I gm for a couple of different groups, and we've been playing through a Deadlands campaign for a fair few years now, which means that I've got the experience with the system to be comfortable with it. This means that I can adapt and change it at will in order to get the best effect for the game itself. If something isn't working, if it's just causing things to drag along, change it! I don't have any stone-set rules over-riding the printed edition, I don't feel the need to, as each seperate situation may call for an individual solution.
You may think that that's all very well and good, but it lacks consistency, and a player may well take issue with that. Hopefully that won't happen, especially if it's done in such a way that people can see why it benefits proceedings; our mutant baracarian was most annoyed that he'd lost his magic axe, but a quick explanation later and he understood, play moved on. I guess it helps that I run fairly casual games, not necessarily being rigid to the rules; a spectacular shot may well have not done enough damage to kill the target, but why let the dice roll get in the way of a good story and flow?
As for munchkins; they are never as powerful as they think! Keep it in mind, you can beat them at their own game, there are always bigger fish out there. We were playing through a Deadlands campaign with a Huckster and a Blessed, the Blessed's player was infamous for being able to use the rules to his advantage, and the abilities he took made him pretty unstoppable, damage washed off him like water, and with a certain Edge, he was able to kill with almost impunity. I didn't feel this was fitting with the character ideal, that he was abusing certain privileges, so I started to push back, fudged a few dice rolls so that he wasn't all powerful, so that people did hurt him. In the end he did the job for me by pursuing the main villain of the entire game (Stone, the guy on the front cover of the main book)... when it comes in terms of bigger fish, the Blessed was a Minnow to Stone's Great White... one less Blessed, one less munchkin for me to worry about.
You have to remember, you do most of the work, you are the one the players are trusting to keep things running smoothly. Munchkins don't only annoy you as the gm, they can severely annoy the other players who are trying to be more balanced, and it's down to you to help them along. The plot and group is more important than one person who has self-worth issues!
Finally, to address the issue over how players buy skills. Again, the gm can have a major impact on the way this happens. We recently started a game of Exalted, with a Dawn caste, a Twilight caste and I played a Night caste (a nice change to play rather than run the game) The gm was running it withthe intention of us all realising what we were in the first session, with the Dawn caste Exalting first. Common people are terrified of Exalted individuals, as was our caravan of this man who was once just a guard, but now an 'infernal demon lord'... my Night caste, being a canny opportunist rogue, saw an opportunity and stepped up, addressing the crowd. I stood up from the bean bag which had cradled me for so long, and acted out the speach (I'm some what more of an extrovert thant he other players), and even if I do say so myself, I was damn good! Every one loved it, the other players, the gm and myself... and then he said "Roll Performance." Now I knew full well I hadn't taken that at character creation, I'd chosen Socialise instead, so I defaulted to just using Charisma, or Manipulation. I passed the roll because of a huge bonus the gm gave me for the actual performance I gave, and convinced the entire caravan that we had a new protector god amongst us. Was it fair of him to do that? I would certainly think so, the game he was running had gotten me so involved that I was prepared to stand up and make a potential idiot out of myself, I deserved some sort of reward! It also helped the game flow, helped the gm by letting the players lead the plot a while, absolving him of another problem.
When my character Exalted next, we kept it quiet, or rather he convinced the Dawn it was in their best interests. The Dawn player knew full well why my Night was doing this, for his own good, that he was manipulating his Dawn friend, but the way the characters were devloping it fitted so well, that it was far more enjoyable to go this way than to try to resist. When our Twilight finally got with the programme and Exalted, again I stood up, and again I gave it everything. Again I had to roll a skill I didn't have, again I got a huge bonus, and again I passed!
At the end of the game, I got a bit more experience than the others, BUT!!! But the gm said to me "You HAVE to buy Performance." I wasn't allowed not to buy it! I had intented to any way, because I had really enjoyed the game and how my character had developed, and intended to work more on it. So whilst our Dawn was buying new powers and combos, I was picking up skills and social graces.
And that's my point, the gm is more than able to say yes or no to how you want to use your experience. If your character hasn't even touched their longbow in the last adventure, how could their Archery improve?!
I would say it's best to do whatever it takes to make the game flow. If munchkins are messing every thing up,mess them back harder! If a player is motivated enough to make that extra effort, reward them for making it all the more enjoyable for every one, and guide them later on if they don't seem to have maintained that spirit.
I gm for a couple of different groups, and we've been playing through a Deadlands campaign for a fair few years now, which means that I've got the experience with the system to be comfortable with it. This means that I can adapt and change it at will in order to get the best effect for the game itself. If something isn't working, if it's just causing things to drag along, change it! I don't have any stone-set rules over-riding the printed edition, I don't feel the need to, as each seperate situation may call for an individual solution.
You may think that that's all very well and good, but it lacks consistency, and a player may well take issue with that. Hopefully that won't happen, especially if it's done in such a way that people can see why it benefits proceedings; our mutant baracarian was most annoyed that he'd lost his magic axe, but a quick explanation later and he understood, play moved on. I guess it helps that I run fairly casual games, not necessarily being rigid to the rules; a spectacular shot may well have not done enough damage to kill the target, but why let the dice roll get in the way of a good story and flow?
As for munchkins; they are never as powerful as they think! Keep it in mind, you can beat them at their own game, there are always bigger fish out there. We were playing through a Deadlands campaign with a Huckster and a Blessed, the Blessed's player was infamous for being able to use the rules to his advantage, and the abilities he took made him pretty unstoppable, damage washed off him like water, and with a certain Edge, he was able to kill with almost impunity. I didn't feel this was fitting with the character ideal, that he was abusing certain privileges, so I started to push back, fudged a few dice rolls so that he wasn't all powerful, so that people did hurt him. In the end he did the job for me by pursuing the main villain of the entire game (Stone, the guy on the front cover of the main book)... when it comes in terms of bigger fish, the Blessed was a Minnow to Stone's Great White... one less Blessed, one less munchkin for me to worry about.
You have to remember, you do most of the work, you are the one the players are trusting to keep things running smoothly. Munchkins don't only annoy you as the gm, they can severely annoy the other players who are trying to be more balanced, and it's down to you to help them along. The plot and group is more important than one person who has self-worth issues!
Finally, to address the issue over how players buy skills. Again, the gm can have a major impact on the way this happens. We recently started a game of Exalted, with a Dawn caste, a Twilight caste and I played a Night caste (a nice change to play rather than run the game) The gm was running it withthe intention of us all realising what we were in the first session, with the Dawn caste Exalting first. Common people are terrified of Exalted individuals, as was our caravan of this man who was once just a guard, but now an 'infernal demon lord'... my Night caste, being a canny opportunist rogue, saw an opportunity and stepped up, addressing the crowd. I stood up from the bean bag which had cradled me for so long, and acted out the speach (I'm some what more of an extrovert thant he other players), and even if I do say so myself, I was damn good! Every one loved it, the other players, the gm and myself... and then he said "Roll Performance." Now I knew full well I hadn't taken that at character creation, I'd chosen Socialise instead, so I defaulted to just using Charisma, or Manipulation. I passed the roll because of a huge bonus the gm gave me for the actual performance I gave, and convinced the entire caravan that we had a new protector god amongst us. Was it fair of him to do that? I would certainly think so, the game he was running had gotten me so involved that I was prepared to stand up and make a potential idiot out of myself, I deserved some sort of reward! It also helped the game flow, helped the gm by letting the players lead the plot a while, absolving him of another problem.
When my character Exalted next, we kept it quiet, or rather he convinced the Dawn it was in their best interests. The Dawn player knew full well why my Night was doing this, for his own good, that he was manipulating his Dawn friend, but the way the characters were devloping it fitted so well, that it was far more enjoyable to go this way than to try to resist. When our Twilight finally got with the programme and Exalted, again I stood up, and again I gave it everything. Again I had to roll a skill I didn't have, again I got a huge bonus, and again I passed!
At the end of the game, I got a bit more experience than the others, BUT!!! But the gm said to me "You HAVE to buy Performance." I wasn't allowed not to buy it! I had intented to any way, because I had really enjoyed the game and how my character had developed, and intended to work more on it. So whilst our Dawn was buying new powers and combos, I was picking up skills and social graces.
And that's my point, the gm is more than able to say yes or no to how you want to use your experience. If your character hasn't even touched their longbow in the last adventure, how could their Archery improve?!
I would say it's best to do whatever it takes to make the game flow. If munchkins are messing every thing up,mess them back harder! If a player is motivated enough to make that extra effort, reward them for making it all the more enjoyable for every one, and guide them later on if they don't seem to have maintained that spirit.
Just my thoughts any way.