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Gygax on Realism in Game Design
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<blockquote data-quote="GreyICE" data-source="post: 6008558" data-attributes="member: 6684526"><p><span style="font-size: 12px">Since we're going back to the beginning, I decided to unearth the beginning, and actually read some stuff in high Gygaxese. I'm beginning to think I might have liked Gary, tendency for long-winded, slightly pompous rants aside.</span></p><p style="margin-left: 20px"><span style="font-size: 12px">Interestingly, most of the variant systems which purport to “improve” </span><span style="font-size: 12px">the game are presented under the banner of realism. I have personally </span><span style="font-size: 12px">come to suspect that this banner is the refuge of scoundrels; </span><span style="font-size: 12px">whether the last or first refuge is immaterial. “Realism” has become a </span><span style="font-size: 12px">bugaboo in the hobby, and all too many of the publishers — TSR included </span><span style="font-size: 12px">— make offerings to this god too frequently.</span></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"><span style="font-size: 12px">...</span></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"><span style="font-size: 12px">When fantasy games are criticized for being “unrealistic” — and </span><span style="font-size: 12px">by fantasy I certainly mean both imaginary “science fiction” games </span><span style="font-size: 12px">and heroic fantasy — the sheer magnitude of the misconception absolutely </span><span style="font-size: 12px">astounds me! How can the critic presume that his or her imagined </span><span style="font-size: 12px">projection of a non existent world or conjectured future history is any </span><span style="font-size: 12px">more “real” than another’s? While science fantasy does have some </span><span style="font-size: 12px">facts and good theories to logically proceed from, so that a semblance </span><span style="font-size: 12px">of truth can be claimed for those works which attempt to ground themselves </span><span style="font-size: 12px">on the basis of reality for their future projections, the world of </span><span style="font-size: 12px">“never-was” has no such shelter. Therefore, the absurdity of a cry for </span><span style="font-size: 12px">“realism” in a pure fantasy game seems so evident that I am overwhelmed </span><span style="font-size: 12px">when such confronts me. Yet, there are those persistent few </span><span style="font-size: 12px">who keep demanding it. The “camel” of working magic, countless </span><span style="font-size: 12px">pantheons of gods and devils, monsters that turn people to stone or </span><span style="font-size: 12px">breath fire, and characters that are daily faced with Herculean challenges </span><span style="font-size: 12px">which they overcome by dint of swordplay and spell casting is </span><span style="font-size: 12px">gulped down without a qualm. It is the “gnat” of "unrealistic” combat, </span><span style="font-size: 12px">or “unrealistic” magic systems, or the particular abilities of a class </span><span style="font-size: 12px">of characters in the game which makes them gag.</span></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"><span style="font-size: 12px">...</span></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"><span style="font-size: 12px">D&D is a make-believe game. It is designed, however, to facilitate </span><span style="font-size: 12px">close personal involvement in all aspects of play; this makes suspension </span><span style="font-size: 12px">of disbelief easier for those who can initially accept <strong>a game form which </strong></span><span style="font-size: 12px"><strong>does not relate to any reality </strong>except a few tenuous areas... It is a game for the imaginative and fanciful, and perhaps for </span><span style="font-size: 12px">those who dream of adventure and derring-do in a world all too mundane. </span><strong><span style="font-size: 12px">As a game must first and foremost be fun, it needs no claim to </span></strong><strong><span style="font-size: 12px">“realism” to justify its existence.</span></strong></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px">(Bolding mine, a few italic tags missed due to age)</span></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="GreyICE, post: 6008558, member: 6684526"] [SIZE=3]Since we're going back to the beginning, I decided to unearth the beginning, and actually read some stuff in high Gygaxese. I'm beginning to think I might have liked Gary, tendency for long-winded, slightly pompous rants aside.[/SIZE] [INDENT][SIZE=3]Interestingly, most of the variant systems which purport to “improve” [/SIZE][SIZE=3]the game are presented under the banner of realism. I have personally [/SIZE][SIZE=3]come to suspect that this banner is the refuge of scoundrels; [/SIZE][SIZE=3]whether the last or first refuge is immaterial. “Realism” has become a [/SIZE][SIZE=3]bugaboo in the hobby, and all too many of the publishers — TSR included [/SIZE][SIZE=3]— make offerings to this god too frequently.[/SIZE] [SIZE=3] [/SIZE] [SIZE=3]...[/SIZE] [SIZE=3] [/SIZE] [SIZE=3]When fantasy games are criticized for being “unrealistic” — and [/SIZE][SIZE=3]by fantasy I certainly mean both imaginary “science fiction” games [/SIZE][SIZE=3]and heroic fantasy — the sheer magnitude of the misconception absolutely [/SIZE][SIZE=3]astounds me! How can the critic presume that his or her imagined [/SIZE][SIZE=3]projection of a non existent world or conjectured future history is any [/SIZE][SIZE=3]more “real” than another’s? While science fantasy does have some [/SIZE][SIZE=3]facts and good theories to logically proceed from, so that a semblance [/SIZE][SIZE=3]of truth can be claimed for those works which attempt to ground themselves [/SIZE][SIZE=3]on the basis of reality for their future projections, the world of [/SIZE][SIZE=3]“never-was” has no such shelter. Therefore, the absurdity of a cry for [/SIZE][SIZE=3]“realism” in a pure fantasy game seems so evident that I am overwhelmed [/SIZE][SIZE=3]when such confronts me. Yet, there are those persistent few [/SIZE][SIZE=3]who keep demanding it. The “camel” of working magic, countless [/SIZE][SIZE=3]pantheons of gods and devils, monsters that turn people to stone or [/SIZE][SIZE=3]breath fire, and characters that are daily faced with Herculean challenges [/SIZE][SIZE=3]which they overcome by dint of swordplay and spell casting is [/SIZE][SIZE=3]gulped down without a qualm. It is the “gnat” of "unrealistic” combat, [/SIZE][SIZE=3]or “unrealistic” magic systems, or the particular abilities of a class [/SIZE][SIZE=3]of characters in the game which makes them gag.[/SIZE] [SIZE=3] [/SIZE] [SIZE=3]...[/SIZE] [SIZE=3] [/SIZE] [SIZE=3]D&D is a make-believe game. It is designed, however, to facilitate [/SIZE][SIZE=3]close personal involvement in all aspects of play; this makes suspension [/SIZE][SIZE=3]of disbelief easier for those who can initially accept [B]a game form which [/B][/SIZE][SIZE=3][B]does not relate to any reality [/B]except a few tenuous areas... It is a game for the imaginative and fanciful, and perhaps for [/SIZE][SIZE=3]those who dream of adventure and derring-do in a world all too mundane. [/SIZE][B][SIZE=3]As a game must first and foremost be fun, it needs no claim to [/SIZE][/B][B][SIZE=3]“realism” to justify its existence.[/SIZE][/B] [/INDENT][SIZE=3] [/SIZE] [SIZE=3](Bolding mine, a few italic tags missed due to age)[/SIZE] [/QUOTE]
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