What Do You Think Of As "Modern TTRPG Mechanics"?

[Micah Sweet]

Very specifically in the first sentence of your post. I'll quote you to save time: Maybe you don't play newer games, or don't play them the way you suggest?

I'm sorry. By "the way you suggest", I meant in a low or no prep way consistent with the game's presented style or ruleset. It has nothing to do with how you play personally. If you meant something different than that I apologize.

 

[Fenris-77]

I'm sorry. By "the way you suggest", I meant in a low or no prep way consistent with the game's presented style or ruleset. It has nothing to do with how you play personally. If you meant something different than that I apologize.

Maybe just assume that in good faith I've run the kinds of games I talk about. I'm always up front when I'm talking about received rather than personal experience.

There's always room for discussion.

 

[zakael19]

Here’s an example of how a very “modern” game handles a combination of stuff. Mythic Bastionland is a super lean d20 based game that places its emphasis on a) exploration within premise and implied setting and b) player decision making about interesting situations for their knights. A NSR hexcrawl with some great theming.

It expects the following GM prep:

• roll up the 12x12 realm off its spark tables
• read the rules
• … I think that’s it?

During play, it helps the GM adjudicate off the player’s decisions and its procedural generations (eg: the hex exploration procedure) by just loading every freaking page with Spark rolls. Each knight and myth has entries, there’s entries for settlements and environments and etc.

The GM has a core procedure they follow to adjudicate if a Knight (PC) is facing risk (roll), or if they simple get their intent with or without a cost.

So after you do the hex world, low prep. Built to run at the table no matter what your players decide they want to do within the confines of the agreed premise. Procedures that guide adjudication. Tables to drive creativity. It’s pretty glorious.

 

[Thomas Shey]

If no real example exists, then I can't take your claim that "if it did then I would be right" as all that relevant to my interests.

You ought to know by now that solid hypotheticals are something I consider perfectly legitimate for discussion, Micah. I mean, honestly, how much worse would it be to a real example you never heard of? That's probably not relevant to your interests either.

 

[Thomas Shey]

And if "I only GM because no one else wants to" that reflects either selfishness or failure. Selfishness because you are either through accident or design hoarding all the fun GMing, or failure to develop other people as GMs.

It is however easier to develop GMs in systems where the GM is not weighed down by minutae.

I think you have to get vastly away from conventional RPGs before a lot of people would want to do it, and some not even then. For some its not an issue of work so much as the GM role not being a posture they're interested in.

 

[Thomas Shey]

The idea of a group being primarily driven by one person's interests is just totally antithetical to my experiences.

I've certainly seen it play out that way to some extent, but that turns on questions of passive versus active participance tendencies and other factors. On the whole I GM more than I play even though in my current group there are three other experienced GMs, because I find I have a tendency to get bored as a player (this was less true decades ago, so I think some of it is a learned trait, and some of it my ADHD having seized the day).

But that said, I don't consider my own interests absolutely paramount even when GMing. There are some practical limits to that, but that's not the same thing.

 

[Neonchameleon]

I think you have to get vastly away from conventional RPGs before a lot of people would want to do it, and some not even then. For some its not an issue of work so much as the GM role not being a posture they're interested in.

The vast majority of people don't play tabletop RPGs. So yes. In my experience close to half of players are interested in GMing and how many of those potential GMs make at least occasional GMs is down to a wide range of factors. You don't need a majority or even a majority of potential players - just a substantial fraction of players for GMs to stop being the bottleneck.

 

[Micah Sweet]

You ought to know by now that solid hypotheticals are something I consider perfectly legitimate for discussion, Micah. I mean, honestly, how much worse would it be to a real example you never heard of? That's probably not relevant to your interests either.

Something that exists in the real world is always more relevant when you're talking about real people.

 

[Neonchameleon]

I design (and sell) my own RPG stuff specifically to scratch this itch. Video games? Jesus no.

On the other hand you have a lot of expertise with RPG stuff - and I'm guessing from your username that you're in your late 40s. You've sunk a lot of time into one and not the other. I do not believe this to be the case on the generation that was able to make their own worlds in Minecraft and Roblox who if anything start with more expertise making video games. I don't consider it an invalid style but one that is fading out for very good reason.

 

[Fenris-77]

On the other hand you have a lot of expertise with RPG stuff - and I'm guessing from your username that you're in your late 40s. You've sunk a lot of time into one and not the other. I do not believe this to be the case on the generation that was able to make their own worlds in Minecraft and Roblox who if anything start with more expertise making video games. I don't consider it an invalid style but one that is fading out for very good reason.

You'd be pretty correct, but that doesn't excuse anyone of anything. If someone wants to make a video game to scratch that itch I'll be loudly cheering from the sidelines. It's just not my personal skill set.