Weekly Review March 9th to March 15th

RPG theory developments this week have centered on exploring basic ideas and elements of RPGs.

Exploring the Self

Fang Langford brings up the idea that RPGs allow us to explore ourselves, describing that "the pleasure of gaming is becoming more aware and familiar with yourself." He suggests this perspective may be of use for theory and especially design, based on how play can be treated as a safe zone within which to delve.

Game vs. RPG

Rob Donoghue talks about the relationship between what we do as we play and the underlying mechanics. He argues that in a pure game, the rules define what we can do as players, while in a RPG the rules act as a language which can describe what we wish to do. He further suggests that even if this flexibility isn't always taken it remains an important part of RPGs.

Character Change

Troy Costisick examines the question of character advancement in RPG design and play. He argues that it is reasonable to consider character advancement to be synonymous with any significant character change - rather than limiting it to wholly positive or wholly mechanical changes. From this perspective he suggests character advancement should have a role in any RPG.