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Message: <blockquote data-quote="hawkeyefan" data-source="post: 8254750" data-attributes="member: 6785785">Sure, that's one definition that's been put forth, and I get it. I expect that's very much [USER=85555]@Bedrockgames[/USER] take on it, or very close to something like that. But how is that achieved? For instance, one GM may actively track what's happening with a given NPC during the time in between interactions that NPC has with the PCs. So let's say 10 sessions go by where the PCs don't interact with him. What has he been up to? It may vary by game and by GM, but here are some possible answers:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">GM examines what happens in play and with other NPCs or Factions each week, and then decides how that has impacted the NPC in quesiton- he does this each week for each NPC or Faction "in play"</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">GM waits until the PCs interact with the NPC again, and then looks at what has happened over the past 10 sessions, and decides how that has impacted the NPC in question- so he's not tracking it weekly, just at the time it becomes relevant</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">GM establishes a goal for the NPC, or perhaps some other kind of event (maybe the NPC is being hunted by another faction, and may get caught) and decides on a weekly basis how this goal/event plays out and how much closer it is to happening</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">GM established a goal/event for the NPC and then when the PCs interact with him again, decides what the previous 10 sessions have meant for that NPC, and establishes it accordingly</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">GM makes weekly rolls to determine the progress of the goal/event as above and does this each week for each NPC/Faction "in play"</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">GM waits until the NPC comes back on screen and then makes a roll to determine what has happened over the past 10 sessions and where that has left the NPC</li> </ul>These methods are all different, but their goal is the same- to present some sense that things have happened when the PCs have not been directly involved. There are other methods as well, I'm sure, but I think that's enough to make my point.Most of the games I've played/GMed use maybe 2 of these methods, or suggest 2 or 3 as options. They all seek the same thing, but are different methods. Deciding which to use is likely just a matter of personal preference or what makes the most sense for the system being used, or perhaps the participants involved in the game.This is why I think the use of "living world" as a style of game rather than a goal is kind of useless except by those who have accepted is as shorthand for something more specific. Because it applies to a game like Blades in the Dark or Apocalypse World as readily as it does to D&D or more traditional sandbox games. And I expect that is not its intended use.</blockquote>

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