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Message: <blockquote data-quote="pemerton" data-source="post: 7401307" data-attributes="member: 42582">Well, I am saying that RPGing can be done in this style, and produce an experience that is different from one based on worldbuilding. In my own view the experience is more fun. Others obviously take a different view.Here are three first sessions GMed in such a fashion: <a href="https://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?736425-Burning-Wheel-First-Burning-Wheel-session" target="_blank">Burning Wheel</a>; <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?530990-Into-the-North-Cortex-Plus-Heroic-Fantasy-actual-play" target="_blank">Cortex+ Heroic Fantasy</a>; <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?586642-Classic-Traveller-session-report-with-reflections-on-the-system-long" target="_blank">Classic Traveller</a>.Here's <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?490456-Repost-first-session-of-Dark-Sun-campaign" target="_blank">a 4e first session</a> which uses Dark Sun to set up a basic framework, but used "kickers" to actually establish the action. I can't find the email I sent to my players, but it said more-or-less that Dark Sun is ferociouis desert, swords-&-sandals, with psionics, and city-states ruled by sorcerer-kings and their vicious templars. That's enough set-up to get a game going.The posts linked to in my post just upthread of this one indicate, I think, how backstory/framing was established.<a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?484945-Session-report-the-Mausoleum-of-the-Raven-Queen" target="_blank">Here's another example</a>: the basic floor plan of the Mausoluem, the riddle, and stats for creatures and some tricks/traps were written in advance. The other descriptions (eg statutes, mosaic, grave goods) were established during play.In my experience, when talking about RPG techniques on these boards, a significant hurdle is that many assumptions are made by many posters without even noticing that they are making those assumptions.For instance, when one posts about resolution of a player declaring "I search for a secret door", many posters take it as going without saying that the GM will, either in advance or via some on-the-fly technique (such as a die roll) decide whether or not there is a door there to be found. Similarly for attempts to meet up with NPCs; attempts to find libraries; musings about the purposes of the gods; discovering whether or not a NPC is willing to accept a bribe; etc."No myth" is not a religious doctrine, despite the words! It's an attempt to describe a technique that, at its core, rejects the above assumption. <a href="https://inky.org/rpg/no-myth.html" target="_blank">This blog</a> gives a reasonable account of it. That particular author writesThe overall goal here is pretty simple: make more cool stuff happen per unit time. This system (at least in theory) facilitates that, with the cost that it relies on having a clear understanding of the genre you're working in.There are all sorts of ways to establish genre. One is to pull out Dark Sun book, let the players flip through and see the illustrations and the PC theme names, and run from there. Using a GH map to give a location to places like "generic swords & sorcery city" (ie Hardby), archtypical ruined mage's tower in some arid hills (the Abor Alz), abandoned homeland of the elven princess (Celene), etc, is in this context a way of managing genre.What makes the contrast with worldbuidling? Here are some examples: how do we know the starting town (Hardby) has a wizard's cabal? Because a player wrote that into his PC's backstory? How do we know the world contains balrogs, and that one has possessed the PC's broher? Same answer. How do we know that there is an important leader of the cabal called Jabal? It was established by way of an action declaration by the same player. How do we know that there are catacombs? Same answer.Why did I, as GM, describe the bazaar in Hardby as including a peddler trying to sell an angel feather? Because the same player had authored a Belief for his PC that said PC wouldn't leave Hardby without an item useful for confronting his balrog-possessed brother. Why did I, as GM, establish the feather as cursed? Because the player declared an attempt by his PC to read its aura, which failed - so the aura he read wasn't what he was hoping for! Why did I, as GM, establish that Jabal lives in a tower? Because the same player had authored an instict for his PC, cast Falconskin if I fall, and so it seemed appropriate to introduce a high place into the action.Etc.I think it is quite obvious that this is a different way of establishing setting, and a different approach to the role of setting in framing and in adjudication, from what [MENTION=6801286]Imaculata[/MENTION] describes. Whether you want to label it "no myth", or <a href="https://isabout.wordpress.com/2010/02/16/the-pitfalls-of-narrative-technique-in-rpg-play/" target="_blank">"the standard narrativistic model"</a> or simply <a href="http://www.indie-rpgs.com/_articles/narr_essay.html" target="_blank">"story now"</a> doesn't seem that big a deal.(Strangely, the main poster who seems to want to argue this point has me blocked. Hence my lack of reply to that particular poster.)</blockquote>

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