Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Starfox" data-source="post: 9612852" data-attributes="member: 2303">Inspired by the mention of romance games in <a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/ttrpg-genres-you-just-cant-get-into-and-tell-me-why-im-wrong-about-x-genre-i-dont-like.712175/" target="_blank">TTRPG Genres You Just Can't Get Into -and- Tell Me Why I'm Wrong About X Genre I Don't Like</a> I want to ask about the rules for romance in romance TTRPGs. I have played out romance in games not dedicated to it, in fact it is a common theme. I've read the first Blue Rose rules and didn't find much rules for romance there, it was mostly a shaved-down D&D. I have no issue with romance in games. What I am wondering about are the rules for romance in games.The first category of rules, that I have no problem understanding, are rules for how romance affects the game. I played Pendragon for a long time, where being inspired by romance was a constant trope.  The rules I see myself having a problem with are rules for creating romance. Most game engines can handle casual flirting, but leave actual romantic love up to the players without specific rules for how they happen. Is this different for games like Thirsty Sword Lesbians have rules for this, or is the romance itself a preexisting condition? I see problems with consent here, should a game engine really be telling me who I fall in love with? Anything beyond a casual flirt has this problem. Yes, its a smaller problem for NPCs, they are not as much avatars of their player (the GM in this case) as are PCs. Still tricky.A third issue I wonder if these games handle is the internal development of the protagonist (here the PC). The way I read Pride and Prejudice, the main development is inside Elizabeth, she overcomes her pride and prejudice to be able to admit her love for Darcy. This seems like a very tricky thing to model in a game, I wouldn't know where to start.Fourth, discussing Thirsty Sword Lesbians in the root thread, someone (sorry, can't recall who) compared it to Revolutionary Girl Utena. That game featured duels that were character analyses of the opponents, showing how their dreams and ambitions brought them in to fight and lose against Utena. I think a clearer example of this is in the anime Angelic Layer. Here the heroine is too young to engage in actual romance, but she deeply engages with the backgrounds of a series of antagonists, basically doing psychoanalysis on them as they fight with holograms on a tabletop. The crux of the story is the exploration of each personality, and the heroine actually helps them overcome traumas and background problems, becoming fast friends despite the defeat. I like to call this kind of fight Dramatic Combat and I would love to implement it, but have to admit I am at loss on how. Does any game even try to do this?</blockquote>

Verification