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Message: <blockquote data-quote="howandwhy99" data-source="post: 5296990" data-attributes="member: 3192">The early versions RPGs are probably more aptly named situational puzzle games (mostly cooperative) with the situation being a fictional or fantasy universe.  In the 70s, what is commonly referred to now as roleplay simulation was understood as "real" roleplaying, which meant the performance and recognition of behavioral patterns used in fulfilling social roles.  It was all about role theory.As the military was the first institution in the U.S. to adopt this form of role playing and the RPG hobby branched out of wargaming the social role available in almost every game included a warrior role of some type.  Add into this that most self-identifying gamers enjoy strategy (pattern finding) and winning (knowing enough of the underlying game pattern to puzzle solve it faster than others) and the desire to win combat may become clearer for you.As others have probably said, if you want a game to be about something not being satisfied by your current system, then change systems.  Desires competition and winning by including win/loss conditions are unlikely to go away soon as long as most people view patterns and games as such as real.  For example, viewing olympic wrestling as "something different" than pro wrestling rather than the mostly unscripted theater both are.</blockquote>