Sode 29: Table Roles and Table Rules

[Meg]

A follow up of sorts to our "Rule 0" episode-- what are the rules for the players at the table?  What are stereotypical roles PC's can have?

This episode has not been recorded yet so feel free to discuss and add your thoughts now-- we may just add them into the show!

[Josh]

An example of a Table rule is what do you do with missrolled dice?

Do you re-roll or keep floor dice?  What if you have a leaner?

A Table Rule is about the play of the game and the real world setting, as opposed to the game itself.

[jimmersault]

Now there is one player that, when he joins us, will allow rerolls of 'cocked' dice (including off-table), but there is an informal rule of review at pivotal moments where the peanut gallery can help adjudicate the cock-claim (no pun, sorry).

Generally, when the game is on the line or in major flux, rolls are expected to lie flat and on the table.

Interestingly (relatively) enough, we really gloss over 'house rules' in that we are fairly flexible in letting the game remain a game and interesting failure take place, if only to let emotions never really run high. We're mostly married parents and won't live and die by the results anyway. Oppose that to the fact that we will reconstruct errant rules calls and replay a portion of the game if the wronged party's plan was good enough and the rules interpretation hurt him more than the dice would have. While this is in-game effect, the real understanding is among the players and the real game is taking place among our minds and senses of fair play.

James

[ChristopherGroves]

Suggested roles, or the roles that happen anyway?

(1) The stinky one ... there's always one
(2) The under-prepared multi-roller ... that player that on each of their turns is slinging lots of dice is always the one that *also* has problems adding on the fly and takes a bazillion times longer than anyone else

[Meg]

The episode is up! 

http://brilliantgameologists.com/blog/66

[Hallack]

Come on Meg, get the News updated so that it links to the new show

[Shoggoth]

I'm 10 minutes into the episode, and I have 2 observations so far:

1)  I need to go buy a Shamwow.

2)  The D-bag of the week is...umm...topical, huh?  Yoda senses much frustration in you, yes?   

[Zeke]

Frustration leads to suffering, which leads to drinking.

[Hallack]

Frustration leads to suffering, which leads to drinking.

Hmmm, that means I have not one but two great reasons to take a new bottle of Crown Royal to our game this weekend!!!!  One, new shiny dice bag and two... well, frustration therapy.

[Talen Lee]

I'm only ten minutes in and surprised at the blatant forum cameoing.

*fingers crossed*

Zeke, you sound like you want a Magic Hate Ball.

[Meg]

Come on Meg, get the News updated so that it links to the new show

Done!

[Zeke]

I'm only ten minutes in and surprised at the blatant forum cameoing.

*fingers crossed*

Zeke, you sound like you want a Magic Hate Ball.

I'm sorely tempted to invent such an item.

[Darth Krzysztof]

My wife watches what I would call "a lot" of TV (more than I would on my own, anyway), so I'm surprised that I've never seen the ShamWow! commercial until now...

[bhu]

My wife watches what I would call "a lot" of TV (more than I would on my own, anyway), so I'm surprised that I've never seen the ShamWow! commercial until now...

There are spam advertisements for it on yahoo all the time.


And now for the TMI moment of my post: There is actually one Japanese female bukkake film, and it involves neither lactation, nor urine/feces. 

Now that I have completed my evil deed for the day I shall retreat to the cushions of my magical +10 couch of hiding.  Good thing I'm a small kitty. 


Speaking of which we reeeally need the returno of the couch Smiley...

[Kai]

Enjoyed the episode. Lots of LoLs.

Speaking of which we reeeally need the returno of the couch Smiley...

This one? --->

[bhu]

Kai, if I ever win the lotto there is happiness in your future

[Ieniemienie]

My personal rule:

A barbarian player which I am DM for regularly has a tendency to say damage but then realize that he has done more damage. and that 5 times in a row. So my rule: If you state damage more than twice [so my players get one correction] then they deal no damage at all.

A bit harsh, but you have no idea how fast my players learn to correctly report damage now ^^

edit1: +1 on the Bait 'n' Switch thing on discussing.

edit2: I submit Zeke for the Pants-down-in-front-of-everyone trivia question 

edit3: Everyone knows after two rounds of combat what the AC of the monster is anyways, so why not announce it?

edit4: Please don't touch my Red Dice of Doom!

[emissary666]

the example for douchebag of the week seemed a bit off. When I say "But we have fun" I mean "I accomplish my own goal of having fun with a system and do not care if the system accomplishes its own goals." or "I assume all systems have the goal of being fun and therefore it accomplishes that goal." A system accomplishing its goals is highly subjective, I have a friend who is scared shitless of Vampire, but I am sure anyone else here isn't.

[Darth Krzysztof]

edit3: Everyone knows after two rounds of combat what the AC of the monster is anyways, so why not announce it?

Announcing the AC (or other difficulty number) up front is an absolute necessity in a chat-based game. All the stuff that slows combat down gets that much worse when you aren't face-to-face, especially if you have players who are still learning the rules, or who don't type very quickly. Losing the uncertainty of the "mystery AC" to keep things moving is a sacrifice I'm willing to make. (There's still point-wringing, of course.)

Most of my players use the chat window dice script, which never lands cocked. They're welcome to roll actual dice, which can be a trust issue when you can't see your players -at all,- but I'm the trusting sort. They can't see ANYthing I'm doing, after all.

The IC/OOC issue, on the other hand, is not an issue. And I certainly don't miss cleaning up after people, or any of the other stuff that goes with table-based gaming. I might feel differently if we'd had fuck breaks when I was playing in-person, though.

[Shoggoth]

the example for douchebag of the week seemed a bit off. When I say "But we have fun" I mean "I accomplish my own goal of having fun with a system and do not care if the system accomplishes its own goals." or "I assume all systems have the goal of being fun and therefore it accomplishes that goal." A system accomplishing its goals is highly subjective, I have a friend who is scared shitless of Vampire, but I am sure anyone else here isn't.