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General Tabletop Discussion
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Judgement calls vs "railroading"
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<blockquote data-quote="Campbell" data-source="post: 7092796" data-attributes="member: 16586"><p>I do not think it is very helpful to think in terms of what can be done with any given game. I think it is more helpful to think in terms of what is expected and how difficult it is break from those expectations. Does the system help you? Does it stay out of your way, but is not particularly helpful? Does it actively work against your interests? When I speak of system here I am including all the attended social and cultural pressures that go along with playing any particular game, not merely the mechanisms. I mean we do not need formalized mechanics and principles to roleplay. They can help us do things which are not particularly natural for us to do, but could lead to more overall enjoyment. I think it is a mistake to assume that the lack of formalized system means no system is in place. We simply default to the natural constraints we put upon ourselves. In indie circles this is known as the Lumpley Principle.</p><p></p><p>We have a tendency not to see the ways we are used to doing things as constraints, because they do not feel constraining to us. While few mainstream games speak to their principles there is a body of principles and social expectations that go along with the design of most mainstream games that I feel are deeply constraining for my interests. This includes the expectation that a GM will either engage in lengthy <strong>world building</strong> or use someone else's <strong>world building</strong>, that a GM will prepare <strong>adventures</strong> that put designs on how players <strong>should</strong> interact with them or else use someone else's <strong>adventures</strong>, that a GM <strong>should</strong> engage situations to enable <strong>spotlight balancing</strong>, and that a GM <strong>should</strong> advocate for a particular narrative. It also includes expectations that a player <strong>should</strong> enjoy exploration of the fictional world and a GM's story for its own sake, decide how to approach everything as a unified group, puzzle out what they should be doing at any moment, not engage the mechanisms too deeply, not engage with parts of an adventure that are meant to highlight another player's character, and not interrogate the fiction too deeply. These are social expectations involved in playing most mainstream games that I find <strong>deeply constraining</strong> and that tend to cut against my interests.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Campbell, post: 7092796, member: 16586"] I do not think it is very helpful to think in terms of what can be done with any given game. I think it is more helpful to think in terms of what is expected and how difficult it is break from those expectations. Does the system help you? Does it stay out of your way, but is not particularly helpful? Does it actively work against your interests? When I speak of system here I am including all the attended social and cultural pressures that go along with playing any particular game, not merely the mechanisms. I mean we do not need formalized mechanics and principles to roleplay. They can help us do things which are not particularly natural for us to do, but could lead to more overall enjoyment. I think it is a mistake to assume that the lack of formalized system means no system is in place. We simply default to the natural constraints we put upon ourselves. In indie circles this is known as the Lumpley Principle. We have a tendency not to see the ways we are used to doing things as constraints, because they do not feel constraining to us. While few mainstream games speak to their principles there is a body of principles and social expectations that go along with the design of most mainstream games that I feel are deeply constraining for my interests. This includes the expectation that a GM will either engage in lengthy [B]world building[/B] or use someone else's [B]world building[/B], that a GM will prepare [B]adventures[/B] that put designs on how players [B]should[/B] interact with them or else use someone else's [B]adventures[/B], that a GM [B]should[/B] engage situations to enable [B]spotlight balancing[/B], and that a GM [B]should[/B] advocate for a particular narrative. It also includes expectations that a player [B]should[/B] enjoy exploration of the fictional world and a GM's story for its own sake, decide how to approach everything as a unified group, puzzle out what they should be doing at any moment, not engage the mechanisms too deeply, not engage with parts of an adventure that are meant to highlight another player's character, and not interrogate the fiction too deeply. These are social expectations involved in playing most mainstream games that I find [B]deeply constraining[/B] and that tend to cut against my interests. [/QUOTE]
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