Trying to Describe "Narrative-Style Gameplay" to a Current Player in Real-World Terms

[TwoSix]

Gotta be honest, I'm not sure what thread ya'll are reading. Op's tone regarding this other playstyle is caustic.

To be fair, I've known @innerdude to be an excellent poster for well over a decade, so I'm certainly biased to view their post charitably.

 

[DEFCON 1]

Gotta be honest, I'm not sure what thread ya'll are reading. Op's tone regarding this other playstyle is caustic.

They had one line that was addressed to some fictional person out there in "game land" that they were snide towards in terms of how they fictionally played and fictionally reacted. But everything they said towards the actual player at their table was more nuanced, helpful and understanding.

If perhaps you put yourself in the shoes of that fictional person that @innerdude was "shouting at" and felt like they were talking to you and your gameplay style personally... then sure, you might've taken more offense than the rest of us did-- those of us who did not see ourselves in their "howl into the wind" about a particular type of fictional less-than-nuanced player.

So you're not wrong to be annoyed by it... but I suspect that @innerdude wouldn't actually treat you the same they they made their howl into the wind if you in fact were that person at their table.

 

[Piperken]

I comprehend peoples' assertiveness in support of game play styles:

I had an interesting conversation with one of my players immediately following last week's gaming session...

I have to highlight this; OP chose to address issues right away.

...But the reasons for my . . . pique, I guess, are largely aesthetic preference. I am flat-out DONE with gameplay...

This situation is clearly not-as-big upon reflection by OP. How can this engagement between OP and their player be painted as caustic, and not coming from a constructive place?

...But yet rather than just show annoyance in that moment, I felt like I needed to try to explain to him what it was I was looking for out of gameplay. Try to vocalize more eloquently why what he was doing was actually counter-productive to working with me as a GM...

Again, attempts at open communication were made, while keeping what was an emotional moment (speculation here ofc) less tense.

..."Eh, not necessarily, but possibly. I am suggesting that you might get more enjoyment from our sessions...

I don't read this as table runner fiat?

...What I found was that our conversation shifted into a discussion of the intersection of player and character motivations.

This mainly is what OP desires conversation to be over/about, I feel.

 

[FrogReaver]

I don't think much is going to be gained by combing through the OP with a fine toothed comb, there's plenty there to support most any assertion about tone. IMO.

I do want to discuss some particular logic in the OP.

"you know that while there is a decent and fun gear mini-game built in, with extensive upgrades and component building, etc., it's really just a fun nice-to-have. It's not a core part of the gameplay loop in any particular sense, other than it does give the residual min-maxers something to idle on from time to time."

I find it hard to reconcile this sentiment and the sentiment being expressed toward the player trying to engage with that 'decent and fun gear mini-game'.

 

[FrogReaver]

This situation is clearly not-as-big upon reflection by OP. How can this engagement between OP and their player be painted as caustic, and not coming from a constructive place?

I'll note: the exact comment was 'Op's tone regarding this other playstyle is caustic.' There was no comment about the engagement between OP and their player being caustic, the only thing identified in that comment as caustic was the tone about a particular playstyle.

 

[hawkeyefan]

Gotta be honest, I'm not sure what thread ya'll are reading. Op's tone regarding this other playstyle is caustic.

I’m less concerned with his tone regarding a playstyle… we’re all entitled to like a playstyle or loathe it. What’s important to me in the situation is that he’s trying to work out this difference with his player. There’s a clash of expectations, and he wants to work it out.

 

[The-Magic-Sword]

I'll note: the exact comment was 'Op's tone regarding this other playstyle is caustic.' There was no comment about the engagement between OP and their player being caustic, the only thing identified in that comment as caustic was the tone about a particular playstyle.

Yes, though I was also being conscious the same person is our only source of information on what was said and how it was presented.

 

[Aldarc]

Gotta be honest, I'm not sure what thread ya'll are reading. Op's tone regarding this other playstyle is caustic.

If the OP and others in this thread seem to have a different reading from your idiomatic reading, then it's perhaps worth considering whether your own reading is perhaps in error and reflecting on how your own posts may have come across as a result of any potential misreadings on your part.

I do agree with others in stating that a caustic tone would be out-of-character for innerdude, particularly based on his past posting habits over the past decades.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I've improved my RPGing quite a bit over the past 20 years. Other people, including posters on these boards, tell me that they have improved their RPGing too, and some of that has been as a result of discussions in which I have participated. @innerdude is one of those people - see, eg, this post: Why Jargon is Bad, and Some Modern Resources for RPG Theory

I don't know why you want to stop these conversations.

I don't and never said otherwise.

I'm saying to stop using jargon so that more people can participate in them.

I think more people would benefit from these if the walls that have been built around them were torn down.

 

[Aldarc]

I don't and never said otherwise.

I'm saying to stop using jargon so that more people can participate in them.

I think more people would benefit from these if the walls that have been built around them were torn down.

Could we please have your sanctioned list of banned terms or jargon that we should all refrain from using from hence forth in our discussions?