High Fantasy advice: Because I hate my GM

[Ubiquitous]

Just so we're clear, I gave up on the bow dealie. Mostly I was just curious and optimisitic and now that that's explained to me I think I'll move of from it.

Although, a new question.

Assume dragons are intelligent and not just gold-hoarding, village-burning jerks. Name some ways I could convince one to make a tag-team duo with me?

EDIT: Lotta commenting about my GMs, so lemme clarify and answer some of those.

This GM, I have grief against him because I know some rules he doesn't and when I try to explain them he thinks I'm trying to logicize some cheapness, and we argue frequently because he doesn't apply modifiers well (Hokay, you're sneaking into a shop, sooo...shopkeeper's talking to someone else, you're moving slowly to avoid noise...Alright, 1Q-5, go.) but he's alright, he tries new things, he's fairly interesting. I'M the only one with any major problem because sometiiimes I do do something munchkin-ish (although he accuses me of it even if I don't) and he has a good case.

Rail-Roady guy's a bad GM, but as a player he's nice, just in his defense.

Me, personally, I like playing GURPS more than running it, although the few games I did run went well and people enjoyed.

But still, if I can force the other guy to, I will.

[Landwalker]

Originally Posted by Ubiquitous

Just so we're clear, I gave up on the bow dealie. Name some ways I could convince one to make a tag-team duo with me?

1) Be a dragon yourself.

It's not exactly probable that a creature as powerful as a dragon would have anything to gain from making an alliance with a total schmuck. And if you don't have anything to bring to the table, there's no reason at all for a dragon (or anything) to offer its own services in an alliance.

Cheers.

[aesir23]

Or, convince him that you're a dragon who was trapped in human form by an evil wizard and that you'll share part of you horde with him as soon as you sort out this whole squishy mammal nonsense.

Good luck though.

[Nosforontu]

Originally Posted by Ubiquitous

Just so we're clear, I gave up on the bow dealie. Mostly I was just curious and optimisitic and now that that's explained to me I think I'll move of from it.

Although, a new question.

Assume dragons are intelligent and not just gold-hoarding, village-burning jerks. Name some ways I could convince one to make a tag-team duo with me.

Research the dragon learn everything you can about it what it likes, what it dislikes who its friends are and who its enemies are. Find out what its needs are and what is likely its wants are as well. Use that information to plan your approach with the dragon, and then stack the deck as much as possible. Show it common cause in how your friends are already his friends his enemies and your own are held in common as well and if helps you his wants and needs will be met in this way or that way.

Mechanically speaking if the dragons reaction to the party is not predetermined then high levels of reaction modifiers will help a lot as will high levels in appropriate skills such as diplomacy. The research skill, and history skill will both help give you a feel for the dragon before going into the encounter and might suggest other skills to use as well. If the dragon was known for its study and mastery of unusual magics then the character might get a reaction bonus if it can bring the Dragon a unique spell that he has researched might give you a reaction modifier bonus for example.

[Kromm]

Originally Posted by Ubiquitous

Assume dragons are intelligent and not just gold-hoarding, village-burning jerks. Name some ways I could convince one to make a tag-team duo with me?

Game-mechanically – as in, "If I make these rolls, the GM has to let me have a dragon as a temporary Ally!" – your only option is to have some sort of mind-control ability that's powerful enough to beat a dragon's Will score, and of course that affects dragons in the first place. See the Mind Control advantage (pp. B68-69), the Enthrallment skills (pp. B191-192), and the Mind Control college in GURPS Magic. In GURPS, mundane social interaction isn't prescriptive in the sense of, say, combat or inventing. It depends entirely on the GM's feelings about the NPC's personality, and might be doomed to fail if the GM has predetermined reactions for that NPC. This is especially true for powerful NPCs like dragons . . . most will be plot devices of sorts, and thus not subject to PC influence that extends beyond the GM's parameters for the plot.

And note that the latter isn't "unfair" or "railroading" at all! Just as the PCs have free will and do what their players say unless supernaturally controlled, major NPCs are the GM's personal alter-egos, with free will and the option to do what the GM says unless supernaturally controlled. Social manipulation is intended for mooks and for major figures that the GM doesn't feel like roleplaying. Dragons rarely fall into those categories – intelligent, thinking dragons least of all.

[Juballa]

Originally Posted by Ubiquitous

Assume dragons are intelligent and not just gold-hoarding, village-burning jerks. Name some ways I could convince one to make a tag-team duo with me?

Offer to trade him that kick-ass very fine bow you made. ;)

[Ubiquitous]

Originally Posted by Juballa

Offer to trade him that kick-ass very fine bow you made. ;)

The very fine-ass bow that'll, optimistically, take my character months to make IF AT ALL and require a few critical rolls?

I'd rather beat it into submission.

[Gizensha]

Originally Posted by Ubiquitous

Just so we're clear, I gave up on the bow dealie. Mostly I was just curious and optimisitic and now that that's explained to me I think I'll move of from it.

Although, a new question.

Assume dragons are intelligent and not just gold-hoarding, village-burning jerks. Name some ways I could convince one to make a tag-team duo with me?

Largely depends on the dragon, though the one I most strongly remember watching as a youth was rather partial to aniseed, and for a bag of it would give a ride to Dungeon Level 2. Far more witty a conversationalist than the ferryman, too.

(More seriously - Same way as you get any NPC on-side enough to fight by your side - An initial reaction roll that doesn't predispose him to eating you, and some serious game-time [both off and on camera] spent working on your relationship enough for him to decide you're worth taking time out of doing... Whatever it is dragons do in that setting... to help you. And how you convince him of that, as I initially said, largely depends on the individual dragon. Or you just hire him as a bodyguard, although... I can't imagine most settings having all that many dragons interested in the work.)

[Figleaf23]

Originally Posted by Ubiquitous

Just so we're clear, I gave up on the bow dealie. Mostly I was just curious and optimisitic and now that that's explained to me I think I'll move of from it.

Although, a new question.

Assume dragons are intelligent and not just gold-hoarding, village-burning jerks. Name some ways I could convince one to make a tag-team duo with me?

Geez, Ubiquitous, you're all over the place! ;-)

Regarding the bow -- what about making it with steel?

[Ubiquitous]

Originally Posted by Figleaf23

Geez, Ubiquitous, you're all over the place! ;-)

Regarding the bow -- what about making it with steel?

Remember how I said he was making it difficult to get new equipment? He's wise to my manufacturing-it plan.

'Aight, first off; who sells steel?'
'No one.'
'...Wood then. Strong wood.'
'Oak.'
'Great. Next off, string.'
'No string.'
'...At all?'
'Whole town, no string.'
'...Whole town.'

Anyway, I ended up using reigns, but if I tried steel he'd probably pull 'Oh, it was just wood someone painted gray. Cool, heavy, shiny gray.'