Are there Fun/Unique/Interesting Differences in American vs. UK gaming sensibilities?

[Starfox]

I think its easy to mix up UK gaming with Games Workshop games, because they are so wildly successful. But don't quote me on this - I am Swedish and not from the UK. But I play mostly American games, so I am by no means an expert on the Swedish RPG scene.

Here in Sweden, our games are more closely connected to the US tradition than to the UK tradition. Games Workshop for us is more about tabletop miniature games. But we also have a strong native tradition based on the Drakar & Demoner game mentioned above. This was originally a Basic-Role-Playing game translated to Swedish, but developed into its own independent game over time. It was out of circulation for two a decade and recently returned. While it is no longer dominant, it certainly helped create a native Swedish RPG culture.

Swedish RPGs today are dark and gritty, with a very heavy emphasis on role-playing. They are often unbelievably complex mechanically, reminiscent of mid-80s American games like Role Master.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Swedish RPGs today are dark and gritty, with a very heavy emphasis on role-playing. They are often unbelievably complex mechanically, reminiscent of mid-80s American games like Role Master.

Any connections between your gaming and metal scenes?

I ask because hard rock & metal are among the most popular forms of music among the gamers I've known over the past 30+ years...and Sweden is infamous for its take on death metal.

 

[Doug McCrae]

Metal is very Northern European - Britain, Scandinavia, Germany - more so than it is American imo. Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Motorhead, all British. Lars Ulrich of Metallica is Danish. And where would metal be without the umlaut? Nowhere.

 

[TheNovaLord]

it does seems many in the UK like to play 'tormented' heroes whereas it is percieved those in the US like 'shining' heroes

I blame it on the weather

personally i much rather play 'proper' heroic heroes....so 'winning' while sticking to my principles rather than 'failing'' while struggling to stick to my principles

having said all that D20 games still out strip all others here.

 

[Anselyn]

I always assumed the continuing dominance of D&D had a lot to do with the existence of ToyS R' Us. Did the UK have a major toy retailer selling D&D to ten and twelve year olds during the golden D&D years of the 1980s? If not, I think the UK tradition would reflect stronger hobbyist roots.

I think its easy to mix up UK gaming with Games Workshop games, .

Well, GW started out as a general games shop that printed UK version of D&D and Traveller -and produced an excellent general RPG magazine: White Dwarf. Remember that The Fiend Folio had a lot of content from WD's Fiend Factory.

GW then slowly morphed into what they are today.

I think Pawsplay make a good point. Basically, all my purchases pre-internet were from games shops (with some mail order things via WD). In the early days we'd have group day trips by public transport to get to a well-stocked shop to see what was out. Then, as soon as your purchases are from a shop with roleplaying games, miniatures, board games and sometimes wargame stuff you are more likely to shop ecletically. Plus, your FLGS owner is likely to give you a steer to the latest thing to try.

 

[bouncyhead]

• UK game settings tend to be "grittier" (low magic, high bloodshed) than US game settings.

<snip>

[*]There seem to be higher expectations for PC casualties in UK games, even when playing supposedly low-casualty games like 4e D&D. In my gaming experiences in the US, the groups I've played with tended to see PC death as a bit of a shock/tragedy, whereas the local groups here almost expect PCs to die every other session. Some of them even relish it.
[*]There is far more emphasis on "gaming with close friends in long-established groups, in one of your houses in the suburbs" in the UK/NZ. Probably because we have so few public RPG venues (stores, conventions, etc) compared to the US. This changes the dynamic of play somewhat. It's more beer-and-chips, a lot of in-jokes, go out to lunch or dinner together, know each other's family and jobs well, etc. It also can mean a slightly more eclectic mix of people. It's not always easy to find new members of the group (much smaller population, fewer venues), so you tend to put up with player "eccentricities" a lot more.
[/LIST]

This is a good summary of my experience. I think the absurdist nature of the dungeoncrawl also appeals to our group - a bunch of anything-but-shiny adventurers (emphatically not 'heroes') repeatedly subjecting themselves to unspeakable injury and ordeal deep underground in order to acquire the means to subject themselves to yet more unspeakable ordeals yet deeper underground. Surely this would utterly unhinge you.

Most of the time they have only the slghtest grasp of the 'plot' that has led them there. With the high fatality rates they are routinely being raised (or, for comedy value, reincarnated) in situ, coughing and gasping at the cold return of reality, only to get put back on their feet and pointed at the next door/glimmering portal/dark staircase/ominously placed lever. They almost certainly have beards down to their knees, have not washed in living memory and communicate only in grunts, whistles and manic cackles.

Off they stagger together, staring-eyed, deeper into the dark...

FWIW we started on D&D back in the late 70's, through an RPG club and we're all still firm friends. Back then we got our gear at the original Games Workshop (in Hammersmith) before it became the scary GAMES WORKSHOP and they sold Ral Partha, Judges Guild etc.. I'm not so sure that D&D isn't dominant here - if you look at the table listings for London RPG clubs it seems pretty dominant, either in D&D4 or Pathfinder form. There is the whole UK/GW/Warhammer thing I guess and we have some good, inventive developers (e.g. Cubicle 7).

 

[Anselyn]

what most foreign (and when i say foreign, i mean "not american", because i am of course convinced that america is the totality of the civilized world and that no one else could think any other way) roleplayers probably don't realize is that we americans roleplay correctly. i doubt that most other roleplaying nations are even aware of the intricate and time honored (notice that i did not include any unnecessay vowels, i'm looking at you "u", in the word honored.) traditions that we american roleplayers esteem, though they have been forgotten or ignored by the gaming world beyond our sacred borders....

A very good point but I have to say that because of
A) HG Wells' "Little Wars"
B) Tolkien
C) Our continued abilty to use capital letters

You wouldn't have D&D if it weren't for the UK.

Clearly, as in sport, we invent things so others can be better than us at them.

 

[DragonLancer]

I would say that it is D&D, Call of Cthulhu and the World of Darkness games that are the most dominant over here in the UK. I rarely hear of anyone playing something else, though if I do it's often Traveller or Pendragon that gets spoken of.

As for the question about Toys R Us, I don't think they have ever sold D&D in their stores over here.

 

[mach1.9pants]

Interesting that it is mostly the poms posting here

Also interesting is the social acceptability of RPG in US vs UK. It is much more acceptable in the States (best example is the forces RP groups, not really going to happen in HM forces). That is my experience as a non-born Brit that lived there for 13 years but spent a lot of time with/in the states. Can be seen by the respective amazon ranks:

PHB 4E: UK: 14,705 US: 6,461
PFRPG core book: UK: 29,707 US: 4,434
WHFRP 3E: UK: 71,317 US: 47,100
Dragon Ages Set 1: UK: 71,733 US: 57,894

The US has a much higher percentile RPG playing population than the US. The same can be seen, I think, with a lot of geek things... like cons and dressing up (whatever that is called). UK doesn't cut it as accepting of geeky-ness as the US does.

As for game style, sorry for the digression, I cannot comment. Here in NZ (closer to the UK in attitudes than the US) in my rural community both my players are UK born, if NZ bred!

EDIT: and the big book stores in the UK just don't sell much (if any) RPG books, a smattering, same as NZ

 

[DragonLancer]

Also interesting is the social acceptability of RPG in US vs UK. It is much more acceptable in the States (best example is the forces RP groups, not really going to happen in HM forces).

Maybe in the armed forces (can't say, no experience) but my experiences with UK and US gamers is the complete opposite. American at one time, really had the downer on D&D and I've been told by American friends that back home they could never mention that they played in job interview because they may not get th job because of it, or mention to co-workers for fear of being ostracised and so forth. Over here it is completely different. I've gone far in job interviews mentioning D&D and roleplaying because of the teamwork skills and problem solving it teaches, and I find people are intersted in what roleplaying is about even if they would not be interested in playing themselves. From my experience the UK is a lot more open and accepting of roleplaying than American is or was.