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Message: <blockquote data-quote="howandwhy99" data-source="post: 6197142" data-attributes="member: 3192">Hey Derren, We should be more specific about what we're talking about here. Obviously    [MENTION=23240]steenan[/MENTION] and I run very different styles of game, yet both are currently using the same label of "character driven" games. You should know they are vastly different due to the style of game assumed being run.1st is the follow the path game. This isn't the one you are looking for, I believe, to help create proactive players, but the players are actively following the path too. So it could certainly be considered a proactive campaign. The 2nd is the new story-game post-modern game design where all participants are players and all are trading off in expressing themselves to create a narrative. Goals, plans, achievements are used strictly about the characters, not the players. They are part of the story. Player proactivity comes when each player gets time to express him or her self and be creative.The 3rd way, the old school one I've been talking about, is a pattern recognition game where the players actually have to actively strategize and attempt movements in the game in order to achieve any self-created goal in the game world. The game world is a puzzle, a kind of maze, but without any referee-determined objectives. There is no exit one must find, preferably no one, single key to open a door. You can gain and lose resources including information, but game mastery is up to the player, not the character. In that way it's more like Chess or Poker than group storytelling. All of these play styles can be very enjoyable. In fact, I've been running and playing in the first two for the last few months pretty solidly now. But you should know what you and your players want out of your game before you decide on which one to play. Different games are designed to support different playstyles more or less. And you should get a lot better traction out of games specifically designed for what you want this instance then the ones that are not.EDIT: Think of it like computer games. Follow the path story games are pretty popular right now in the indie PC game scene.  Create your own world games are popular too. Minecraft for instance. But there are still plenty of puzzle world games out there too like Zelda and Mario Bros. for those who want them.</blockquote>

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