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What is player agency to you?
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<blockquote data-quote="Golroc" data-source="post: 9102903" data-attributes="member: 7042497"><p>Having given my say on player agency as a general concept, I just realized I forgot to give my own take on player agency. What do I look for in player agency?</p><p></p><p>For me there are two important parts of agency that I value:</p><p></p><p>1) Being given the opportunity (by the GM and other players) to make meaningful choices. This can be anything from the very micro where there is more than one path through an old-school dungeon (ie it isn't just a series of purely mechanical checks and puzzles to solve) to the very macro where character actions impact the future of the story or even the game world. </p><p></p><p>2) Being able to influence what character I play, what kind of adventure/session will take place and what kind of campaign will be run. These aren't related to anything 'in-character' - but I do think it has value if a GM listens to input like "it would be cool to go a metropolis and have some urban-themed adventures" or "I'm tired of stealth playing such a big role, if everyone else is ok with it, could we be given challenges that don't rely so heavily on subterfuge?". Just like it has value to be able to have a big say in the backstory and type of character being played (as this freedom does often come at a cost in effort by the GM or even other players).</p><p></p><p>There isn't a set level of agency I need to be happy. It would depend on whether it is a campaign or a one-shot, my energy levels at the time, who else is playing, what game/world it is, etc. </p><p></p><p>I am not very fond of playing in groups that focus very heavily on mechanics and treat RPGs as mechanistic challenge where the GM is an arbiter and not a storyteller. I can play miniature war games, board games and/or video games for that kind of challenge. But on the other hand I do like having random elements and mechanics. It's more fun if dice are involved. GM discretion/power isn't about trust to me. I wouldn't play with a GM whom I couldn't place my trust in (not that expect perfection, but I should be willing and able to give the person authority to run the session/campaign as they see fit). I don't need clearly defined limits as to when rules apply and when they don't. As long as the expectations are aligned among fellow players that we're here to have fun and what we each accept, that's enough for me. We may follow the rules slavishly, or we may not. And it can change according to circumstances. If rules and random rules are overruled too often and/or without good reason it does of course start undermining the fun of having them in the first place. But I don't expect perfection from a GM.</p><p></p><p>I've played narrative miniature battles where it's perfectly possible to bend/ignore/introduce rules in the name of fun. Choosing an approach when it comes to picking a rule system to use and the amount flexibility to apply when using it, isn't something unique to tabletop RPGs with or without GMs. Gaming is a social activity. Sometimes it's a kind of sport - competitive or friendly - but certainly a contest of sorts. Sometimes it's collective storytelling. For some players the extra-game socialization is the important part and they don't really care much as to how the game itself is run. I am probably quite heavily in the collective storytelling camp. But rules and randomization of outcomes can help produce emergent narratives and add some uncertainty which is missing if everything is left to the agency of GM and players.</p><p></p><p>Selective lack of agency is an important part of a good RPG experience to me every bit as much as the presence of agency is. And in particular that the agency isn't always given over the GM, but sometimes left to random chance and the rules of the game. As mentioned this has nothing to do with trust for me - but is instead related to how random chance can add something that a human mind just cannot. A different kind of stakes and a different kind of dynamic storytelling.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Golroc, post: 9102903, member: 7042497"] Having given my say on player agency as a general concept, I just realized I forgot to give my own take on player agency. What do I look for in player agency? For me there are two important parts of agency that I value: 1) Being given the opportunity (by the GM and other players) to make meaningful choices. This can be anything from the very micro where there is more than one path through an old-school dungeon (ie it isn't just a series of purely mechanical checks and puzzles to solve) to the very macro where character actions impact the future of the story or even the game world. 2) Being able to influence what character I play, what kind of adventure/session will take place and what kind of campaign will be run. These aren't related to anything 'in-character' - but I do think it has value if a GM listens to input like "it would be cool to go a metropolis and have some urban-themed adventures" or "I'm tired of stealth playing such a big role, if everyone else is ok with it, could we be given challenges that don't rely so heavily on subterfuge?". Just like it has value to be able to have a big say in the backstory and type of character being played (as this freedom does often come at a cost in effort by the GM or even other players). There isn't a set level of agency I need to be happy. It would depend on whether it is a campaign or a one-shot, my energy levels at the time, who else is playing, what game/world it is, etc. I am not very fond of playing in groups that focus very heavily on mechanics and treat RPGs as mechanistic challenge where the GM is an arbiter and not a storyteller. I can play miniature war games, board games and/or video games for that kind of challenge. But on the other hand I do like having random elements and mechanics. It's more fun if dice are involved. GM discretion/power isn't about trust to me. I wouldn't play with a GM whom I couldn't place my trust in (not that expect perfection, but I should be willing and able to give the person authority to run the session/campaign as they see fit). I don't need clearly defined limits as to when rules apply and when they don't. As long as the expectations are aligned among fellow players that we're here to have fun and what we each accept, that's enough for me. We may follow the rules slavishly, or we may not. And it can change according to circumstances. If rules and random rules are overruled too often and/or without good reason it does of course start undermining the fun of having them in the first place. But I don't expect perfection from a GM. I've played narrative miniature battles where it's perfectly possible to bend/ignore/introduce rules in the name of fun. Choosing an approach when it comes to picking a rule system to use and the amount flexibility to apply when using it, isn't something unique to tabletop RPGs with or without GMs. Gaming is a social activity. Sometimes it's a kind of sport - competitive or friendly - but certainly a contest of sorts. Sometimes it's collective storytelling. For some players the extra-game socialization is the important part and they don't really care much as to how the game itself is run. I am probably quite heavily in the collective storytelling camp. But rules and randomization of outcomes can help produce emergent narratives and add some uncertainty which is missing if everything is left to the agency of GM and players. Selective lack of agency is an important part of a good RPG experience to me every bit as much as the presence of agency is. And in particular that the agency isn't always given over the GM, but sometimes left to random chance and the rules of the game. As mentioned this has nothing to do with trust for me - but is instead related to how random chance can add something that a human mind just cannot. A different kind of stakes and a different kind of dynamic storytelling. [/QUOTE]
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