Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Manbearcat" data-source="post: 8201808" data-attributes="member: 6696971">Posted this in the wrong thread so reposting here.  I don't see an embarrassed emoji...so...oops?Here is a quick anecdote from my last night's game that shows how "system matters" in a way where some might think "system doesn't matter there...the issue is the players!"I've got 3 games going right now, but last night's game features two brand new TTRPGers (every now and again I try to introduce people to the hobby). One is slightly reserved (not full-blown introverted) while the other leans toward extraverted. This Dungeon World game is about 4 months old and we play every 3 weeks or so (this was session 5). Like all PBtA games, Dungeon World is very demanding of players. You cannot be passive. You have to actively advocate for your character. You have to actively be a participant in the conversation of play and answer provocative questions when asked and bring to bear interesting answers which are genre/theme/continuity-coherent which propel play forward. Its taken a few session, but these guys are finally getting there and enjoying themselves.Last night we brought in a new player (a friend of two of us). She has also never played TTRPGs but she is an extraordinary reader (of all genres including fantasy) and has a lot of exposure via other mediums. She's also somewhat extraverted (though not hugely) and also attentive, empathic, and self-aware.No disrespect to my two pals, but she is a natural. She blows them out of the water in every way; "knowing the room", "advocating for her character aggressively and coherently", "fitting into the chemistry of the conversation", "deploying immense creativity", "smoothly trying to keep everyone involved." She also makes fundamentally sound decisions (talking through her thinking) when navigating difficult decision-points. Right now (her first time ever playing a TTRPG game), she is one of the best gamers I've ever run games for and an absolute perfect fit for games like PBtA, FitD, DitV, et al.These two guys went from "getting it" and having solid chemistry together (and within the framework of play) to suddenly deferring to her awkwardly and playing extremely passively. They were clearly intimidated and it wasn't because they weren't comfortable with her and/or they're hyper-introverts.I was dissatisfied with the play experience due to the (I'm going to call it) "regression" of my other two friends. It wasn't a bad session, but nowhere as good as the last two because the "collective energy" wasn't well-distributed. This would not have been an issue in a system that isn't uniquely demanding of players where the significant majority of that aforementioned collective energy that propels play is concentrated in the GM and the metaplot (AP or the GM's own).</blockquote>

Verification