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Interesting Decisions vs Wish Fulfillment (from Pulsipher)
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<blockquote data-quote="pemerton" data-source="post: 6342328" data-attributes="member: 42582"><p>As you have stated it, I don't feel the force of the contrast.</p><p></p><p>For instance, ID1 (interaction with significant NPCs) can lead to WF2 (being given respect by NPCs). ID2&5 (tactical choices involving resource management) can lead to WF1 (the pleasure of seeing your enemies destroyed in spectacular fashion). Etc.</p><p></p><p>Generalising: your "interesting decisions" describe challenges the players might have to resolve (via their PCs). Your "wish fulfilment" items 1 and 2 are outcomes.</p><p></p><p>WF4 is completely orthogonal to both - Moldvay Basic, fr instance, handwaves all time not spent in the dungeon, but almost certainly falls on the side that you are wanting to call "interesting decisions". In fact, one of the best ways to ensure a lot of interesting decisions in play is to handwave a lot of tedious stuff which, whether or not it requires decisions, doesn't require <em>interesting</em> decisions.</p><p></p><p>Finally, I don't understand WF3. When I try to contrast it with (say) ID1&4, I can't draw any contrast. Thus, for instance: choices about puzzles and traps are going to be driven by flavour and effect, aren't they? Eg if there is a flooding room trap, then solutions will include looking for furniture that floats (when I ran this particular scenario in my 4e game, the items of furniture in question were coffins). Or, when negotiating with important NPCs, flavour and effect are going to be very important: eg whether or not Kas will make friends with you might depend on whether or not you are an ally of Vecna.</p><p></p><p>If someone asked me to reflect on games where the players didn't have to make interesting choices, I wouldn't be thinking about games displaying your items WF1 through Wf4. I would be thinking about games where mechanics didn't matter to resolution; where the GM disregarded the players' action declarations for their PCs; where the GM railroaded some pre-written plot without regard to player desires as manifested through the play of their PCs; etc. None of which have much to do with WF1 through WF4, and most of which seem to be about the <em>GM's</em> wish fulfilment rather than the players'.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="pemerton, post: 6342328, member: 42582"] As you have stated it, I don't feel the force of the contrast. For instance, ID1 (interaction with significant NPCs) can lead to WF2 (being given respect by NPCs). ID2&5 (tactical choices involving resource management) can lead to WF1 (the pleasure of seeing your enemies destroyed in spectacular fashion). Etc. Generalising: your "interesting decisions" describe challenges the players might have to resolve (via their PCs). Your "wish fulfilment" items 1 and 2 are outcomes. WF4 is completely orthogonal to both - Moldvay Basic, fr instance, handwaves all time not spent in the dungeon, but almost certainly falls on the side that you are wanting to call "interesting decisions". In fact, one of the best ways to ensure a lot of interesting decisions in play is to handwave a lot of tedious stuff which, whether or not it requires decisions, doesn't require [I]interesting[/I] decisions. Finally, I don't understand WF3. When I try to contrast it with (say) ID1&4, I can't draw any contrast. Thus, for instance: choices about puzzles and traps are going to be driven by flavour and effect, aren't they? Eg if there is a flooding room trap, then solutions will include looking for furniture that floats (when I ran this particular scenario in my 4e game, the items of furniture in question were coffins). Or, when negotiating with important NPCs, flavour and effect are going to be very important: eg whether or not Kas will make friends with you might depend on whether or not you are an ally of Vecna. If someone asked me to reflect on games where the players didn't have to make interesting choices, I wouldn't be thinking about games displaying your items WF1 through Wf4. I would be thinking about games where mechanics didn't matter to resolution; where the GM disregarded the players' action declarations for their PCs; where the GM railroaded some pre-written plot without regard to player desires as manifested through the play of their PCs; etc. None of which have much to do with WF1 through WF4, and most of which seem to be about the [I]GM's[/I] wish fulfilment rather than the players'. [/QUOTE]
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