howandwhy99
Adventurer
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Story-creation games (storygames) - are they RPGs?
Rogue Agent
First Post
Roleplaying Games vs. Storytelling Games
A roleplaying game features a system in which mechanical decisions are associated to character decisions, so that any mechanical decision is, by default, a character decision (and thus the playing of a role).
A storytelling game features a system in which the mechanics determine which player(s) have narrative control and how they can exercise that narrative control.
An argument could be made that roleplaying games are a subset of storytelling games (insofar as making decisions as if you were a character is, in fact, one form of narrative control). But in actual practice, it's probably easier to distinguish between the two forms of mechanics.
Some games may mix roleplaying mechanics and storytelling mechanics. But the mere fact that somebody roleplays while playing a game doesn't mean the game has roleplaying mechanics: For example, Fiasco is a pure storytelling game despite the fact that players usually roleplaying during it. (There are no roleplaying mechanics in Fiasco.)
A roleplaying game features a system in which mechanical decisions are associated to character decisions, so that any mechanical decision is, by default, a character decision (and thus the playing of a role).
A storytelling game features a system in which the mechanics determine which player(s) have narrative control and how they can exercise that narrative control.
An argument could be made that roleplaying games are a subset of storytelling games (insofar as making decisions as if you were a character is, in fact, one form of narrative control). But in actual practice, it's probably easier to distinguish between the two forms of mechanics.
Some games may mix roleplaying mechanics and storytelling mechanics. But the mere fact that somebody roleplays while playing a game doesn't mean the game has roleplaying mechanics: For example, Fiasco is a pure storytelling game despite the fact that players usually roleplaying during it. (There are no roleplaying mechanics in Fiasco.)
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