What is more important

[Sentinel]

I believe that both are important, although story is more important than rules. Maybe something like a 60%/40% mix, Story/Rules ratio.

I have trouble modifying a rule to suit my tastes and preferneces, or to be able to encompass some aspect of the game setting I feel the game has not adequately covered (happens all the time with HU and N&SS).

[drewkitty ~..~]

More story, but w/o the GM changing your char to make it fit his story.

[Uncle Servo]

What is more important:

Game mechanics and adherance to the rules?

Or

The story, as in furthering the story at the expense of game mechanics?

Or

A combination of both? Like having something happen to the players in the game fluff text but has no real lasting affect on the game.

I prefer a combination of both. By and large, I'll stick to the rules/mechanics mainly because with the established structure you know what to expect. However, if the story's good I'll bend a rule or two from time to time.

[Larsen]

I agree with sentinel.

[Blight]

I believe that both are important, although story is more important than rules. Maybe something like a 60%/40% mix, Story/Rules ratio.

I have trouble modifying a rule to suit my tastes and preferneces, or to be able to encompass some aspect of the game setting I feel the game has not adequately covered (happens all the time with HU and N&SS).

Sentinel is right on the money, the thing to remember is that we do this for fun. So it's got to be interesting.

[ZEN]

I think I understand the spirit and intent of the rules as a whole, which allows me to blur the line somewhat during the game without raising any eyebrows from savvy players.. if I have annoyed any one player, chances are the other players were expecting, perhaps hoping, I would step in at any moment..
I do add a couple of general home brewed elements to my game just to improve gameplay.. such as the perception rule (my own variant) and the allowance of multi classing situations in-game.
I am not much of a stickler for the rules during character creation either, but there must always be a good reason.. such as "That is cool" or "His mother fed him her psyche pills when he was a baby and now look what happened to him.." and perhaps "Let me have this and you get free pizza, plus my first borns middle name will be yours".

That being said.. STORY IS EVERYTHING!
But story always takes back seat to a good, long, skin of your teeth, shouting, pleading, dice religion spawning, drink spitting, sheet tearing, death threat mongering, tell the story to your friends years later over a beer.. brawl.
Brawling is cool when it is weird, risky, fast paced, fair and there is always a possibility of escape/survival/victory... and a secret weapon with unpredictable consequences is a vital ingedient.

[Uncle Servo]

That being said.. STORY IS EVERYTHING!
But story always takes back seat to a good, long, skin of your teeth, shouting, pleading, dice religion spawning, drink spitting, sheet tearing, death threat mongering, tell the story to your friends years later over a beer.. brawl.

That is SO sigged...

[KillWatch]

I've never run into a situation where that is a problem. Of course I've chenged the rules considerably. But I want everything to make sense and be vible according to the rules of the game. If Captain Evil has this or can make this then there should be no reason, given the same resources that the players shouldn't be able to do the same (take over a small country, blast a hole in the moon etc) I write up villains and scenarios according to rules form the book and those I've laid down so that there is none of this waitaminute how can that be from the players. If the players can't do it then neither can my villains

[Natalya]

What's problematic is when the players want the big bad guy to go down, and the GM wants the big bad guy to get away, and according to the rules the big bad guy SHOULD go down, but the GM fudges so that the big bad guy can get away for the sake of the story, which might make the players happy in the long run but irks them off at the moment ... basically if you're going to play fast and loose with the rules in a situation like that, you better have a high level of trust between the GM and the players or things are going to stop being fun fast.

Trust has to be there. But you're right, in the end, fudging may actually be better. Once, my character was first level and cast a spell at a high-level bad guy. So high-level that he could only fail the spell save on a 1 (automatic failure in our group). The GM for some reason was not using a game shield that night. He rolled - 1. Technically, the bad guy should have been immobilized, but the GM arranged his escape through a portal right as the spell took effect. Everyone knew it, it was obvious, but oh well.

I will admit though that the early escape made it satifying as all **** when my character reached ninth level and found that bad guy again, and arranged his death in a most horrendous manner.

[Danger]

Combination of both.

[Guest]

It's a Role-Playing Game. The story is encompassed by "Role-Playing" and the rules are covered by the "Game." They're both equally important.

[Killer Cyborg]

The story is the most important part of role-playing.

And that is precisely why the rules are so important.
The rules are the physics of the gameworld; if they are inconsistant or stupid, then the overall story will suffer severly.
Instead of making your own Lord of the Rings, you'll just end up making your own Speed.

[acreRake]

...the game fluff text...

What the damn? Are you serious? The story is the game.

[Guest]

What I mean by fluff test. A PC has Extraordinary PE but to further the game, he needs to be stunned. You know he will not fail the roll, but if he does not, there is no game. Something like that is pretty much fluff text and set up for the game. Of course I have also noticed that when players have that happen to them, they get upset at that situation.

No, it's not fluff text. It's called "Railroading" and the PCs are right to be upset with it.

[Killer Cyborg]

What I mean by fluff test. A PC has Extraordinary PE but to further the game, he needs to be stunned. You know he will not fail the roll, but if he does not, there is no game. Something like that is pretty much fluff text and set up for the game. Of course I have also noticed that when players have that happen to them, they get upset at that situation.

No, it's not fluff text. It's called "Railroading" and the PCs are right to be upset with it.

Definitely.

[velcRomanceR]

A lot of times what I'll do as a GM is write out an adventure (that I hope the players adhere to.) We go through, play it, you know have a good time with what happens. When something happens I didn't plan on or if I have to pull an NPC out my a$$, I love that. I write adventures like short stories and when something else happens, I make a note whether or not it flows with my original story. Most of the times it does and if it doesn't, I usually make it work. Role-Playing is <what's the word when something is spelled different or means different but sounds the same...is that onomonopeia?> also Roll-Playing, as in Rolling with the punches, taking what you can get and using what you got to further what you want.
BLAH BLAH BLAH

[Sentinel]

It definitely helps to know the characters, and be prepared for several eventualities. The unexpected will occur, and anyone, even a well-prepared GM can be taken by surprise.
If a PC has an Extraordinary PE, then it's necessary to scale the opponents to match. If it is absolutely necessary to the story that the PC get knocked out, then you may want to consider making that a little more open-ended, because on any given night anybody can roll a bunch of natural 20s.

Railroading is definitely a bad thing. It makes the PCs feel like no matter what they do, if they don't do what the GM wants, then they can't do anything.

[Uncle Servo]

It definitely helps to know the characters, and be prepared for several eventualities. The unexpected will occur, and anyone, even a well-prepared GM can be taken by surprise.
If a PC has an Extraordinary PE, then it's necessary to scale the opponents to match. If it is absolutely necessary to the story that the PC get knocked out, then you may want to consider making that a little more open-ended, because on any given night anybody can roll a bunch of natural 20s.

Railroading is definitely a bad thing. It makes the PCs feel like no matter what they do, if they don't do what the GM wants, then they can't do anything.

Word.

The GM needs to have a great deal of flexibility, and should be ready for any tangent the players can throw at him/her -- because when you get a group of gamers together, you never quite know what to expect.

[KillWatch]

let me show you a game set up for me;

Chapter 7
On The Road Again

LAST GAME
-Vincent’s Symbiote died due to the cortex bomb exploding. Vincent lost a point of IQ. His leg was healed by the Symbiotes death as his powers come online due to his will, the symbiote death and the little blue pill. His symbiote died and allowed him to keep his Stage Two bonuses.

-Rowena braved much gun fire as Evans laid down some law with a chain gun and made meat out of the symbiotes, to rescue a symbiote possessed little girl who then attacked her. Her symbiote went into Stage Two

-Quebert waited for people to call him while in his driveway on his bike all night.

-Xavier was captured by a the Mark for experimentation and status of the Symbiote and to keep an eye on the party using the Psychic Hunter and the Symbiote


TONIGHT
-Colleen get kidnapped by Gremlin. Gremlin calls the only number that she calls repeatedly that isn’t work and finds Vincent’s number and gives it a ring, not knowing who he is, but wants to meet with him, without cops or something terrible is going to happen. Once rescued, she will be taken by the MiB. Vincent’s Personal Power of Life Steal kicks in when he confronts Gremlin, stealing the very life from him leaving him unconscious if not dead, and Vincent partially if not fully healed. Xander will help save the day against the filthy human scum.

-Vincent gets his Glock: 2 Glock 17s
Damage: 262
Feed: 17 (4/8/17)
Notes: -Plastic Construction
-Plastic Casings
-5 clips
-5 clips: Explosive Rounds: Damage+6d6=8d6
-Shoulder Holster
-Thigh Holster
-Bandolier for Clips

-Rowena gets her handgun: (2) 9mm 93R Selective Fire Berettas
Damage: 2d6
Feed: 20 (extended magazine)
Notes: -Optional Stock adds +1 to aimed shots
-5 clips
-5 clips: Explosive Rounds: Damage+6d6=8d6
-Bandolier for Clips
-Thigh Holster
-Shoulder Holster

Everyone gets armor: Hard Armor Vests
-AR: 12
-SDC: 120
-PP-2

-Vincent begins to display his powers of Saya
Saya: PS+10 - Expulsion: 1d10/lvl (4d10) - SDCx3
And Life Steal
Life Steal: 1d4+1 per level (4d4+4) may be siphoned from a targets HP
Sense a target’s health/life/presence
PC Check at 10 transfers additional HP to SDC at 1:10
Will to Live x 2
Level Siphon: Check at 30

-Xavier: Ter Vel catches up with him, sees him in a casino and makes her approach.

I also have te past adventures and NPCs and sheets at the ready but this is what I write up everyweek and we don't get to all of it due to RPing and that's a good problem