Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site faron.UUCP
Path: utzoo!linus!faron!wdr
From: wdr@faron.UUCP (William D. Ricker)
Newsgroups: net.games.frp
Subject: Re: Forced Alignment Change (Tempting Choices)
Message-ID: <318@faron.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 30-Jul-85 16:34:18 EDT
Article-I.D.: faron.318
Posted: Tue Jul 30 16:34:18 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 31-Jul-85 06:06:44 EDT
References: <3081@pur-ee.UUCP>
Reply-To: wdr@faron.UUCP (William D. Ricker)
Organization: The MITRE Coporation, Bedford, MA
Lines: 75
Summary: 



>>First rule of Dungeon Mastering:
>> "Don't mess with other people's characterization."
>>  It'sobnoxious and destructive.

>>I think that the proper response to having your character's
>>personality changed is to rip the character sheet into confetti, and
>>start looking for another campaign.

>>(If you tell the GM this before you start play, he's unlikely to do it
>>to you.)
>>		Robert Plamondon


In article <3081@pur-ee.UUCP> mazina@pur-ee.UUCP (Der Kaiser) replies
(sentence number inserted):
1.
>You should NEVER attempt to blackmail a DM like that!
2.
>"Don't do XXX or I'll quit!" is the statement of a MUNCHKIN!
3.
>You can make your dipleasure known, but you shouldn't quit unless it was 
>really unjustified, like out of nowhere.
4.
>The proper response is to try and
>play the character as someone who has a complete change of heart, with the
>attendant soul searching, mental trauma, and partial relapses common.
5.
>If you
>do it well, it can be a LOT of fun....

1.  It is not black-mail to ask a GM whether his game is the kind you
	will like before playing.  Telling him what you don't like
	allows him to answer 'Yes' or 'No' instead of rambling on about
	irrelevant criteria.
2.  Implying people are Munchkins is impolite.
	Munchkins, as I understand the pejorative, don't value any
	effort they put into building a character's /personality/.
3.  One could interpret Robert Plamondon's advice in the light of "Der
	Kaiser"'s guideline of only quiting if a decision is "really
	unjustified" as implying he considers required change of character
	to be "really unjustified."
4.  "The proper solution" is a trifle presumptive.  Unless, of course,
	one is quoting from the latest authoritative Holy Tome from
	the monks of Lake Geneva.
5.  Agreed that soul-searching /et al/ can be fun.  But ... (there's
	always a 'But' ;-)  My characters get into enough
	soul-searching without girdles of alignment-changing forcing
	the issue.  For instance, my current main character in a
	Traveler variant will have a rough decision when we trade in
	the current ship: does she abandon her lover the captain or her
	dream of a ship of her own?  From what I've heard of a related
	campaign Robert Plamondon has played in, I suspect his
	characters have quite enough soul-searching /etc./ without
	artificial assistance.

Reading between the lines, I suspect characterization is R. Plamondon's
joy in gaming.  Perhaps it is our anonymous critic, "Der Kaiser",
who is missing something in the hobby.

(At the risk of reviving an old and somewhat obnoxious form of
.signature war, I'll sign myself...)

	Not afraid to sign my name,
-- 

  William Ricker
  wdr@faron.UUCP						(UUCP)
  decvax!genrad!linus!faron!wdr					(UUCP)
 {allegra,ihnp4,utzoo,philabs,uw-beaver}!linus!faron!wdr	(UUCP)

Opinions are my own and not necessarily anyone elses.
No warranty, expressed or implied, is given about the veracity of any
statements contained herein.  Applicable law in your state may differ.