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The Principle of Legitimate Intentions
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<blockquote data-quote="clearstream" data-source="post: 8998095" data-attributes="member: 71699"><p>I think if we saw mechanics played uniformally the same way then we could say that priniciples are about how we choose to operate the machinery. However, we see mechanics played in different ways. I can give an example.</p><p></p><p>Long Rests (5e). On Enworld this rule was grasped and upheld in two different ways, amounting to two quite different mechanics. Three principles informed what each group decided the mechanic was. Group A parsed "at least 1 hour of walking, fighting, casting spells, or similar adventuring activity" as - 1 hour of (walking, fighting, casting spells, or similar). Group B parsed that as (1 hour of walking, fighting, casting spells, or similar). In some lengthy debates folk invoked the following principles. 1) Grammatical. 2) How we ought to play. 3) How we ought to obey authority (what we ought to count into our normative determinations.) Such principles were decisive in what mechanic was played. Which wasn't a matter of knowing the mechanic and choosing to play it in way A or B, but of grasping the mechanic <em>as</em> A <em>or </em>B.</p><p></p><p>Guidelines have an interesting position in how folk approach mechanics. Again using 5e, some folk say that all "rules" are really guidelines. The game designers occasionally designate some parts of the game text expressly as guidelines. (Just as they designate some parts optional, and some parts variant.) Regarding those folk who say all rules are guidelines, there's an important distinction to note. Some of them mean that they follow all rules <em>as rules</em> (not guidelines) but that they make choices about <em>which </em>rules they follow. What they mean by guideline is something like - a rule I can disapply. Others mean that there are rules they follow as rules (do this) and there is other game text that they understand as guidelines (do something like this). What they mean by guideline is something like - a rule I can comply with in different ways to suit what I'm trying to achieve. The two approaches are not so far apart, because in each case whatever is designated a guideline is a rule that players <em>expect </em>to follow in different ways (including not following.)</p><p></p><p>Principles also do the job you point to, of how the game as artifact is operationalised into the game as played. I've explained this elsewhere using the analogy of tools.</p><p></p><p></p><p>Yes, I think you are right to point to a right to add to the fiction in ways that change the fictional position thus legitimating some and not other acts. I included that under establishing what is true, which extended (without my pointing it out expressly) the "Secret Keeper" facet. It's fine to divide establishing what's true into establishing what's true off-camera, and establishing what's true on-camera, and dividing that up in various ways. Although perhaps that means we'd be accepting some assumptions without questioning them. Why is it "propositions" for some participants and "narrative authority" for others? (Or rather, I know why you've constructed it that way, but it rests on an assumption.)</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="clearstream, post: 8998095, member: 71699"] I think if we saw mechanics played uniformally the same way then we could say that priniciples are about how we choose to operate the machinery. However, we see mechanics played in different ways. I can give an example. Long Rests (5e). On Enworld this rule was grasped and upheld in two different ways, amounting to two quite different mechanics. Three principles informed what each group decided the mechanic was. Group A parsed "at least 1 hour of walking, fighting, casting spells, or similar adventuring activity" as - 1 hour of (walking, fighting, casting spells, or similar). Group B parsed that as (1 hour of walking, fighting, casting spells, or similar). In some lengthy debates folk invoked the following principles. 1) Grammatical. 2) How we ought to play. 3) How we ought to obey authority (what we ought to count into our normative determinations.) Such principles were decisive in what mechanic was played. Which wasn't a matter of knowing the mechanic and choosing to play it in way A or B, but of grasping the mechanic [I]as[/I] A [I]or [/I]B. Guidelines have an interesting position in how folk approach mechanics. Again using 5e, some folk say that all "rules" are really guidelines. The game designers occasionally designate some parts of the game text expressly as guidelines. (Just as they designate some parts optional, and some parts variant.) Regarding those folk who say all rules are guidelines, there's an important distinction to note. Some of them mean that they follow all rules [I]as rules[/I] (not guidelines) but that they make choices about [I]which [/I]rules they follow. What they mean by guideline is something like - a rule I can disapply. Others mean that there are rules they follow as rules (do this) and there is other game text that they understand as guidelines (do something like this). What they mean by guideline is something like - a rule I can comply with in different ways to suit what I'm trying to achieve. The two approaches are not so far apart, because in each case whatever is designated a guideline is a rule that players [I]expect [/I]to follow in different ways (including not following.) Principles also do the job you point to, of how the game as artifact is operationalised into the game as played. I've explained this elsewhere using the analogy of tools. Yes, I think you are right to point to a right to add to the fiction in ways that change the fictional position thus legitimating some and not other acts. I included that under establishing what is true, which extended (without my pointing it out expressly) the "Secret Keeper" facet. It's fine to divide establishing what's true into establishing what's true off-camera, and establishing what's true on-camera, and dividing that up in various ways. Although perhaps that means we'd be accepting some assumptions without questioning them. Why is it "propositions" for some participants and "narrative authority" for others? (Or rather, I know why you've constructed it that way, but it rests on an assumption.) [/QUOTE]
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