D&D 5E (2014) Come out and put yourself on the Gygax scale!

[ccs]

G3.

 

[Azzy]

G2.5. Good mechanics should be easy and as invisible as possible to facilitate the story and high jinks.

 

[Kurotowa]

I'm probably a G3. My default is to see the game mechanics as lego blocks to be used creatively, not a coloring books whose lines are more suggestions than rules. Which sometimes frustrates me, because I game with a bunch of G2s and G1s who invoke the Rule of Cool more than I'm sometimes comfortable with. (If it's that easy to invoke a plot-driven rules exception then why even HAVE rules?)

But on the whole I do enjoy gaming with my group, and we strike a balance where I provide the rules citations and they push me to think outside the lines a bit more.

 

[pemerton]

Sometimes mechanics add to story, like 13th Age's escalation die, one unique thing and backgrounds. Also Fate aspects and Torg's cards.

The scale seems to be based on the assumption that the mechanics are somehow at odds with the story and vice versa. I don't see it that way at all. I engage with the mechanics to tell me what happens in the story.

These echoed my own thoughts, especially Hriston's post.

 

[Shiroiken]

A good story can be ruined by bad mechanics. A good mechanics can't save a game with a bad story. I want a good balance of both.

Dude. That's not how you would do a Gygax scale. YOU NEED A TABLE!

No, the Gygax Scale would be how many tables you use!

G0 - I've broken all tables... and chairs!
G6 - I can't answer until after I check 2d4 tables

I guess G3. Mechanics are what helps facilitate the story. But not sure how you came up with that scale. Is the higher # supposed to be more Gygax? Because that doesn't really match what his actual priorities were.

Kinda wonder that myself.

 

[fjw70]

I'll go with G3 myself. Mechanics and story are equally important to me.

 

[Li Shenron]

G2 for me.

 

[Iry]

You can tell a great story with almost any system, so the system has to be solid and enjoyable. Otherwise, you just go to another system and have your great stories there.

I suppose that makes me G3?

 

[OB1]

Since I didn't get the poll up in time, I've tabulated the results manually, here's where we are so far

G0 - 0
G1 - 3
G2 - 9
G3 - 9
G4 - 4
G5 - 0
G6 - 0

Still thinking about the exact wording of the question before I try and launch a working poll. From some of the response here, I'm leaning towards the following.

What is your personal attraction to playing TTRPGs?

G0 - 100% Role-play, 0% Game-play
G1 - 100% Role-play, 33% Game-play
G2 - 100% Role-play, 66% Game-play
G3 - 100% Role-play, 100% Game-play
G4 - 66% Role-play, 100% Game-play
G5 - 33% Role-play, 100% Game-play
G6 - 0% Role-play, 100% Game-play

I'm still a G2 in this model, but wondering if this rewording would change anyone's initial vote.

 

[Hriston]

I think using the terms role-play and game-play as anything other than synonymous is highly problematic. If you are playing the game, you are by definition role-playing. To say otherwise is a synecdoche, by which I mean it's to confuse the whole of the game for one of its parts.