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General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
A Question Of Agency?
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<blockquote data-quote="Lanefan" data-source="post: 8141992" data-attributes="member: 29398"><p>Doesn't ring a bell, but OK.</p><p></p><p>Which has several side effects.</p><p></p><p>First, it still ends up being the GM who decides what, in the fiction, is germane to that agenda. Sure the players/PCs might be setting that agenda but the GM then decides where it'll play out and how - as in by what means - it'll resolve. What this does is deprive the players of any micro-agency in how they approach this resolution point, in favour of macro-agency over what it is that's being put in question.</p><p></p><p>Second, it makes the assumption that the players'/PCs' agendae are locked in and can't/won't be changed or side-tracked by things encountered en route. This also detracts from agency IMO - perhaps something the GM skips past as boring is a thing the players/PCs would latch onto as highly interesting...or perhaps not, but you've no way of knowing unless you give them the chance.</p><p></p><p>As I note just above, it does play into agency.</p><p></p><p>Eventually IME the players settle on a general level of detail they're cool with, which can vary even from scene to scene. The Dwarf-and-cart was one where we-as-players were happy playing it all out (though the DM wasn't!), but I'm pretty sure once we got the damn Dwarf into the cart (I think via a combination of restraining spells and rope, in the end) that the rest of the journey was pretty much handwaved other than occasional checks to see if the Dwarf had escaped his bonds.</p><p></p><p>Good point. There's macro-agency (e.g. over the direction of the story. or over setting elements) and micro-agency (e.g. over what gets explored next, or which passage to take). Some of you seem much more concerned about macro-agency; I'm more interested in micro-agency and whether those decisions are meaningful.</p><p></p><p>And this ties directly into expected speed or pace of play. The existence of micro-agency assumes use of a level of detail that makes it relevant. If those details generally don't exist or are skipped in a desire for a faster-paced game, micro-agency vanishes with them; which means all you're left with is a question of what degree of macro-agency do the players have.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lanefan, post: 8141992, member: 29398"] Doesn't ring a bell, but OK. Which has several side effects. First, it still ends up being the GM who decides what, in the fiction, is germane to that agenda. Sure the players/PCs might be setting that agenda but the GM then decides where it'll play out and how - as in by what means - it'll resolve. What this does is deprive the players of any micro-agency in how they approach this resolution point, in favour of macro-agency over what it is that's being put in question. Second, it makes the assumption that the players'/PCs' agendae are locked in and can't/won't be changed or side-tracked by things encountered en route. This also detracts from agency IMO - perhaps something the GM skips past as boring is a thing the players/PCs would latch onto as highly interesting...or perhaps not, but you've no way of knowing unless you give them the chance. As I note just above, it does play into agency. Eventually IME the players settle on a general level of detail they're cool with, which can vary even from scene to scene. The Dwarf-and-cart was one where we-as-players were happy playing it all out (though the DM wasn't!), but I'm pretty sure once we got the damn Dwarf into the cart (I think via a combination of restraining spells and rope, in the end) that the rest of the journey was pretty much handwaved other than occasional checks to see if the Dwarf had escaped his bonds. Good point. There's macro-agency (e.g. over the direction of the story. or over setting elements) and micro-agency (e.g. over what gets explored next, or which passage to take). Some of you seem much more concerned about macro-agency; I'm more interested in micro-agency and whether those decisions are meaningful. And this ties directly into expected speed or pace of play. The existence of micro-agency assumes use of a level of detail that makes it relevant. If those details generally don't exist or are skipped in a desire for a faster-paced game, micro-agency vanishes with them; which means all you're left with is a question of what degree of macro-agency do the players have. [/QUOTE]
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