Gamer Confessional

[RangerWickett]

Forgive me Father, for I have sinned.

It is good to see a player come to gamer confession. I worry sometimes that our hobby puts all the onus upon the game master for good gaming.

As many before you, you have committed a sin by going too far in pursuit of a virtue, without understanding the game mechanic consequences of your actions. Well-developed characters with flavorful backgrounds are wondrous additions to any campaign, but we should not be fooled by the devil's bargain of believing that all the game can offer is that contained in the rulebook.

Remember, you can ask your GM for house rules and for additions to your character. Most GMs will gladly grant a small non-combat boon to a character, to add mechanical weight to a storytelling element. Even if they don't, do not let the Law of the rules spoil the Holy Spirit of fun. You can roleplay a book-binder or even a purveyor of ancient draconic poetry without requiring skill points devoted to that talent.

As your penance, ponder the hymn "Gloria in excelsis Zero," which reminds us that Rule Zero is the most powerful rule of them all, more powerful even than the flawed, mortal will of the game designers. Before you design your next character, ask your GM if you might add a few extra traits, with his permission. Be humble, and do not balk if he refuses, for Rule Zero says, "A player should check with the DM for house rules before generating a character."

Go in peace, and game well.

 

[RangerWickett]

Forgive me Father, for I have sinned...

Another player. It is good to see you.

Vanity tempts many, especially in games that can be played as escapism from droll reality. While I don't wish you to perceive creativity itself as a sin, I suspect the real reason you worry about being a 'unique snowflake' is that you fear your character choices might make the game more difficult for your GM and your fellow players.

Speak with the rest of your group, see what they think of your creations, and listen to their concerns. I find that often gamers value creativity if they have a chance to aid in the brainstorming, so perhaps next time you make a character, concoct three ideas and work collaboratively with your group to weave your oddities into the fabric of the group as a whole. You might even inspire unusual tactics that will excite the whole team, like long-range focused fire.

However, this must be done with heartfelt interest in your friends' opinions. For the sin of vanity, your penance is to perform a Praise Odd, as detailed in my post of about 27 minutes ago, and to recall the hymn of Gloria in excelsis Zero, detailed 12 minutes ago.

Go in peace, and game well.

 

[RangerWickett]

I apologize, gamers, but that is all I can do this evening. I myself am called away to the holiest of sacrament: The Regularly-Scheduled Game Night.

 

[theredrobedwizard]

Forgive me, Wickett, for I have been a bad man.

[sblock]
I routinely take over any gaming group I join. Within two months, everyone has abandoned the initial game we were playing to play in a game of my choosing. We play my game for 6 months or so, then someone else wants to run. Usually, this person is terrible. The rest of the players conspire to undermine this person's campaign and get me reinstated as GM. This has happened on four separate occasions and I do nothing to instigate it other than be entertaining.
[/sblock]

Also

[sblock]
I always make support characters, because I'm too busy helping other players make the most amazing characters possible that I delay making mine until the only role left is that of Fifth Wheel.
[/sblock]

What do I do?

 

[Quickleaf]

Forgive me, Wickett, for I have been a bad man.

[sblock]
I routinely take over any gaming group I join. Within two months, everyone has abandoned the initial game we were playing to play in a game of my choosing. We play my game for 6 months or so, then someone else wants to run. Usually, this person is terrible. The rest of the players conspire to undermine this person's campaign and get me reinstated as GM. This has happened on four separate occasions and I do nothing to instigate it other than be entertaining.
[/sblock]

Also

[sblock]I routinely take over any gaming group I join. Within two months, everyone has abandoned the initial game we were playing to play in a game of my choosing. We play my game for 6 months or so, then someone else wants to run. Usually, this person is terrible. The rest of the players conspire to undermine this person's campaign and get me reinstated as GM. This has happened on four separate occasions and I do nothing to instigate it other than be entertaining.
I always make support characters, because I'm too busy helping other players make the most amazing characters possible that I delay making mine until the only role left is that of Fifth Wheel.
[/sblock]

What do I do?

Dang, those are some good gamer sins you've got there.

... Uh I wasn't supposed to read that was I? Uh oh...

 

[malcolypse]

"Well...it wouldn't be a very effective murder if I told you about it. Sorry"

[sblock]In my first game of Dread as a player I behaved reprehensibly.

The setting was an alternate Jurassic Park where the initial visit had gone by without incident and the park had been given a reluctant thumbs up by the experts.

I was playing the park tour guide, showing off the park for a group of VIPs. I had been approached by Lewis Dodgson and offered $20 million to steal all of the embryos from the lab.

When I tried to go get the embryos, one of the other players character (an aging rock star whose career was in decline, but who's influence and fame were still intact) insisted on coming with me. He was furious when he realized what I was doing, but I gave what I consider to be a masterful speech about how grateful John Hammond would be to him. how his family would never want for anything, and how we could make the Park a safe success if we could just deliver the embryos. It may have been the most beautiful line of BS I've ever spewed.

So, now that he was reluctantly convinced that what I was doing was ok, I started taking every opportunity to let the park kill him for me (no witnesses, and all that). I manipulated him and our situation to assure that in character he was always the one in danger, and ooc he was making about half a dozen pulls for every one I made (every time I pulled it was completely voluntary, accompanied by me telling the player that I should take some of the risks too, to try and destabilize the tower even more).

Then man is a Jenga wizard. He aced every pull.

We made it to the docks and got aboard a small supply ship that was the only way we had off the island. There was smoke coming from the rear of it, so we assumed that something was wrong with the engine. I told him to head up to the bridge with the other survivor (his teenage daughter) and I went to the back to see about the smoke and set up an ambush take him out.

The smoke was coming from a flare that someone had dropped on the deck, and only the heavy rain had kept it from setting the boat on fire so I threw it overboard. I then headed down to the lower deck to see how best to separate the two others (I only wanted to kill one unless there was no other choice). There were two raptors in the lower deck, but I sneak back out without them noticing me. I called him on our radios and had him come to the back to help me barricade the door. Then he went back to the bridge to pilot the ship while I guarded the barricade.

About 15 miles from Costa Rica, I told the storyteller that I was grabbing my hermetically sealed case full of embryos and tying it to me, then I was going to knock over the barricade, open the door, and jump overboard.

The other players looked at each other, then at me, and then the rock star's player asked, "You are going to tell us about this, right?"

To which I replied with this posts title.[/sblock]