Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Emerikol" data-source="post: 7335645" data-attributes="member: 6698278">It's interesting that I was having breakfast with a friend today and he described what he wanted in a roleplaying game and it pretty much matched my own view.  Interesting in that it came up while I'm in this thread discussing this topic.In my campaigns here is how it is set up...1.  The DM creates a sandbox world with a lot of detail at the center where the PCs will primarily be playing and then lesser amounts as you get farther away.  So I may know the royal family of a neighboring country but I don't (yet!) know the butcher on 3rd street in the capital.  Whereas in the town where the players start I pretty much know almost everyone.2.  I create a whole bunch of NPC's.  I figure out which ones are the "movers & shakers" of my campaign world.  From good guys to bad guys.  I map out their plans and their agenda.  Even where they are at at various times and places.  If there is some nearby menace(s), I map those out with their agenda.  I also make notes on race relations etc...3.  I create wandering monster tables for the wilderness.  Some random and some drawn from a pool of local threats.  4.  I create a bunch of adventures.  These range from traditional dungeons to more event style adventures in town or in the wilderness.   I generally just work this stuff up for about five levels of adventuring.  Why?  Because by then it might be time for another sandbox or perhaps an expansion of the current one or both.  Some of these are just plot hooks because the prep is fairly light.   One thing about a prepped dungeon though.  If it never gets used it's always usable next time.So what can the players do?1.  They can affect any person or place their character could affect.  Just like we humans living in this world can affect our world.  If someone in the above setting is killed by the group, that person is dead in the campaign world.2.  To me that is agency as I define it.  Complete and total agency with the only limit, again a gentlemen's agreement, that we will at least for a while stay in the sandbox.  Even then, if the group insisted I might ask for time to build the new area but I wouldn't out reject them if they were insistent.3.  Keep in mind too that I offer a particular style of game where I know what my kinds of players want.  So I cater to those desires.  If the DM's world is unimportant to you then I encourage you to seek another venue.  Politely. [MENTION=42582]pemerton[/MENTION] and those who enjoy his style of play1.  They feel they lack agency if they cannot shape the world as they play in it.  It is not enough to control their own character's actions.  They want to control the environment so that they can set up situations that they enjoy.  I think I understand what you want.  I think agency is the wrong word for it which might be the confusion.  2.  The world is grown organically far more than it is crafted.  This is great for them as they are continuously creating things they enjoy.  Other than as someone who controls the monsters in a fight, the DM has far less involvement in the world than in my style of game.  He is more a moderator of world building than the world builder.   3.  I think what is widely regarded as worldbuilding really is of little use to Pemerton's playstyle.  One of my favorite books which I still use is the Wilderness Survival Guide because it has really good weather tables.  Such a concern I'm certain is not at all a Pemerton concern.  Which style is better?1.  The one you enjoy playing with your friends.  Which style is more traditional?1.  Well I believe my style is more in line with what has been said here as traditional.  If D&D is the first serious RPG then yes.  2.  I will though add that many modern games very much cater to Permerton's style (sorry I know it's not yours alone).  3.  It makes total sense that the hobby has branched out into different styles.  That is a sign of growth and not a bad thing at all.What I hope we all can agree on1.  Play what you like and what is fun for you.2.  We all have good reasons for why we like what we like.  We just emphasize different elements and thus have different priorities.Back to my friend.  He basically said that one major part of the game for him was exploring the world.  Not creating it.  But exploring it as the DM's creation.  I have to say that is really a major thing I want out of any roleplaying game.This is also why I don't like games with "metagame" controls.  I disliked 4e, parts of 5e, dungeonworld, savage worlds, etc...  Those games give players more control than the fictional character has and that goes against the style I prefer.  I am sure for those who enjoy some hybrid version of mine and Permerton's, they might like such metagame rules.  In Permerton's case they probably aren't enough.</blockquote>

Verification