This week has seen several GM related theory developments.
Dice and Planning
Graham Walmsley describes one utility of dice and other randomizers in playing RPGs, that they limit the scope which can be planned by those involved. This helps to encourage a more responsive, adaptive attitude which works better for improvisational play.
GM as Game Designer
Will Hindmarch describes how non-computer RPGs provide a special opportunity for the GM in particular, namely the role of extrapolation of the system itself. Thus the GM can behave as a game designer in addition to more common referee tasks. He then discusses how some designs can aid this opportunity.
Yin and Yang of the GM
Ben Robins suggests that GMing tends towards two extremes. On one hand, the GM is proactive, directing events and moving the players and their characters. On the other the GM is reactive moving the world and events in response to the players' decisions. He stresses the importance of balancing these two roles in the practice of being a GM.
Monday, January 07, 2008
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Yearly Review 2007: Lessons in Review
Potential Pathologies
Illusionism
Railroading
Typhoid Mary
Whiff Factor
Powergaming
Parts of Play
Color
Agendas
Social Context
Story
Forge Theory
Scoping of the Model
Creative Agenda
Scope Exercise
Illusionism
Railroading
Typhoid Mary
Whiff Factor
Powergaming
Parts of Play
Color
Agendas
Social Context
Story
Forge Theory
Scoping of the Model
Creative Agenda
Scope Exercise
Monday, December 17, 2007
Weekly Review December 9th to December 15th
This week has followed last with an upswing in theory developments.
Classifying Setting
Chris Chinn describes two useful kinds of RPG settings. Canonical settings define the context of the game containing thematic options and ideally giving players a reference frame in which to play. Evocative settings ideally provide little information, and instead provide tools that enable players to construct elements based on what the setting evokes for them.
Process of Roleplay
Nathan Paoletta brushes up against theory while working on his RPG Design Handbook. He describes a conceptual way to understand the process of playing RPGs, "a process of collaborative creation, wherein each person involved is both a participant in and an observer of changes made to the fiction of that particular instance of roleplaying."
Diagrams of Theory
John Kim compiles four graphical models of RPGs: Spheres of Performance, The Big Model, The Process Model, and finally Levi Kornelsen's new Big Muddle. This later diagram is discussed further at I would knife fight a man.
Creative Agenda Re-Examined
Over at I would knife fight a man, Vincent Baker attempts to reconstruct another way to approach creative agendas. This has resulted in an exploration of the distinction between story and game within RPGs.
Classifying Setting
Chris Chinn describes two useful kinds of RPG settings. Canonical settings define the context of the game containing thematic options and ideally giving players a reference frame in which to play. Evocative settings ideally provide little information, and instead provide tools that enable players to construct elements based on what the setting evokes for them.
Process of Roleplay
Nathan Paoletta brushes up against theory while working on his RPG Design Handbook. He describes a conceptual way to understand the process of playing RPGs, "a process of collaborative creation, wherein each person involved is both a participant in and an observer of changes made to the fiction of that particular instance of roleplaying."
Diagrams of Theory
John Kim compiles four graphical models of RPGs: Spheres of Performance, The Big Model, The Process Model, and finally Levi Kornelsen's new Big Muddle. This later diagram is discussed further at I would knife fight a man.
Creative Agenda Re-Examined
Over at I would knife fight a man, Vincent Baker attempts to reconstruct another way to approach creative agendas. This has resulted in an exploration of the distinction between story and game within RPGs.
Weekly Review December 2nd to December 8th
This week has seen a continuation of some of the theory developments last week, especially focusing on discussions at I would knife fight a man.
Adventure Focused
Algi develops an adventure description language for constructing and codifying the situations in play. He suggests that this level has been largely ignored by RPG theory, and has a significant influence on how we play.
Undirected Play
Over at I would knife fight a man is a discussion about the Forge concept of Zilchplay. This is expanded and described as play which lacks direction, whether that direction is consistent or inconsistent.
Big Model Talk
Elsewhere on I would knife fight a man, Ben Lehman and Jessica Hammer have entered into a one-on-one discussion on the Forge theory and culture. This includes such topics as creative agenda, tinkering and house rules, and how the Forge community approaches theory.
Adventure Focused
Algi develops an adventure description language for constructing and codifying the situations in play. He suggests that this level has been largely ignored by RPG theory, and has a significant influence on how we play.
Undirected Play
Over at I would knife fight a man is a discussion about the Forge concept of Zilchplay. This is expanded and described as play which lacks direction, whether that direction is consistent or inconsistent.
Big Model Talk
Elsewhere on I would knife fight a man, Ben Lehman and Jessica Hammer have entered into a one-on-one discussion on the Forge theory and culture. This includes such topics as creative agenda, tinkering and house rules, and how the Forge community approaches theory.
Monthly Review November 2007
November has been a slow month, with a few simple trends appearing through out. One is the continuing work of Levi Kornelsen, who at the beginning of the month posted his ideas on goals and stances at GameCraft, focusing specifically on the way that play can satisfy different goals among players. Later on, he develops these same ideas as a counter point to the Big Model at I would knife fight a man.
Another theme of note has been the examination of time as a cost during and before play. Chris Chinn describes this as the main cost of character death in his work on hacking D&D. Likewise, Rich Warren sought a way to minimize these same costs for the construction and playing of story-centered games.
Another theme of note has been the examination of time as a cost during and before play. Chris Chinn describes this as the main cost of character death in his work on hacking D&D. Likewise, Rich Warren sought a way to minimize these same costs for the construction and playing of story-centered games.
Monday, December 03, 2007
Weekly Review November 25th to December 1st
Different perspectives can often provide useful ways to break from existing patterns of theory. This week has seen several of these.
Larp Resources
Over at RPGnet is a discussion on contested resources and larp dynamics. Some participants suggest that limited resources can be designed to produce good long term conflicts between characters, while others suggest that it produces negative situations during play. Still others suggest that resource struggles will occur naturally over long playing larps, even if it is only emergent status or story control.
Creative Enjoyments
Over at I would knife fight a man, Levi Kornelsen began a thread comparing his recent work with goals with creative agendas in Forge models. The culmination is to disambiguate the player-level, enjoyment-focused theories of Kornelsen and others from the group-level creative aesthetic which makes up a creative agenda. While the two approaches to describing how people play RPGs work on different levels, they may yet influence and further each other.
Larp Resources
Over at RPGnet is a discussion on contested resources and larp dynamics. Some participants suggest that limited resources can be designed to produce good long term conflicts between characters, while others suggest that it produces negative situations during play. Still others suggest that resource struggles will occur naturally over long playing larps, even if it is only emergent status or story control.
Creative Enjoyments
Over at I would knife fight a man, Levi Kornelsen began a thread comparing his recent work with goals with creative agendas in Forge models. The culmination is to disambiguate the player-level, enjoyment-focused theories of Kornelsen and others from the group-level creative aesthetic which makes up a creative agenda. While the two approaches to describing how people play RPGs work on different levels, they may yet influence and further each other.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Weekly Review November 18th to November 24th
This week has seen several developments in the theory of RPGs, their culture, and their development.
Gaming Identity and Feminism
Violet considers the issues of removing sexism from gaming culture. Specifically she questions whether the sexism is an inherent part of the gamer identity. This leads to a discussion of when it is better toout mode and replace cultural identity rather than to slowly combat and reform it.
Preparation of Story
Rich Warren describes how preparation is a major cost in using complex systems for story-based styles of play. He related the advantages of small footprint, flexible preparation for games which have more narrative influence on the part of the players.
Epistemology and Rules
Thanuir suggests ways of applying epistemology, which "talks about the possibility of and criteria for knowledge," to RPGs as a way to understand how consistency and coherence arise within play. Later, Thanuir expands on earlier discussions on rules, focusing on the consistency of these rules with the more subtle dynamics of setting, as well as their use in creating enjoyable mini-games.
Gaming Identity and Feminism
Violet considers the issues of removing sexism from gaming culture. Specifically she questions whether the sexism is an inherent part of the gamer identity. This leads to a discussion of when it is better toout mode and replace cultural identity rather than to slowly combat and reform it.
Preparation of Story
Rich Warren describes how preparation is a major cost in using complex systems for story-based styles of play. He related the advantages of small footprint, flexible preparation for games which have more narrative influence on the part of the players.
Epistemology and Rules
Thanuir suggests ways of applying epistemology, which "talks about the possibility of and criteria for knowledge," to RPGs as a way to understand how consistency and coherence arise within play. Later, Thanuir expands on earlier discussions on rules, focusing on the consistency of these rules with the more subtle dynamics of setting, as well as their use in creating enjoyable mini-games.
Monday, November 19, 2007
Weekly Review November 11th to November 17th
Theory development this week has been quiet. Most notable, perhaps, is a Story Games discussion on what the common RPG term, fiddly, means. It demonstrates the dangers both in the use of specialized terms and in attempting to impose a fixed definition on common-use terms.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Weekly Review November 4th to November 10th
This has been another sparse week in RPG theory.
Death and Game Time
Chris Chinn discusses the costs of character death, focusing on combat intensive games such as D&D. He suggests that character death simply means character replacement, which can even offer an opportunity in the game. He argues that the true cost is forcing the player to wait out until a replacement can be brought in, from the process of dying to the creation and introduction of a new character.
Death and Game Time
Chris Chinn discusses the costs of character death, focusing on combat intensive games such as D&D. He suggests that character death simply means character replacement, which can even offer an opportunity in the game. He argues that the true cost is forcing the player to wait out until a replacement can be brought in, from the process of dying to the creation and introduction of a new character.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Monthly Review October 2007
October has seen a variety of different theory developments. One has been an increased interest in freeform (lacking overt system) and jeepform (story-focused freeform) play. Early in the month, Emily Care Boss contrasts jeepform, which focuses on a communal story, with larp, where events are less unified and no single story emerges. Later on, at GameCraft is a discussion about the ways that freeform can evolve from more structured or overt systems.
Another thread, also occurred on GameCraft, where Levi Kornelsen has been assembling a theory of RPG play, focusing on the dynamic goals and behaviors of players. He starts with a series of stances as ways to interact with play. He then refines these as modes, combining them with goals and some solutions to meeting player goals.
Another thread, also occurred on GameCraft, where Levi Kornelsen has been assembling a theory of RPG play, focusing on the dynamic goals and behaviors of players. He starts with a series of stances as ways to interact with play. He then refines these as modes, combining them with goals and some solutions to meeting player goals.
Thursday, November 08, 2007
Weekly Review October 28th to November 3rd
This has been a slow week in RPG theory.
Modes, Goals, and Solutions
Over at GameCraft, Levi Kornelsen expands on his ideas about stances as modes of play and combines these with a listing of player goals and ways to meet these goals. Doing so he builds a theory focused on individual goals and group play styles in order to describe two different ways of meeting player goals: top-down which involves focusing at the beginning on specific narrow set of goals and bottom-up which involves compromise and adaptation to a variety of goals, taking more time in the process.
Modes, Goals, and Solutions
Over at GameCraft, Levi Kornelsen expands on his ideas about stances as modes of play and combines these with a listing of player goals and ways to meet these goals. Doing so he builds a theory focused on individual goals and group play styles in order to describe two different ways of meeting player goals: top-down which involves focusing at the beginning on specific narrow set of goals and bottom-up which involves compromise and adaptation to a variety of goals, taking more time in the process.
Thursday, November 01, 2007
Lesson: Forge Theory - Scope Exercise
In present incarnation of the Forge theory there are four scopes or layers of RPGs. At the top is the Social Contract, narrowing to Exploration, then to Techniques, and finally Ephemera as the smallest scope for looking at RPGs.
Things that happen in RPGs can be seen in one or more of these scopes. If you're not somewhat familiar with these take a look at this lesson. Then try to figure out which scope or scopes the following things can be placed into:
An argument between players.
An argument between characters.
The resolution of a fictional conflict.
A player correcting something he just said.
A player correcting another player about a past event in play.
A shout from an excited player.
The positions of miniatures.
How dice are rolled and read.
Who holds the character sheets between sessions.
Who can look at character sheets during the game.
You might try writing down your answers and then looking over them later. Did you pick some scopes that you don't feel fit anymore? Did you miss some scopes that make more sense the second time around?
Things that happen in RPGs can be seen in one or more of these scopes. If you're not somewhat familiar with these take a look at this lesson. Then try to figure out which scope or scopes the following things can be placed into:
An argument between players.
An argument between characters.
The resolution of a fictional conflict.
A player correcting something he just said.
A player correcting another player about a past event in play.
A shout from an excited player.
The positions of miniatures.
How dice are rolled and read.
Who holds the character sheets between sessions.
Who can look at character sheets during the game.
You might try writing down your answers and then looking over them later. Did you pick some scopes that you don't feel fit anymore? Did you miss some scopes that make more sense the second time around?
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