Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="pemerton" data-source="post: 5723705" data-attributes="member: 42582">I'm pretty sure that by "narrative" JC means "in the style of narrativist/indie games". In the jargon of Forge-influenced indie game design, resolution with die rolls or skill checks is called "drama" (as opposed to "fortune"). But there is no special link between drama resolution and narrativist play. "Narrativist" play, here, means play which is aimed less at immersive exploration of the gameworld, and more at the GM and the players pushing thematic buttons. The slogans that get used at the Forge are "The right to dreaam" (simulationist) vs "Story now" (narrativist).Another way of capturing the difference, I think, is this: A few days ago I was talking to one of my players about different games, and he said that one thing that he likes about 4e is that, rather than "being" his PC, the system lets him "play" his PC. Which I interpret as meaning that the play experience is not so much immersion/exploration, but deliberate choices to push the game (and the PC) into interesting and engaging situations.For what it's worth, I didn't have any trouble following your post.Two questions.First, are you including 4e here? I think it's highly arguable that 4e is such a game.Second, isn't the classic spirit of D&D rules improvisation and the published books as guidelines, not rules? So what's wrong with people bringing indie techniques into their D&D games?</blockquote>