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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Hriston" data-source="post: 6852123" data-attributes="member: 6787503">I mentioned this article in another thread about what roleplaying is, but it didn't get much traction. I've copied the entire article here because I think it bears upon the issue of what the primary activity of a roleplaying game is and the difference between playing a role and what Gygax calls role assumption. It also seems to capture what Gygax thought of what has been referred to here as the 2e style, which seems to have been emerging at that time."Realms of role playingLet’s start pushing the pendulum the other wayby Gary Gygax, 1985There was a long period of time whenaction, rather than role playing, was themajor focus of gaming, and this was especiallytrue with respect to tournament scenariosat conventions. Thus, an AD&D®game scenario would typically stress combatwith monsters to achieve the goal set beforethe characters. Now, the pendulum hasswung the other way  much emphasis isbeing placed on how well the player takeson the role of his or her character. Personificationand acting are replacing action of themore direct and forceful type  be it swordswinging, spell casting, or anything else.Before this trend goes too far, it is time toconsider what the typical role-playing gameis all about.First, it is important to remember that(‘role-playing is a modifier of the noungame. We are dealing with a game whichis based on role playing, but it is first andforemost a game. Games are not plays,although role-playing games should havesome of the theatre included in their play.To put undue stress upon mere role-playingplaces the cart before the horse. Role playingis a necessary part of the game, but it isby no means the whole of the matter.Role playing is similar to, but not thesame as, role assumption. The latter term isgenerally used to identify the individual’sacceptance of a part which he or she couldactually perform. While a child might playthe role of a parent, an adult would assumethat role when dealing with his or her children.This distinction is important in thecontext of gaming because of the stress nowbeing placed upon role playing. Too muchemphasis in this direction tends to makeplaying out an adventure more of a children’slet’s pretend activity than anaction-packed game which involves all sortsof fun, including the playing of a role butother fun aspects as well.A role-playing game should be such thatplayers begin the personification portion asrole play, and then as they progress theactivity should evolve into something akinto role assumption. This does away withstilted attempts to act the part of somecharacter. In place of this, players shouldtry to become that person they are imaginingduring the course of the game, andconduct the actions of their characters accordingly.A spy, for example, speaks in oneway to his superiors, in another way whenhe converses with his equals, and in yet anentirely different way when he is attemptingto penetrate an enemy installation and isimpersonating a plumber, perhaps. Imple-mented in this fashion, the concept becomesone of roles within roles.This applies to all role-playing games, ofcourse. Straining to play a role is certainlycontrary to the purpose of the game. Theactual reason for gaming is fun, not instructionin theatrics or training in the thespianart. Role playing is certainly a necessaryand desirable part of the whole game, but itis a part. Challenge, excitement, suspense,and questing are other portions equallynecessary to a game of this nature.Problem solving is the typical challengein a role-playing game. Whether it is discoveringa murderer, finding a magicsword, or seeking to expose a gang of criminals,this element is an integral part of suchinteractive gaming. And ‘note that problemsolving, in this context, has to do with aproblem to be solved by the character, not aproblem (such as How do I role-play thissituation?) to be solved by the player.Combat, survival amidst threateningconditions, or stalking an opponent aretypical means of adding excitement andsuspense into the whole. These are actionorientedportions of the game activity whichcall for little role playing but a fair amountof role assumption. The magic-user character(and thus, the player of that character)must know his or her spells and how toutilize them efficiently. The explorer mustknow outdoor craft. Whatever the situation,setting, or character being played, skillnot theatrics  is what is called for here.Having a goal, understanding it, andremaining steadfast in its completion arelikewise necessary to role-playing games.This questing, if you will, again has little ornothing to do with role playing in the actingsense. It is closer to role assumption and is ameasure of gaming ability and skill.Role-playing games are different fromother games in that they allow participantsto create a game persona, develop thischaracter, and enhance his or her skills andabilities. While some considerable amountof acting is most beneficial to play, this is byno means the sole objective or purpose. Thefun of such gaming includes all the otherelements mentioned, plus the interactiverelationships which develop between thevarious characters of the players participating.In the well-balanced game, role playingshould quickly become role assumption,which then again leads to character roleplaying  roles within roles!Not every game of this sort must becompletely balanced with regard to all ofthese aspects. Such a decision is entirely inthe hands of the game master and the players.If a particular group desires to stressacting, or combat, or problem solving, orany other singular feature of the whole, thatis strictly up to the individuals concerned.How they enjoy gaming, and what constitutesfun, is theirs alone to decide.This last point extends not only to playersbut to products as well. A particular gamemight be designed to stress one aspect overothers. Role playing can be the majorthrust, or action and combat, or any of theother elements. Similarly, the underlyinggame might offer one or another while itsaccessories and scenarios develop somedifferent aspects. Most games and supportmaterial are general and offer a reasonablywell-balanced mix.But is this true for competition situationsas well? In contrast to a long period whensuch tournaments tended to feature hackand-slash,shoot-‘em-up, and blast-‘em-outsituations, there is now a trend towarddownplaying everything except the theatri-cal side of gaming. This tendency has evidenceditself to a lesser extent in somesupport materials, it must be noted. Thereaction is not altogether unwarranted, formany particpants seem to have been ignoringrole playing completely, or nearly so, intheir games. Instead, it is usual for suchgames to stress direct, usually violent,action. This is a true detriment to fullyappreciating the scope of role-playinggames; as with most things, one extreme isjust as undesirable as the other.The current vogue of placing seeminglyundue importance on the role-playing portionof the game is simply meant to informand educate participants about a very importantsegment of what differentiates thesegames from other types of games. It is to behoped that the needed training thus affordedwill enable game participants to gobeyond role playing of their characters andenter into role assumption instead. Once itis understood that role playing is a vitalingredient of the game, and players understandhow to actually accomplish it, theundue attention can be discarded.Balanced games are certainly the mostenjoyable sort for the great majority ofplayers. A meal does not consist of but onething  if it is to be an enjoyable one. Bythe same token, a role-playing game musthave all the ingredients which allow it to bevaried and enjoyable. Playing and assumptionof roles, interpersonal dealings, action,problem solving, excitement, suspense, andquesting are all important to make thewhole. The portions can be mixed in differentamounts, but each should have a degreeof existence within the scope of the whole.It is common for scenarios to identify thelevel of experience and skill recommendedfor those utilizing the material they provide.Perhaps it would be worthwhile to alsoidentify any particular stress the scenarioplaces upon a certain aspect of the gameactivity  role-playing, action, problemsolving, or any other.Tournament scenarios and competitionsmight also benefit by such identification.Prospective entrants would then be able todetermine which aspect they favor, or possiblyneed to learn more of, before they enteredthe event. Participants who find theirenjoyment lies in one area or another wouldthus be able to select events optimal fortheir tastes and avoid those which theymight find less fun  making the competitionexperience more enjoyable for everyonewho does take part. Is the player who hasdifficulty personifying a well-understoodcharacter any different from an excellentthespian who misplays the game otherwise?By being able to identify the focus of ascenario, not only would players be informed,but they would also be given theopportunity to round out their abilities inweak areas if they chose to do so.Play of the game is the thing. Play includesdevelopment of the character andpersonification thereof, role assumption androle playing, and the rest. After all, fantasyin whatever form is integral. Whether fightinga dragon, piloting a starship, or shootingit out with evil enemy agents, the actionimagined during the game is what reallymakes it fun. The pendulum did need tomove a bit to balance things, but it mustnot go too far, or the realms of role playingwill become small and constricted instead ofbeing  as they should be  as broad andvaried as the imagination."</blockquote>

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