poll: the GM/player contract?

[ed]

when you either play in or run a campaign, what things do you expect of the players or GMs? obviously, certain things (courtesy call when running late, being prepared w/ character sheets, dice, etc) are simply what you expect of anyone, but what things do you expect that are specific to the actual process of gaming?

if you're a player in a homebrew setting, how much information do you want in the setting? if you're a GM, how much backstory do you want re: PCs? what about dice rules?

ed

[Stephane]

As a player, I'm ultimately flexible. The GM has last say. If he expects me to do a full write up on my character, then I expect him to use it, including the possible plot hooks.

I expect him to tell me what my character would or would not know of a known campaign setting, especially if that character is knowledgeable. IF you play a dunce, then the assumption is that the character doesn't know. If the character is knowledgeable, some things that I might know about the campaign setting might not be common knowledge.

In a homebrew, I expect him to do the reverse. He doesn't have to do a 20 page writeup (I won't read it), but I would expect to have him give me hints.

I'll continue the GM side later.

[carmachu]

As a player, Ultimately, the DM has final say, buut so long as he is fair and even handed and not acting in arbitray manners. I expect common curtesy, ultimately you get back what you give. If the DM does act properly, I have no problems exploiting any and all loopholes....

As DM, mostly common curtesy, really. I know RL issues crop up, but a simple phone call, IF possible, is nice(I mean, your wife needs you to go shopping or whatever, a phone call is nice. If you have to drive to the hospital, call whenever-a call for that is not really important).

I exepct to be asked for anything beyond "core". Decisions can be retroactive, if the class or ability becomes a bit much more than I think orginally, but you'll be able to rework the character with no penalty.

No interparty fighting without good cause. I have final say whats considered "good cause". WAY too many games over the years have disinterated from interparty fighting.

Home brewed, whether player or DM, players should have a general outline of teh world: gods, countries, major happenings, even minor happenings, classes and races and such. I dont need minor details.....but it be nice to know magic is outlawed if I'm considering a mage class....for example

[Cranky Dog]

I adapt to the circumstances. If it's my own homebrew setting, I try to give the most info possible to the players. If I'm a player in someone else's world, I prefer to stay blissfully ignorant and then be amazed, or mock the DM when an inconcistency arises.

But in short, be it as a player or a DM, if you don't try to screw me, I won't try to screw you.


Cranky Dog
"I have a contractual opinion, international!"

[Parzival]

Pretty much what Cranky said.

As a GM, I expect you to play an interesting character, and hopefully add a little color to the world when I ask you open-ended questions.
I expect you not interfere with anybody else at the table having fun.
I hope you ask questions so that I can give answers (IMX, there's a limit to the size of an infodump people can handle at the beginning of the campaign). I also hope you form theories about what is actually going on. If they're interesting, I may very well scrap the plans I had, and run with it.
I hope you provide me with plot hooks. I *will* use them. Sometimes, even to your benifit.
I expect not to have to arrange transportation for players, arrange materials for players, or any other variety of handholding.
I expect you to make it on a fairly regular basis, and if you can't to let me know ahead of time.

As a player, I expect consistancy, a lack of favoritism, a knowledge of the rules, and a GM that keeps everybody somewhat focused on the game.
I expect to never be railroaded into something that I don't want to do.
I would *like* the opportunity to avoid climaxes by succesfully anticipating the villian. At least occasionally. Nothing is sweeter than a hard-won anticlimax.
I expect the opportunity to help "flesh out" the world.
<grin> Remember, a tangent that everybody is enjoying can be great fun. (And relevant later.)

[Cranky Dog]

I also hope you form theories about what is actually going on. If they're interesting, I may very well scrap the plans I had, and run with it.
That happened to me once! I forgot the details, but just remember that I had left out enough clues for them to figure out what was happening and they came up with something much cooler that I created and went along with it (and they even gave me credit for their idea :cool: )

As a player, I expect consistancy, a lack of favoritism, a knowledge of the rules, and a GM that keeps everybody somewhat focused on the game.
This is a bit more of a problem for me in the last couple of years. GM doesn't completely master the rules.

But we still have fun because we're weirdos.


Cranky Dog
"I have an unusual expectation opinion, international!"

[Hitcher]

That the GM gives me enough of the background to understand the world and my place in it. I don't expect a "Frommer's Travel Guide to New Atlantis" (it would be nice :)) - but I would like enough background that I can make a decent back story.

That the players give me copies of the character sheets and we keep them updated together. The players keep a diary of what their characters did and write it up into a history.

[BlueNinja]

when you either play in or run a campaign, what things do you expect of the players or GMs? obviously, certain things (courtesy call when running late, being prepared w/ character sheets, dice, etc) are simply what you expect of anyone, but what things do you expect that are specific to the actual process of gaming? I expect the GM to know the rules well enough to not have to consult a rulebook every round (in combat) or every five minutes (out of combat). Part of this can be helped by the players, for example, knowing their dice pool totals in WW systems. If there is a question about the rules that cannot be handled quickly, then I expect the GM to resolve it in my favor, and handle rules arguments at a time when they will not hold up the game. :respect:
I expect the GM to not cheat on die rolls, either for or against me. I'm a grown-up, I can handle it if the dice suddenly decide my character dies a horrible fiery death because he didn't know he was standing five feet above a solid ton of chemical explosives on a 5 minute timer. Likewise, the GM is a grownup (I hope) and should be able to roll with it if his Plot-Critical NPC snuffs it. Going along with this, I expect the GM to have his own dice.
I expect the GM to remember what happened last game session. Especially if we haven't had a session in a month because he was the only person who couldn't make it. :cussing: As a GM, I take notes down after each game session that I review just before the next one.
I expect the GM to keep better notes than I do. Which sadly doesn't seem to happen very often. I hate having to remind the GM of the names and powers of NPCs who are presented as being Important.

if you're a player in a homebrew setting, how much information do you want in the setting? I'd like a general background of the history of the world, and a more specific history of the general area where my character is understood to be from. I'd like to know about the major religions, any important minor ones, and any legendary figures who feature prominantly in local mythology.
Maps are also nice.

if you're a GM, how much backstory do you want re: PCs? As much, or as little, as they want to give me. The more backstory I get, the more cool things I can work into the campaign that deal with their character. The less backstory I get, the less I can screw with their heads. It's a tossup. The one thing I do generally require is for the player to answer 4-8 questions of a nature similar to the ones found near the back of the Amber DRPG book (which include such fun things as where does your character get the laundry done? and what's your character's favorite/least favorite food and drink?). I find that some of the trivial questions greatly help to flesh out a character in the player's mind as well as my own. If I discover that you've used a chart and percentile dice to answer these, I reserve the right to change your answer for you, because you obviously don't care about the character. :D

what about dice rules? If you're sitting there constantly rolling dice (out of boredom or just to watch the odds) you cannot roll, and then tell me what it was for.
If I cannot see your dice, then at least one other player must confirm it.
If the GM gets an incredulous look on his face, then I expect to see what the dice are. My Aberrant tabletop GM is pretty good about this. :th_dblthumb2:

Lastly, and completely off-topic, limiting messages to just 4 smilies is cruel and unusual punishment. I'm not ed, I don't need to post-spike just so I can fit in my humorous intent.

[Baelfyre]

if you're a player in a homebrew setting, how much information do you want in the setting?

Either:

a) as much as my character has (in the case of ported into strange/unusual circumstances)

b) a basic history of the world. Not to be confused with a mythological blow by blow. Just enough to play intelligently.

if you're a GM, how much backstory do you want re: PCs?

It depends. If a player has a backstory in mind, I'll try to work it in if it can fit into the world. If the player doesn't have one in mind, I make one up for them.


what about dice rules?


As a GM, witnessed by one other player or leave the dice where they lay if I want to check them. Not that I usually bother with either. The player that wants to see my dice rolls can go to hell. If I wanted to kill/screw with their character, I wouldn't bother rolling in the first place.

As a player, I respect the GM's call on the matter.

[JasonStarfire]

Player:

Nobody touches my dice.

Metagaming by my fellow players is frowned upon.

If the GM needs help with the rules, I'll help, even if it hurts my character. The same goes for other players. I don't play favorites.

GM:

Nobody touches my dice!

Players who roll and pick their dice up "a little too quickly" may be asked to re-roll at my discretion.

If your dice fall off the table, it doesn't count... yes, even if it's a 20.

Metagaming will not be tolerated. I have an entire book full of things that are bigger and badder than your character, trust me.

If you roll your dice, and then say "I'm making a spot check. I got a 19!" I'll calmly say "No you didn't." I'll let you know when you need to roll the dice.

[Lost Soul]

As a DM, I'm pretty easygoing. Beyond the "show up when there's a game" rule, there aren't that many rules. The one thing I insist on is that you must be trying to improve your rules knowledge if you're not already a master at the game. After three sessions, if you don't know how to roll your skill checks, you're not trying and should expect some bitching.

On character background, I'm a bit harsher: if your character won't fit the world, expect to have to accomodate me. A 20-page long backstory is going to go straight to the circular file (after a cursory reading.) I'm the GM, I'll write the story. You can have input, and lots of it, but in-game. Telling me that my campaign should be all about your character won't work.

As a player, I expect four things: decent rules knowledge (expect me to step in if you screw up a ruling), preparation (with over 10 years of GMing under my belt, I still do several hours of prep work for every hour of gaming. Sure, I'm a freak, but you can't make an interesting four-hours game in an hour), an halfway decent story (let's be serious: even an halfway decent story is miles better than the crap in videogame RPGs) and choices and opportunities to *do* stuff (look, rogues and non-artillery mages build are pointless if there's nothing but a list of fights in your adventures)

[BlueNinja]

(let's be serious: even an halfway decent story is miles better than the crap in videogame RPGs) As the exception to prove your rule, I submit Planescape: Torment and Fallout.

[Kalzazz]

As a player
I expect to be informed of any major nerfing rule changes and such before they happen, and if there is going to be a huge backstory requirement I expect there to be a lot of help from the DM to come up with it

I also expect to get to do things that fit my game expectations, such as, in a Sailor Moon game I expect that there will be monsters and I will get to smash them with silly attacks

I also am very happy (if not particularly expecting) if the DM just shoves a character at me and says 'this is you, have fun'. This short circuits my least favorite part of roleplaying and gets straight to the good stuff

I expect there to be a challenge. If challenges result in frequent death (which I think challenges should do), should be easy fix its or palette swapping available

I expect to be able to fail

I expect to have some clue about if not 'what Im supposed to do now' at least 'something I can do now' in game, I hate wasting my time in games where I have no clue how to proceed in my merry pursuit of the plot, and will rapidly resort to building towers out of dice etc in that circumstance

As a DM
I expect players to try and show some interest in the rules system and not solely rely on me to look up all there spells for them, abilities etc. This doesnt always work, but hope springs eternal. Unless you have medical reasons a mininum level of proficiency involves being able to identify different dice, particularly if they are color coded

I will not allow characters that sit around and build stuff, I will kill them brutally and without any pretense at reason or mercy, with meteors from the heavens etc. You are supposed to be adventurers, which means you will not merely exploit fluky game economics

Trying to actually transport cargo for speculative trading in a Sci Fi setting similarly calls for summary execution

The characters will be not mopey, I dislike mopey characters, and I do not like running games for characters I dislike

You will at least pretend to pay attention. Watching things with sound and/or headphones on your laptop is not pretending to pay attention

If you fight with each other that is fine, but you will do so in a cheerful and light hearted fashion

[Dr. Mercury]

GM/player contract?

I've had a few players I'd have loved to have put a contract out on. :laugh: