Roleplaying Games are, at their heart, a dramatic enterprise that has been enhanced with elements drawn from wargaming roots. It grows, changes, and seeks new territory and new forms of expression at every turn.
This is inescapably true, poetically just, and makes me feel all shivery.
Like saying "Mufasa". Oooooh.
*Ahem*
We, as players, have seen the varied forms of RPGs diversify - and, as they have become more multitudinous, they have also become more refined in their implementations of varied principles.
D&D has returned to it's roots as a tactical game, and those seeking that low form of uncultured entertainment are served by it. Allow them their glory; we can be generous. I, myself, may even indulge from time to time, because my unbearable machismo demands nothing less of me than to sample all of the vast fare of the great dining-hall that is gaming.
And yet, as this change has unfolded, and the game that many of us are forced, persecuted as we are, to use as the indentifier for our hobby when asked that fateful question "So it's like D&D, then?"... ...As that has taken place, other games have risen.
We have seen the coming of White Wolf, who inspired us to tell meaningful stories of great pathos and depth to our players, while at the same time keeping the story firmly planted in the hands of the Storyteller, because we can't trust our players to go running around with a loaded plot, now, can we?
We have seen, at the same time, the rise of narrativistically empowered players as written into rules, and have seen theorists, naturally cautious of having their ideas bandied about by lesser men, carefully construct a seperate language within English to shield themselves. It's only wise, of course; if the jargon wasn't so heavy, anyone might be able to spot the astonishingly good ideas and toss out the abysmally bad ones.
Ah, the times we live in! Let us give praise to one another for these marvelous happenings, and hail the magic deer!
Levi, I find your argumentations are a bit on the cuddly side sometimes. That said, I most of the time are of your opinion. What struck me while reading your post:
Is it not due to the Swine-Wars, that Ron Edwards work is compleated? See all those threads here on Nutkinland, show some self irony about being a Storyteller. Isn´t that something?
And more on the Ronny side:
Is it only now, that people begin to realize that there ARE incompatible CAs? And not that you have to teach and preach your one true way, just play with the folks that share your idea for the evening?
And people aren´t casted into a specific CA. It might change from evening to evening. only where one CA declares itself TRUE Roleplaying, carnage must ensue. As RPGs are games and not art, but should be fun.
Settembrini;
Most of my points in first post of this thread were made mostly joking around.
And now, I honestly can't tell if you're keeping up the joke, or if you misunderstood.
So. I, at least, am baffled. If you're baffled, too, then welcome to the confusion! If, on the other hand, you aren't, then well played, sir.
I´m baffled too.
Maybe there is too much irony flying around here. See, you were joking about "Storytelling" and "RonnyBrownNowsing". So, once one starts joking, one doesn´t take oneself seriously.
Which is very good.
I think the Swine-Wars helped both sides with that, taking ourselves not too seriously.
And I truly believe there are incompatible game styles. But they are not etched in stone. They depend upon circumstances and changing moods.
Once people stop telling me, that I´d better play Axis&Allies or stop using "Roll-Playing" as an intended denounciation, the Swine-Wars will have succeeded, at least in my eyes. And I see progress with that. In your very posts. Maybe I misread them. I hope not.
QuoteSend anyone claiming that their RPG activity is an art form my way, and I'll gladly stick a pin in their head and deflate it just to have the satisfaction of the popping sound that makes. One might play a game artfully, but that makes neither the game nor its play art.
Gary Gygax