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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Aenghus" data-source="post: 7385083" data-attributes="member: 2656">Any RPG involves two somewhat-separate activities, the game itself, and the social event around the game, meeting up face to face or online, catching up with each other, and other activities and rituals that become associated with the game. How much people care about the game itself, or the social event varies hugely.Most games can tolerate passengers, people who attend the game but don't participate. I get the feeling that conventional GM-driven games can more easily facilitate casual or less-invested players. The player can generate or be given a PC, often a simpler one, and the GM can handle the bulk of the work to customise the game experience to the aesthetics and mechanical preferences of the particular player. This can translate to not punishing players for a lack of system mastery. More casual players have a detailed gameworld to interact with, and can take small actions in the gameworld that lack the inherent weight of actions in Story Now games. Story Now games seem to demand a lot more investment from players to pay off. I'm not saying that casual players can't participate at all, but a lack of mechanical engagement or system mastery will limit their interaction with the game (unless there's fudging). Similarly, I've seen GM-driven games that insist on high system mastery from all participants, as that's the aspect of the game the group emphasises. I've seen other GM-driven groups that emphasise roleplay and downplays rules.RPGs permit an infinity of content and options, but for reasons of sanity and practicality etc most groups place voluntary limits on what they use. These limits can be on rules, content, standards of social interaction etc etc.I know some players like to argue and debate, sometimes to levels I find personally belligerent and unacceptable. Conversely, I prefer a more collaborative game with a clear social contract, that some might deem boring, though it certainly isn't to me or my players. It's a big world, room enough for all. We don't have to play in the same game, and don't have to aim for watered-down lowest common denominator gaming.</blockquote>

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