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Message: <blockquote data-quote="thefutilist" data-source="post: 9846682" data-attributes="member: 7044566">Yeah you’ve nailed it.The simple way to put it is that generative resolution is used for plot heavy games that proceed through twists and revelation. Positional resolution is used for character centric games where the plot is generated through conflict between characters. Although that’s a massive generalisation. Generative resolution can produce profound themes and positional resolution is the default mode of what are often considered traditional games (GURPS, D&D, Vampire). Generative resolution also has the advantage that it can double up and be used as resolving conflict into positional change. You can often do this in the narration phase after a roll. I’m pretty sure you could run a lot of Burning Wheel as positional if you wanted.Although this leads to questions about how sturdy my model is. And whether I’m mixing up some stuff that’s actually discrete. The following example is a good case study.The issue at hand is whether Tru-leigh can gather up the blood. Perception rolls tend to enter a fuzzy zone but narration can retroactively describe the resolution in terms of motive action. For instance, if the player gets to narrate their failure they could do something like the following:I methodically look for a vessel and find one but I’ve taken too much time and the blood is now drained over the floor (says something about a methodical approach, speaks to character)In a rush I grab the nearest vessel and place it under the body but the vessel is cracked and the blood seeps through.I look around, see nothing and cup my hands under the body, the blood seeps through my fingers.Or in an area that doesn’t involve perception. Think about a persuasion check where the content of the speech is narrated after the roll. I persuade Lucy to go to the dance with me. We roll and I succeed and may narrate something as different as:I ask her in a breathy tone and my sheer sexual charisma overwhelms her.I appeal to her vanity by talking up how perfect a couple we’d make and how jealous it would make the other attendees.The above is generative but the closer I hew to established facts, say facts about Lucy’s vanity, the more the fuzziness between the two methods might be revealed to simply be when stakes are set.</blockquote>

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