A Dark High Fantasy RPG

[Quickleaf]

I read this old blog post by Sean K Reynolds about the "core values" of RPGs, and it got me thinking more about creativity. Here's the relevant quote:

All of the people who indicated a strong interest in RPGs identified eight "core values" that they look for in the RPG experience. These 8 core values are more important than the segments; that is, if these 8 things aren't present in the play experience it won't matter if the game generally supports a given segment's interests - the players will find the experience dissatisfying. These 8 core values are:

Strong Characters and Exciting Story
Role Playing
Complexity Increases over Time
Requires Strategic Thinking
Competitive
Add on sets/New versions available
Uses imagination
Mentally challenging

In other words, even the players who enjoy a "Tactical Focus" still want to be challenged to use Strategic Thinking; likewise, even the Combat Focus player wants a Strong Character and Exciting Story. A person who segments into a "Tactical Focus" segment, when compared to the population as a whole is likely to be perceived as someone who enjoys Strategy; only when compared to the population of people who enjoy RPGs is the difference visible between the hard-core strategic players and the slightly less hard-core tactical players.

Similarly, people who play RPGs don't want to just play DOOM. The most hard-core fan of melee combat still wants to fight opponents that are meaningful and wants his or her character to act in a way proscribed by the archetypes of the genre or property being simulated.

I have used the analogy of fans of "the color blue" to discuss this effect. To the general population, blue is just blue. But to a true fan, there are many shades of blue, each with its own unique properties. RPG gamers have more in common with each other than they do with non-RPG gamers, but within their own community, there are noticable differences that can be categorized.

It got me thinking about the premise I have: that a game can be designed to encourage, challenge, and reward creativity. IOW that elements of game design can have an effect on player creativity.

I suspect for some people that will be an obvious truism, but for others will be contentious. After all, we don't need rules for talking to NPCs! The rules, one school of thought goes, serve creativity by just getting out of the way. IOW, the argument goes, rules *never* have a positive effect on creativity. Certainly an excess of rules and information can smother creativity.

But what is an example of a game rule that promotes creativity?

A simple example would be "the DM's best friend" modifier: if a player comes up with a great idea or vivid description, the DM can make the task more likely to succeed. How successful that mechanic is, however, seems to vary widely from table to table according to play styles.

A more interesting example would be Rich Burlew's diplomacy house rule for d20, where you have to present some kind of offer and evaluate its risk vs reward to determine the likelihood of success.

The second example is more in line with what I'm thinking.

 

[GMMichael]

But what is an example of a game rule that promotes creativity?

There's the rule about accepting detriments. Something like, if you have a bad roll, then the GM introduces a problem for your character. You can deny it, or you can accept it and get a token which provides a small boon later in the game. It's in Fate, or HeroQuest, or m20...not sure, I've seen too many indie games lately.

Or there's an open-ended bonus. Say, you can add a die to whatever you want as a bonus. If you do this in a way that reinforces your character concept, you could earn another one. Or roleplay your character even when the result would be negative...