It's pretty clear to me after this third episode that I've got a dominant force of gamist preference at the table.

The actions of the characters appear to be tripping over this line where it's not just character vs. character; it's player vs. player. You know that sort of "oh yeah, if she's doing that, well then I'm going to do this!" kind of one-upsmanship. The "how can I outsmart you" thing.

It's come up a lot in the BDTP conflicts, with players saying stuff like "how come I can't get a free shot off, since I planned ahead and did X?"

So there's one more session of this, and then I think the group wants to play D&D again. It's a bummer for me, as I've really been wanting to play Dogs, but I can imagine how that'll work out. Maybe they'd go for Donjon.

So, this here is the sort of play that would have aggravated me beyond belief, say, 10 years ago. But now I can put a name to it and recognize it for what it is. They all seem to like it, and I consider them friends now, so I can look at it and say, "all right, this is what I'm gonna get from my Thursday nights," and that's cool with me. I just have to find an alternate means of getting my thematic fix.

Maybe you can consider bringing "Keys" over to your D&D game from SoY? That might help with your thematic fix. One game I'm currently (and seemingly perpetually) about to get to play in is a Savage Worlds Rippers game.

The GM plans to use the keys from SoY to handle XP and Advancement. I think just that could add a whole lot to what you're going for.

Scott