Re: [HoE] re: balence of power

["Steve Crow" <crow_steve@hotmail.com>]

>Well, Well, Well...Geez, and I thought Scott was our resident can of worms
>opener.
>Well, Sorry I can't trump the party line, but I'm afraid I disagree with
>some of you.  Asserting your Marshal-like powers and going on a power trip,
>are two entirely different thing.  I'll admit my "give'em the Glows" 
>example
>was extreme, but I was trying to make a point.  To put it in perspective I
>think a Good Marshal usually:
>1. Spends the most money.
>2. Does the most research.
>3. Spends the most time preparing adventures, subplots, storylines &
>character backgrounds.
>4. 9 out of 10 times is expected to foot the pizza bill.

*shrug* Your mileage may vary.  I probably only qualify for 2 and 3.  :)

>Now call me naive, but anyone that puts that much into anything deserves a
>little respect, and you don't piss all over people you respect.  Now there
>is nothing wrong with players correcting the Marshal (especially if they're
>wrong,) but "humiliating" the Marshal is something else completely.  And
>deciding to flex a little GM muscle does not give you a God-complex, or
>somehow magically turn you into a worthless, pathetic shell of a man.  As
>long as you don't abuse it, it won't scare off your players either.
>Sorry if that ruffles feathers, but it's also my opinion.
>-Gus "Can't we all just get along" Bus
>

My question is, why bother?  What would such an action on my part solve?

I wouldn't let a character _benefit_ from something a player does 
out-of-character (other than those few things specified in rulebook, like 
being entertaining for a chip award).  As an example, would anyone here let 
a player get away with knowing, and having his character act on, something 
that the character would not know or be aware of?  No?  Didnt think so.

So why would I _penalize_ a character for something a player does out of 
character?  Just seems to me you can't have it both ways.

I wasn't the one who was "humiliated" or rudely treated by players pointing 
out the milrat aberration.  However, if I was, I still wouldn't see the 
point in penalizing their characters.  If the players have attitude problems 
and/or a lack of respect towards me to that degree, I'm going to talk with 
them, kick them out, whatever, but I'll deal with it on a personal level.  I 
don't see how kicking their characters is somehow going to resolve the 
problem.

Either I don't discuss their attitude problem, and they'll have even less 
respect for me by doing it.  Or I do discuss it, in which case what's the 
point of penalizing the characters?

Don't get me wrong:  arbitrary screwing with the characters for plot or 
post-Apocalyptic atmospheric reasons (the oft-cited "Keep their resources 
low" like the transport-blowing up thing in the Brainburners book) is well 
within the Marshal's prerogative.  Contamination of Milrats as a plot point 
works perfectly well in that regard, and as the "god" it falls well within 
you rights.  Although even then I would make it clear (and have made it 
clear to my players) that that's something they should expect.

It's the "I'm God - you dissed me - I'm destroying your characters' rations" 
bit that I don't follow.

I don't know if that's the "party line," but as a means of dealing with your 
players' lack of respect for you, I'm not following.

---

Steve Crow

"Worm Can Opener Extraordinare"

Check out my website at:  http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Stargate/4991/


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