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<blockquote data-quote="Manbearcat" data-source="post: 8234213" data-attributes="member: 6696971">I don’t have time to engage in the way I like to but I skimming. I’ll try to tonight if I ca.Briefly...Ive written a lot about Protagonistic Play (and how players become Deprotagonized). Just like in movies/theatre/books, the screen time per character isn’t how protagonism is evaluated (not in any critical sense...which Websters or whatever doesn’t engage with).I wrote a long post that started with how My Life With Master is structured (with respect to Protagonism) which I think has the most explanatory power.&nbsp; I then wrote a big follow-up. Everyone in this thread was there so I’m assuming they read those words.I think another way to look at it is “why does the trope of dysfunctional play emerge when ‘the GM’s partner/best friend’ starts playing?” Because suddenly the volitional force of play becomes his/her dramatic need. Troupe play (where Protagonism becomes so backgrounded or so diffuse so as to either not exist or to not become an issue...and everyone is good with that) suddenly shifts to Ars Magica. The other players become Deprotagonized and they know it (it’s impactful even losing extremely diffuse Protagonism or suddenly having a Protagonist - Bit Players relationship constructed when Protagonism was backgrounded beforehand). It’s why there are hard feelings and suddenly things devolve. Everyone witnessing it knows it. It’s why it’s “a thing.”It’s why Paladins have historically been an issue in the thematically muted and/or neutral troupe play of D&amp;D. Their Protagonism cannot be backgrounded or rendered diffuse. It’s fundamentally foregrounded at every moment of play.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Manbearcat, post: 8234213, member: 6696971"] I don’t have time to engage in the way I like to but I skimming. I’ll try to tonight if I ca. Briefly... Ive written a lot about Protagonistic Play (and how players become Deprotagonized). Just like in movies/theatre/books, the screen time per character isn’t how protagonism is evaluated (not in any critical sense...which Websters or whatever doesn’t engage with). I wrote a long post that started with how My Life With Master is structured (with respect to Protagonism) which I think has the most explanatory power. I then wrote a big follow-up. Everyone in this thread was there so I’m assuming they read those words. I think another way to look at it is “why does the trope of dysfunctional play emerge when ‘the GM’s partner/best friend’ starts playing?” Because suddenly the volitional force of play becomes his/her dramatic need. Troupe play (where Protagonism becomes so backgrounded or so diffuse so as to either not exist or to not become an issue...and everyone is good with that) suddenly shifts to Ars Magica. The other players become Deprotagonized and they know it (it’s impactful even losing extremely diffuse Protagonism or suddenly having a Protagonist - Bit Players relationship constructed when Protagonism was backgrounded beforehand). It’s why there are hard feelings and suddenly things devolve. Everyone witnessing it knows it. It’s why it’s “a thing.” It’s why Paladins have historically been an issue in the thematically muted and/or neutral troupe play of D&D. Their Protagonism cannot be backgrounded or rendered diffuse. It’s fundamentally foregrounded at every moment of play. [/QUOTE]

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