tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1678761812929125529.post2322240441321191467..comments2023-05-27T11:14:02.426-04:00Comments on Some Space to Think: ChoiceAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14216103531396452644noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1678761812929125529.post-41565377582622198622010-07-15T11:42:18.388-04:002010-07-15T11:42:18.388-04:00@Paul That explains why the graphic is only someti...@Paul That explains why the graphic is only sometimes showing up. it is also being projected into the past!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14216103531396452644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1678761812929125529.post-86783808742457344712010-07-15T11:25:35.096-04:002010-07-15T11:25:35.096-04:00A few years ago, at GTS, I somehow ended up having...A few years ago, at GTS, I somehow ended up having dinner with (among other people) Jonathan Tweet. As dinner wore on, Jonathan started asking us about gaming. At one point, he turned to me and said, "What do you want out an RPG?" In a moment of terrible lucidity, I replied, "Real, meaningful choices."<br /><br />Now I know where I got that answer: I stole it from the future.Paul Tevishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13871385215743480164noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1678761812929125529.post-24628830997875462382010-07-14T19:19:05.022-04:002010-07-14T19:19:05.022-04:00False choice vs real choice? Sometimes switching t...False choice vs real choice? Sometimes switching the focus of a choice from "what do you choose" to "why do you choose it" can be fruitful.<br /><br />In a MUSH medium (where there's way more focus on storygaming, less on tactical play) I provided a player with 2 npcs in combat, and he had to decide which one to help. I hadn't really assigned roles to those npcs til he started interacting with them -- I was more interested in WHY he picked the one to ally with that he did, so I didn't have a "right" choice ahead of time.<br /><br />In Burning Wheel, however, I would have pre-burned each character and given them goals of their own, which would not have allowed me to invite so much participation/story building from the player I was working with.<br /><br />Coming to each of the games, I would pre-load different expectations. I'd be looking for different markers in each that a choice was "important". In game a, it would be about "how awesome did that scene just feel?". In game b, it would be about "wait a minute, did this actually tie in to my beliefs, i.e a choice I'm inherently invested in?".Melhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06626499147510925185noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1678761812929125529.post-32879353060863622232010-07-14T17:12:46.885-04:002010-07-14T17:12:46.885-04:00If you arrive at the point when the character can ...If you arrive at the point when the <i>character</i> can tell the story of their adventures, I think you've managed to get to the quadrant you desire. <br /><br />It's not so much the ability to tell the story during play, but rather the ability of the character to tell a great story of what happened afterwards.<br /><br />Which includes offering libations to fallen friends, because if you don't include risk, the heroics become as meaningless as falling from an infected arrow wound, or freezing to death trapped in a cave in the mountains.Reverance Pavanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01217657347160811310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1678761812929125529.post-84724494495969851342010-07-14T17:08:06.226-04:002010-07-14T17:08:06.226-04:00This is why I feel it is very important for games ...This is why I feel it is very important for games to have an end, which features a resolution. This is not so much a finale where the players triumph, but rather what Campbell referred to as The Return, the last stage of the Hero's Journey. This is where the treasure rescued from the dragon's dungeon (which may well be self-realization) is brought out into the light.<br /><br />Then again, most of my games begin with the Call to Adventure, so I may be slightly biased, since the Return inevitably means that the character, once unbalanced by events, is now firmly in control of their destiny.<br /><br />The standard model of game frequently doesn't have this moment of reflection or accomplishment, this return to stability. Instead the adventure never ends until the character dies.<br /><br />Of course this also means that games tend to be more episodic. Which is itself a good thing, I think, since you can jump a few years into the future and have the players see the consequences of their actions (usually in what they built). Suddenly other concerns become important (such as finding a wife and having descendants, or otherwise achieving immortality).Reverance Pavanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01217657347160811310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1678761812929125529.post-76663674390685513752010-07-14T14:12:22.787-04:002010-07-14T14:12:22.787-04:00@mike There is a definite matter of taste here. So...@mike There is a definite matter of taste here. Some people find it unappealing no matter what the reason. Other people point out that if EVERY choice is meaningless, then why bother in the first place? Similarly, some people think you can always fool your players, and others think players have x-ray eyes that see through the smallest deceit. <br /><br />Personally, I'm in favor of it when necessary, but I also feel there are techniques and best practices to do it well, and some of them are hard because they are, at their heart, social engineering, something not every game group is comfortable with. But they're skills worth learning and, at least in my experience, the willingness to at least keep these tools on hand makes for a better experience with a broader range of games and gamers.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14216103531396452644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1678761812929125529.post-71852796437902535602010-07-14T13:34:56.166-04:002010-07-14T13:34:56.166-04:00To get philosophical here, does it matter if your ...To get philosophical here, does it matter if your choice is only perceived? For instance in the two doors case, if the GM plans on the fun part being behind whatever door your open, and you choose the left one and have no way of knowing the GM's intent, would you feel any different than if you had picked the fun door in the first place? <br /><br />I only bring this up because this strategy is often toted as a way to keep the story moving and players engaged without having to do a lot of prep. <br /><br />I can see it being an issue if it feels forced or if the players left the dungeon, went to the blacksmith shop, and upon entering it was the same room as it would have been behind that door. That would feel unnatural and be a dead giveway. But if you never found out...Mikehttp://www.mikesdndblog.comnoreply@blogger.com