You may have thought (like I did) that my last article was the final volume in my series on online gaming. Clearly, you and I were both wrong, for it appears that this comment of mine stirred some questions:
I’ve found it hard for players and GMs to fight fairly online. I’m not sure what it is about the medium, but it tends to go poorly. … Reconciliation — fighting well — makes a game group better, but it’s hard work. And if we want our groups to last, we need to be able to fight well.
In response to this sentiment, a thoughtful reader asked some challenging questions that made me think more deeply about this idea. It will take at least two articles to respond, so I’ll only deal with his first question today: “In what circumstance would players actually fight at the gaming table?” I can identify four types of fights that can (and frequently do) emerge at the gaming table. If you haven’t seen these before, I can almost guarantee you will: Continue reading