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<blockquote data-quote="Lanefan" data-source="post: 7346411" data-attributes="member: 29398"><p>A good analysis, but I think even being this broad it only ends up applying to a somewhat small-ish segment of the overall population of games out there being played.</p><p></p><p>Why is that?</p><p></p><p>Because it overlooks and thus ignores three important segments of the population of games: one of which is huge, the other two significant but not so huge. So, in ascending order of size we have:</p><p></p><p>1. Games run in AL or other organized play environments. These games tend towards running what's fed to them, and both players and DMs can't wander too far off script. The action arrives when a) the module says it will, and b) when the PCs find it.</p><p></p><p>2. Games that are run as full-on hard adventure paths, where they go through the AP from start to finish and the end of the AP means the end of the campaign. These games are often more or less railroads, albeit railroads that everyone involved has kind of agreed to ride. The action arrives when the train gets to it.</p><p></p><p>3. Games where the players (and maybe even the DM!) just don't care about any of this and simply want to kick back and have some fun. These are the casual games, and I think they make up the majority of all games being run at any given time. The DM doesn't focus on the PCs to anywhere remotely near the extent of, say, a [MENTION=42582]pemerton[/MENTION] game, and nor do the players "systematically initiate" what they're interested in as is posited might be happening in my game - certainly not intentionally, at any rate. Often in these sort of games the DM either sets hooks or just runs a module, and the players largely go along with it because it gives them a game to play in and a reason to get together and shoot the breeze every week or two. Sometimes one or more players will for a while become engaged enough in some aspect of the game world or backstory to drive the game in that direction, otherwise what adventures etc. get played are pretty much set by the DM mostly by default. These games also generally tend toward less "action", sometimes due to a focus on bookkeeping, sometimes due to table chatter dominating half the session, sometimes due to excess caution and planning and focus on detail both in and out of character, or a host of other reasons.</p><p></p><p>And of course all three of these game types can be made or broken by either or both of the quality of the DM and the quality of the players involved.</p><p></p><p>Lanefan</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lanefan, post: 7346411, member: 29398"] A good analysis, but I think even being this broad it only ends up applying to a somewhat small-ish segment of the overall population of games out there being played. Why is that? Because it overlooks and thus ignores three important segments of the population of games: one of which is huge, the other two significant but not so huge. So, in ascending order of size we have: 1. Games run in AL or other organized play environments. These games tend towards running what's fed to them, and both players and DMs can't wander too far off script. The action arrives when a) the module says it will, and b) when the PCs find it. 2. Games that are run as full-on hard adventure paths, where they go through the AP from start to finish and the end of the AP means the end of the campaign. These games are often more or less railroads, albeit railroads that everyone involved has kind of agreed to ride. The action arrives when the train gets to it. 3. Games where the players (and maybe even the DM!) just don't care about any of this and simply want to kick back and have some fun. These are the casual games, and I think they make up the majority of all games being run at any given time. The DM doesn't focus on the PCs to anywhere remotely near the extent of, say, a [MENTION=42582]pemerton[/MENTION] game, and nor do the players "systematically initiate" what they're interested in as is posited might be happening in my game - certainly not intentionally, at any rate. Often in these sort of games the DM either sets hooks or just runs a module, and the players largely go along with it because it gives them a game to play in and a reason to get together and shoot the breeze every week or two. Sometimes one or more players will for a while become engaged enough in some aspect of the game world or backstory to drive the game in that direction, otherwise what adventures etc. get played are pretty much set by the DM mostly by default. These games also generally tend toward less "action", sometimes due to a focus on bookkeeping, sometimes due to table chatter dominating half the session, sometimes due to excess caution and planning and focus on detail both in and out of character, or a host of other reasons. And of course all three of these game types can be made or broken by either or both of the quality of the DM and the quality of the players involved. Lanefan [/QUOTE]
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