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<blockquote data-quote="pemerton" data-source="post: 9841712" data-attributes="member: 42582">&quot;Mechanic&quot; is cognate with &quot;machine&quot;. Something being mechanical means it happens via a process that doesn't require discretion or intermediating decision-making.So when I think of a mechanic, in a RPG, I think of a process for making decisions in the game that is machine like, or is mediated via non-discretionary, non-decision-making devices; of which the most obvious is rolling dice.&quot;Mechanic&quot; is not a synonym for &quot;rule&quot; or principle. Nor for technique.There are perhaps some marginal instances. For instance, when talking about action resolution mechanics I might include the rule in Prince Valiant that says that a player who has a Storyteller Certificate can, in certain circumstances, spend that certificate to then narrate a certain consequence that takes effect by way of fiat. If I had to be more precise, I might say that the mechanic - the machine-like bit - is that spending the certificate permits the player to narrate the consequence.But I wouldn't say that the consequence itself is mechanically determined. It's chosen by the player.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="pemerton, post: 9841712, member: 42582"] "Mechanic" is cognate with "machine". Something being [I]mechanical[/I] means it happens via a process that doesn't require discretion or intermediating decision-making. So when I think of a [I]mechanic[/I], in a RPG, I think of a process for making decisions in the game that is machine like, or is mediated via non-discretionary, non-decision-making devices; of which the most obvious is [I]rolling dice[/I]. "Mechanic" is not a synonym for "rule" or [I]principle[/I]. Nor for [I]technique[/I]. There are perhaps some marginal instances. For instance, when talking about [I]action resolution mechanics[/I] I might include the rule in Prince Valiant that says that a player who has a Storyteller Certificate can, in certain circumstances, spend that certificate to then narrate a certain consequence that takes effect by way of fiat. If I had to be more precise, I might say that the [I]mechanic[/I] - the machine-like bit - is that [I]spending the certificate permits the player to narrate the consequence[/I]. But I wouldn't say that [I]the consequence itself[/I] is mechanically determined. It's chosen by the player. [/QUOTE]

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