Reply to thread

Message

<blockquote data-quote="robertsconley" data-source="post: 9076892" data-attributes="member: 13383">See this if this helps folks understand what it is we do. During an RPG campaign, the group could take the narrative, story, and other literary concepts into account. What if you didn't? What if instead, it is treated as a pen &amp; paper virtual reality that one visits as some imagined character having adventures? Run with pen, paper, dice, and with a human referee adjudicating.The alternative thesis that I developed in the course of running sandbox campaigns sidesteps the issue of literary terms for RPGs. Along with whether anybody participating is collaborating on a story. Even whether authorial stance matters. Instead, the essential steps are the group choosing the setting that the campaign will focus on. Preparation for the &quot;visit&quot; for both the referee (campaign prep) and players (character generation). Then the &quot;visit&quot; begins when the campaign starts.I could go into more details but that is the basic gist. Like a real-world trip, the group and players may have a bunch of goals they want to achieve. The outcome is uncertain but the players know with good planning and some luck what they want to do could be done even if it is as ambitious as conquering a kingdom or toppling an empire. Or something more modest such as protecting a neighborhood in the City-State of the Invincible Overlord. The referee's job is to be a neutral arbiter adjudicating what the players do as their characters and bringing the setting to life. Along with fleshing things out as a result of the players' choices as make their way through the setting. The players are free to do anything their character can do within the setting using whatever knowledge they have about the setting.After the campaign is done, after the trip is completed then the story can be told and perhaps an interesting narrative will be written up. Thus side-stepping the whole issue of literary terms until the campaign is finished.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="robertsconley, post: 9076892, member: 13383"] See this if this helps folks understand what it is we do. During an RPG campaign, the group could take the narrative, story, and other literary concepts into account. What if you didn't? What if instead, it is treated as a pen & paper virtual reality that one visits as some imagined character having adventures? Run with pen, paper, dice, and with a human referee adjudicating. The alternative thesis that I developed in the course of running sandbox campaigns sidesteps the issue of literary terms for RPGs. Along with whether anybody participating is collaborating on a story. Even whether authorial stance matters. Instead, the essential steps are the group choosing the setting that the campaign will focus on. Preparation for the "visit" for both the referee (campaign prep) and players (character generation). Then the "visit" begins when the campaign starts. I could go into more details but that is the basic gist. Like a real-world trip, the group and players may have a bunch of goals they want to achieve. The outcome is uncertain but the players know with good planning and some luck what they want to do could be done even if it is as ambitious as conquering a kingdom or toppling an empire. Or something more modest such as protecting a neighborhood in the City-State of the Invincible Overlord. The referee's job is to be a neutral arbiter adjudicating what the players do as their characters and bringing the setting to life. Along with fleshing things out as a result of the players' choices as make their way through the setting. The players are free to do anything their character can do within the setting using whatever knowledge they have about the setting. After the campaign is done, after the trip is completed then the story can be told and perhaps an interesting narrative will be written up. Thus side-stepping the whole issue of literary terms until the campaign is finished. [/QUOTE]

Verification