What is a "Narrative Mechanic"?

[CreamCloud0]

IMO a narritive mechanic is an ability that applies it's influence directly to the narrative space of the game rather going through the nitty-gritty of influencing the rules and mechanics of the game or through them that the narrative is typically born from the dice results of.

 

[Mannahnin]

I’d go as far as saying Advantage/Disadvantage is a narrative mechanic and Inspiration points are a way of triggering advantage

Not in general, though you have more of a point re: Inspiration. Advantage/Disadvantage at base is a simple way of expressing that there is some circumstance (which is usually part of the established game state/fiction) helping or hindering a given effort. An enemy being prone is part of the fiction, but it's not something the player arbitrarily establishes. Outside a Whimsy Card or something which gives him such control outside of his character's action.

If, say, I want my PC Able the Archer to have advantage when making a melee attack against an enemy, that can be achieved in a couple of ways. I could take in-character action to knock the enemy prone. I could ask my fellow party member, Bold Berthold, to knock the enemy prone before my turn, or to flank the enemy, if we're using the optional flanking rule. Or he could use the Help action to distract the enemy's attention, giving me a better opening.

If my group was playing with Lion Rampant's Whimsy Cards (1987) I might have a card that I could play to directly influence the narrative, including one which specified that my opponent tripped and fell.

I think the latter is an example of using a narrative mechanic, because it's dissociated from the actions my character takes within the fiction and directly alters a narrative element which is usually either determined by mechanics or the DM's purview to describe.

That's not true. Advantage or disadvantage is exactly like bonuses and penalties in previous editions. It is the result of specific tactical choices made by characters and the result of environmental effects. There is no mechanism in 5E for getting advantage for describing things. You get advantage on melee attacks against a prone opponent within reach. That's just a rule.

Yep.

The easiest definition I've come across is that a narrative mechanic is anything that works on or towards results that couldn't stem from something your character could do 'in character'. That casts a pretty wide net, but I'm also not using it pejoratively. That could probably stand to be reduced into a couple of sub-categories I think.

Yes, I think this one is pretty good.

I think Inspiration is kind of borderline. Treating Narrative as a quality of mechanics which exists on a spectrum, I guess it's a little further down the line than, say, making an attack roll. But I still think it's representing something within the fiction and internal to a character and their locus of control. The idea of BIFTs is to encourage roleplaying, right? Incentivize players to act out their character's internal motivations and defining qualities, and make them apparent to the table. Do so and the DM awards Inspiration. What does Inspiration represent in the fiction? To me, it represents a literal moment of inspired action. Motivated action. Extra focus and emphasis which improves the chance of success at a given action. We know both in fiction and real life people draw on internal reserves of focus and strength when inspired to do so. Inspiration represents such a moment, of increased focus, perhaps "flow state".

 

[Reynard]

IMO a narritive mechanic is an ability that applies it's influence directly to the narrative space of the game rather going through the nitty-gritty of influencing the rules and mechanics of the game or through them that the narrative is typically born from the dice results of.

Can you give a specific example?

 

[CreamCloud0]

Can you give a specific example?

in it's simplest manifestation i think i would say it's something like an ability that says 'you can unlock a locked door(even if only 1/day or LR)' rather than needing to bother with sleight of hand, thieves tools and the dexterity roll, note this would not be the same as 'taking 10/20' as those are simply fasttracking past the roll to a numerical result but still (in my understanding of them) function on the level as part of the skill check mechanics and is still possible to fail even with a 20, the narrative ability is just 'you do the thing'

i also note as has already been mentioned in the thread, this differs for using a spell like knock in this case to achieve the same effect in that knock exists as a thing in universe, knock also interacts with the mechanics of the game consuming a spell slot to be used.

 

[Reynard]

in it's simplest manifestation i think i would say it's something like an ability that says 'you can unlock a locked door(even if only 1/day or LR)' rather than needing to bother with sleight of hand, thieves tools and the dexterity roll, note this would not be the same as 'taking 10/20' as those are simply fasttracking past the roll to a numerical result but still (in my understanding of them) function on the level as part of the skill check mechanics and is still possible to fail even with a 20, the narrative ability is just 'you do the thing'

I don't think "Once per day you can automatically succeed at X check" constitutes a narrative ability, primarily because the character is still taking an action in the fiction directly related to the outcome. It is really just a non-magical spell or double-extra-secret-Advantage.

 

[Squared]

I'd have said that a more accurate comparison to Fate is that in Fate the player can declare there is a door if they spend a Fate point and have an appropriate aspect whereas in D&D the player can declare there is a door if they spend a spell slot and have the Passwall spell prepared.

And the primary difference here is whether or not it is something the PC has or just the player.

If the PC has the ability it is a traditional rule. If it is the player it is a narrative rule.

*Edited for clarity

^2

 

[Reynard]

I'd have said that a more accurate comparison to Fate is that in Fate the player can declare there is a door if they spend a Fate point and have an appropriate aspect whereas in D&D the player can declare there is a door if they spend a spell slot and have the Passwall spell prepared.

I'm at a loss trying to imagine a character aspect that could be invoked with a Fate Point that would allow a player to declare the existence of a door in a room with the aspect "No Way Out" or "Sealed Tight."

 

[Crimson Longinus]

Whilst narrative mechanics are often (or always?) meta mechanics, I don’t think they’re necessarily exactly the same thing. I think there can be meta mechanics that are not narrative.

 

[billd91]

I don't think "Once per day you can automatically succeed at X check" constitutes a narrative ability, primarily because the character is still taking an action in the fiction directly related to the outcome. It is really just a non-magical spell or double-extra-secret-Advantage.

I think it depends on the ability. Is it a magic item that does it and the PC knows it recharges at dawn? Then it's not a narrative mechanic, per se. But if it's a metacurrency-type ability that the PC doesn't really know about and it's up to the player to deploy, then I'd argue it's a narrative mechanic because the player is using it to pick the point in the narrative where the PC has an unbeatable skill check.

 

[payn]

Whilst narrative mechanics are often (or always?) meta mechanics, I don’t think they’re necessarily exactly the same thing. I think there can be meta mechanics that are not narrative.

This.