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General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
Approaches to prep in RPGing - GMs, players, and what play is *about*
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<blockquote data-quote="hawkeyefan" data-source="post: 8976766" data-attributes="member: 6785785"><p>This can be a really tough thing to do for many people. </p><p></p><p>From the time I really started to GM, the predominant mode of play for many RPGs (certainly the ones I was familiar with) was that the GM would prepare or select a setting and then set up a situation. The players would then respond to that situation via their characters. </p><p></p><p>I look back at how many times I would take action of some kind to preserve what I’d prepared… to keep the villain in play or to preserve some secret that I’d decided shouldn’t be known by the players yet… and my game was riddled with that stuff. And I’ll add that even then, I absolutely did incorporate elements of the players’ characters into what I’d prepared. But that wasn’t really enough to achieve what you’re describing in the OP. </p><p></p><p>The setting was more than just indexing or scaffolding for the characters… it was my input to the game. It was how I exercised my creativity toward the game. It was something I’d do in between games on my own. </p><p></p><p>The idea of taking that away would have scared my younger self in two ways. First, and most practically, how would play even work if I didn’t come up with stuff for the characters to do? Second, what would I do in between sessions? This second concern also carries a bunch of implications. Are all those hours necessary? Do they add to the game? Can equally satisfying play be had without that prep? Those can be some tough thoughts to face. </p><p></p><p>These concerns can be big obstacles to people letting go.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="hawkeyefan, post: 8976766, member: 6785785"] This can be a really tough thing to do for many people. From the time I really started to GM, the predominant mode of play for many RPGs (certainly the ones I was familiar with) was that the GM would prepare or select a setting and then set up a situation. The players would then respond to that situation via their characters. I look back at how many times I would take action of some kind to preserve what I’d prepared… to keep the villain in play or to preserve some secret that I’d decided shouldn’t be known by the players yet… and my game was riddled with that stuff. And I’ll add that even then, I absolutely did incorporate elements of the players’ characters into what I’d prepared. But that wasn’t really enough to achieve what you’re describing in the OP. The setting was more than just indexing or scaffolding for the characters… it was my input to the game. It was how I exercised my creativity toward the game. It was something I’d do in between games on my own. The idea of taking that away would have scared my younger self in two ways. First, and most practically, how would play even work if I didn’t come up with stuff for the characters to do? Second, what would I do in between sessions? This second concern also carries a bunch of implications. Are all those hours necessary? Do they add to the game? Can equally satisfying play be had without that prep? Those can be some tough thoughts to face. These concerns can be big obstacles to people letting go. [/QUOTE]
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