[kato13]

There are lots of games discussed here that. at first view of them, turned me off. As with many things in life, on this board the first view of something we get is often caused by frustration or anger. This is due to the fact that when things are going well people generally don't talk about them.

Targan I think the first view of your campaign was you lamenting the negative feeling you had when Major Po released small pox into New York. For a time it seemed like you wanted to quit but were only staggering on, out of loyalty to your group. At first blush it seemed like a psychotic spec-ops game infused with magic (the blanket) and an unmotivated almost depressed GM. It did not feel like a game I wanted to be part of.

Later on as you exposed more of your game I started to appreciate the huge level of detail you had invested in the character and NPC development and back story. I also saw the parts of the game which you as a GM really enjoyed.

I think I mentioned this before to you Targan, that at one point I went through every one of your 2000 or so posts at RPGhost in order to build as detailed a dossier as possible for every character you mentioned.

So with time and exposure I went from wanting to stay away from what I initially assumed was a dysfunctional munchkinesque gaming group to a near obsessive interest in the characters and actions of said gaming group.

I think the same thing happened with Chalk's game. The first impression taken by many (including myself to a degree) was that of a sadistic GM hell bent on making his PC's lives miserable. Many of us have lived through that and recoiled a bit from it. But again i think it was a little bit of frustration painting a negative picture of a campaign in which the participants really enjoy themselves.

I think in the end everyone's own campaign ends up being like a family. While someone can complain about their family all the time, if an outsider voices negative opinions, it will often be seen as an attack. Just as we are protective of our families, I can see why people are protective of their games.

As stated many times before, a campaign is a matter of taste, and while we are loyal to our own campaigns, not everyone is going to be able to see it like an insider does. Therefore we must be tolerant and hope that with time understanding grows.

Even with full understanding of a campaign, it may still not be someone's cup of tea. A gamer or GM should however keep open eyes as there will almost always be something conceptually useful in every campaign.