Distinct Game Modes: Combat vs Social vs Exploration etc...

[Reynard]

Yeah, I don't if I'm weird or not, but my goal is always something like, "If this was a television show, would people be entertained by it?"

Everyone plays for different reasons and with different goals, so i am not saying you are playing wrong or anything.

But, this sounds completely counter productive to me. There is no audience except the people at the table, and those people are playing a GAME not watching a show. The only right goal is to make sure as best as possible that the players are engaged. Anything else is missing the whole point. Again, IMO and not badwrongfunning, just expressing my response to the above.

 

[zakael19]

My personal goal is to generally try and hit the notes you'd see in a good fast paced novel. I think that sort of "paint a picture with words" and snappy back and forth is something that fits the actual play feel of a TTRPG a lot better, certainly because we must convey nearly everything with words alone.

 

[Fenris-77]

Everyone plays for different reasons and with different goals, so i am not saying you are playing wrong or anything.

But, this sounds completely counter productive to me. There is no audience except the people at the table, and those people are playing a GAME not watching a show. The only right goal is to make sure as best as possible that the players are engaged. Anything else is missing the whole point. Again, IMO and not badwrongfunning, just expressing my response to the above.

Sure, but it's also true that the template a lot of people have in their heads about 'cool story' defaults to visual media. So trying to recreate that kind of 'cool' seems like a fine goal to me.

 

[Celebrim]

Everyone plays for different reasons and with different goals, so i am not saying you are playing wrong or anything.

But, this sounds completely counter productive to me. There is no audience except the people at the table, and those people are playing a GAME not watching a show. The only right goal is to make sure as best as possible that the players are engaged. Anything else is missing the whole point. Again, IMO and not badwrongfunning, just expressing my response to the above.

I don't find the two are incompatible. I can verify the players are engaged when they remanence about prior sessions, and it's sounds like people recounting a TV show or movie they enjoyed, complete with quoting what characters said. It would be congruent to what I said the point of the game was to make good memories. If the game didn't produce the "cool story" with the shining moments of awesome and the quotable quips, I wouldn't necessarily think they were engaged and having fun.

 

[Reynard]

Sure, but it's also true that the template a lot of people have in their heads about 'cool story' defaults to visual media. So trying to recreate that kind of 'cool' seems like a fine goal to me.

But it is impossible. You can't do it. Not only are they different mediums, 99.9% of folks don't have the resources.

 

[Reynard]

I don't find the two are incompatible. I can verify the players are engaged when they remanence about prior sessions, and it's sounds like people recounting a TV show or movie they enjoyed, complete with quoting what characters said. It would be congruent to what I said the point of the game was to make good memories. If the game didn't produce the "cool story" with the shining moments of awesome and the quotable quips, I wouldn't necessarily think they were engaged and having fun.

Making memories is great. That's not the bit I quoted.

 

[Fenris-77]

But it is impossible. You can't do it. Not only are they different mediums, 99.9% of folks don't have the resources.

I'd disagree. I think RPG play has rather alot in common with how television progresses. Obvioulsy with the same caveats as regards books, but the focus of television on scenes and shorter story arcs is meaningful.

 

[Reynard]

I'd disagree. I think RPG play has rather alot in common with how television progresses. Obvioulsy with the same caveats as regards books, but the focus of television on scenes and shorter story arcs is meaningful.

I agree that you can use a television structure to great effect. I personally think the mid-late 90s genre television structure (a la Buffy or X-Files) works best, in fact.

That is a totally different thing that trying to force it to "feel like TV dialogue" in play, which is the claim I was pushing back against.

 

[Parmandur]

I personally think the mid-late 90s genre television structure (a la Buffy or X-Files) works best, in fact.

The first shows written by people who layer RPGs in their youth?

 

[Reynard]

The first shows written by people who layer RPGs in their youth?

Was it? How would we know?