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

[nerfherder]

Going to boarding school in Northern Ireland in the '80s (Peter Robinson's son was in the next bed!) this does not entirely tally with my own experience.

lol!

Yeah, change UK to GB, and it would be more accurate. OK, GB minus the West of Scotland.

 

[Argyle King]

As a Kiwi, I probably fall more towards the UK gaming sensibilities.... but I've spent 4-5 years living in the US and Canada, so I've had some feel for the environment there as well. My personal observations (which may be wildly inaccurate)...

• UK game settings tend to be "grittier" (low magic, high bloodshed) than US game settings. Some examples:
  • Warhammer: heavy Lovecraftian themes, chaos triumphant, and points-of-light almost overrun by vast evil
  • Warhammer 40k: everything is war, and even the "good guys" are uber-fascist religious nutjobs.
  • Dragon Warriors: grim medieval setting with corrupt lords, downtrodden peasants, and soul-less fey.
  • Judge Dredd: similar to 40k, but with even more police-state overtones.
  • Slaine: the primary "heroes" are blood-crazed berserkers who scorn civilized culture and leave mounds of skulls.
• 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.

Again, my observations only... which means it could simply be based on the groups I've played with, and the settings I've played in. Personally, I reckon gamers are gamers. Apart from the [terrible] beer, inability to understand rugby, and mis-spelling a bunch of words that should have a "U" in them (like armour and honour), my American gaming brothers seem much like gamers anywhere else.

Interesting topic.

I believe this is touched on in Robin's Laws of Game Mastering - a point I remember as it is in agreement with my observations.

When it comes to "Heroism", the UK version is overcoming adversity and suffering to probably achieve an objective. The US version is experiencing an overwhelming success - probably in combat. (I was going to say: Killing lots of people - but I restrained myself for a sentence on that). You can see similar ideas as to what constitutes a good match or competition in sport.

Summary: Consider "Scott of the Antarctic" vs "Rambo"

Also - more generally. There is an idea at the heart of D&D (OK - perhaps old D&D) which is about a fantasy Old West. The adventurer cowboys are ridding the frontier of the orc-injun menace. There is less cultural self-confidence in the post-colonial UK. The adventures are more likely to have shades of grey in moral questions.

It's interesting that in Glorantha the original focus was on playing Orlanthi freedom-loving barbarians fighting the Evil Empire. The British-led RQ-renaissance of the 90s had more focus on the Lunar Empire, its cults and issues.

So - there's my (our) tuppence worth. I should note that I'm British, my wife is American. We met 27 years ago at a university RPG club.

I think I need more friends from the UK. From reading these posts, it would seem that my style of gaming fits in fairly well with what is posted here.

 

[S'mon]

lol!

Yeah, change UK to GB, and it would be more accurate. OK, GB minus the West of Scotland.

I believe there were some problems in east Anglia, also. Even England is not uniformly a-religious.

 

[Erekose]

Sorry if this goes off at a slight tangent but, similar to many that have posted their experiences in the UK, when I started roleplaying in the early 70's it was incredibly difficult to get hold of a RPG. I remember how happy I was to discover the Games Workshop in Sheffield. Arguably a “golden age” compared to now.

It, and White Dwarf at the time, was a shining beacon of how a RPG store (and a general RPG magazine) could work in the UK . . . and then the crushing disappointment of when they changed and became very internally focused.

While there are specialist shops that sell RPGs they are still a rarity. I'm always pleasantly surprised when a general store like Waterstones (and Borders before they closed) has a RPG section. However, when they do it often holds very limited stock.

For people outside of the major cities I suspect there is no such thing as a “local game store”. I think it's very unlikely for someone outside the hobby to be exposed to it unless they are introduced by a player or buy a computer game based on a RPG . . . with the above exception it's very unlikely that someone would stumble across a RPG in a general bookshop.

 

[nerfherder]

I believe there were some problems in east Anglia, also. Even England is not uniformly a-religious.

NFN - Normal For Norfolk

 

[Anselyn]

I think it's very unlikely for someone outside the hobby to be exposed to it unless they are introduced by a player or buy a computer game based on a RPG . . . with the above exception it's very unlikely that someone would stumble across a RPG in a general bookshop.

Good point.

I see that Fighting Fantasy books are back* (well, they are at Leisure Games). I wonder did TSR/WoTC ever try paragraph style adventure books as well as general WoTC-branded-IPR fiction?

You could have a link to the Red Box at the end of the book rather than the (now in vogue) fist parapgraph of the next book.

*[Actually, now I think about it, I recently found a Dr Who "you decide" type book that I gave my son. He enjoyed it. It's not like the idea ever died]

 

[Dragonbait]

Fascinating subject. Needs more Yanks speaking up.

You weren't in Alenda's "Halfling Muskateers" game at Gencon 2008 when I came out with "Bonjour y'all!"

I shudder every time I hear that and an American trying to speak "British" by saying "I say, Guvnah. My word!"

I live in California, a seemingly endless ocean of suburbia. RPG books can be found in almost every book store (D&D, nWoD, Pathfinder, Shadowrun, Warhammer 40k, and L5R in that order). FLGS are very few and far between yet non-gamers have no clue what D&D or role-playing games are. They'll more likely understand if you compare it to Lord of the Rings (movies, not the novels), Final Fantasy or World of Warcraft. It falls under the nebulous weird world of dorks. I'ts been a decade since anyone has associated with with Satanism since it is no longer popular and California is not in the Bible Belt.

There does not appear to be a distinction in the eyes of players I know that differentiates European or American RPGs unless we start looking at spelling (Yes, I once heard a friend ask "Whats coloor mean? I'ts spelled colour. I can't find that reference in the index."). I've been noticing that when people speak of American RPGs on here and associating them with "wild west cowboys and indians", they seem to specifically refer to D&D. War Machine, nWoD, Star Wars, etc does not seem to fit this mold. Is it so prevalent in my culture and American-made RPGs that I'm blind to it?

 

[Erekose]

I see that Fighting Fantasy books are back (well, they are at Leisure Games). I wonder did TSR/WoTC ever try paragraph style adventure books as well as general WoTC-branded-IPR fiction?

Yes TSR did! I think there was a series called "Endless Quest" and aimed at quite a young audience . . . or I seem to remember thinking that when I was 15

 

[Anselyn]

It's been a decade since anyone has associated with with Satanism since it is no longer popular and California is not in the Bible Belt.

Glad to hear that Satanism is less popular these days.

I've been noticing that when people speak of American RPGs on here and associating them with "wild west cowboys and indians", they seem to specifically refer to D&D. War Machine, nWoD, Star Wars, etc does not seem to fit this mold. Is it so prevalent in my culture and American-made RPGs that I'm blind to it?

I agree it's mostly a D&D comment. The AD&D DMG (? -IIRC) commented on the high price of adventurer's gear based on supply-and-demand in frontier towns. That has a real Wild West or even gold rush feel to it. The 4e points of light idea is very much like Middle Earth though.

From your list, I think that some of the initial reviews for Star Wars said that it was a western in space. Missing, of course, that it's a western in space with added Joseph Campbell. But - I don't know how the game plays or the feel of the scenarios.

Of course, it is certainly true - when it comes to the feel of evil empires - that the popular American mythology of the War of Independence sees an oppressive totalitarian monarchy very different from the British 18th century parliamentary system that was actually in place. For the British the current self-defining mythology is about WWII rather than anything else. Interestingly, while the Empire has Stormtroopers they're not quite clearly space Nazis.

I guess that in the early days of both D&D and Star Wars the other "Evil Empire" that was in the culture was the Soviet One. The UK never had the at-times hysterical anti-Communism of the US. I'm not sure how any of that filtered into RPG culture [Twilight 2000, Aftermath! ??] but I guess that most gamers are now too young to have woken to the sound of thunder in the night and wondered if it were the start of nuclear armageddon.

 

[Dragonbait]

Glad to hear that Satanism is less popular these days.

I was, uh, referring to D&D as not being popular so it was no long such a hotbed of controversy.

I have no idea about the popularity of Satanism.

Really, I don't... I swear!

from your list, I think that some of the initial reviews for Star Wars said that it was a western in space.

True. Though, currently it seems that the Old Republic or NJO period seems to be the popular time frame to run games in. I can't say much about the NJO period, but the Old Republic's default assumption is that the PCs work with the Republic - a vast galactic government. They are trying to fight the corruption within and without to keep the Republic alive and functioning.
It's like Warhammer/the Empire in space.. Without the facist genetic super soldiers