What is a "Narrative Mechanic"?

[Crimson Longinus]

Here's a classic "narrative" mechanic embedded right within a fairly solidly "trad" / discrete action resolution mechanical framework system.


From Savage Worlds Adventurer Edition, page 52:

Edge Name: Scavenger
Requirements: Novice tier (can be taken at character creation), must also have the Luck edge.
Description: Once per encounter the hero may find, "suddenly remember," or dig up some much-needed piece of equipment, a handful of ammunition, or some other useful device. The Game Master decides what constitutes an encounter, and has the final word on what can and can't be found.

Pretty clearly a narrative mechanic. The player invoking this Edge in play puts something on their character's inventory sheet that didn't exist a second before. Now of course, in-game this is retrofitted to "Oh of course, the character was just lucky enough and intuitive enough to know that Object X would be needed at just the right moment," but it's pretty clearly a game mechanic being invoked by the player in such a way that can't be handled by a direct character input in the moment it is invoked.

The character in the fiction doesn't get to pull a Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure and say, "Oh, remember the trash can!" so (s)he can go back in time and put that exact thing in the storage bin for when the party needs it.

Trash Can! Remember a Trash Can!!!!!! (Billy Ted) - YouTube

Yeah, this is pretty minor, but clearly a narrative mechanic. In some games you can similarly ”remember” people, places, terrain features, etc into existence.

 

[billd91]

Again, my definition. the whole point of this discussion is how we individually think of these things. We aren't trying to get a consensus definition.

Then why are you spending so much effort arguing against MY definition?!?

 

[payn]

Or is it a player-deployed ability because the player wants the PC to definitely succeed for this clutch moment rather than risk failing? If it's player deployed to manipulate the narrative in a way that the PC can't in-character choose, I think it's a narrative mechanic.

This is how I like to view them.

 

[Reynard]

Then why are you spending so much effort arguing against MY definition?!?

I was arguing for mine. But you're right. Once we start circling it is probably better to move on.

 

[billd91]

Yeah, this is pretty minor, but clearly a narrative mechanic. In some games you can similarly ”remember” people, places, terrain features, etc into existence.

PF1 had something similar with the Well-Prepared feat. An awesome feat for low-level adventurers.

Well-Prepared – d20PFSRD

www.d20pfsrd.com

 

[Micah Sweet]

The player initiates EVERY action the PC takes. A narrative ability in the context of this discussion, to me, needs to come from a source outside the character and solely from the player. An ability that is a character ability -- be it spell, skill, item or whatever -- is a mechanical (or "gamist" although i don't want to use that term) ability. Characters do not have narrative abilities -- players do. Again, my definition. the whole point of this discussion is how we individually think of these things. We aren't trying to get a consensus definition.

That's good, because we have to agree to disagree on this one.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Here's a classic "narrative" mechanic embedded right within a fairly solidly "trad" / discrete action resolution mechanical framework system.


From Savage Worlds Adventurer Edition, page 52:

Edge Name: Scavenger
Requirements: Novice tier (can be taken at character creation), must also have the Luck edge.
Description: Once per encounter the hero may find, "suddenly remember," or dig up some much-needed piece of equipment, a handful of ammunition, or some other useful device. The Game Master decides what constitutes an encounter, and has the final word on what can and can't be found.

Pretty clearly a narrative mechanic. The player invoking this Edge in play puts something on their character's inventory sheet that didn't exist a second before. Now of course, in-game this is retrofitted to "Oh of course, the character was just lucky enough and intuitive enough to know that Object X would be needed at just the right moment," but it's pretty clearly a game mechanic being invoked by the player in such a way that can't be handled by a direct character input in the moment it is invoked.

The character in the fiction doesn't get to pull a Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure and say, "Oh, remember the trash can!" so (s)he can go back in time and put that exact thing in the storage bin for when the party needs it.

Trash Can! Remember a Trash Can!!!!!! (Billy Ted) - YouTube

Unless time travel is involved.

Which would be cool.

 

[Neonchameleon]

From this I'm learning that Fate seems to have fewer narrative mechanics than GURPS and I need to think on whether Apocalypse World has none or lots. I'm curious whether people think that this classic ability from Spirit of the Century/Fate 3.0 is what they consider an example of a narrative ability.

Master of Disguise [Deceit]​

​

Requires Clever Disguise and Mimicry.​

The character can convincingly pass himself off as nearly anyone with a little time and preparation. To use this ability, the player pays a fate point and temporarily stops playing. His character is presumed to have donned a disguise and gone “off camera”. At any subsequent point during play the player may choose any nameless, filler character (a villain’s minion, a bellboy in the hotel, the cop who just pulled you​

over) in a scene and reveal that that character is actually the PC in disguise!​

​

The character may remain in this state for as long as the player chooses, but if anyone is tipped off that he might be nearby, an investigator may spend a fate point and roll Investigate against the disguised character’s Deceit. If the investigator wins, his player (which may be the GM) gets to decide which filler character is actually the disguised PC (” Wait a minute – you’re the Emerald Emancipator!”).​

Also these two from the Driver playbook in Apocalypse World. And does it make a difference that they are both class-specific?

Eye on the door: name your escape route and roll+cool. On a 10+, you’re gone. On a 7–9, you can go or stay, but if you go it costs you: leave something behind or take something with you, the MC will tell you what. On a miss, you’re caught vulnerable, half in and half out.​

​

Reputation: when you meet someone important (your call), roll+cool. On a hit, they’ve heard of you, and you say what they’ve heard; the MC has them respond accordingly. On a 10+, you take +1forward for dealing with them as well. On a miss, they’ve heard of you, but the MC decides what they’ve heard​

 

[Pedantic]

PF1 had something similar with the Well-Prepared feat. An awesome feat for low-level adventurers.

Well-Prepared – d20PFSRD

www.d20pfsrd.com

One slightly narrative mechanic in a similar vein that I really enjoyed was the "I Can Swim!" feat from Fantasy Craft. It allowed you to hold your skill points gained at level up, and spend them reactively and immediately during play.

 

[TaranTheWanderer]

Lots to unpack here but I'd say that a Narrative 'Mechanic' is any part of the game that lets someone at the table control the flow of the story (or narrative) mostly outside(but not always) of what their actual character can do.

Fate: While Fate points are a 'meta-currency' as @Reynard put it, I wouldn't say they are the 'mechanic'. The mechanic is Aspects. Fate Points are, often, what gives you narrative control of that aspect.

So, someone can be 'PRONE' (an aspect), it has no narrative implication unless a player or GM makes it so by invoking the aspect. They can be PRONE the entire scene but it never takes centre stage. But let's say the guy tries to attack you and the player says, He misses because I get a +2 to dodge by invoking his PRONE aspect or more cinematically, "No, I'm going to have him miss my as character because he easily jump over his weapon because the guy is prone." The PRONE aspect now has centre stage and has influenced the narrative because the player used the mechanic embedded in FATE to change the story.

FATE also gives you narrative control when you Take Out an opponent. You can dictate what happens: they surrender, they die, they go unconscious, they give you the MCguffin, they become your servant - whatever is reasonable for the fiction. There's no meta-currency here. It's just a rule of the game. Some DMs in D&D will allow players to narrate how they defeat enemies. In FATE, it's codified in the rules and, therefore, a mechanic.

D&D
I included posts that brought this to mind:
It's true that BIFTs were poorly executed in 5e and that there wasn't a lot of guidance on how to use them or Inspiration. As they stand, they CAN be used narratively, depending how your table chooses to implement them. My group allow FATE-like abilities to declare details about the scene, or the game world. At one table, the DM also required us to describe HOW the Inspiration gave us advantage before we were allowed to spend it.

In D&D, I'd say the biggest narrative mechanic is the HELP or AID action. It requires no roll and only requires you to be next to the person or enemy that you are aiding. You see it all the time with familiars:

"the hawk swoops in and flutters around the enemy's head, distracting them so I can get my sneak attack."

But it doesn't have to be fluttering. IT could be making a loud noise, pooping on the creature's head, boosting the attacking character's morale - whatever.

Most tables have a basic requirement to at least DESCRIBE how your aid action is helping. That could be kicking sand into someone's face, or flanking them or trying to trip them or shining a light on the door as the rogue picks the lock. For most tables, "I do the AID other action" isn't good enough.

And, in that sense, that mechanic is strictly an In Character action that describes the story.

Maybe some examples might help?

Is Inspiration from 5e D&D a narrative mechanic?

If so, how so?

If not, why not?

But inspiration is awarded for playing according to BIFTs, which are a part of the character. So it’s not entirely separate of the narrative. It’s about reinforcing the character… which I would say is essential to the narrative.

BIFTs are not an intrinsic part of the game, and have been dropped since 2021.

In theory, it is pretty nebulous and table dependent, a good mechanic should be clear on when it is used and they are in the DM gift, in my mind to be really useful the player should know what to do to reliably obtain them.
Once awarded they are pure metagame.

the advantage system allows players (and DM) to describe tactical actions without worrying about specific bonuses or ‘rules’, instead they can just have characters Do and the world responds accordingly.
Even the roll itself by defining two possible outcomes creates a space where narrative can be inserted if the DM/player wants (this is especially so with disdvantage if one roll succeeds and the other fails. Its not raw but it does satisfy conditions for Fail forward or succeed at a cost )