Should an Ueber GM even exist?

[drewkitty ~..~]

If there were not munchkins needing to be slapped about then GMs wouldn't need to have Uber NPCs to do the slapping down.

[Spinachcat]

What is an "Ueber GM"?

Inexperienced GMs often allow Munchkins to run amok and ruin the game. Many of these GMs try to either balance the game by creating an even more Munchkin enemy. Sadly, this does not lead anywhere good.

The key to minimizing Munchkins in your game is pre-campaign control over chargen. The more the GM says NO to stuff that he is not comfortable with, the more likely the campaign will go smoothly.

For instance, I can't figure out any decent way to do multiclassing in Rifts where I am happy with the results. I am 90% unhappy with RCC / OCC multiclassing. So, there will be very little mix and match in my games.

I run very dangerous campaigns and PCs die. It is a big achievement to have one character last through my campaign because I play with gloves off and let the dice fall where it may. My players have a great time because I am very clear about the game tone from day one. It makes their successes more worthwhile.

[Noon]

What good is playing a campaign if there isn't any chance of the PC's surviving it? Also if a PC is really so horrible why not just kick them from the game, than detracting from the game by unrealistically killing them?

It's even more jarring to 'the dream'/imagined world for someone to pop, disapear because of completely metagame reasons, than for him to be killed by a NPC which does exist in the world (even though the NPC's driven by meta game reasons, he's atleast partly anchored in the game world).

The GM's reaching for the least metagame tool he has to try and crack down on what he see's as a dream/immersion breaking character.

Sure it doesn't really work in the end, but it's an instinctive choice in simulation play GM's.

Really it's SNAFU. The player doesn't believe he's broken the genre. The GM doesn't believe he has either. Really simulation play is a wash out if they don't have roughly the same idea of when a genre is broken and when it's just bent.

[Northern Ranger]

I confess I do keep the "unbeatable" NPC around, but I've only had to use him a handful of times. Usually it's when a new player joins the group and tries to test his/her limits. My more experienced player can usually tell when the unkillable character is about to rear his ugly head and when he does, they just kind of sit back and let it roll. It usually teaches the newbie how far I can be pushed, which isn't far. I'm a VERY generous GM as it is, so I have a hard time when people try to push me for more. My players learn early on to work with what you're given, because it's usually more than enough to get the job done.

[Vrykolas2k]

Soul-drinkers are over-used?
Hmmm...
Someone's doing something wrong; those things are exceedingly rare, or at least supposed to be.

[Northern Ranger]

Soul-drinkers are over-used?
Hmmm...
Someone's doing something wrong; those things are exceedingly rare, or at least supposed to be.

How often are the truly powerful weapons ever as rare in peoples games as they're supposed to be? I think more of use them a lot than don't, but I know there's the exception to every rule.