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<blockquote data-quote="pemerton" data-source="post: 8670242" data-attributes="member: 42582">I think the persistence of the character(s) across scenarios was one of the more distinctive (which is not to say, necessarily, unique) features of RPGing when it was invented.How long that means in terms of actual play time is a different matter, as in a lot of contemporary RPGing it probably makes more sense to think of persistence in terms of the continuity of the character from scene to scene, rather than dungeon expedition to dungeon expedition.To me, what seems to be pretty central across the variety of games that are unequivocally regarded as RPGs is (i) the role of fiction in establishing permitted moves and the adjudication of moves, and (ii) the fact that for a central class of participants (&quot;players&quot;) their moves are defined by reference to a particular character who occupies a &quot;protagonistic&quot; position within that fiction.By &quot;pretending to be someone else&quot;,&nbsp; lot of contemporary RPGers seem to mean performing a different persona, talking in or as that character, etc.But across the full spectrum of RPGing, especially a lot of early D&amp;D play, it's pretty clear that playing the role meant what I have described above: making moves in the game from the position of a particular character located within the fiction. The contrast is with the &quot;top down&quot; or &quot;god's eye&quot; perspective that is more typical in a wargame or boardgame.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="pemerton, post: 8670242, member: 42582"] I think the persistence of the character(s) across scenarios was one of the more distinctive (which is not to say, necessarily, unique) features of RPGing when it was invented. How long that means in terms of actual play time is a different matter, as in a lot of contemporary RPGing it probably makes more sense to think of persistence in terms of the continuity of the character from scene to scene, rather than dungeon expedition to dungeon expedition. To me, what seems to be pretty central across the variety of games that are unequivocally regarded as RPGs is (i) the role of fiction in establishing permitted moves and the adjudication of moves, and (ii) the fact that for a central class of participants ("players") their moves are defined by reference to a particular character who occupies a "protagonistic" position within that fiction. By "pretending to be someone else", lot of contemporary RPGers seem to mean performing a different persona, talking in or as that character, etc. But across the full spectrum of RPGing, especially a lot of early D&D play, it's pretty clear that [i]playing the role[/i] meant what I have described above: making moves in the game from the position of a particular character located within the fiction. The contrast is with the "top down" or "god's eye" perspective that is more typical in a wargame or boardgame. [/QUOTE]

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