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Rules, Rulings and Second Order Design: D&D and AD&D Examined
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<blockquote data-quote="Snarf Zagyg" data-source="post: 9043502" data-attributes="member: 7023840"><p>It's actually not that complicated.</p><p></p><p>You're a game designer. You make the rules and procedures for the game. You write them. That's the first-order design.</p><p></p><p>However, once the game is released, once people play it, they will play it in different ways. This is the second-order design.</p><p></p><p>Or, to put it more simply- the game designer make the rulebook, but can't dictate the player's behavior.</p><p></p><p>That said, there are various ways that a game designer can influence second-order design. The most obvious is extensive playtesting. See how disparate groups interact with the rules, and tweak accordingly. </p><p></p><p>Another is to try and create rules that you think will have an impact on second-order design. For example, on thing that is popular is to have "principles" and "procedures" that are written down that the table should follow- things like "The GM Should Be a Fan of the Players" and have examples of that, as opposed to leaving this as an assumed heuristic.</p><p></p><p>A final way would be to make the rules fit more tightly to the assumed gameplay; an example of this would be if, for example, D&D didn't leave it open as to whether or not you played ToTM or grid, but instead insisted you played one way and made all the rules with the understanding you were playing that way.</p><p></p><p>Better?</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Snarf Zagyg, post: 9043502, member: 7023840"] It's actually not that complicated. You're a game designer. You make the rules and procedures for the game. You write them. That's the first-order design. However, once the game is released, once people play it, they will play it in different ways. This is the second-order design. Or, to put it more simply- the game designer make the rulebook, but can't dictate the player's behavior. That said, there are various ways that a game designer can influence second-order design. The most obvious is extensive playtesting. See how disparate groups interact with the rules, and tweak accordingly. Another is to try and create rules that you think will have an impact on second-order design. For example, on thing that is popular is to have "principles" and "procedures" that are written down that the table should follow- things like "The GM Should Be a Fan of the Players" and have examples of that, as opposed to leaving this as an assumed heuristic. A final way would be to make the rules fit more tightly to the assumed gameplay; an example of this would be if, for example, D&D didn't leave it open as to whether or not you played ToTM or grid, but instead insisted you played one way and made all the rules with the understanding you were playing that way. Better? [/QUOTE]
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Rules, Rulings and Second Order Design: D&D and AD&D Examined
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