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<blockquote data-quote="Afrodyte" data-source="post: 2428834" data-attributes="member: 8713">I don't think I made it clear in my previous post, so I'll try to be more concise here.&nbsp; I do not define desire as &quot;what you want&quot; in a concrete sense.&nbsp; There can be metaphorical or even spiritual context to desire.&nbsp; A desire is not just a goal or an object.&nbsp; It can also be something a character aspires to or seeks to fulfill.&nbsp; I'll highlight the paladin example from my previous post.&nbsp; His desire is to uphold the code of chivalry.&nbsp; It is not something that he wants in the strictest definition of the term, but it is something that he strives toward, something he tries to do.I can't really tackle this from the parameters you set because they are not an integral part of my roleplaying experience.&nbsp; The D&amp;D tropes of party, adventures, and pre-modern aesthetics are not things that bear much, if any, influence upon my approach to roleplaying.&nbsp; A more useful question would be: How do I develop cohesion amongst the players (not their characters) while also addressing the themes of individual characters?In the simplest of terms: I let the players do the work.&nbsp; In general, I give almost total autonomy to the players regarding the characters they play within a few firm but broadly drawn boundaries.&nbsp; I do not tell them if they know each other, how they know each other, or why they work together.&nbsp; I do give them a feel for the world's aesthetic and its defining motifs and themes.&nbsp; Throughout the game, I do my best to introduce characters and events that touch upon one or more characters' individual aspects.&nbsp; I allow myself to experiment with different narrative structures.&nbsp; I go out of my way to find things that can make each character shine.I think narrativist-style gaming appeals to different people for different reasons, and for me to speculate on it with so little to work with would be presumptious.&nbsp; For me, the appeal of narrativist gaming is the depth it encourages me to bring to my entertainment.&nbsp; I do think that gamist and simulationist gaming have potential for depth as well, but the direction and focus of the depth I find with narrativism is more compatible with my temperament.&nbsp; I tend to live in my own little world.&nbsp; This world, rather than being some sort of alternate reality, is actually a part of my own inner reality.&nbsp; In a way it is more real to me because that is when I feel most like myself.&nbsp; This reality is goverened by (for lack of a better term) forces that manifest in my imagination as particular people and situations.&nbsp; What narrativist roleplaying does is allow me to express and explore these things in a dynamic manner appropriate to its dynamic nature.&nbsp; The only viable alternative is to seek experiences which draw this out of me, but that is not always prudent.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Afrodyte, post: 2428834, member: 8713"] I don't think I made it clear in my previous post, so I'll try to be more concise here. I do not define desire as "what you want" in a concrete sense. There can be metaphorical or even spiritual context to desire. A desire is not just a goal or an object. It can also be something a character aspires to or seeks to fulfill. I'll highlight the paladin example from my previous post. His desire is to uphold the code of chivalry. It is not something that he wants in the strictest definition of the term, but it is something that he strives toward, something he tries to do. I can't really tackle this from the parameters you set because they are not an integral part of my roleplaying experience. The D&D tropes of party, adventures, and pre-modern aesthetics are not things that bear much, if any, influence upon my approach to roleplaying. A more useful question would be: How do I develop cohesion amongst the players ([i]not[/i] their characters) while also addressing the themes of individual characters? In the simplest of terms: I let the players do the work. In general, I give almost total autonomy to the players regarding the characters they play within a few firm but broadly drawn boundaries. I do not tell them if they know each other, how they know each other, or why they work together. I do give them a feel for the world's aesthetic and its defining motifs and themes. Throughout the game, I do my best to introduce characters and events that touch upon one or more characters' individual aspects. I allow myself to experiment with different narrative structures. I go out of my way to find things that can make each character shine. I think narrativist-style gaming appeals to different people for different reasons, and for me to speculate on it with so little to work with would be presumptious. For me, the appeal of narrativist gaming is the depth it encourages me to bring to my entertainment. I do think that gamist and simulationist gaming have potential for depth as well, but the direction and focus of the depth I find with narrativism is more compatible with my temperament. I tend to live in my own little world. This world, rather than being some sort of alternate reality, is actually a part of my own inner reality. In a way it is more real to me because that is when I feel most like myself. This reality is goverened by (for lack of a better term) forces that manifest in my imagination as particular people and situations. What narrativist roleplaying does is allow me to express and explore these things in a dynamic manner appropriate to its dynamic nature. The only viable alternative is to seek experiences which draw this out of me, but that is not always prudent. [/QUOTE]

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