Two Cents is a new POLYHEDRON
Newszine regular column. It contains
RPGA Network Member opinions
and suggested and should not be
taken as official RPGA HQ or TSR
game doctrine.

    A party is exploring an "abandoned"
funhouse and comes upon a flight of
stairs. When touched, the top step sets
off a trap which catapults the front
rank into the room and seals it and the
front rank off from the rest of the party.
    The hapless adventurers recover to
find themselves in the company of two
Type II demons who are levitating just
above the floor. When they move to
melee, the planks of the floor begin to
lurch violently, making hitting almost
impossible for the party.
    The demons might then teleport the
characters to the nearby Hall of Horror,
or what have you. But what of the rest
of the party when they break through
to an empty, exitless room?
            Richard Lewis, Durham NH

Combine a trap with Blindheims on
one side and Eye Killers on the other.
The Blindheims allow the characters to
pass. When the characters come upon
the Eye Killers, the Blindheims will
spring a trap, using their light source
for the Eye Killers to pick up and focus
back on the players. This can be particularly
nasty if the characters don't
have a darkness spell.
            Bill Hoyer, Lake Geneva, WI

    I recently bought all of your back
issues and loved them, but I notice that
you once had a figure case which was
available for $9.00. Please get more!
            Larry Ries, Bunceton, MO
How about it, figure collectors? Do you
think we should stock items for those
who collect figures? (Ed.)

I have been using a very simple yet
effective procedure for determining
mortal/fatal hits. The method is based
on the assumption that a natural "20"
is the "perfect" strike, i.e. always hits.
Using this as a basis, we then differentiate
between their levels (a high level
fighter obviously has the advantage
over a low level fighter). Each combatant
rolls 1d20. If the attacker rolls
equal to or below his level, and the
defender rolls above his level, the
defender has suffered a fatal wound. If
the attacker makes his roll (equal to or
less than his level on 1d20), but the
defender also rolls equal to or below
his own level ,the defender takes double
damage. If the attacker rolls above his
level (on his second roll), he has scored
a normal hit.
    This method does not take into
account variables such as strength
bonus, dexterity or any of probably
hundreds of other modifiers, nor does it
differentiate between Fighters, Magic-Users,
etc. We use it to add a little more
of the element of chance to our combats
without sacrificing playability, since it
only takes three rolls with no calculations
to perform or charts to consult.
            Talmadge Skinner, Rockledge, FL

    In response to a question posed in
POLYHEDRON #10, "Will water-affecting
spells (e.g. Lower Water)
affect water in other than liquid form
-- like for or ice," a member wrote the
following.
    A question pops into my head --
what about water which has had an
Airy Water spell thrown on it? According
to the spell, it is no longer in the normal
liquid form. If the answer to
the question had explained the basic
assumption of the four elements (earth,
air, fire, water), explained how fire and
water are opposing elements, then
explained how the spell will work with
only certain amounts of fire (heat) in
the water (ice not being and
fog too much) then there would be
fewer problems.
    As for the Airy Water question, the
water is mixed up with air, not fire,
and so the spell should work. I feel that
such detailed explanations are a must
when dealing with those of us who are
in control of the game aruond the world.
            Roby Ward, Knoxville, TN

    I have seen many campaigns in
which almost every item, from lantern
to sword, is magical. In my campaign,
magic is rare; magic weapons are the
rarest of all. I usually use expendable
magic weapons like magic arrows.
Most magic in my campaign is "helpful
magic" -- things that do something,
like supply water or food,
brightly light hallways, or help deect
secret doors. All of these are very useful
but they don't supply "Magnum
Force." For example, my highest level
character, a now retired 15th Fighter,
has a flame tongue sword and +2
chain mail, plus a few less powerful
items, such as a decanter of endless
water. This provides for a much more
challenging and balanced campaign.
            A.J. Hoge, Marietta, GA

    In answer to the question of "hot
shot" players, I have a few suggestions.
    "Hot shots" must have become that
way somehow, which means that perhaps
the DM has been over-generous, a
major problem. Think hard before you
say or promise something you might
regret.
    If the player/s has a major weapon ,
blast it with a rod of cancellation, or
create a story around the weapon;
put him/her up against the guys who
made it and make it back.
            John Combee, Owen Sound
                            Ontario, Canada

TWO CENTS
_________________________
Views on "Role" Playing

by Christopher Gandry

This issue's Two Cents column
deviates a bit from the norm. At GEN
CON XVI Game Fair, many members
asked me why there were so few articles
written by members in POLYHEDRON
Newszine. My answer was that I
received so few, period. This article is
obviously an exception.

Further, I had noticed a trend during
my own role playing experiences --
many (but by no means all) role-playing
gamers don't really "role" play
their characters -- and had considered
writing an article about it; I received
Christopher Gandy's manuscript during
the middle of my meditations on
this subject and decided ot wait for the
appropriate opportunity to print it.
Exposure to great hoards of "role"
playing gamers at GEN CON XVI
Game Fair brought the subject to mind
again, as as the "Why aren't there
more member-written articles published"
question, so here it is.

When indoctrinating new players
into the AD&D game system, it
becomes immediately obvious that if
one tries to get the newcomer to assimilate
all the rules and their nuances at
once, boredom and displeasure may rob
one of another potential player. A solution
to this is to have new players
create and outfit a character and play
the game with a "pick-up-the-rules-as-you-go-along"
approach. This "trial
by fire" introduction will usually capture
the neophite's interest (particularly if
the first game is an exceptionally good
playing session) as he or she readily
identifies with the new persona.

A good DM should limit the amount
of "coachng" new players receive from
the veterans to encourage them to think
and act for themselves. The inevitable
"What should I do now?" should be
met with "Whatever you want" or a
variation thereof, furthering the
development of the player/persona identification.
A new role-playing gamer is
welcomed to the fold.

Or is this truly the case? Has the
gamer been introduced to role playing,
or merely encountered a new set of circumstances
and parameters to live
within? Oftentimes what happens is
that the misfortune (but highly probable)
demise of this new persona is followed
by the creation of a new character
who, again unfortunately, turns out
to be the reincarnation of the first persona.
In other words, the body (characteristics,
race and even class) is transient
but the personality is static -- that
of the player.

Although this player will soon learn
all the game's rules and ultimately
advance a character to levels of greatness,
the player is still a level 1 "role"
player. A vast amount of potential
enjoyment has been overlooked. Role-playing
games which allow the little bit
of "ham" in each of us to step out onto
the stage as someone else and take a
bow. An actor does not set out to show
how he, as a person, would react to the
plot of the drama, but to interpret and
relay the reactions of the persona whose
role he is playing.

The desireability of players establishing
character personas distinctive from
their own personalities is by no means
an insignificant point in establishing a
successful "role"-playing game campaign.
Confusing characters with their
players of similar, or even dissimilar,
personalities can affect both the quality
of play and interpersonal relations
between the members of a campaign. If
players puts<> themselves into the game
situation rather than into a personas,
feelings can get hurt. There is a great
danger of players taking to heart undesirable
deeds enacted upon their characters.
Complaints from players that their
characters are not being treated fairly
(or worse) by other players are sure
signs that the players have not separated
themselves from their characters. A
gaming session that ends with players
mad at one another for what their
characters have done (especially if done
within the possible realm of a character's
personality, i.e. a well-played
Chaotic character) is also symptomatic
of a problem to watch for and
overcome.

No game referee really wants to
impose a personality upon a player
character in his or her campaign, but
there are ways to encourage better role-playing
and separation of the player
personality from the charfcter personality.
The "monkey-see, monkey-do)
approach may be the simplest method.
As DM, pay special attention to the
NPCs in your campaign; do you use
the same voice when role-playing each
of your NPCs?; do each of your NPCs
react the same way to similar situations?
Give them distinctive personalities.
Idiosyncrasies can be a real shot in
the arm for a game lacking "role"
playing.

Another approach may be to show
your players the "classic" personas
found in the back of the Rogues Gallery
playing aid. These examples of
the way the experts "meant" these
characters to be role played may be
enough to spark the creativity of the
players in the right direction.

Next time you or your players roll up
a set of characteristics, don them like
an actor would his wardrobe and portray
someone new, someone unique,
something else. Don't just play at a role-playing
game. You might just meet a lot of new
friends you didn't know you had in you!

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TWO CENTS
_________________________
Views on "Role" Playing

by Joseph Wichman

I have read the "Two Cents" column in
POLYHEDRON Newszine #14, and
feel that I must comment. Although the
column is well written and its arguments
have some merit, I disagree with the basic
premise concerning "role playing." I
played in a campaign where the Dungeon
Master enforced what he called "role
playing," and I was quickly disillusioned.
It was no fun having the Dungeon Master
tell the players how their characters
should act based on the Dungeon Master's
view of the character's "personality."
On the other hand, too many times have
I heard the player's excuse, "But that's
what my character would do in that situation."
After the third time a character
foolishly causes the death of others in the
party, or after the first time a character
assassinates another, one or more players
may be lost to the delightful world of role
playing.

    An actor in a play spends months of
concentration and rehearsal to perfect a
character that he must play for a couple of
hours (and in a play the dialogue and
actions are scripted). Role-playing gamers
cannot be expected to do this, and the
analogy, although commonly used and
usually accepted, is fallacious. A player
should use his characters to express
aspects of his personality that are difficult
to express in his everyday life. The
AD&D game gives people the chance to
be a barbarian of immense strength and
few words, another the chance to be very
pious, even fanatical, in the worship of a
fantasy deity. In fact, it gives a person the
chance to be both charcters if he so
chooses. The important point is that these
aer not, and cannot, be personalities
totally divorced from the the real personality
of the player. They are, instead, free
expressions of aspects of a person's self.
The wonder of the game is that it gives
free reign to the players' fantasies. It is a
game to enjoy, and each character is a
carefully nurtured portion of his player's
personality and fantasy life.

The AD&D game (or any game, for
that matter) should be a game of cooperation.
If a character refuses to cooperate
with his fellows, it is the player who is
refusing to cooperate. If a thief character
steals a cherished or important item from
a companion, he deserves to be ostracized
by the other characters. And if a player's
characters continually behave in such a
non-cooperative manner, then the players
should ostracize the player in question. In
the same way, if a player character assassin
murders another player's cherished
character to gain a few experience points,
the player of the dead character should
not be expected to accept that as part of
the game. Players should at all times be
encouraged to express different aspects of
their personalities; i.e. to role play. But
do not expect thme to abandon their true
selves for a game.

Another aspect of this subject is the
knowledge of characters. The Dungeon
Master in the role-playing campaign I
mentioned above, insisted that our characters,
who had presumably lived for
twenty or more years, knew nothing that
we did not learn during play; they did not
know what deities were worshipped; they
did not know anything about the flora
and fauna of the world; they did not even
know the way to the nearest town. I am
aware that many Dungeon Masters
impose a less stringent form of this rule.
This is all well and good, but before
enforcing such a rule in a campaign, the
Dungeon Master should consider this: six
hours of play a week for two or three
years can hardly match the experiences
and learning of a lifetime (even if a lifetime
in a medieval society). In my group I
allow the characters to know what the
players can remember at the game table
(the only references allowed are the Players
Handbook and any notes previously
made by the player of the chawracter being
playerd). This works very well for us,
because as often as not, the players' memories
are faulty or incomplete. They are
still frequently surprised and confounded
by events and monsters. Of course, our
group has been playing only three years,
and most of the players avoid intense
perusal of the other reference works. This
method might not work well with players
who have memorized the Dungeon
Master's Guide, Monster Manual I,
Fiend Folio, Deities and Demigods, and
Monster Manual II.

I often throw in new monsters and
magic items, and alter existing ones, to
keep the players from getting complacent.
In addition, I do not hesitate to forbid
som knowledge or actions. The more
rare a monster is, the more likely I am to
rule that a character would not have accurate
information

I'd like to address one more aspect of
role-playing, and that is the playing of
evil characters. I find this distasteful in
the extreme, and feel that it lends ammunition
to the enemies of role-playing
games. The Dungeon Master must, with
discretion, play the parts of many evil
beings. However, these beings exist as
foils to the player characters, and are
meant to be destroyed or defeated. The
task of destroying these evil beings should
not be an easy one. It should be
extremely difficult, challenging, and dangerous.
But if the characters are champions
of good vs. evil (or natural vs.
unnatural), and are intelligent, cunning,
strong, and somewhat lucky, they should
have fair chance to triumph. If they fail,
it should be in the pursuit of lofty goals,
not base and vile ends.

POLYHEDRON #19

TWO CENTS

by Christopher Gandy

The following is a response to Joseph Wichmann's
Two Cents article in issue #18.

In reading Mr. Wichmann's response to my
previous article, I was dismayed to find that
the main thrust of my argument had been
misunderstood. Apparently, the fact that I
was suggesting a way to increase enjoyment
uniquely available in role-playing games
was obscured by some points with which
Mr. Wichmann disagreed. I would like to
take this opportunity to clarify several of
these misconceptions.

By saying that only schizophrenics
change their personality and then without
control is ot overlook the fact that most of
us wear many different "faces" during the
course of they day. Many of us have had to
put on our best face during business meetings,
job interviews, or dates. While these
are roles that differ only minutely from the
norm, it is not unreasonable to extrapolate
from this that diversified "role" playing is a
distinct possibility. If one can be a little
different, one can be quite different.

To question the actor analogy because an
actor spends months of time to perfect a
character and a role-playing gamer doesn't
have that time is to overlook some pertinent
information. Although no gamer would
want to spend months preparing for his first
adventure (though a DM would in preparing
his world), many spend years developing
that character as he survives and gains
experience. Assuming that the persona is
not stagnant, a player may put in more
time refining the personality of his/her
favorite character than any actor. The initial
framework of personality can be build "off-the-cuff"
much as an actor does
improvisations.

I agree wholeheartedly that the AD&D
game, as well as any non-solitaire game, is
to be enjoyed, and is a game of cooperation.
The gamers must cooperate in order to have
fun, but to say that the characters MUST
cooperate is an unwarranted leap of logic.
Cooperation and competition are not mutually
exclusive. In any competitive game the
players must cooperate on the rules, etc.
Regardless of whether it is another player
character or one of the DM's many minions
that is the adversary of the moment, the
willing suspension of disbelief necessary for
effective fantasy allows gamers to see this
lack of persona cooperation as separate and
distinct from player cooperation. Although I
agree with the statement that if a thief character
preys upon his fellows, [then] the
characters should ostracize the thief, I disagree
fundamentally that the players should
ostracize the character's player. Perhaps the
answer is to persuade the player to play the
role of a cooperative character by pointing
out its advantages to all.

The knowledge a character has is indeed
a sticky area of the role a gamer has to play.
A medieval society was very "home" based.
Very few knew much of the "outside" world,
and fewer still were educated any
more about the flora and fauna than what
hazards to avoid in the immediate vicinity.
The reason knowledge often becomes a
problem is the overlap of a player's knowledge
from character to character. I once
DMed a player whose character perished in
the group's first foray into the dungeon.
When the group made it's second assault
(complete with a new character for the
player in question) the new character
whizzed through corridors he had never
been in before just as if he knew them like
the back of his hand. Granted, this abuse of
knowledge might not be exercised by better
players (those playing their roles correctly),
but even subconsciouly this can cause
DM's dismay. There is another reason why
"role" playing should be emphasized. The
use of new or different monsters and magic
items helps diminish the problem, but
"role" playing could eliminate it entirely.

The playing of evil characters is a matter
of personal preference. The narrow-mindedness
of the hobby's detractors is not sufficient
reason to outlaw the playing of
"darker" characters. The wise gamer,
however, will temper his fervor when
around the uninformed. I agree that it can
be trying for DMs and players who prefer
good aligned adventures to accomodate
evil PCs, but that is part of the game system.
Indeed, some worthwhile work has
been done towawrd making an evil
party easier. The module, The Garden of
Nefaron, published in DRAGON Magazine
#53 is one example of this. No one can
deny the temptation to tread on the "dark
side," and as this is only fantasy, what better
place to get rid of these emotions? Many of
us have thought that we could devise the
perfect crime if it weren't against the law.
Imagining isn't against the law, so why not
try it in imaginary terms? As cadets at the
United States Military Academy at West
Point, we lived by an Honor Code that
stated we wouuld not "lie, cheat, steal, nor
tolerate those that do." The AD&D game
is very popular at The Point -- where else
can you do all those things and not be
expelled? And, of course, the DM always
showed that the "good" life was more
profitable.

Lest the readers of POLYHEDRON
Newszine think that I believe Mr. Wichmann's
opinion is worthless, let me point
out that, although overshadowed, he did
identify what I meant to be the primary
point in my article. He stressed that role
playing should be "expressions of aspects of
a person's self," and I agree. The closing
line of my "Two Cents" tried to sum that
up by stating, "You might just meet a lot of
new friends you didn't know you had in
you" (stress added). To ask an average high
school student to role play an 18 intelligence
genius is a bit ridiculous. If he or she had
"genius" intelligence, he or she would be
using it daily. Even the actor discussed
earlier can only put himself into the role
and use his experiences to portray a persona
as he believes that character would react.

I also support Mr. Wichmann's disdain
for DMs who heavy-handedly force a set of
actions upon a person because of how he
(the DM) feels the character would perform.
Indeed I cited two examples of "ways
to encourage better role playing and separation
of the player personality from the character
personality" (stress added).<where?> If a player
does not wish to "role" play, so be tit. It is
that player who is missing the enjoyable
experience available only in role-playing
games. For those who prefer to say "My
character haggles with the merchant for the
lowest possible price" rather than playing
out the interaction, the game can still be
fun, but it's like a cake without icing . . .
the best part is missing.

I would like to close on a note that I wish
we could permanently establish as the foundation
for all gamers. As Mr. Wichmann so
astutely states: "Our game IS great fun
AND a learning experience; but ABOVE
ALL it can be an enduring and rewarding
basis for social interaction and interpersonal
relations" (stress added).<where?> As it has been said
before, the game's the thing. When the game and the
people cease to be interesting and fun, I will
hang up my dice and lead castings for Tic-Tac-Toe.
May the sun never set on role-playing games.

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