Quote:
Originally Posted by Raellus
Veterans bring valuable RW knowledge and experience to a game like T2K. This can really add to the level of realism upheld by a game and a veteran's knowledge can really benefit those of us who don't have that RW experience.
On the other hand, veterans can really kill the enjoyment factor of a game like T2K if they deliver that RW knowledge in a heavy-handed or patronizing way.
I'm really interested in what your experience has been, both playing and/or reffing T2K, in groups containing veterans. Has it been a blessing or a curse? Can veterans and non-veterans play T2K together in harmony or is this like trying to mix oil and water (or nitroglycerin)?
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I think that what you have touched on here is a wider issue that effects more than just T2k. You are always going to get situations where a player or GM has background knowledge that is greater than the set up of the game and in the case of T2k that is the knowledge of people with previous or current military experience.
For example years ago at Uni I played in a Rolemaster "fantasy" campaign with one player who actively participated in Medieval re-enactments and therefore had a lot of experience of fighting with broadswords, longswords and battle axes and of wearing heavy armour. He found problems with how the Rolemaster combat rules handled certain things like fighting with two weapons and this annoyed him with the system.
This is therefore very similar to the problems that arise in T2k games where people who actually know what they are talking about (people with military experience) roleplay with people such as myself who are just keen enthusiasts and I can only assume that veterans find enthusiasts frustrating to play in a game with because of our lack of knowledge on certain things.
What everyone needs to remember however is that T2k is a roleplaying
game and that it is not supposed to be an accurate reconstruction of how a squad level military unit operates. People play it to have fun and therefore by its very nature most T2k games are cinematic in character rather than realistic. People with military experience can certainly help to add a level of realism to a game but in the end we're roleplaying in an alternate history setting where WW3 has taken place!
The key therefore when people have a greater level of knowledge or experience is how players react in the game. In the Rolemaster example above the player who knew more than the rest of us reacted in a positive way and helped educate us about Medieval combat techniques. It made the game more realistic and more enjoyable to play in and I would hope that anyone with previous military experience would contribute in the same way in a T2k game. If they find it problematic to play with people who don't always do things in the correct military way then they are going to find the game extremely frustrating and will probably end up being counter productive in the game.