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Message: <blockquote data-quote="steenan" data-source="post: 5343027" data-attributes="member: 23240">For me, it depends strongly on the kind of game being played. In general, adventure games have more uses for player narration than investigative or horror games, non-immersive more than immersive ones, ones with light and abstract rules more than ones with crunchy and detailed rules. There are also several levels of player narration that I see as distinct. Some of them are good in situations where others are not.1. Character background being created in game, not before it starts. Players describe PC histories in only a sentence or two before the game; than they add details when they think they are relevant to what's happening in the session. They may state they have been in given place, that they know given NPC and other past events they deem important. It's not completely freeform - the allowed scope of such declarations is decided before game and the GM (or other players) may veto declarations that go too far or make the game less instead of more interesting. If the scope of in-game background declarations is small, it fits any game. If it is wider, it won't work well in a traditional game (interfering with the plot in a plotted game and with the pre-created world in a sandbox game), but may be used in more genre-defined games.2. Declaring and describing actions that use details of an environment that haven't been described by the GM, but are reasonable to assume (with possible GM veto). It fits nearly every play style and every game. If the setting is reasonably well known to all parties, this style of narration is faster and flows more naturally than asking questions about every detail.3. Describing actions and their results after they are rolled for. It works perfectly in any game aiming for a cinematic feel, with a system that is reasonably abstract. Knowing what the (mechanical) results are, a player may describe his success or failure in a fun, interesting way - a way that fits his character better than what the GM could come up with.4. Adding new pieces of environment, deciding actions of NPCs etc., usually in a way limited somehow by the game mechanics. If such a possibility is reasonably extensive, it creates a game style on it's own, much different than in a traditional RPG. It requires both an appropriate system (mechanics limiting player's narrative control, not character's abilities) and appropriate approach from players (focus on shared creation of fun, genre-appropriate story, not on character's success). Some people may refuse to call such a game an RPG, some (like me) see it as a border case.</blockquote>

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