[OT] D&D wisdom from an unexpected source (or the Universal nature of storytelling)

[Graf]

to have a clue what I'm talking about you should probably take a gander at this

basically the fundimental challenges of D&D are wrapped up in this interview.... (along with battle bots and ancient Japanese boardgames)

<http://gamestudies.org/0102/pearce/>

 

[Graf]

mmm problem space

The quest to have a larger problem space is what many DMs talk about when they are talking about allowing PCs to determine the course of their game. Its facinating that later on WW talks about the trade offs between having a large problem space (a lot of solutions to the "game") and realism.

That plugs directly into the problem of how open ended the narritive should be.... if its too tight PCs roles have been scripted before the players begin to play (railroading) too loose and people either get bored or feel like they have no investment in what's going on.

A good DM is "a God who wants to be surprised" (like WW). I know I love player creativity, its what pushes the game to the next level and makes it a truly interactive experience. the realization that one player's zany solution has forced you to re-think what will be hours of gameplay on the spot is a thrilling, terrible experience.

I know that I often take the roles of many different people in the game, sticking my head on their shoulders to have a look around and figure out what they see, think and would do. But a second later I've dropped them completely and the PCs can cut them down like a strawman and the games moves on. Honestly playing a PC is boring compaired to playing a world.

Its classic D&D.... conflicts between different world views are resolved by combat. I know that in my SL game everything operates according to a single world view. My world view. But asymetrical information is the watchword of a good game.

Has anyone done anything (I'm sure people have) with cultural clashes? even those "play a monster" games have strong elements of this.

Every game I've played in involves "strategic time manipulation" . The party lies down for the night and fifteen minutes later (real time) they've woken up and memorized spells. But a gnoll appears and seconds stretch into minutes as blood is drawn and conflicting world views are unified by spell and sword.

I liked WW's comment that he wants to "create a world in the players mind" and that the game itself is just a bunch of numbers. I wonder how many DMs forget this....

 

[mmadsen]

We see some of D&D's wargaming roots:

WW: Oh, like Panzer Blitz was a big one, Global War, Sniper.

CP: Were those ones with the hex-grid boards?

WW: Yeah, they had a 40-page rule book, and you’d play with your friend. And it ended up being… I mean, I think it would be excellent training for a lawyer. Because you’re sitting there, most of the time, arguing over interpretations of these very elaborate rules. And you could actually combine the rules and say, "well, this was in panic mode so he couldn’t go that far." "Well, my indirect fire has a three-hex radius of destruction." So you’d sit there and argue over this little minutia of the rules. And that was kind of half the fun of it—both of you trying to find the legal loopholes for why your guy didn’t get killed.