had to push someone onto the track was a Firefly game:

GM: "As you approach the planet, you notice the spaceport isn't answering your messages.
Captain: "Oh-oh, maybe we better go someplace else."
GM: "You're low on fuel."
Captain: "Um . . . okay."

For some reason experience Traveller players are resistant to plot hooks. This came up again at the last con game I ran:

GM: "An NPC signs on as a passenger and says 'Hi, I'm a plot hook!'"
Captain: "I don't like it. Could be a trap."
Five players: "Of course it's a trap, it's the plot hook. Let's go do it anyway."

They wound up voting on it, 5:1. With all discussion in character, but the above is the metatext.

[noumignon.livejournal.com]

I was pretty intrigued by the concept of a game where players role-play outside the fourth wall, kind of like trying to role-play the Order of the Stick characters. Anyway, "Hi, I'm a plot hook!" is a line I definitely hope to hear from some movie or video game character someday. Just be upfront about it, it'll be hilarious.

[selenite.livejournal.com]

Someone tossed out the idea of a Transhuman Space game where the PCs are trying to track down someone who's killing people in virtual reality play settings. So the default is GURPS THS, with players staying in character as best they can, but when they go into VR the rules switch to D&D 3.5 (or whatever seems appropriate) and metagame the heck out of it.

[carbonelle.livejournal.com]

But is she opposed to say, an Almacks?

:-)