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Why do RPGs have rules?
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<blockquote data-quote="pemerton" data-source="post: 9079441" data-attributes="member: 42582"><p>I don't recall him saying that in the essay. Do you have a passage in mind?</p><p></p><p>If you are assuming that <em>A can't achieve goal X</em> without having a concept of what it would be to achieve goal X, then I disagree. To go back to the OP, and also to point to more general work on the function of rules (in particular Rawls, "Two Concepts of Rules): one function of well-designed rules can be to ensure that those who follow them achieve a given goal or purpose, although none of those who are doing the following are required to have regard to that goal or purpose.</p><p></p><p>To give a simple example: if the traffic engineers have done a good job, then if everyone follows the instructions that are posted on the road (eg keeps to their correct lane, turns only when the lane markings and traffic lights permit it, etc) the flow of traffic will be optimised (at least within some practical limits of what is possible) even though the individual drivers, in making their own decisions, are not having any regard to the problem of optimising traffic flow (and may not even have a concept of such a thing).</p><p></p><p>The best-known "story now" RPGs work on a similar principle: the <em>designer</em> of the RPG needs to understand how it is that the operationalisation of the various rules will produce the desired outcome, and thus needs to have some concept of the desired outcome. But the game participants do not need to share this designer's overview and understanding in order to get the intended experience: they just need to to their bits in accordance with the rules. Eero Tuovinen made exactly this point in <a href="https://www.arkenstonepublishing.net/isabout/2010/02/16/the-pitfalls-of-narrative-technique-in-rpg-play/" target="_blank">an earlier essay</a>: having explained the "standard narrativistic model" (which encompasses well known "story now" games), he goes on to say that</p><p></p><p style="margin-left: 20px">The fun in these games from the player’s viewpoint comes from the fact that he can create an amazing story with nothing but choices made in playing his character; this is the holy grail of rpg design, this is exactly the thing that was promised to me in 1992 in the MERP rulebook. And it works . . .</p><p></p><p>Likewise, all the GM has to do in these games is</p><p></p><p style="margin-left: 20px">reference the backstory, determine complications to introduce into the game, and figure out consequences. Much of the rules systems in these games address these challenges, and in addition the GM might have methodical tools outside the rules . . .</p><p></p><p>I would expect that Tuovinen thinks that the same contrast between <em>designer's</em> role and <em>participants</em> role(s) obtains in the context of simulationist RPGing too.</p><p></p><p>The second sentence here is not correct: you are not describing a narrativist technique. You are describing the goal of narrativist play.</p><p></p><p>In his <a href="http://www.indie-rpgs.com/_articles/narr_essay.html" target="_blank">"story now" essay</a>, under the heading "Fundamental Techniques", Edwards discusses the roles of the participants in "story now" RPGing. He makes reference to Sorcerer, Maelstrom Storytelling and the Interactive Toolkit. And here are the opening and closing remarks of that section:</p><p></p><p style="margin-left: 20px">Narrativist play makes special use of the general role-playing principle that the participants are simultaneously authors and audience. The common metaphor of improvisational jazz applies quite well, better than any other medium-comparison. "Entertainment," in role-playing in general and in Narrativist play especially, does not flow from playwright to script to production team to audience. Instead, the shared-imagining act = the shared-performance act = the entertainment = the audience feedback. . . .</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px">It all comes down to this: a "player" in a Narrativist role-playing context necessarily makes the thematic choices for a given player-character. Even if this role switches around from person to person (as in Universalis), it's always sacrosanct in the moment of decision. "GMing," then, for this sort of play, is all about facilitating another person's ability to do this.</p><p></p><p>Not too long ago I made <a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/advice-for-new-story-now-gms.698281/" target="_blank">a post</a> about some more concrete techniques and approaches that can help achieve such facilitation. Those, as well as more particular techniques associated with particular RPGs (eg "say 'yes' or roll the dice" as a technique for scene-based, intent-and-task, play), are the techniques of narrativism. By using them properly (ie in accordance with good design), then it <em>will be the case</em> that player choices will address premises and generate theme.</p><p></p><p>Similarly, "internal cause is king" is not a simulationist technique. It's a goal of simulationist play, and hence a constraint on simulationist design.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="pemerton, post: 9079441, member: 42582"] I don't recall him saying that in the essay. Do you have a passage in mind? If you are assuming that [I]A can't achieve goal X[/I] without having a concept of what it would be to achieve goal X, then I disagree. To go back to the OP, and also to point to more general work on the function of rules (in particular Rawls, "Two Concepts of Rules): one function of well-designed rules can be to ensure that those who follow them achieve a given goal or purpose, although none of those who are doing the following are required to have regard to that goal or purpose. To give a simple example: if the traffic engineers have done a good job, then if everyone follows the instructions that are posted on the road (eg keeps to their correct lane, turns only when the lane markings and traffic lights permit it, etc) the flow of traffic will be optimised (at least within some practical limits of what is possible) even though the individual drivers, in making their own decisions, are not having any regard to the problem of optimising traffic flow (and may not even have a concept of such a thing). The best-known "story now" RPGs work on a similar principle: the [I]designer[/I] of the RPG needs to understand how it is that the operationalisation of the various rules will produce the desired outcome, and thus needs to have some concept of the desired outcome. But the game participants do not need to share this designer's overview and understanding in order to get the intended experience: they just need to to their bits in accordance with the rules. Eero Tuovinen made exactly this point in [url=https://www.arkenstonepublishing.net/isabout/2010/02/16/the-pitfalls-of-narrative-technique-in-rpg-play/]an earlier essay[/url]: having explained the "standard narrativistic model" (which encompasses well known "story now" games), he goes on to say that [indent]The fun in these games from the player’s viewpoint comes from the fact that he can create an amazing story with nothing but choices made in playing his character; this is the holy grail of rpg design, this is exactly the thing that was promised to me in 1992 in the MERP rulebook. And it works . . .[/indent] Likewise, all the GM has to do in these games is [indent]reference the backstory, determine complications to introduce into the game, and figure out consequences. Much of the rules systems in these games address these challenges, and in addition the GM might have methodical tools outside the rules . . .[/indent] I would expect that Tuovinen thinks that the same contrast between [I]designer's[/I] role and [I]participants[/I] role(s) obtains in the context of simulationist RPGing too. The second sentence here is not correct: you are not describing a narrativist technique. You are describing the goal of narrativist play. In his [url=http://www.indie-rpgs.com/_articles/narr_essay.html]"story now" essay[/url], under the heading "Fundamental Techniques", Edwards discusses the roles of the participants in "story now" RPGing. He makes reference to Sorcerer, Maelstrom Storytelling and the Interactive Toolkit. And here are the opening and closing remarks of that section: [indent]Narrativist play makes special use of the general role-playing principle that the participants are simultaneously authors and audience. The common metaphor of improvisational jazz applies quite well, better than any other medium-comparison. "Entertainment," in role-playing in general and in Narrativist play especially, does not flow from playwright to script to production team to audience. Instead, the shared-imagining act = the shared-performance act = the entertainment = the audience feedback. . . . It all comes down to this: a "player" in a Narrativist role-playing context necessarily makes the thematic choices for a given player-character. Even if this role switches around from person to person (as in Universalis), it's always sacrosanct in the moment of decision. "GMing," then, for this sort of play, is all about facilitating another person's ability to do this.[/indent] Not too long ago I made [url=https://www.enworld.org/threads/advice-for-new-story-now-gms.698281/]a post[/url] about some more concrete techniques and approaches that can help achieve such facilitation. Those, as well as more particular techniques associated with particular RPGs (eg "say 'yes' or roll the dice" as a technique for scene-based, intent-and-task, play), are the techniques of narrativism. By using them properly (ie in accordance with good design), then it [I]will be the case[/I] that player choices will address premises and generate theme. Similarly, "internal cause is king" is not a simulationist technique. It's a goal of simulationist play, and hence a constraint on simulationist design. [/QUOTE]
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