Game Philosophy

A quote from The Angry GM that encompasses my philosophy

"Let me tell you how I like to run games. It’s like this: I want you to pretend that you are your character. Now imagine you find yourself in a situation I described.

Instead of picking a skill off your sheet or a combat action from your reference card, just tell me what you imagine your character would try to do. For example, instead of saying, ‘Can I roll a Search check,’ try, ‘I look around the room to see if there’s anything hidden: a secret door, a tripwire, whatever.’ Then, I’ll decide if we need to roll a check — sometimes we don’t — and tell you what to roll.

The reason I do things the way I do is because it gives you all more freedom to do anything you can imagine. That’s one of my favorite things about roleplaying games: they’re open-ended. You can do — or try — anything instead of being limited by the number of buttons on the controller or the dialogue choices in a menu. Doing things this way also lets me give you bonuses or adjust the odds of success if you come up with a clever plan that’s very likely to succeed."

This system prioritizes fast, story-rich gameplay with a focus on characters' intentions and consequences. Mechanical resolution only when stakes matter.

• Players describe actions freely.
• GM decides when to roll and which stat/skill applies.
• Players roll almost all dice.

Core Idea: The Murky Mirror

Principle Your character is reflecting you at the table. When you speak at the table, assume your character is speaking—unless it clearly wouldn’t make sense in-world.

Guidelines * All your table comments count as your character’s words unless obviously impossible. * Plan, react, or joke together—if it fits the setting, your character does too. * When the group learns something, act on it—skip needless pretending otherwise.

Why This Helps

• Reduces disputes over “in-character” vs. metagaming.
• Speeds play by assuming teammates share knowledge and act as a unit.
• Keeps focus on storytelling rather than rules-lawyering.
• Allows natural consequences: a slip of the tongue before a king matters—unless the GM grants a chance to clarify.

Your Role as a Player

• Speak and act like your character, or explicitly describe what they say and do.
• Don’t split hairs about “just joking” or “out-of-character.”
• Trust the GM to warn you before a major consequence if you’re about to truly mess up.

Final Point You are your character—through a hazy mirror. Embrace that murk, stay engaged, and enjoy the shared story.