In Defense of the Adversarial GM
A little smack talk never hurt anybody
I know what you’re thinking. “Ryan, in the year 2000 we all decided that the Adversarial DM will forever be the boogeyman of roleplaying and there is no defense of this type of play!” Well, you're wrong and you're wrong for one fundamental reason. The intent of the Adversarial GM has been misunderstood and the tactics of the Adversarial GM have been misapplied. Today we're going to discuss how to properly be an Adversarial GM and why it's beneficial to any campaign.
We should start by understanding that the Adversarial GM is not a cheater. They don't fudge dice in their favor, add HP to keep monsters alive longer. They don't invent resistances to players’ attacks, twist the rules to fit their will or tell players “You can't do that” without any justification. Nor is the Adversarial GM the kind of GM who says things like “My lore is more important than your choices.” The former GM is a cheater and the latter is what many call the Failed Writer GM. I'll do a separate article on that archetype another day. The Adversarial GM is the GM who plays to win and pushes his players to compete with him. This GM is harsh but fair, working exclusively within the rules. If a character drops, he won't hesitate to coup de grâce him. On top of that, the Adversarial GM will often goad or taunt the players with the goal of motivating them to shut him up. This is the Adversarial GM and he belongs in the game.
Some of you may be with me already, but those of you who aren't are probably asking “Why do I want a GM who actively tries to kill me and taunts me while doing it?” To answer this question, it's important that we understand the power of banter for building camaraderie. Anyone who's ever played a sport or served in the military knows what I'm talking about. It's a concept that used to proliferate male subcultures, but it's been a casualty of modern social sensibilities. The fact that I feel the need to explain banter says a lot about how much of a lost concept it is. For those of you who have been deprived of this essential bonding experience though, in competitive environments, teammates and competitors traditionally engage in insulting each other for motivational purposes. The idea is to create a sense of inter-group competition that drives the whole unit to a greater level of excellence. If two linebackers find themselves in competition with each other for who can sack the most quarterbacks this season, both men will make a concerted effort to push through the offensive line and get to the quarterback. This creates an ideal scenario for the whole football team as the defense is playing better on the back of this friendly rivalry. As Proverbs 27 tells us, “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.”
In RPGs, the same standard can be applied. Like it or not, there is a competitive aspect to RPGs. In Braunstein games, the competition is between the players as they compete to be the dominant faction. In more conventional play, the competition is the group against the GM. Yes, the GM may want the players to succeed, but fudging the rules in their favor or intentionally making sub-optimal choices is still cheating, just in a different direction. After all, if “Shoeless Joe” Jackson and the Chicago Black Sox were called cheaters for throwing the 1919 World Series, then the GM who doesn’t try is just as surely cheating by fixing the game in the players’ favor. As a GM playing the role of the party’s adversaries, it is your duty to be a competitive player. You can do this a friendly or neutral way, but you can also do this in an antagonistic way. While I wouldn’t recommend going as hard on your players as a Marine Corps Drill Sergeant would on a group of new boots just off the bus to Paris Island, adversarial banter can be a powerful motivator. It lets your players know that you aren’t messing around and are more than willing to make them pay for their slip-ups. Also, it’s fun to engage in banter. It’s enjoyable to verbally spar with your companions, especially if they have a rapier wit and a penchant for creative zingers.
This leads me to my final point about the Adversarial GM. He isn’t off limits when it comes to verbal barbs. Indeed, trash-talking the Adversarial GM serves the purpose of humbling them, especially when it’s backed up by clever play and good dice rolls. The GM may gloat when you’re on the back foot, but you can give as good as you get when fortunes are reversed. This is because the GM is, at the end of the day, just another player with their own unique roll. If an Adversarial GM isn’t willing to take their turn on the proverbial wheel, then they’re not the kind of person you should be playing with. The gaming table should be a circular firing squad because banter is the ultimate expression of camaraderie. It’s time to bring back the Adversarial GM as the ultimate motivator.