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Message: <blockquote data-quote="pemerton" data-source="post: 9464215" data-attributes="member: 42582">The 4e DMG has the rules for awarding XP, the rules for treasure parcels, the rules for skill challenges, the rules dealing with the technical aspects of combat encounter design (including traps and hazards), the rules for terrain, the rules for affecting objects with powers, the rules for scenario design (quests), and some discussions of the relationships between game elements and gameplay (eg the stuff on languages; Worlds and Monsters is better on this last thing).So, here is the passage from Apocalypse World (p 108):There are a million ways to GM games; Apocalypse World calls for one way in particular. This chapter is it. Follow these as rules. The whole rest of the game is built upon this.The idea that playing a game is structured by the procedures that are followed is not especially weird; I mean, there are a million ways to play a move tokens about a board game, but only one of them is chess. If you want to play chess, you do it the chess way. Of course, if you would rather play draughts than chess you'll follow a different set of rules and procedures.If I wanted to play a game called "GM tells me what happens", then I would expect the GM to tell me what happens. If I'm playing a different sort of game - eg one where sometimes I tell the GM what happens - then we will need some rules to structure how the players and GM interact, who gets to say what when within which parameters, etc. Gygax's AD&D sets out one sort of approach to this (where the GM pre-commits primarily via map-and-key, and resolution is structured mostly via talking but sometimes - especially for doors and for fighting - via dice rolls); 4e D&D sets out a different sort of approach (where the GM pre-commits primarily via NPC/creatures stats, combat maps, and skill challenge parameters, and resolution is structured mostly via dice rolls but sometimes - especially for setting up scenes/situations - via talking); and AW sets out a different approach again (where the GM pre-commits via fronts, and resolution is structured by the alternation between GM soft moves, player moves, and GM hard moves).Complaining that games set out their rules and associated procedures, or that not all games have the same rules and procedures, seems a bit odd to me. I mean, if all games had the same rules and procedures then there would be only one game!</blockquote>

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