Game in the Brain

the GM’s opinion about XP is inclusive of how the GM feels about consequences. I’ve read a lot of younger GMs who want a system for doling out treasure and rewards. But if you consider that “sh*t” happens and there is no system for that, why should there be a system to represent consequences?

I’m of the school of “lets see what happens” with regards to consequences. Particularly how the GM’s personal life experience, reading, and understanding of history shapes his decision of what consequences play out.

XP used to create characters are just a natural progression of a the PC growing from the experience. Unfortunately it sometimes is considered a reward and thus is tied up in a system of the game instead of reflecting the proper context of the events. Considering that XP is a consequence of growth, isn’t failure as great (if not greater) contributor to XP?

For me, failure grants me insight of a particular limitation amongst the infinite methods and options i can probably use. Success is immaterial because just proves that I just haven’t seen the limitation just yet. Of course some people fail and never learn from it, and that is another interesting aspect.

Failure analysis is a particularly boring topic for some minds, which I want to address. particularly since it has many real world application. The act of analyzing failure objectively is both a key aspect of empirical thought as well as GMing.

This is why Murphy should be the GM’s best friend, because it is a real fantasy world if one cannot address the failure, random consequences, and chance opportunity in one’s attempt at simulation.

This is obviously a deeply introspective aspect of GMing. GMs, especially those who always have the Game in the Brain, constantly think about their relationship with reality and how they best can use it for their Game. I just want to communicate that Consequences, Failure, and Growth are somethings that the GM should contentiously review in light of their own growth and experience.

My GM wrote:

> http://grognardia.blogspot.com/

> if my biases on reading material are showing, my apologies then.

> david hargrave does present an interesting set of valid points as to what constitutes xp awards.

> it seems mr. hargrave was a vietnam veteran. someone posted this is the remarks section of that part of malizewski’s blog. that would account for his reasons why such experiences give people basis for xps…

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