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<blockquote data-quote="FormerlyHemlock" data-source="post: 9026125" data-attributes="member: 6787650">I didn't say it was a dichotomy, but the complete absence of quantifiable goals (challenges) is something I can identify in retrospect as something that was unpleasant. At the time I just knew that the DM kept describing NPCs and places to us, and we would do something logical and boring like buy spell component supplies or try to keep out of trouble, but trouble didn't find us and then we ran out of time and it was an extremely boring four or five hours despite the fact that we had met and talked to a powerful lich and been transported to a new world.Hamburgers and buns aren't a dichotomy either, but if one of them is clearly absent, it's not a good experience.It's interesting BTW that we feel so differently about starting in medias res. Also unlike you I don't associate it with linear media. Gameplay has to start somewhere, and experiences like the one I described above make me wary of starting without immediate interesting decisions to make. (Unlike a linear story there's no social pressure to make the decisions in a certain way--either killing the hypothetical goblins, or surrendering to them and telling them fables about a great hidden treasure you can show them, or challenging the biggest goblin to single combat in a bid to take control of the goblin band, are all valid things to attempt. A linear story in the other hand would have exactly one of those options in mind.)</blockquote>

[QUOTE="FormerlyHemlock, post: 9026125, member: 6787650"] I didn't say it was a dichotomy, but the complete absence of quantifiable goals (challenges) is something I can identify in retrospect as something that was unpleasant. At the time I just knew that the DM kept describing NPCs and places to us, and we would do something logical and boring like buy spell component supplies or try to keep out of trouble, but trouble didn't find us and then we ran out of time and it was an extremely boring four or five hours despite the fact that we had met and talked to a powerful lich and been transported to a new world. Hamburgers and buns aren't a dichotomy either, but if one of them is clearly absent, it's not a good experience. It's interesting BTW that we feel so differently about starting in medias res. Also unlike you I don't associate it with linear media. Gameplay has to start somewhere, and experiences like the one I described above make me wary of starting without immediate interesting decisions to make. (Unlike a linear story there's no social pressure to make the decisions in a certain way--either killing the hypothetical goblins, or surrendering to them and telling them fables about a great hidden treasure you can show them, or challenging the biggest goblin to single combat in a bid to take control of the goblin band, are all valid things to attempt. A linear story in the other hand would have exactly one of those options in mind.) [/QUOTE]

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