Game Philosophy

A quote from The Angry GM that encompasses my philosophy

“Let me tell you how I like to run games. It’s like this: I want you to pretend that you are your character. Now imagine you find yourself in a situation I described.

Instead of picking a skill off your sheet or a combat action from your reference card, just tell me what you imagine your character would try to do. For example, instead of saying, ‘Can I roll a Search check,’ try, ‘I look around the room to see if there’s anything hidden: a secret door, a tripwire, whatever.’ Then, I’ll decide if we need to roll a check — sometimes we don’t — and tell you what to roll.

The reason I do things the way I do is because it gives you all more freedom to do anything you can imagine. That’s one of my favorite things about roleplaying games: they’re open-ended. You can do — or try — anything instead of being limited by the number of buttons on the controller or the dialogue choices in a menu. Doing things this way also lets me give you bonuses or adjust the odds of success if you come up with a clever plan that’s very likely to succeed.”

This system prioritizes fast, story-rich gameplay with a focus on characters’ intentions and consequences. Mechanical resolution only when stakes matter.

Players describe actions freely.
GM decides when to roll and which stat/skill applies.
Players roll almost all dice.

Core Idea: The Murky Mirror

Principle Your character is reflecting you at the table. When you speak at the table, assume your character is speaking—unless it clearly wouldn’t make sense in-world.

Guidelines

All your table comments count as your character’s words unless obviously impossible.
Plan, react, or joke together—if it fits the setting, your character does too.
When the group learns something, act on it—skip needless pretending otherwise.

Why This Helps

Reduces disputes over “in-character” vs. metagaming.
Speeds play by assuming teammates share knowledge and act as a unit.
Keeps focus on storytelling rather than rules-lawyering.
Allows natural consequences: a slip of the tongue before a king matters—unless the GM grants a chance to clarify.

Your Role as a Player

Speak and act like your character, or explicitly describe what they say and do.
Don’t split hairs about “just joking” or “out-of-character.”
Trust the GM to warn you before a major consequence if you’re about to truly mess up.

Final Point You are your character—through a hazy mirror. Embrace that murk, stay engaged, and enjoy the shared story.