It Slices! It Dices!

Joint answer of MT and the Lintking

List three or more maxims/proverbs/bits of conventional wisdom/etc. that you've learned in your gaming career, and explain what they mean and how you've seen them apply in your gaming experience.

Meera uses the Big Three, ("No Plot Survives Contact with the Players," "No Character Concept Survives GamePlay," and "Whenever Meera Has a Dice Giant, She'll Roll All Ones") regularly. The second tier is, of course, "If the game isn't about the PCs, the players should play who the game really is about," "Never underestimate the value of a pointed stick," and "If you can't go through the door, go through the wall." (Actually, we all use that last one.)

So let's look at some of the more personal ones... I suppose, "I had my ballista serviced this morning," is probably a classic Minions line. The maxim behind that being, I suppose, that when the GM asks, the answer is, you've taken care of it. (If someone asks if you're a god...)

Then there's, "...(O, for a regent who knows more about the military than what nice, crisp uniforms they certainly do wear...).." Some NPCs have to be useful. Some of them have to be powerful enough, either to be helpful or to be threats. But careful positioning can make them handy without letting them become overwhelming, and NPCs *can* only help to a certain point. The big decisions have to be the players'. (Has anybody else seen Evil Toons? The bit where the Guide just gives the main character a, "Heck, I don't know," look is hilarious, and nobody else has seen it. Argh.)

"Little magic circles." - DM
"What kind?" - the LintKing
"Round." - DM

Something that some GMs have a problem with, actually, but is an important rule that may tie back to WISH #6. Just because they ask doesn't mean you have to tell them. Probably the most common/important application of this is when players want to experiment with unknown substances, leading to one of the most hated GM answers out there. "What would happen if I do this?" "Are you?" "Um..."

"I moon Benedict." Breaking genre can be very important; it can help avoid assumptions, avoid falling into the classic traps, and, of course, provide good quote fodder. It also helps keep both the GM and the players on their toes - having to respond to something *entirely* unexpected is where you really find out how well you know your character, or for the GM, the world.

"But I've been unconscious longer!" There are a number of systems where choosing `bad luck' is an option to get some extra points. In many games, this comes out being fairly meaningless, because the GM has to maintain a fair standard even in this case. Sure, you can always be picked as the one the trap goes off on, or the one nobody likes when making initial reaction rolls, but the GM literally *can't* make a character completely useless.

"I've got a bad feeling about this..."
"...It's probably where we need to go, then."

This one has good advice under it for both GMs and, even moreso, players. With a good GM, it can be surprisingly easy to completely avoid the plot. It rarely makes for a very good game. Sometimes you HAVE to go into the darkened basement, even if all you're wearing is a bikini. RPGs are inherently a cooperative venture; the GM is expected to do a lot of work making the game, and the players have a certain obligation to suspend their disbelief. Probably the easiest way to avoid problems with this is to make sure your character is oriented to have the kinds of adventures they're supposed to have, whether it means taking "Impulsive" Disadvantages or just mentioning that they have an insatiable curiosity regarding old books with "Necro" anywhere in the title.

We could probably come up with a lot more, but that should cover our dues for the week.