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General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
A neotrad TTRPG design manifesto
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<blockquote data-quote="Shardstone" data-source="post: 9235926" data-attributes="member: 6807784"><p>As a game designer who I think is probably described as "neotrad," I tentatively accept this thesis. One of the core things in my design work is ensuring that the GM has a fun game to play alongside the players, and that their job isn't necessarily to uphold the rules (which is part of their job ), but to have a role in progressing the game towards either the same goal of the players or a new goal entirely.</p><p></p><p>In my upcoming game, Crimson Catalyst, the goal is to win what's at stake for the players, as defined by one of 16 different character arcs, while racing against an extinction event and coming Cataclysms. The players are actively working towards this goal, and the GM is actively introducing ideas that add texture towards reaching this goal + propels the players closer to it. The GM isn't supposed to represent a world separate from this goal, though they can (as is the power of TTRPGS). Or, another way of putting it is, the world represented by the GM only exists in reference to the goal (and reaching it). </p><p></p><p>In the Batman RPG, the goal of the GM is to create a villain, a mystery, a spark, and a scenario for the players to interact with. The GM is empowered to create a living, breathing Gotham, but the game first informs the GM that they are the Villain before anything else, framing them similarly as a player might be. </p><p></p><p>Turning the GM from a would-be simulator engine into a player of the game is one of the great ideas of contemporary game design IMO.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Shardstone, post: 9235926, member: 6807784"] As a game designer who I think is probably described as "neotrad," I tentatively accept this thesis. One of the core things in my design work is ensuring that the GM has a fun game to play alongside the players, and that their job isn't necessarily to uphold the rules (which is part of their job ), but to have a role in progressing the game towards either the same goal of the players or a new goal entirely. In my upcoming game, Crimson Catalyst, the goal is to win what's at stake for the players, as defined by one of 16 different character arcs, while racing against an extinction event and coming Cataclysms. The players are actively working towards this goal, and the GM is actively introducing ideas that add texture towards reaching this goal + propels the players closer to it. The GM isn't supposed to represent a world separate from this goal, though they can (as is the power of TTRPGS). Or, another way of putting it is, the world represented by the GM only exists in reference to the goal (and reaching it). In the Batman RPG, the goal of the GM is to create a villain, a mystery, a spark, and a scenario for the players to interact with. The GM is empowered to create a living, breathing Gotham, but the game first informs the GM that they are the Villain before anything else, framing them similarly as a player might be. Turning the GM from a would-be simulator engine into a player of the game is one of the great ideas of contemporary game design IMO. [/QUOTE]
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