Thomas Shey
Legend
I wouldn’t disagree. But I took your use of lifting to imply effort. I think there’s a difference between not being able to do something and choosing not to do it.
"Choosing" I think implies a more proactive process than the people involved are using, I think. Its more inertia than anything else.
Generally speaking, I don’t think that Story Now type games are overall any more or less difficult to play than traditional games. So, setting aside any individual’s preference for or against them, I’m not sure what more you were trying to say.
I'm just saying that engaging with it on the level Story Now wants requires more thought than they want to give. We aren't talking about people who are often exactly playing anything but the most basic types in other games. If you wound them up and aimed them, they might be able to go through the motions in a Story Now game, but I find it unlikely the other people playing would find them bringing much to the table.
To reframe my original point here, and again, setting aside matters of preference, I think a game like Apocalypse World and many of its PbtA offshoots enables player driven play without the need for a whole lot more effort on the part of the players. I would say it involves a different sort of effort, but not really more effort.
Different is sometimes sufficient, especially when you're dealing with people who only borderline engage as it is.