Better Player #2: Genre Conventions

(In case it's not obvious, the numbers are simply the order in which I'm posting things, rather than a measure of how important they are. Still, #1 was pretty fundamental.)

Gamers like to win. That's hardly a shock. And in my experience, most gamers really hate leaving loose ends because they know that the GM will inevitably pick up on them and use them against them later.

And so, if one of the PCs were Batman, and after a long hard fight they'd finally captured the Joker, the player in question would have his character immediately, and very efficiently, kill the Joker. Because of course the Joker will escape from any captivity that might be devised for him, and that cannot be allowed.

Similarly, if the game is "Star Trek", the players will inevitably come prepared with at least half a dozen ways to use the transporter as the ultimate weapon in the setting - transport someone into space for a quick kill, or transport their head half and inch to the left, or use the transporter to de-materialise them and then just delete the buffer, or...

(Likewise, if the PCs were the villains in a Bond movie, they'd go get the gun, shoot the agent, and move on. If the villain starts monologuing, of course they're going to shoot him before he's done. And so on and so forth.)

The fundamental problem with all of these actions is two-fold: firstly, they're an entirely sensible reaction to the situation in hand; secondly, they're entirely at odds with the genre being played.

Yes, it makes sense for Batman to kill the Joker; in fact, one can argue that it's hugely irresponsible for him not to do so, especially after the first or second escape. But Batman doesn't do that.

In the same vein, there's no real reason why the Star Trek transporters shouldn't be used in the manner described. (Yes, one can argue about safety protocols, but those can always be turned off, or one could argue that the Klingons or Romulans probably wouldn't have them, or...) But what it basically comes down to is this: characters in the universe don't do that. The Star Trek transporter is used to transport stuff, and that's it.

No RPG universe is entirely logically consistent. And if one ever were, it frankly wouldn't be much fun to play in. And so a player who signs up for a Superheroes game, or a Star Trek game, or a "knights in shining armour" D&D game really should look out for the conventions of the genre, and then rather than trying to use every advantage to make an end-run around the adventure (to get the 'win') should instead embrace those conventions and play accordingly.

Yes, your character can use the transporter as the ultimate weapon. But that doesn't mean you win; it means everyone loses.

(There's a corollary to that, of course - the GM should be open and up-front about the genre conventions in play, and shouldn't be calling on them to outlaw certain actions that he just hasn't considered. It's about making a better game for everyone, not just an easy life for the GM.)