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<blockquote data-quote="Campbell" data-source="post: 7804887" data-attributes="member: 16586"><p>Pretty much all play of roleplaying games concerns itself with making sure new contributions to the fiction are consistent with what has been established. This is as true for the indie games like Burning Wheel as it is for OSR games like Stars Without Number as it is for more mainstream games. In any roleplaying game there will be elements of exploring the fiction and there will be moments of dramatic tension even if they are inadvertent.</p><p></p><p>The question becomes what we choose to prioritize in any given moment of play, what set of techniques we employ, and how those techniques shape and direct play. These things matter. There are very real differences in play that arise from shifting the priorities that we use to make our decisions and using one technique instead of using another. When we choose to use one technique it is important to understand not just the benefits it brings, but also what we are giving up.</p><p></p><p>It is near impossible to exercise the sort of skilled play early Dungeons and Dragons is known for an environment where the dungeon is built over time through DM description according to dramatic needs or where there is a good deal of telegraphing. That does not make those techniques wrong or bad - just not suited to that sort of play.</p><p></p><p>There is no set of techniques that are perfect - that give us everything we could possibly want. It is impossible to prioritize everything equally when we make decisions as GMs. Something has to give. Something has to be more important in the current moment of play. Choosing what to prioritize is part what makes running games difficult. When we prioritize drama and tension over exploration of the fiction we are not like not caring about the latter, but we are definitely caring more about the former and that impacts the play experience. Our priorities might shift in other times, and that also impacts the play experience.</p><p></p><p>Having clear play priorities and owning them is like a good thing. It's what allows us to analyze our play, improve our skills as GMs, and generally bring it.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Campbell, post: 7804887, member: 16586"] Pretty much all play of roleplaying games concerns itself with making sure new contributions to the fiction are consistent with what has been established. This is as true for the indie games like Burning Wheel as it is for OSR games like Stars Without Number as it is for more mainstream games. In any roleplaying game there will be elements of exploring the fiction and there will be moments of dramatic tension even if they are inadvertent. The question becomes what we choose to prioritize in any given moment of play, what set of techniques we employ, and how those techniques shape and direct play. These things matter. There are very real differences in play that arise from shifting the priorities that we use to make our decisions and using one technique instead of using another. When we choose to use one technique it is important to understand not just the benefits it brings, but also what we are giving up. It is near impossible to exercise the sort of skilled play early Dungeons and Dragons is known for an environment where the dungeon is built over time through DM description according to dramatic needs or where there is a good deal of telegraphing. That does not make those techniques wrong or bad - just not suited to that sort of play. There is no set of techniques that are perfect - that give us everything we could possibly want. It is impossible to prioritize everything equally when we make decisions as GMs. Something has to give. Something has to be more important in the current moment of play. Choosing what to prioritize is part what makes running games difficult. When we prioritize drama and tension over exploration of the fiction we are not like not caring about the latter, but we are definitely caring more about the former and that impacts the play experience. Our priorities might shift in other times, and that also impacts the play experience. Having clear play priorities and owning them is like a good thing. It's what allows us to analyze our play, improve our skills as GMs, and generally bring it. [/QUOTE]
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