Recent content by Jacob Lewis

That’s a fair comparison, and I agree that broad categories aren’t unusual — language thrives on generalization. The difference I was aiming at isn’t that “RPG” shouldn’t be broad, but that its breadth carries particular consequences because of how play expectations form around shared...

@Deset Gled I’m honestly not sure where all the hostility is coming from. I’m not raging against anything or trying to manufacture controversy. I’m just exploring how expectations around roleplaying games formed and evolved, and how that affects what players bring to the table—literally and...

I think that’s a fair read, and I’d agree the conflict rarely shows up at the table. Most people don’t argue about definitions mid-session; they just play. The tension I’m describing isn’t about players clashing—it’s about how habits and expectations shape what people believe the game is before...

Well, I intended it as good-natured ribbing, thinking @Micah Sweet might wear this like a badge of honor. He did not see it that way, so I must apologize for that. We may not always see eye to eye on things, but I've always respected his tenacity for sharing his honest views and unapologetic...

Tell me about it. I didn't expect to hit a nerve with any of this, but I suspect there's another reason for it: I'm only getting likes from @Micah Sweet. Statistically speaking, and according to reputable internet data and analysis that I just made up, it's 90% likely you'll be on the right side...

Well, I’m glad you enjoyed reading it—and honestly, that’s all I ever hope for, whether someone agrees or not. I think you’ve read enough of my other posts to know I’m not working toward any grand agenda or trying to draw lines for a meaningless “movement.” I’m not here to tell anyone what to...

I think you were on to something at first, but that comparison doesn’t hold up under closer scrutiny. “Card game,” “board game,” and “video game” describe form — the physical or digital medium that defines how they’re presented and played. “Roleplaying game,” by contrast, describes function more...

@Umbran I appreciate the engagement, but I want to clarify the focus of the essay. This isn’t about gatekeeping or arguing that people can’t handle broad categories. It’s about how the label “RPG” functions in marketing, communication, and player expectation. The term sometimes implies...

I think it’s exactly where the ambiguity comes from. If the defining feature of an RPG is “taking on an individual and exploring their growth,” that already assumes a certain kind of interpretive engagement that not every RPG delivers, especially in the digital space. Tactical or...

I appreciate the insight, and for pointing me to that book. Where I’m trying to focus is less on the origin of those debates and more on how the term is still used today as a broad marketing umbrella. The interesting part to me isn’t that this was never discussed before, but that the same...

That’s fair. I don’t see it as a big problem either — more an observation about how broad the term RPG has become. Within the community, we’ve done a good job developing clearer language for different playstyles. But on the outside, the label still gets used as a kind of catch-all for anything...

1. Introduction — The Problem of the Label The term roleplaying game has come to mean many things and, in doing so, has come to mean almost nothing at all. It evokes ideas of adventure, character, and choice — but those ideas manifest in wildly different ways depending on who’s using the word...

You’re absolutely right that procedural segmentation guarantees everyone a turn and helps keep things clean, predictable, and fair. The structure works—especially when a table has uneven personalities or engagement levels. But that’s also where the deeper problem hides: procedure is often...

This is the same cycle of concern we saw around Daggerheart—long lists of hypothetical “what ifs” about players and behaviors because of a perceived lack of codification and structure. The reality is that most tables who actually played found the system worked just fine, largely because everyone...