"The Tao of Gaming"

[eskemp]

So, brief context: There's this thread over at RPGnet where some frothing blogger had posted a screed about how you're All Doing It Wrong if you're not playing greedy sociopaths. Now, that's not exactly news: some people really dislike a variety of play styles, in part because that might mean people might choose to play in a game other than the one

Comments

[eolirin]

Regardless of whether you're applying Taoism correctly, I think that's definitely an good place to move toward for the GM. The players can move in that direction too, though their ability to do so results in a smaller impact on the overall game in general. But anyone that's been in a group with someone who just *needs* to go in their own direction and to hell with what the rest of the group wants can very definitely see the benefit to having all the *players* behave that way too.

[razorwolf]

It's been some time since I studied Taoism in passing, but if I remember correctly, it is more focused on individualism in finding one's place of harmony with the conflicting forces around you. The way of least resistance is certainly a good philosophy for the ST, but the focus on individualism would seem to make the Tao ill-suited for any group activity. That said, it would work great for a one-on-one game.