I had two, main, and very distinct, playing groups growing-up: One was from my highschool and we were all Drama Kids, so they were immersive roleplaying -types: Well-read (mostly), nerdy, in all the school plays (alongside of me, no hate), etc; the other were military brats, mostly highschool drop-outs, also well-read, also nerds, but immersively tactical folk. The major difference was that the military brats could get into roleplaying just as deeply as the Theater Kids but, when it came time for combat, the brats did not fuck around to find out.
Regardless of the game you're playing (okay, D&D is a different critter, and more on that in a moment), your PCs are outgunned, outclassed, and outmanned from Jumpstreet. Particularly in games without leveled progression, I (as the GM) have so much at my disposal that I can destroy the entire party from miles away without even blinking. In many cases, I don't even need to roll to be certain; the Menaces I can throw at you are just that powerful, or at least have access to Spells and Abilities that are that powerful, anyway. And this could happen before your PCs are even aware of the threat.
Case in point: Someone knocked over Arasaka in/around 2014 (the game was played back in/around 1991) - you may have heard about it. I don't recall whether or not the mission was successful, nor whether or not our playing group came up with the idea ourselves or if it was inspired by one of the books or was an actual, published scenario (as we played 2013 and 2020 religiously and constantly, so it all runs together in my mindbrain), but it was a MiliTech consignment to headhunt Arasaka's CEO. A "head-hunting mission" may not be what you think: They were there to kidnap the CEO and force him to work for MiliTech, not assassinate him.
It's Arasaka, foos!
They had spies in MiliTech; spotters throughout the city; electronic alarms, cameras in stoplights (which was new at the time); razorwire fences and security systems around the actual perimeter, which stretched well beyond the building itself; and, of course, legions of militarily-trained goons all across Night City. I do not remember if the players were successful but, I promise you, if they were, they should thank me... or maybe the dice - because I could have leveled that party from the first MiliTech meeting. My only reason for not doing so was that I figured Arasaka thought to give them the chance as a "pen test" (Penetration Test), knowing the odds were heavily against the party.
That's Cyberpunk; in games with the Supernatural, the GM's capabilities skyrocket. Sans the limitations of pesky mundanities like time and space, even ultramodern super-tech is readily overcome. And, should you flub your Sense Unknown/Perception (PCN)/et.al. check, you will have no idea anything is even happening until it does. MiliTech would have known if a spy or bug was recording their conversations because they expect that and, therefore, take measures to prevent it (they didn't know they had a mole, though). Makes you wonder why Buffy and the Scoobies didn't develop and wear protective scarves, doesn't it?
Your PCs are the little heroes that could... everybody hopes. Not the immediate, de facto saviors of the galaxy (TM Marvel Entertainment Company) just because you spent an hour writing them up. Here's a .357 hollow-point to your dome (or stiletto to the throat), and there's your backstory littering the sidewalk. In D&D, and apparently many DMs' games, you're only ever going to face level-appropriate foes that drop loot like a WoW raid boss; in grown-up games, you're the only hope against a centuries-old foe who has wasted dozens, if not hundreds, of Slayers and her friends for generations. That's why the whole world is cheering you on now! There should be no expectation of success - even for me, as the GM or Big Bad! A single Nat 20 or Nat 1 changes everything.
And if that's not the game you want to play or whatever, there's always WoW and D&D - both of which I absolutely love, but neither of which are challenging enough to hold anyone's attention the way knocking over Arasaka can. We played that session for 48 hours straight and that campaign lasted for another couple of years until we were all out of highschool. And most of that first 48 hours consisted of them being penned-in on the roof after being dropped-off by an AV4 that got shot down immediately (minus 1 [the only] techie pretty much hobbled them right out the gates).
It's really not my job as GM to ensure that you have a good time, especially if that means that you win and get all the gold and all the glory and also a +5 Holy Avenger and the barbarian girl you... "rescued" (in her strategic fur bikini). My "job" is putting all of this together, from maps to NPCs to plotlines and contingencies. You need to know if your PC can speak Spanish; I need to know everything around the Arasaka building for several blocks, just in case. We got smoke breaks and I made a pitcher of tea; that's as much of a "good time" as I'll provide, JJ, and that's as much "good time" as you should expect. Geez. Not to mention that the GM is also usually the only one with all the books - that the GM had to buy.
Also, none of this is "cheating;" that's the GM's job: To referee and play the role of the adversaries and NPCs when they come into play. The rest is a strategic roleplaying game in which you take on the role of would-be hero, yadda yadda. The GM can't really cheat, you guys; the GM has fiat to do or change anything at any point for any reason.
Be ready to play, not ready to "win" because there is no real winning in TTRPG, your character just gets better at the things he does so he can do them successfully more often and under increasingly dramatic circumstances. GMs are not cheating if you don't get your way; GMs run the entire game and should be listened to and respected, not ignored or challenged. And they are not your enemy... except when they are. And you should not expect enemies to just roll over and die; you should expect your GM (when acting as your opponent) to do his or her very best to defeat your characters.
© The Weirding, 2024
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