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That's easy. Poker is a game and entirely part of math. Some people play poker only as a mathematical betting game, never bluffing. And deck draws are mathematically random because the deck is predetermined. It's the players that aren't going to be limited to math because they change too...

That belief didn't even exist prior to the Big Model. That's what I'm saying. I believe you are being honest with me. You aren't pretending what you have typed here. The ideas in that one true wayism have become so ingrained as to be believed as basic certainty. So I posted what I posted...

I don't agree with most of what you're saying here. But wanted to point out that there is no such thing as a conflict resolution mechanic in a game just like there is no such thing as narrative resolution outside of a story. Game mechanics define the game constructs that make up games. There...

Look at any game design book prior to 2000 (and some later) and you see that the Big Model doesn't have anything to do with game design at all. Nor does the postmodern critical theory he's borrowing as unquestionable certainty. These are theories, which us to say they are stories. They are us...

If RPGs are games, then it matters here. It's what leads game design so players can engage in game play. There is virtually no relationship between the two, so attempting to define them both under the same definition would not just be a waste, but ultimately an injustice. At least one or both...

Good post. And I do agree with much of what you're saying. Admittedly, I do not identify as an "immersionist" as that has been beat to a pulp by narrativists into "yet more storytelling, be it character or world exploration". What I believe we are doing in D&D is pre-generating all game...

Yes. That's basic game theory. Okay. But role playing isn't storytelling and RPGs have nothing to do with it. Then no definition can occur. There is no overlap between storygames and roleplaying games except to say that both use the label game. They are utterly different activities. i...

I think what happened is game theory informed the design of D&D in ways no one had much experience in before. There were very few cooperative games anywhere, in boardgames, cardgames, or wargames. Almost none of them allowed players to have variable power levels and still be balanced (see the...

It means they share the same mathematical morphism. Using it out of context wasn't helping. But it doesn't change the answer. And everyone of them is a worse game for attempting to include that as if rule. Those aren't cooperative games as I just explained. Because games designers understand...

The fan war between D&D and GURPS raged the entire 1980s on exactly that point until White Wolf thumbed their nose at everyone by calling their game a "storytelling game". Which pretty much united everyone against them in the 90s, for awhile at least. Stating the original definition of...

I contend they aren't isomorphic, game play is code breaking. It's why we have a division between players and referees. His definition of game doesn't include games. It only includes group storytelling. No, they are arguing from a decade old usurpation of cooperation in games by attempting to...

I agree. My explanation is not THE way. It's my best understanding of early D&D design and play. I just don't see anyone else explaining what games and game theory have been for millennia in the face of the Big Model's one true understanding. I'd prefer people to be aware of multiple...

They are vastly different designs of behavior because the goal and act of play are significantly different. Storytelling games are games where the overall objective is to create a narrative. And the players are there to invent it. D&D is a game like every other game. Players are there to game...

D&D was a role playing game. It was never designed for group story telling. It was designed for players who preferred games. This is why contemporary D&D hardly has any aspects at all which could be considered D&D, much less include the game play from earlier years.

Role playing games are designed to teach and challenge players who play the roles within the game. That means you play your class. Not a character. Character performance is irrelevant to game play. A game without classes, roles like doctor, lawyer, or wizard, warrior, isn't a role playing...

A game module is basically a calendar map which when generated into a session scenario includes a breadth of time for players to investigate in. Just use that scenario calendar to note current time in the game (like a game piece on a map) for days, weeks, months, and so on. For time periods...

The major mistake of the article is that role playing has nothing whatsoever to do with storytelling. Neither does game playing. Games are codes. Game play is the act of code deciphering by players. Usually in competition, but sometimes cooperatively ...to beat the game so to speak. The game...

As I understand it every creature is a Monster in D&D. And in 5e parlance every Encounter is with a creature, so these will always include 5e's Combat / Interaction / Exploration. For example, your Wild Dogs. 1. Combat = Combat abilities and actions individually and as a group. Barking...

This is largely because the "rules" came out from behind the screen around 2nd ed. (at least officially) and we've suffered rules lawyers ever since. Players are playing the game on the messageboards by determining the best options for building their characters. Old School means the rejection of...

I'd be interested in reading whatever anyone came up with. I use class-based XP scoring and totals. My advice is to think of XP gaining activities as a sphere of activity culminating in a final act. That way the players get the XP whether you knew they were seeking it or not. Also, think of...