New to the Forge ~ My thoughts on RPGs
Josh K.:
"I strongly recommend that you begin posting in the Actual Play forum, rather than here. When you talk about what published games you've played, and how it went for you, and what you like and don't like, that generates a useful portrait of your interests and priorities for everyone else"
^ Sounds like good advice to me. Hello all, I'm Slashandz, the as-of-now newest member of the Forge.
I don't have very much experience with table top RPGs. I tried to get into DnD with a group of college friends, but I had no idea it required such commitment. I had to buy this (expensive) massive textbook just to understand the basics. There seemed to be a needlessly large amount of options, from races to alignments, each with tons of skills and attributes to memorize. I would sit down and try to read the book, just to have my head spinning. And what was with all of the dice!? The battle system had so many checks, even for the most simple tasks! And then there was the stats... "Initiative", "Str", "Dex", "Int", "Wis", "Cha"... why so many? I still don't get the point of Wis or Cha.
...So what would I personally want in an RPG? Something simple.
You know, something I could explain to a friend in a few minutes, rather than making him sit down and read a novel. I feel an easy to learn system should keep players in check, but the vast majority of the game should be decided by the people playing.
Jim D.:
Always nice to see new faces around here!
(Do you mind providing a real first name? The prevailing attitude around here is that it's easier to have deep discussions with a name rather than a handle. You can drop it into your title, signature, or display name.)
I agree with you insofar as I've always found D&D to be number soup; a game that tries to be everything to everyone (simulationists, narrativists, gamists) and fails on most counts. That's not to say you can't have a good campaign with D&D -- I know a lot of people who have and would foam at the mouth at that charge -- but there are simpler, more direct systems out there.
We can probably get more into what you want out of gaming if you provide an account of a session you played recently in D&D that chafed you. Ron prefers to have Actual Play threads rooted in an account like that for similar reasons.
Glad to have you aboard!
Ron Edwards:
Hello and welcome,
Your initial reactions to role-playing texts and procedures were very reasonable, as I see it. A lot of us here, me included, have a lot of love for baroque, even arcane methods for role-playing, but most of that is probably historical placement; we encountered it at a given point in our lives, at a given point in technological entertainment history, and in a given subcultural context. Shaking off what I perceived as a preference but was merely a circumstance was a long process for me, and for many others.
I would like to know more about what you perceive as positive about the hobby or activity, especially if you found some glimmer or moment that you really enjoyed, or hoped to enjoy, in play. Is it based on the subject matter, and if so, what kind? Or on a particular creative or social urge that seems like it might be fulfilled this way, and if so, what kind?
Best, Ron
Josh K.:
Jim:
My first name is Josh. I'll see if I can get that added into my title.
A DnD match that chafed me... I played while ago with a DM that was quite good at building mysteries. I would love to hear the next plot twist and really enjoyed having a direct impact on where his story went next. But then we'd enter a battle. And the whole story would be put on hold as we busted out tons of dice, figures, drew a map of the battle, pulled out our reference books, and took turns slowly whittling down an enemy's Hit Points. If the battles were quick and fun, I wouldn't mind, but it seemed like a chore you had to perform to get to the next bit of the plot!
Ron:
If I had to pick what I like most about RPGs, it'd be three things:
1) The chance to create an original character. I tend to play a hopeless womanizer in most games, so whenever we stop at an Inn, I'm sure to keep an eye out for any attractive maidens. That sets the DM up for all sorts of adventures and mischief. I don't have to play as an avatar who doesn't interest me.
2) The complete customization. The sky's the limit in an RPG. Any skill, weapon, enemy, or location a DM comes up with is fair game, which is something you don't see in anything else. If the DM willed for their to be a shield that could seduce any woman who gazes at it, then it shall be so (which would be great for my character! :P). Granted DnD had a list of monsters, classes, and skills that you had to pick from... which totally defeated the point. My ideal RPG would leave a lot up to the players.
3) My "gotta learn 'em all" syndrome. I love that I play as the same character each session. Any skills and items I obtain are permanently mine. As such, I begin to try to collect as much as I can, which causes me to play more and more. The idea that a pimped-out unstoppable character lies at the far end of the path is enough to keep me playing.
Ron Edwards:
Hi Josh,
My apologies for not replying sooner. That was a helpful response, and I think your replies to me and Jim are related. And yes, I can cite about a thousand historical reasons why any iteration of D&D, and the subculture of play surrounding it, is probably not going to be much fun for you. (And yes, again, everyone, you can insert your personal "but with the right DM" rhetoric; it doesn't change my point.)
For a strong link between combats (or shall we say high-attention conflicts) and the larger scale of play and story, I recommend a look at Mouseguard if you haven't seen it. That provides a GM with a lot of structure. Or if you really want to minimize the hyper-attention to details of combat or conflict, and focus absolutely on story-forward thinking about such moments, then I suggest Primetime Adventures, with the warning that it can be a little too heady and disorienting for some groups. My own game Trollbabe is kind of a midpoint between these two in a lot of ways.
If you have any questions about these, or if I'm missing what you'd like to get from this thread, then let me know.
Best, Ron
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