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Why Jargon is Bad, and Some Modern Resources for RPG Theory
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<blockquote data-quote="Campbell" data-source="post: 8653723" data-attributes="member: 16586"><p>[USER=6779196]@Charlaquin[/USER]</p><p></p><p>So I think a more helpful framing is that there are two common play structures. There are others as well, but I do not want to get too caught up in it.</p><p></p><p>One works exactly like the described 5e play loop (which pretty much all traditional RPGs follow) :</p><p>1. GM describes the environment.</p><p>2. Players describe what their characters do.</p><p>3. GM describes how the environment changes.</p><p></p><p>The second works like this:</p><p>1. The GM describes or telegraphs an event that directly threatens a player character's interests.</p><p>2. That specific character must respond to the threat in some way.</p><p>3. The group determines narrative fallout according to mechanics and principles.</p><p></p><p>The first is built around making the setting feel tangible as a space you can freely move about in. The second is about keeping things in motion. What I personally find is that people who have only had experience with games using the first structure can have trouble grasping that the second model actually exists as a distinct thing and/or that there are distinct strengths and weaknesses to each structure.</p><p></p><p>Some of the most contentious conversations that have led up to this thread were actually centered on my comments about the limitations of the second structure when it comes to exploration of your environment and its fairly relentless pace. I had intended to go into greater detail about why I sometimes choose more traditional play structures and why I sometimes I opt for the second, but even saying that Apocalypse World treats the setting like a background set in a movie was contentious, but not with it's fans - with people who assume it was structured using the first model and tried to analyze it from that perspective.</p><p></p><p>As someone who is a fan of both of these structures it's often my praise that gets treated the most harshly because it does not center traditional play as like the norm or capable of doing the same things as that second structure. What it does well is amazing though.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Campbell, post: 8653723, member: 16586"] [USER=6779196]@Charlaquin[/USER] So I think a more helpful framing is that there are two common play structures. There are others as well, but I do not want to get too caught up in it. One works exactly like the described 5e play loop (which pretty much all traditional RPGs follow) : 1. GM describes the environment. 2. Players describe what their characters do. 3. GM describes how the environment changes. The second works like this: 1. The GM describes or telegraphs an event that directly threatens a player character's interests. 2. That specific character must respond to the threat in some way. 3. The group determines narrative fallout according to mechanics and principles. The first is built around making the setting feel tangible as a space you can freely move about in. The second is about keeping things in motion. What I personally find is that people who have only had experience with games using the first structure can have trouble grasping that the second model actually exists as a distinct thing and/or that there are distinct strengths and weaknesses to each structure. Some of the most contentious conversations that have led up to this thread were actually centered on my comments about the limitations of the second structure when it comes to exploration of your environment and its fairly relentless pace. I had intended to go into greater detail about why I sometimes choose more traditional play structures and why I sometimes I opt for the second, but even saying that Apocalypse World treats the setting like a background set in a movie was contentious, but not with it's fans - with people who assume it was structured using the first model and tried to analyze it from that perspective. As someone who is a fan of both of these structures it's often my praise that gets treated the most harshly because it does not center traditional play as like the norm or capable of doing the same things as that second structure. What it does well is amazing though. [/QUOTE]
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