Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
Is RPGing a *literary* endeavour?
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="hawkeyefan" data-source="post: 7616278" data-attributes="member: 6785785"><p>Honestly, I probably have a pretty liberal view on what would constitute a literary endeavor. I think world building and backstory for characters and all those things fall into that category. Sure, those are more preparatory to creating a story, but still a part of it. And I think that RPGs are sufficiently creative to qualify. If something captures the imagination, then I'd likely consider it literary. The quality of its literary merit may be another discussion entirely....but not everything is meant to be or is trying to be <em>Finnegan's Wake.</em> </p><p></p><p>I think that my stance in this discussion is more in line with @<em><strong><u><a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/member.php?u=42582" target="_blank">pemerton</a></u></strong></em>'s stance described in the OP. In that, he specifically talks about the literary quality of the narration provided by GMs and players, and how important that is to play when compared to motivating players through the content of the fiction. I think because of the straightforward title of the thread, many disagree, but looking at the more specific point in the OP, I absolutely understand it. </p><p></p><p>I think the real question is if such literary ambition has a place in RPGing, and if so what that place may be. And by ambition I mean as it relates to the original point; <strong>the attempt by a GM or player for their narration to have artistic merit beyond simple communication</strong>. That they are not simply attempting to convey information, but that they are doing so with an attempt to convey that information in a creative manner. I think reducing "literary quality" to basic clear communication or establishing context ignores the attempt at craft which is key to the original point, and renders the discussion meaningless. </p><p></p><p>So, does literary ambition...or the strive for literary quality in narration, belong in RPGing? I would say it has a place, certainly. For me, the answer to the question in the title of the thread is "yes". But....is that place more important than the role of engaging players through the content? That to me is the more interesting element of the conversation.</p><p></p><p>Is it more important that a bit of narration offered by the GM makes the players feel compelled to act, or that it makes them smile because of its cleverness or creativity? </p><p></p><p>And as I've said before, I know that these things are not always mutually exclusive, but I think it's an interesting question to examine and to answer. For me, I think the compelled to act element is generally more important because we are playing a game, even though it is a game that is also a creative endeavor. Will I from time to time try to narrate something in a clever or creative way? Absolutely. </p><p></p><p>But of the two approaches, I think one is generally more meaningful to the activity at hand.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="hawkeyefan, post: 7616278, member: 6785785"] Honestly, I probably have a pretty liberal view on what would constitute a literary endeavor. I think world building and backstory for characters and all those things fall into that category. Sure, those are more preparatory to creating a story, but still a part of it. And I think that RPGs are sufficiently creative to qualify. If something captures the imagination, then I'd likely consider it literary. The quality of its literary merit may be another discussion entirely....but not everything is meant to be or is trying to be [I]Finnegan's Wake.[/I] I think that my stance in this discussion is more in line with @[I][B][U][URL="http://www.enworld.org/forum/member.php?u=42582"]pemerton[/URL][/U][/B][/I]'s stance described in the OP. In that, he specifically talks about the literary quality of the narration provided by GMs and players, and how important that is to play when compared to motivating players through the content of the fiction. I think because of the straightforward title of the thread, many disagree, but looking at the more specific point in the OP, I absolutely understand it. I think the real question is if such literary ambition has a place in RPGing, and if so what that place may be. And by ambition I mean as it relates to the original point; [B]the attempt by a GM or player for their narration to have artistic merit beyond simple communication[/B]. That they are not simply attempting to convey information, but that they are doing so with an attempt to convey that information in a creative manner. I think reducing "literary quality" to basic clear communication or establishing context ignores the attempt at craft which is key to the original point, and renders the discussion meaningless. So, does literary ambition...or the strive for literary quality in narration, belong in RPGing? I would say it has a place, certainly. For me, the answer to the question in the title of the thread is "yes". But....is that place more important than the role of engaging players through the content? That to me is the more interesting element of the conversation. Is it more important that a bit of narration offered by the GM makes the players feel compelled to act, or that it makes them smile because of its cleverness or creativity? And as I've said before, I know that these things are not always mutually exclusive, but I think it's an interesting question to examine and to answer. For me, I think the compelled to act element is generally more important because we are playing a game, even though it is a game that is also a creative endeavor. Will I from time to time try to narrate something in a clever or creative way? Absolutely. But of the two approaches, I think one is generally more meaningful to the activity at hand. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
Is RPGing a *literary* endeavour?
Top