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The Origins of ‘Rule Zero’
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<blockquote data-quote="EzekielRaiden" data-source="post: 8178990" data-attributes="member: 6790260"><p>A big gap remains. Your very phrasing shows it. With D&D, the mechanics are "in control." Sometimes via R0 or w/e, the DM overrides them if they push the fiction too far. But when "working normally," the fiction <em>follows after</em> the mechanics, esp. in combat and the like.</p><p></p><p>Proper DW play should never work that way. Fiction triggers rules, <em>never</em> the other way around. Rules are only for when it is <em>truly necessary</em> to keep the fiction going. That mostly means success isn't guaranteed, or there's been a setback (e.g. player ignored "the ground trembles under you," so char is injured when it collapses--injury invokes HP loss.) You return purely to the fiction the <em>moment</em> the mechanics resolve the ambiguity/setback/etc.</p><p></p><p>With D&D, you often <em>start from</em> mechanics and then <em>determine</em> the fiction. If no determination makes sense, you go back and <em>fix</em> the mechanics until one does. With DW and (afaik) <em>all</em> PbtA games, you <em>only and always</em> start from the fiction. Ultra-simple ex: in D&D etc., many DMs outright say, "Give me a Perception check" on first entering a room. In DW you (at least <em>should</em>) never do that. DW's Perception is called <em>Discern Realities</em>, and is never just "asked" for. If and only if a player has described their character as actively searching, closely interacting with it, and doing more than just disengaged looking. When a group has gotten pretty casual about it (as mine has), you will sometimes have players name the move as they act, but the point is to get them thinking as much as possible about <em>the action of the character</em>, and only trigger mechanics when that action <em>demonstrably</em> means a move is happening.</p><p></p><p></p><p>No, it's really not, and that's the whole point here. How you phrase it and whether you start from the mechanics and tailor the fiction to fit, or whether you start from the fiction and <strong>only</strong> apply the rules when you need them, is a big, big difference.</p><p></p><p></p><p>This never happens (or, as stated, never <em>should</em> happen) in DW play. There <em>are</em> no things driven purely by the rules--by design. The rules <em>only</em> come in when the fiction specifically requests them, and go away literally as soon as they've resolved whatever needs resolving. If it is possible (meaning logical, consistent, appropriate, etc.) to resolve things without invoking the mechanics at all, <em>you should always do so</em> in DW. Such an attitude is quite rare in D&D, even in OSR, where a love of numerous disparate (some would say fiddly) subsystems is commonplace.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="EzekielRaiden, post: 8178990, member: 6790260"] A big gap remains. Your very phrasing shows it. With D&D, the mechanics are "in control." Sometimes via R0 or w/e, the DM overrides them if they push the fiction too far. But when "working normally," the fiction [I]follows after[/I] the mechanics, esp. in combat and the like. Proper DW play should never work that way. Fiction triggers rules, [I]never[/I] the other way around. Rules are only for when it is [I]truly necessary[/I] to keep the fiction going. That mostly means success isn't guaranteed, or there's been a setback (e.g. player ignored "the ground trembles under you," so char is injured when it collapses--injury invokes HP loss.) You return purely to the fiction the [I]moment[/I] the mechanics resolve the ambiguity/setback/etc. With D&D, you often [I]start from[/I] mechanics and then [I]determine[/I] the fiction. If no determination makes sense, you go back and [I]fix[/I] the mechanics until one does. With DW and (afaik) [I]all[/I] PbtA games, you [I]only and always[/I] start from the fiction. Ultra-simple ex: in D&D etc., many DMs outright say, "Give me a Perception check" on first entering a room. In DW you (at least [I]should[/I]) never do that. DW's Perception is called [I]Discern Realities[/I], and is never just "asked" for. If and only if a player has described their character as actively searching, closely interacting with it, and doing more than just disengaged looking. When a group has gotten pretty casual about it (as mine has), you will sometimes have players name the move as they act, but the point is to get them thinking as much as possible about [I]the action of the character[/I], and only trigger mechanics when that action [I]demonstrably[/I] means a move is happening. No, it's really not, and that's the whole point here. How you phrase it and whether you start from the mechanics and tailor the fiction to fit, or whether you start from the fiction and [B]only[/B] apply the rules when you need them, is a big, big difference. This never happens (or, as stated, never [I]should[/I] happen) in DW play. There [I]are[/I] no things driven purely by the rules--by design. The rules [I]only[/I] come in when the fiction specifically requests them, and go away literally as soon as they've resolved whatever needs resolving. If it is possible (meaning logical, consistent, appropriate, etc.) to resolve things without invoking the mechanics at all, [I]you should always do so[/I] in DW. Such an attitude is quite rare in D&D, even in OSR, where a love of numerous disparate (some would say fiddly) subsystems is commonplace. [/QUOTE]
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