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Is RPGing a *literary* endeavour?
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<blockquote data-quote="uzirath" data-source="post: 7618244" data-attributes="member: 8495"><p>For me, this depends a lot on context and what the other players like. There's a difference between fun role-playing flourishes and hogging the spotlight. If we're in the middle of a tense battle scene and a player decides to start reciting epic poetry on their turn, I'd get tired of it pretty soon. (Just like I get frustrated by players who haven't figured out their tactical maneuver in time for their turn.) This interrupts the flow of the game, doesn't seem realistic (especially with 1-second combat turns in GURPS), and does seem self-indulgent. </p><p></p><p>On the other hand, many of the players in one of my regular adult groups are English teachers. They love writing and storytelling. It's not uncommon for one or more of them to have something prepared to share at a game (sometimes in writing). We had a cleric who would, at most sessions, share a stanza from the scripture of his super-weird deity. We all looked forward to this. The writing was good, and it added to the campaign world in meaningful ways. If he had written up the whole thing to share at a single session, we would have thrown all the snacks at him until he stopped, but a stanza at a time was perfect.</p><p></p><p>As a GM, I often encourage players to narrate and add elements to the game world. I don't have time for the kind of obsessive prep that I used to do (before becoming a parent and having more professional responsibilities). Now I typically work from some loose notes that I'll use to paint a broad picture of a scene. If the party is arriving at a town, I might say, "You see the domes and dusty minarets across the dunes as you approach Satusheh." I leave a lot of the details of Satusheh to the players. If they want to find a tavern, I say, "Yes, you find a tavern called . . ." and let them player fill it in, along with a description, and many of the notable NPCs. I add details to the mix, too, in an organic way. </p><p></p><p>The players have taken to this. It even works when I have pre-generated material that needs to slip in. I can introduce my NPCs, as required. A player-generated inn can still have a secret room and a cult operating out of the cellar. The bard that one of them describes by the fire can be the Duke's agent that I was going to have them meet. It's not fully freeform, but it works fairly well, and the creative synergy creates unexpected elements that add to the fun.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="uzirath, post: 7618244, member: 8495"] For me, this depends a lot on context and what the other players like. There's a difference between fun role-playing flourishes and hogging the spotlight. If we're in the middle of a tense battle scene and a player decides to start reciting epic poetry on their turn, I'd get tired of it pretty soon. (Just like I get frustrated by players who haven't figured out their tactical maneuver in time for their turn.) This interrupts the flow of the game, doesn't seem realistic (especially with 1-second combat turns in GURPS), and does seem self-indulgent. On the other hand, many of the players in one of my regular adult groups are English teachers. They love writing and storytelling. It's not uncommon for one or more of them to have something prepared to share at a game (sometimes in writing). We had a cleric who would, at most sessions, share a stanza from the scripture of his super-weird deity. We all looked forward to this. The writing was good, and it added to the campaign world in meaningful ways. If he had written up the whole thing to share at a single session, we would have thrown all the snacks at him until he stopped, but a stanza at a time was perfect. As a GM, I often encourage players to narrate and add elements to the game world. I don't have time for the kind of obsessive prep that I used to do (before becoming a parent and having more professional responsibilities). Now I typically work from some loose notes that I'll use to paint a broad picture of a scene. If the party is arriving at a town, I might say, "You see the domes and dusty minarets across the dunes as you approach Satusheh." I leave a lot of the details of Satusheh to the players. If they want to find a tavern, I say, "Yes, you find a tavern called . . ." and let them player fill it in, along with a description, and many of the notable NPCs. I add details to the mix, too, in an organic way. The players have taken to this. It even works when I have pre-generated material that needs to slip in. I can introduce my NPCs, as required. A player-generated inn can still have a secret room and a cult operating out of the cellar. The bard that one of them describes by the fire can be the Duke's agent that I was going to have them meet. It's not fully freeform, but it works fairly well, and the creative synergy creates unexpected elements that add to the fun. [/QUOTE]
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