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The importance to RPGing of *engaging* situations
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<blockquote data-quote="clearstream" data-source="post: 8925047" data-attributes="member: 71699"><p>Thinking about concentric design, and noting first that I believe it is a very pragmatic way to understand and divide classes or roles of rules and second that what I will discuss will leave behind the context in which concentric design was introduced in this thread, there is an omission in the construct that I believe matters to the premises of this thread.</p><p></p><p>In the third shell is listed "Character improvement, including the ungiven future." Extending the analogy of a lightbulb (standing for the core rules) RPG play envisions lighting the bulb many times (or if you prefer, picture a series of lightbulbs, lighting one at a time in sequence). The <strong>core loop</strong> is the heart of the <strong>game</strong>. Overarching the game is the <strong>metagame</strong>: a distinct and fruitful area for rules design.</p><p></p><p>The intent of the original construct is to discuss layers of priority. What must we have. What may we have. Perhaps this also helps designers notice their core rules in order to give them the appropriate attention. In play, it suggests a safety net for players (e.g. concentrate on mastering the core rules as those can sustain play even if you forget some rules in the outer shells.) It is even possible to play some kinds of games without forming a metagame, although in practice examples are rare. Rarer still are RPGs that lack a metagame! Relevant to this thread, the metagame is the space in which the possibility that "<em>the players have shown </em>[what]<em> their PCs care about</em>" lives.</p><p></p><p>Again, stressing that I regard the idea of concentric game design as a sound construct for understanding and dividing rules, I think it is useful to expand the construct to separate out the metagame. I might propose even a strong view of metagame, which would be that RPG essentially doesn't exist without it. Putting it on the same level as core rules, i.e. at the heart of a TTRPG design and - given a purpose of playing an RPG as we generally talk about that activity - not dispensible in the same way that outer shell rules might be.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="clearstream, post: 8925047, member: 71699"] Thinking about concentric design, and noting first that I believe it is a very pragmatic way to understand and divide classes or roles of rules and second that what I will discuss will leave behind the context in which concentric design was introduced in this thread, there is an omission in the construct that I believe matters to the premises of this thread. In the third shell is listed "Character improvement, including the ungiven future." Extending the analogy of a lightbulb (standing for the core rules) RPG play envisions lighting the bulb many times (or if you prefer, picture a series of lightbulbs, lighting one at a time in sequence). The [B]core loop[/B] is the heart of the [B]game[/B]. Overarching the game is the [B]metagame[/B]: a distinct and fruitful area for rules design. The intent of the original construct is to discuss layers of priority. What must we have. What may we have. Perhaps this also helps designers notice their core rules in order to give them the appropriate attention. In play, it suggests a safety net for players (e.g. concentrate on mastering the core rules as those can sustain play even if you forget some rules in the outer shells.) It is even possible to play some kinds of games without forming a metagame, although in practice examples are rare. Rarer still are RPGs that lack a metagame! Relevant to this thread, the metagame is the space in which the possibility that "[I]the players have shown [/I][what][I] their PCs care about[/I]" lives. Again, stressing that I regard the idea of concentric game design as a sound construct for understanding and dividing rules, I think it is useful to expand the construct to separate out the metagame. I might propose even a strong view of metagame, which would be that RPG essentially doesn't exist without it. Putting it on the same level as core rules, i.e. at the heart of a TTRPG design and - given a purpose of playing an RPG as we generally talk about that activity - not dispensible in the same way that outer shell rules might be. [/QUOTE]
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