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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Akrasia" data-source="post: 1894165" data-attributes="member: 23012">I don't think this is entirely accurate.  As I understand the idea, 'gamist' players enjoy 'overcoming challenges' primarily through 'mastering' the game mechanics and deploying this information to the advantage of the player in question.  For 'gamist' players, the focus is all on 'crunch'.  3E D&D -- especially if accompanied with lots of extra feats, splatbooks, etc. -- is commonly cited as a good example of a "gamists' game".'Narrativist' players also enjoy 'overcoming challenges', but prefer to focus on character and story development in their campaigns.  A 'narrativist' player will choose a suboptimal item or ability for her character simply because it 'makes sense' given her 'character concept' (background story, plot, etc.).  'Winning' or 'losing' is not really at stake -- telling a good story is more important.  The Dying Earth RPG and Eden's 'Cinematic Unisystem' games (Buffy, Angel) are good examples of 'narrativist' games.'Simulationist' players like game systems that endeavour to closely 'simulate' the way things really work (or would work, in the appropriate science fiction or fantasy reality).  Such game systems tend to be rather 'gritty' and 'low-powered' in nature.  GURPS is often cited as a good example of a 'simulationist' game.  D&D in any of its incarnations is far away from being remotely 'simulationist'.</blockquote>