Design question and more dirt

[josephbrowning]

We're continuing on with the garden rock-ridding process and it's both tiring and tedious. But in the end I'll get good food so that's a pretty good trade off, IMO.

Design question: Should players be in the world of the monsters or should the monsters be in the world of the players?

Comments

monsters vs. players

[raging_swan]

The players should definitely be in the world of the monsters.

Re: monsters vs. players

[philreed]

Agreed. When in the world of the monsters, it helps isolate the players and sets up more of a "stuck in a nightmare" feel.

[ext_114736]

Both. The player characters should be able to enter the world of the monsters and the monsters invade the world of the player characters.

[anonymous]

Dear Mr. Browning:

I definitely feel that the players should be in the world of the monsters, as such emphasizes the fantastic element of RPGs. I have played in campaigns where the players interacted primarily with other humans and demi-humans, and such was a complete bore. Even the best fantasy and science fiction novels and stories are those in which the humans are not the dominant species on the planet, plane, whatever, and they are merely struggling to survive in a world overrun with fantastical beasts/aliens. Most of the great science fiction and fantasy stories of the pulp era that most inspired D&D revolved around just such a theme.

Thanks for reading,
Alphonso Warden

[elrics1]

The monsters should be in the world of the players. Their rarity and _otherness_ is what makes them special and lends the spice of menace to encounters with them. If players live in the monsters' world, you are playing a Survival Horror game, not Fantasy (neither High Fantasy nor Sword & Sorcery).