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S/Z: On the Difficulties of RPG Theory & Criticism
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<blockquote data-quote="Ovinomancer" data-source="post: 7921304" data-attributes="member: 16814"><p>I know, I've seen it. There's a bit of slight of hand in the definition if it's being attributed to the Meilahti school, because they require a GM to be an RPG. The definition, presented outside of the Meilahti school, is better as it doesn't require a GM. The key weakness to the Meilahti school, as I've read of it, is the focus on the GM as the lynchpin of an RPG. The GM has final authority, the GM must exist (you have have more than one, but at least one), etc. They allow for rotation of the GM duties, but that still doesn't capture games like Fiasco, which don't have any point where the Meilahti defined GM responsibilities all congregate in a single player. It also has issues with player constraint of GM ability to narrate, which other games have, preventing the GM from having the sole authority to dictate what's in a scene and what's possible within a scene. Take games that allow players to introduce content, for instance. These immedately thwart the GM's authority to define what's in a scene or what's actions are allowed in a scene as the players have the authority to introduce content and change the scene after framing.</p><p></p><p>It's an interesting theory, and there's definitely some useful bits, but it's too focused around the GM authority to account for many of the current games that have such features -- FATE, PbtA, Burning Wheel, Mouseguard, etc. Further, I think that if you modify the theory to include those games, it becomes muddy outside of the most generalizable statements.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Ovinomancer, post: 7921304, member: 16814"] I know, I've seen it. There's a bit of slight of hand in the definition if it's being attributed to the Meilahti school, because they require a GM to be an RPG. The definition, presented outside of the Meilahti school, is better as it doesn't require a GM. The key weakness to the Meilahti school, as I've read of it, is the focus on the GM as the lynchpin of an RPG. The GM has final authority, the GM must exist (you have have more than one, but at least one), etc. They allow for rotation of the GM duties, but that still doesn't capture games like Fiasco, which don't have any point where the Meilahti defined GM responsibilities all congregate in a single player. It also has issues with player constraint of GM ability to narrate, which other games have, preventing the GM from having the sole authority to dictate what's in a scene and what's possible within a scene. Take games that allow players to introduce content, for instance. These immedately thwart the GM's authority to define what's in a scene or what's actions are allowed in a scene as the players have the authority to introduce content and change the scene after framing. It's an interesting theory, and there's definitely some useful bits, but it's too focused around the GM authority to account for many of the current games that have such features -- FATE, PbtA, Burning Wheel, Mouseguard, etc. Further, I think that if you modify the theory to include those games, it becomes muddy outside of the most generalizable statements. [/QUOTE]
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