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There is no central activity of playing a roleplaying game. We don't play "a roleplaying game" we play specific games with specific structures that fit within the broad category. That some choose to bring encultured system into the matter is on them. There is nothing about roleplaying is a...

Pacing is also incredibly subjective and really dependent on the audience / play group. I am very happy with the pacing of the games my home group plays, but do to how zoomed in the social conflicts tend to be I think it would be a very slow pace for some. But likewise some of the convention...

I think it is playing a roleplaying game because there are still rules, a structure of play and defined roles. The rules and mechanics are just not written down. GM decides what happens is as much a mechanic as an Apocalypse World basic move. Whether or not it is written down does not change...

Principles (at least in Apocalypse World) not advice or suggestions. They are instructions. The game says, "Always say what your principles demand." Now, no one can force you to follow these instructions, but no one can force you to use a game mechanic besides through social agreement and...

Lots of games get called narrative games for a variety of reasons. The only real unifying principle is that they structured differently than trad games. Night's Black Agents, John Carter of Mars and Apocalypse World have fig all to do with one another. They are prepped differently, they are...

Yeah. The lists are only a starting point, and milestones often get adjusted as part of the ongoing conversation of play. New goals are constantly getting set.

So, the process my group uses is about avoiding some of the prat falls we have experienced in more open ended play. Stuff like making sure the characters are compatible with each other and that there are reasons for the characters to work together, making sure the characters have things they are...

One of the things we at our table to coordinate more player driven play is establishing one personal milestone/goal per player character and another group milestone/goal with lists of options as examples so if a player is having trouble coming up with a specific motivation or goal, they can pick...

At some tables. At others we work together to establish these things. Like if you refuse to coordinate your efforts to orchestrate in a way that works for everyone than don't be surprised by some of the breakdowns you are seeing. As an addendum there are no universal rules for these things...

I mean the game can come to you in Apocalypse World too, but some players won't appreciate the pressure of PC-NPC-PC triangles or threats coming to them or being put in the spotlight. I have run the game with players that normally sit back and let others take initiative and some thrive and...

I don't think all change is inherently good. I think the specific lore changes in V5 make for a more functional game than classic Masquerade. I personally still prefer the setup of Requiem Second Edition, but like the adore blood cults in V5 and think bringing Lasombra back to Camarilla really...

Not sure what to tell you. For me lore has always been a tool used to enable gameplay experiences. The point for me has always been investing in the creativity happening at our table. For which the broader hobby does not matter? Like if someone has a problem with the lore changes in L5R Fifth...

When something new comes out it does not cancel or ruin what has come before. I like a lot of games (and editions of games) that are no longer having stuff produced for them. Legend of the Five Rings Fifth Edition, Conan 2d20, D&D 4e, Sorcerer, Witchcraft and Chronicles of Darkness. Thing is I...

I think the idea that lore is set in stone once set does a harm to our ability to take creative risks and iterate on a game's design. I don't see any reason why we should treat it any differently than we treat mechanics. Obviously, you don't want to change too much at once, but that's true of...

Tar and feathering. Oh? You were asking how we handle the character? Oops.

So, our home group has a decent number of players who don't think about the game during the week and do not fuss over rules. They have functioned just fine in my Blades in the Dark and Masks game and the Star Wars game @RenleyRenfield runs. Players who like to actively avoid the spotlight, want...

Fabula Ultima Warhammer - The Old World Legend of the Five Rings (5E) Dune 2d20 Stormlight Archive

A given mechanic might be representative of things in the game's fiction without being simulative because the game purpose came first and rationalization of that game purpose came later. Magic and spells in D&D are like this. The game purpose came first and then things were rationalized later...

I think there's actually a pretty good mix in the zeitgeist. Daggerheart and Draw Steel go one way while Fabula Ultima and Plotweaver (Stormlight Archive) are going the other way (using classes as mix and match paths to let you build the specific character you envision).

It's a medium, at least as I mean it. When I talk about tabletop roleplaying games, I am speaking to games played within a negotiated imagination where what we imagine impacts how things are resolved. It's also why I prefer "table talk roleplaying game" to "tabletop roleplaying game" as the...