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*TTRPGs General
A Question Of Agency?
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<blockquote data-quote="hawkeyefan" data-source="post: 8168496" data-attributes="member: 6785785"><p>I think there are maybe three things that come to my mind. A couple [USER=6993955]@Fenris-77[/USER] touched upon.</p><p></p><p>1) Mystery- it can make it harder for a GM to maintain an air of mystery around something. It does not make it impossible, but removes some of the mystery.</p><p></p><p>2) Mechanics- such elements could become things that require tracking or calculation on the part of the GM. I would recommend keeping them simple so that this doesn't become a pain point. The idea is that this eases some of the burden of being a GM, not add to it. </p><p></p><p>3) Binding- it's a commitment, right? It's established and is shouldn't be revised without some compelling reason. </p><p></p><p>For me, I think the benefit of sharing this kind of thing in an established way outweighs anything that's lost. I mean, the loss of mystery to me is minimal; I have no problem surprising my players in other ways than just how strong an influential a faction may be. For the mechanics, that's pretty easy to avoid by keeping it simple. You don't need multiple charts to cross reference and so on when you can literally just use a ranking system or similar. </p><p></p><p>The binding aspect may be a sticking point for some, and not for others. I don't think of it as a big deal at all. This is probably also at least a little connected to (1), too. Both a a bit of relinquishing of control on the part of the GM, right? Like, okay that's out there now....I have to honor it. That can run against what many have in mind for the role of the GM.</p><p></p><p>I suppose what it boils down to is this.....do I think my ability to narrate the situation to the players is equal to the world being able to narrate itself to the characters? If the answer is "no", as I expect it would be for every GM, then can these kinds of things help narrow whatever gap there may be? And if so, have I helped the players be better equipped to understand the world and to make informed, meaningful decisions about it?</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="hawkeyefan, post: 8168496, member: 6785785"] I think there are maybe three things that come to my mind. A couple [USER=6993955]@Fenris-77[/USER] touched upon. 1) Mystery- it can make it harder for a GM to maintain an air of mystery around something. It does not make it impossible, but removes some of the mystery. 2) Mechanics- such elements could become things that require tracking or calculation on the part of the GM. I would recommend keeping them simple so that this doesn't become a pain point. The idea is that this eases some of the burden of being a GM, not add to it. 3) Binding- it's a commitment, right? It's established and is shouldn't be revised without some compelling reason. For me, I think the benefit of sharing this kind of thing in an established way outweighs anything that's lost. I mean, the loss of mystery to me is minimal; I have no problem surprising my players in other ways than just how strong an influential a faction may be. For the mechanics, that's pretty easy to avoid by keeping it simple. You don't need multiple charts to cross reference and so on when you can literally just use a ranking system or similar. The binding aspect may be a sticking point for some, and not for others. I don't think of it as a big deal at all. This is probably also at least a little connected to (1), too. Both a a bit of relinquishing of control on the part of the GM, right? Like, okay that's out there now....I have to honor it. That can run against what many have in mind for the role of the GM. I suppose what it boils down to is this.....do I think my ability to narrate the situation to the players is equal to the world being able to narrate itself to the characters? If the answer is "no", as I expect it would be for every GM, then can these kinds of things help narrow whatever gap there may be? And if so, have I helped the players be better equipped to understand the world and to make informed, meaningful decisions about it? [/QUOTE]
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