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What is the "role" in roleplaying
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<blockquote data-quote="Manbearcat" data-source="post: 6938014" data-attributes="member: 6696971"><p>Going to take a look at three games. Just going to be analysis of how much bleed there is, how much of that bleed is a result of systemization or advocacy on behalf of the designers. The first will be Moldvay Basic and two modern games that it inspired; Torchbearer and Dungeon World.</p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: 12px"><em><strong>Moldvay Basic</strong></em></span></p><p></p><p>The PCs are built with:</p><p></p><p>- Ability Scores</p><p>- Class </p><p>- Gear</p><p>- Inheritance (if this is a later PC and the player tagged this PC for their stuff less taxes upon death)</p><p>- Languages</p><p>- Alignment</p><p></p><p>Ability Scores have a pithy description of their functionality and gist. The most consequential aspect of them on play is earning extra XP if your class meets the threshold for its Prime Requisite. The game doesn't advocate for stupid Wizards, clumsy Thiefs, or weak Fighters. It advocates for choosing class based on your rolls matching the a class's prime requisite. So there is a positive feedback loop for optimization of Ability Scores.</p><p></p><p>Class will give you both your utility/functionality and your "place in the world." The feedback loop here is that if you're a Dwarf (a strong, hardy PC with infravision and the ability to detect traps and construction/stone-work oddities), you're set up as the party's vanguard. They're rewarded. You're rewarded. Freeform play in town will occur (sell treasure, regear, hire retainers, gather intel/plan next expedition), but the meat of the game is organized in Exploration turns and Encounter turns and your actions in these turns are easily inferred from your Class. There are a few pithy sentences describing inclinations and physical aesthetic. Finally, the Party Composition portion of the book stresses variety due to the niches/roles expressed by Class.</p><p></p><p>While not PC build-related, the Mapper (maps dungeon) and Caller (team PC rep) are player roles that are mostly metagame, but often carry in-game roles along with it.</p><p></p><p>Alignment comes in Lawful, Chaotic, and Neutral. The only real systematized component here is the unique Alignment Language which comes into play quite a bit when parlaying with team monster. There is no other feedback loop associated with it. There is no prescription of action here, just pithy descriptions that provide the players some shorthand for their character's basic M.O. </p><p></p><p>[HR][/HR]</p><p>In all of my games GMing Moldvay Basic (and its descendents/expansions up through RC), its always been the same (with probably 200 players or so in the last 32 years and change). The players have a stable of characters. Once they know the gist of their quest/dungeon, they select one of those characters, then gear up > go on expedition > bring the living back to town to sell stuff/trade quest item for stuff > grab retainers/figure out next expedition > rinse/repeat. The roleplaying is light, mostly cookie-cutter with characters being extremely vanilla (often named silly things) until they've proven themselves (survived several expeditions/levels). </p><p></p><p>Once they've done that, they'll be taken more seriously. Characterization and jokes will emerge naturally from their successes and failures. This stuff will color the conversation of play and the action declarations of those characters. But (a) there is no systemitized feedback loop involved with that characterization and (b) there is an umistakable relationship of cause:downstream effect or chicken:egg.</p><p></p><p>I'll do Torchbearer and Dungeon World at some other point...maybe Monday.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Manbearcat, post: 6938014, member: 6696971"] Going to take a look at three games. Just going to be analysis of how much bleed there is, how much of that bleed is a result of systemization or advocacy on behalf of the designers. The first will be Moldvay Basic and two modern games that it inspired; Torchbearer and Dungeon World. [SIZE=3][I][B]Moldvay Basic[/B][/I][/SIZE] The PCs are built with: - Ability Scores - Class - Gear - Inheritance (if this is a later PC and the player tagged this PC for their stuff less taxes upon death) - Languages - Alignment Ability Scores have a pithy description of their functionality and gist. The most consequential aspect of them on play is earning extra XP if your class meets the threshold for its Prime Requisite. The game doesn't advocate for stupid Wizards, clumsy Thiefs, or weak Fighters. It advocates for choosing class based on your rolls matching the a class's prime requisite. So there is a positive feedback loop for optimization of Ability Scores. Class will give you both your utility/functionality and your "place in the world." The feedback loop here is that if you're a Dwarf (a strong, hardy PC with infravision and the ability to detect traps and construction/stone-work oddities), you're set up as the party's vanguard. They're rewarded. You're rewarded. Freeform play in town will occur (sell treasure, regear, hire retainers, gather intel/plan next expedition), but the meat of the game is organized in Exploration turns and Encounter turns and your actions in these turns are easily inferred from your Class. There are a few pithy sentences describing inclinations and physical aesthetic. Finally, the Party Composition portion of the book stresses variety due to the niches/roles expressed by Class. While not PC build-related, the Mapper (maps dungeon) and Caller (team PC rep) are player roles that are mostly metagame, but often carry in-game roles along with it. Alignment comes in Lawful, Chaotic, and Neutral. The only real systematized component here is the unique Alignment Language which comes into play quite a bit when parlaying with team monster. There is no other feedback loop associated with it. There is no prescription of action here, just pithy descriptions that provide the players some shorthand for their character's basic M.O. [HR][/HR] In all of my games GMing Moldvay Basic (and its descendents/expansions up through RC), its always been the same (with probably 200 players or so in the last 32 years and change). The players have a stable of characters. Once they know the gist of their quest/dungeon, they select one of those characters, then gear up > go on expedition > bring the living back to town to sell stuff/trade quest item for stuff > grab retainers/figure out next expedition > rinse/repeat. The roleplaying is light, mostly cookie-cutter with characters being extremely vanilla (often named silly things) until they've proven themselves (survived several expeditions/levels). Once they've done that, they'll be taken more seriously. Characterization and jokes will emerge naturally from their successes and failures. This stuff will color the conversation of play and the action declarations of those characters. But (a) there is no systemitized feedback loop involved with that characterization and (b) there is an umistakable relationship of cause:downstream effect or chicken:egg. I'll do Torchbearer and Dungeon World at some other point...maybe Monday. [/QUOTE]
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