Fudge RPG - Semi-experienced roleplayers and Subjectivity

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From: CarlCravens

Date: Thu, 01 Jun 2000 15:54:41 GMT

Subject: Semi-experienced roleplayers and Subjectivity


I'm going to be starting up a fantasy campaign using Fudge with a group of
people I hardly/don't know.  Some of them have very little roleplaying
experience... they've only played D&D and/or other games with random
character generation and a relatively large number of rules compared to
Fudge.  (And haven't played for years.) 

I'm at a stage where I prefer the subjective character creation system.
Anybody have any experience with converting D&D-style players to
subjective systems?

My biggest concern is that the players are used to structure and few
decisions.  Back when I played D&D, there was basically three decisions to
make: race, class, name.  Then roll dice, fill in the character sheet, and
you were done.  Character background and personality optional.

So here I am wanting to introduce players with similar experiences to a
game in which background and personality are key and a system in which the
player can choose any combination of abilities and skill level as they
want.  There's no structure... not even a list of abilities to choose
from, and they can choose as many or few as they like.  

Is this too much for this level of player?  Would I be better off using
the objective system and giving them limits, and thus some structure, to
character creation, which is going to be a rather new experience for some
of them?  I'm very hands-on during character creation, so they wouldn't be
on their own, but I'm wondering if I'm going to overwhelm them with
limitless options.

I once had an experienced player who hated the subjective system because
he said he couldn't know what level to build the character to.  He said
the only approach he could use that would satisfy him would be to create
an outrageously powerful character, knowing I'd reject it as is, and force
*me* to whittle it down for him, so that he knew he'd get the most
powerful character I'd allow.  He said that if I accepted his character
without changing it, he'd feel like he'd been cheated by not getting as
powerful a character as he might have.  While my game wasn't about power,
he couldn't break free of that mentality. 

--
Carl D Cravens (raven@phoenyx.net)                    Fudge List Owner
You are in a maze of twisty messages, all alike.

-- -----------------------------------------------
The Fudge List FAQ is at http://fudge.phoenyx.net/
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SequenceFirst LineUsernameDate
0 "bluebooks".) As I say, styles come with practice and old An Allston/Strike Force fan? CarlCravens 2000-06-03 03:29:38
1 can still put limits on things, but you > have a greater flexibility in designing the character. CarlCravens 2000-06-03 18:41:40
2 June 11, 2000 9:45 PM Subject: Re: FUDGE: Semi-experienced roleplayers and Subjectivity > On Sun, 4 Jun 2000 jwells@netten.net wrote: > > > Remember the "Fudge for Newbies" idea? JohnUghrin 2000-06-12 02:45:41
3 A systemetized version of descriptive character design mechanics that i found inspirational http://www.ps.uci.edu/~jhkim/rpg/freerpgs/dbased_rpg.html ********************************************************************************************* LanceDyas 2000-06-03 03:59:18
4 They're used to three decisions or so; fine, give them those three to start with, and model follow-up and elaboration questions around an exploration of those comfortable three zones: What's your profession? ( How did you get brought into the FredHicks 2000-06-03 03:45:16
5 game on Amber DRPG, so they now have some trouble > getting into a "limited and rules-dense" structure. CarlCravens 2000-06-02 21:21:06
6 Newbies" idea? CarlCravens 2000-06-12 01:45:16
7 prefer the subjective character creation > system. JweLls 2000-06-04 05:24:38
8 to a > game in which background and personality are key and a system in which the > player can choose any combination of abilities and skill level as they > want. SpalLino 2000-06-03 18:18:26
9 June 02, 2000 5:21 PM Subject: Re: FUDGE: Semi-experienced roleplayers and Subjectivity > On Thu, 1 Jun 2000, Judd M. JuddMGoswick 2000-06-03 02:36:04
10 using > the objective system and giving them limits, and thus some structure, to > character creation, which is going to be a rather new experience for some > of them? JuddMGoswick 2000-06-02 02:22:59
11 I'm going to be starting up a fantasy campaign using Fudge with a group of people I hardly/don't know. CarlCravens 2000-06-01 15:54:41