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"Prescription" and RPGing procedures
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<blockquote data-quote="Umbran" data-source="post: 8803233" data-attributes="member: 177"><p>I think not using that terminology is important. Or, specifically, other games using the terminology, while D&D (and other games) do not, is an indication of intentional design goal differences.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Yes, but... there's always a but...</p><p></p><p>In a narrative-focused game, a scene is an intentionally arranged segment with a beginning, middle, and an end. There is an expectation that narratively relevant things will come up, and be resolved one way or another, during the scene. And there is discontinuity when one scene ends, and the next begins with the next framing.</p><p></p><p>If we look at much traditional D&D play, while the GM may describe some elements to the players, this is not setup of an atomic "scene". The GM may make many descriptions of new elements in the narrative before clear conflicts develop, or anything resolves, with no notable discontinuity - in principle, the characters may wander from one described area to another, and back again, without resolving anything as they go. Much of the description of new elements may turn out to have no relevance whatsoever to the resulting narrative. Or, entire conflicts may resolve, but later be found to have no significant narrative relevance.</p><p></p><p>Which is to say, what we'd call a "scene" or "narrative segment" in D&D is traditionally an <em>emergent property</em> of play, not an intentional one. The segments of what we call the "story" are seen in retrospect, not beforehand. The GM does not have to worry about framing the next scene, because the group has not, in general, identified when a scene has ended. The GM merely describes new elements as they appear, without concern for whether there is a new scene.</p><p></p><p>This all because D&D, and many other traditional games, are not specifically concerned with the narrative. Maybe it will develop, but maybe it won't - narrative isn't the primary goal of the design.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Umbran, post: 8803233, member: 177"] I think not using that terminology is important. Or, specifically, other games using the terminology, while D&D (and other games) do not, is an indication of intentional design goal differences. Yes, but... there's always a but... In a narrative-focused game, a scene is an intentionally arranged segment with a beginning, middle, and an end. There is an expectation that narratively relevant things will come up, and be resolved one way or another, during the scene. And there is discontinuity when one scene ends, and the next begins with the next framing. If we look at much traditional D&D play, while the GM may describe some elements to the players, this is not setup of an atomic "scene". The GM may make many descriptions of new elements in the narrative before clear conflicts develop, or anything resolves, with no notable discontinuity - in principle, the characters may wander from one described area to another, and back again, without resolving anything as they go. Much of the description of new elements may turn out to have no relevance whatsoever to the resulting narrative. Or, entire conflicts may resolve, but later be found to have no significant narrative relevance. Which is to say, what we'd call a "scene" or "narrative segment" in D&D is traditionally an [I]emergent property[/I] of play, not an intentional one. The segments of what we call the "story" are seen in retrospect, not beforehand. The GM does not have to worry about framing the next scene, because the group has not, in general, identified when a scene has ended. The GM merely describes new elements as they appear, without concern for whether there is a new scene. This all because D&D, and many other traditional games, are not specifically concerned with the narrative. Maybe it will develop, but maybe it won't - narrative isn't the primary goal of the design. [/QUOTE]
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