Theo Dudek, Ultimate Game Master

The Old School Rant RPG blog criticized my recent post on the disadvantages and advantages of randomly rolling to determine your character’s stats, background, life history, distinguishing physical features, etc. That’s fine, people are welcome to say whatever they want, but I’m not sure I understand his point — first he compares me to a character from “The Temple of Elemental Evil,” then he links to a website about some Godlike character to apparently make his point that “real heroes spit in the face of determinism.” So real heroes in his campaigns get infinite rerolls, I guess. -_-

Then he says: “Even the word ‘ultimate’ (you know, like Ultimate DM…) is offensive to real heroes.” This is when I really don’t know what he is talking about. ^^* I guess he hasn’t read much media or he would know about Marvel’s “Ultimate” line, the Jump Square character Ultimo, and all sorts of other heroic characters who use the term “ultimate.”

But of course this blog isn’t called “Ultimate Hero”; it’s about game mastering. (I actually prefer the “adventurers, not heroes” model of D&D, and I haven’t even run that many superhero-themed games; I always considered Champions a little clunky-generic and the Marvel and DC Super Heroes games are fun but have their own problems.) I considered several names for my blog but I settled on “ultimate” because it ’s the closest to what I wanted according to the definition of the word:

* the basic or fundamental fact, element or principle
* utmost; extreme
* last in a series, progress or progression
* Representing or exhibiting the greatest possible development or sophistication

All of these are evocative descriptions. What else could I have called my blog? “Fundamental DM” has a nice earthy sound to it, but sounds too old-fashioned and arguably political. “Elemental DM” sounds like I am a Xorn or an Azer or a Water Weird or something. “Final DM” makes me think of a JRPG title, and “extreme DM”, while promising, sounds like I am the Johnny Knoxville of DMs trying to run Dungeons & Dragons games in a flaming car driving down an uncompleted span of the San Francisco-Oakland bridge into the ocean. (Although I’m sure some DMs would probably try that in order to get youtube hits… ^^;; ) “Omega DM” (as in “I am the Alpha and Omega DM”) sounds a little pretentious, like an old ’80s Transformers name. Lastly, I could have gone with “Greatest DM” but that is WAY too egotistical-sounding.

Thus, I went with the name “Ultimate DM”. Roleplaying is the art of the ultimate; it’s about seeking or creating something beyond normal experience. And so, that’s how I came up with the name of my blog. I didn’t think anyone would have a problem with it, but if they do, I hope they can at least express their thoughts coherently. (”Lareth”…?! o_O)