tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2313236500688604907.post2314166362657044423..comments2013-07-11T23:44:18.558-04:00Comments on Jackals at the Table: In the Before Time...Jackal_mkIIhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08756122730844488435noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2313236500688604907.post-10411680931801384482013-02-17T21:58:22.806-05:002013-02-17T21:58:22.806-05:00I couldn't agree more. Variety is the spice of...I couldn't agree more. Variety is the spice of life, and it troubles me when bad experiences lead people to exclude certain things in games because of them. Especially if it's something that I know I can learn from, but have yet to come across. Thank you very much.Jackal_mkIIhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08756122730844488435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2313236500688604907.post-42219661757636621602013-02-16T21:17:45.287-05:002013-02-16T21:17:45.287-05:00In a way, facing hurdles makes you better at overc...In a way, facing hurdles makes you better at overcoming them. Similarly, being more comfortable with a certain kind of content will probably make you appreciate it more. Being confronted to all sorts of devious traps makes you better at treading dungeons carefully and preparing for all kinds of situations, so you'll probably die less (barring GM escalation for the sake of killing characters). Every puzzle you beat gives you experience you can rely upon when solving new ones, so you'll spend less time scratching your hand and running in circles. And the more you role-play, the more used you get to using smooth talking to get what or where you want faster and without always defaulting to combat.<br /><br />What I'm trying to say is that while it's normal to have preferences for any kind of play style, having a bit of everything really makes for a more complete experience in my opinion. I don't have much of a mind for traps and puzzles myself, but when I am exposed to them as a player I really think hard about them and am amazed by everything other people come up with. They in turn give me ideas of my own that can really spice things up.<br /><br />On the other end of the spectrum, fights can be really boring even if they're supposed to be action. But if you approach them with originality, they can become as much of a puzzle where you put the environment to good use and exploit lateral thinking to resolve things differently than just "hitting them in the HP." Sort of like playing a fighting video game where you can "attack" or "not attack" versus one with dozens of spells or abilities to choose from depending on context.<br /><br />So overall I think it's best to have a bit of everything, but also not to shut your brain down when the game doesn't focus on your favored approach. Look at what others are doing, learn from it and join the fun. That's what makes you grow as a player, and eventually a GM. If you stop caring and just roll the dice when you're asked, *anything* is going to get boring.S.https://www.blogger.com/profile/10927895837468037835noreply@blogger.com