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<blockquote data-quote="Wofano Wotanto" data-source="post: 9337579" data-attributes="member: 7044704">True that.&nbsp; I can remember 1970s wargamers sincerely arguing that roleplaying games were just miniatures rule sets with a bunch of odd chrome bolted on, based on D&amp;D's Chainmail roots.Ditto.&nbsp; I can play a role solo, sure, but who am I playing it for?&nbsp; Roleplaying's inherently performative to me, I at least want fellow &quot;cast members&quot; around or it feel hollow.&nbsp; I know it doesn't bother some folks at all, but I just can't get past it.&nbsp; That's a really good take.And then you've got the stuff that comes at it from the other side, board games like Descent where there's so many elements from traditional roleplaying that the experience feels so close that all you need to do is identify with your character a bit and the line fades away.&nbsp; And that's not new, SPI's ancient Swords &amp; Sorcery game was a fantasy hex-and-counter wargame that also had rules for generating characters to go on quests with NPC leaders from the army game, either as their own scenarios or integrated with the strategic maneuverings.&nbsp; &quot;Dungeoncrawls&quot; doesn't begin to cover everything along those lines, but they're sure not trad roleplay either.&nbsp; Hard to affix labels and draw lines with some of this stuff.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Wofano Wotanto, post: 9337579, member: 7044704"] True that. I can remember 1970s wargamers sincerely arguing that roleplaying games were just miniatures rule sets with a bunch of odd chrome bolted on, based on D&D's Chainmail roots. Ditto. I can play a role solo, sure, but who am I playing it for? Roleplaying's inherently performative to me, I at least want fellow "cast members" around or it feel hollow. I know it doesn't bother some folks at all, but I just can't get past it. That's a really good take. And then you've got the stuff that comes at it from the other side, board games like Descent where there's so many elements from traditional roleplaying that the experience feels so close that all you need to do is identify with your character a bit and the line fades away. And that's not new, SPI's ancient Swords & Sorcery game was a fantasy hex-and-counter wargame that also had rules for generating characters to go on quests with NPC leaders from the army game, either as their own scenarios or integrated with the strategic maneuverings. "Dungeoncrawls" doesn't begin to cover everything along those lines, but they're sure not trad roleplay either. Hard to affix labels and draw lines with some of this stuff. [/QUOTE]

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