Weekly Review Apr. 1st to Apr. 7th

This week has seen several theory developments, continuing threads of culture and gaming.

Race in RPGs

John Kim describes various aspects of RPGs and their relationship with race. From his own experiences to the ways race is handled in RPGs and their settings, he delineates a series of concerns and problems, acting as a short overview of this complicated subject.

Anathema

Ed Heil discusses the relationship between institutional moral judgements and that of individuals. He suggests, by examination of some historical examples, that the mostinstitutional, and hence impersonal, of judgements ultimately comes down to people choosing to cast some things out. This reflects back in RPGs to the moral decisions of characters, built from both fictional authorities and the structure of the game itself, but ultimately being an individual judgement.

Teamwork

Thor Olavsrud describes the technique of teamwork, discussing how players can work together (including the GM) to enhance play. He uses a sport's team metaphor, relating roleplaying teamwork to giving others on your team to succeed, and thus performing better than you could alone. In this vein, he advises making an effort to facilitate the desires of other players, so that the game is more enjoyable for all.