You play cpgs as a leisure activity. Call it what you like, differentiate between flavours of fun as you like. It remains escapist leisure activity, no matter what you tell yourself what you are doing with it.
There are people of different levels of reflection. Once you reach or think on a certain level, some lower level leisure activities become trite and stupid, because you see through them and "fun" is lost.
Snakes and Ladders or Siedler von Catan are good examples.

Don`t think it`s applicable to RPGS in general, only to certain GMing styles or microgames. Most people see through railroading pretty quickly for example.

But, other than Snakes & Ladders, which is played in a very certain way, RPGs are wide and open artifacts. Therefore you can have fun for all levels of reflection which nearly every single one of them.

RPGs shouldn't be fun, the experience should be like rolling a boulder up a hill while continuously getting kicked in the junk.

This message brought to you by the Sarcasm Council.

Quote from: ImperatorYou have more than one?

Yes.

Next question.

All I can say is that RPGs should be fun for me and my group.
I'm learning that I can't care less about how everyone else uses their games, unless I happen to agree and they're enthusiastic about it.

Quote from: rcsampleRPGs shouldn't be fun, the experience should be like rolling a boulder up a hill while continuously getting kicked in the junk.

My hero!

!i!

Quote from: JamesVAll I can say is that RPGs should be fun for me and my group.
I'm learning that I can't care less about how everyone else uses their games, unless I happen to agree and they're enthusiastic about it.

QFT

Quote from: T-WillardYes.

Next question.

Gads man, how do you do it? I mean the fucking part is fine, I can totally dig the multiple sex partners and all, but it's all that other wife stuff. One's almost too much for me. Criminy.

Quote from: James McMurrayQFT

Heh, are you as posted out on the whole "RPGs and fun" thing as I am?

It's all I could do to muster the strength to type QFT. If someone hadn't said something I agreed with I'd have stayed out entirely.

I have to agree. I tried to stay out, but I just lost my nerve only to realize I was right to begin with. As far as I am concerned, the whole FunWar is the following:

Coming soon:

"How long is a piece of string?"

and

"What is the sound of one hand clapping?"

I would have thought this topic would have ended up in the "Theory" section....but whatever...

Quote from: rcsampleComing soon:

"How long is a piece of string?"

and

"What is the sound of one hand clapping?"

I would have thought this topic would have ended up in the "Theory" section....but whatever...

Personally, I would rather that the "theory" section had something productive and pro-active, as in mechanics or concepts that help either play or game design, not semantic discussion.

RPGPundit

Quote from: SigmundHeh, are you as posted out on the whole "RPGs and fun" thing as I am?

I think we have covered most of the different viewpoints and then some. So yeah.

(I've spent my time shopping for a new dictionary. Next rant will be probably be about switching the universal language of roleplaying games to esperanto.)

Just to add, I think it would be really cool if someone did have something to say about the mechanics or design aspect of making RPGs fun, over in the theory forum.

RPGPundit

Quote from: MertenI think we have covered most of the different viewpoints and then some. So yeah.

(I've spent my time shopping for a new dictionary. Next rant will be probably be about switching the universal language of roleplaying games to esperanto.)

I would have thought Latin would be more appropriate, 'cuz then only educated people could play.