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Is RPGing a *literary* endeavour?
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<blockquote data-quote="pemerton" data-source="post: 7604862" data-attributes="member: 42582"><p>I have used the words "literary" and "performance" in what I hope are reasonably clear senses. Theatre (typically) involves both. Salon repartee with Oscar Wilde or Dorothy Parker involves both. Conversation with friends typically invovles neither.</p><p></p><p>I've also said - repeatedly, although [MENTION=6799753]lowkey13[/MENTION] may not have read those posts - that everything else being equal a mellifluous GM can be a good thing. But obviously much of the time everything is not equal. For example, <em>pre-scripting</em> which is often a precondition of literary quality in word-choice and a precondition for rehearsal of presentation, is at odds with the back-and-forth, the invitation-and-response, that I think is at the heart of RPGing.</p><p></p><p>To frame <em>invitation-and-response</em> as <em>scenario</em> is harmless enough provided not too much weight is put on the latter. But obviously if, by <em>scenario</em>, one is talking about something pre-scripted and rehearsed, then that's not what I'm talking about.</p><p></p><p>If a scenario doesn't speak to the players and engage their interest, and generate an emotional response in them, then my advice to the GM would always be <em>work on your stuff</em>. I would not be suggesting <em>choose a different soundtrack</em>.</p><p></p><p>This is an obvious non-sequitur. Some people find dealing with stutterers very frustrating. Others don't mind.</p><p></p><p>Some are more tolerant than others of a variety of approaches to personal comportment. To swearing. Etc.</p><p></p><p>But none of these (rather banal) facts about who one enjoys, or doesn't enjoy, talking to and spending time with show that RPGing is a <em>literary</em> endeavour. Or that <em>performance</em>, in the sense in which theatre and recitation involve performance but conversation typically doesn't, are central to the activity.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="pemerton, post: 7604862, member: 42582"] I have used the words "literary" and "performance" in what I hope are reasonably clear senses. Theatre (typically) involves both. Salon repartee with Oscar Wilde or Dorothy Parker involves both. Conversation with friends typically invovles neither. I've also said - repeatedly, although [MENTION=6799753]lowkey13[/MENTION] may not have read those posts - that everything else being equal a mellifluous GM can be a good thing. But obviously much of the time everything is not equal. For example, [I]pre-scripting[/I] which is often a precondition of literary quality in word-choice and a precondition for rehearsal of presentation, is at odds with the back-and-forth, the invitation-and-response, that I think is at the heart of RPGing. To frame [I]invitation-and-response[/I] as [I]scenario[/I] is harmless enough provided not too much weight is put on the latter. But obviously if, by [I]scenario[/I], one is talking about something pre-scripted and rehearsed, then that's not what I'm talking about. If a scenario doesn't speak to the players and engage their interest, and generate an emotional response in them, then my advice to the GM would always be [I]work on your stuff[/I]. I would not be suggesting [I]choose a different soundtrack[/I]. This is an obvious non-sequitur. Some people find dealing with stutterers very frustrating. Others don't mind. Some are more tolerant than others of a variety of approaches to personal comportment. To swearing. Etc. But none of these (rather banal) facts about who one enjoys, or doesn't enjoy, talking to and spending time with show that RPGing is a [I]literary[/I] endeavour. Or that [I]performance[/I], in the sense in which theatre and recitation involve performance but conversation typically doesn't, are central to the activity. [/QUOTE]
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