Reply to thread

Message

<blockquote data-quote="Gorgon Zee" data-source="post: 9459501" data-attributes="member: 75787">I don't actually think games need a winner, so I'm happy to ignore that part (I really don't think RPGs or improv scenes can be &quot;won&quot;). But let's think about a rule.For improv, I'm guessing you're thinking of things like &quot;don't block&quot; in terms of rules. And indeed, if you look up the definition of &quot;rules&quot; in a dictionary, you might find a definition that says that it's anything that defines conduct. We talk about the &quot;rules of love&quot; or &quot;rule of cool&quot; or a host of other ways that fit that definition. So I'll concede that you can say &quot;improv has rules&quot; in the same sense as you could say &quot;how to blow your nose has rules&quot; -- there are a set of expected ways to do this which form a social expectation and make the experience a better one for all.But if we are talking about a game, people generally use rules in a stronger sense. We don't think of how pawns move in chess as simply an expectation that people usually do this and will make things more fun for all. It's a much stronger statement. In the context of games, a rule typically:<ul>
<li data-xf-list-type="ul">Is explicit -- usually written down.</li>
<li data-xf-list-type="ul">Has an authority that has defined it.</li>
<li data-xf-list-type="ul">Has penalties for not being followed.</li>
</ul>If you are playing D&amp;D, you have written rules, defined by the game company (or your GM's wiki of house rules) and if you don't follow them you will be corrected or ejected from the game. This feels very different from, for example, GM advice to &quot;be a fan of the players&quot; or for players not to block while roleplaying. Not less important -- but different.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Gorgon Zee, post: 9459501, member: 75787"] I don't actually think games need a winner, so I'm happy to ignore that part (I really don't think RPGs or improv scenes can be "won"). But let's think about a rule. For improv, I'm guessing you're thinking of things like "don't block" in terms of rules. And indeed, if you look up the definition of "rules" in a dictionary, you might find a definition that says that it's anything that defines conduct. We talk about the "rules of love" or "rule of cool" or a host of other ways that fit that definition. So I'll concede that you can say "improv has rules" in the same sense as you could say "how to blow your nose has rules" -- there are a set of expected ways to do this which form a social expectation and make the experience a better one for all. But if we are talking about a game, people generally use rules in a stronger sense. We don't think of how pawns move in chess as simply an expectation that people usually do this and will make things more fun for all. It's a much stronger statement. In the context of games, a rule typically: [LIST] [*]Is explicit -- usually written down. [*]Has an authority that has defined it. [*]Has penalties for not being followed. [/LIST] If you are playing D&D, you have written rules, defined by the game company (or your GM's wiki of house rules) and if you don't follow them you will be corrected or ejected from the game. This feels very different from, for example, GM advice to "be a fan of the players" or for players not to block while roleplaying. Not less important -- but [I][U]different[/U][/I]. [/QUOTE]

Verification