RPGaDay (Parts 1-10)
I'm not really doing this in the proper manner. In previous years I've answered a question every day, but this year I'm just going to run through the question in three batches of 10 each.
On with the responses...
1. What do you love about RPGs?
There are so many answers to this question, but I'll narrow it down to three of the things I love most about RPGs. The first is the way they allow players to experience things that they would be unable to engage in their regular lives, in this way they provide a safe place for experimentation and a liminal space for players to make choices that can be confined to a narrative space and a close group of friends. The second element plays into this as well, and that is the way RPGs are a social activity, they allow players to get to learn about one another through their characters, I've met so many friends this way. The third is the way RPGs prompt the imagination and act as a catalyst for learning, I'm actually planning to use RPGs in my classroom when I finally manage to get my accreditation as a teacher.
2. What do you look for in an RPG?
When I'm looking at new RPGs, I look for an evocative setting, coherent mechanisms of play, and the potential to tell good stories with it. I can tell stories with any game, but if there are mechanisms of play that promote specific types of stories then that's good, if it's a type of story that isn't necessarily supported by other games then that's a bonus. Games that don't particularly draw my interest are those that simply provide a generic setting, or a similar batch of mechanisms to numerous other games... such games really need to do something unique and incredible to add a twist to their setting/mechanisms to get my attention.
3. What gives a game 'staying power'?
Versatility and adaptability keep a game interesting over the long term. I find that games that only do a single thing well become predictable and monotonous, and in turn this reduces the longevity of the game. Similarly, the balance of a character's ability to advance, versus the effort necessary to get that advancement is a delicate balancing act. If advancement is too easy, then a game may not feel challenging, and instead feels overly simplistic...conversely, if advancement is too difficult, then the challenges may not feel worth engaging. I guess that for me, there are more criteria that render a game lacking in 'Staying Power' ad it's only if a game doesn't have these that it has the potential to be a good long term game.
4. Most Memorable NPC?
The most memorable NPC I encountered was a vampire pirate, he was named 'Janaan Baraka' from a character in a CCG (I think it was 'Legend of the Burning Sands'). This was a character who got by on his reputation more than anything else. He surrounded himself with competent assistants, each of whom helped maintain the facade that he was an incredibly competent warrior and sorceror. I remember numerous people in a LARP being quite scared of this character, and it was only later when the truth was revealed that the cleverness of this character and his story became apparent.
5. Favourite Recurring NPC?
My favourite recurring NPC is simply referred to as 'Old Jed'. He has occurred in fantasy games, cyberpunk games, and even far future science fiction games. Old Jed is an amputee from a long forgotten multi-planar war, with hideouts scattered across the multiverse, the lower half of his body changes depending on the setting where he is found, often clockwork or steampunk legs, but possibly a wheelchair, or even a hover pad. Jed is a tinkerer able to fix almost anything that is damaged, this makes him a useful NPC, but his repairs often come with a price (and that leads to new stories and adventures). Most of my players come to learn that 'Old Jed' is a mean and surly coot, and a catalyst for change in the towns where he is found.
6. How can players make a world seem real?
Players can make a world seem more real by engaging with it, this involves adding their own story elements through their character, or even something as simple as taking on mannerisms and accent that help the immersion for the players around them.
7. How can a GM make the stakes important?
Stakes become important when they actually have an effect on play, and on the narrative. Simply killing a character as a result of a bad roll isn't really making a difference to the wider narrative, unless that character is important. Disposable character aren't a way to make stakes more important, instead the characters need to be built up, the players need to care about them (this is true for both characters and for NPCs). Places can be jeopardised in the same way, so can pieces of equipment or anything else. Similarly, as long as stakes have a permanent effect on the world, they become important.
8. How can we get more people playing?
I think in recent years we have been seeing a lot more people playing, I think a more pertinent question is "How can we get more people playing RPGs other than D&D?" I think this is a case of showing that there are more games out there, and they all have the potential to tell very different types of stories. Not all RPGs are about murder-hoboing in a fantasy setting.
9. How has a game surprised you?
I didn't expect to like "A Penny for my Thoughts" when I first encountered it. The procedural play just didn'tfeel like it would be something that appealed to me... then I played it. It was through this play that I saw how clever the simplicity of the game was. I think it was this moment that made me see the potential in the genre of game now referred to as "Story Games".
10. How has gaming changed you?
I met my wife of almost 15 years through gaming... enough said.
On with the responses...
1. What do you love about RPGs?
There are so many answers to this question, but I'll narrow it down to three of the things I love most about RPGs. The first is the way they allow players to experience things that they would be unable to engage in their regular lives, in this way they provide a safe place for experimentation and a liminal space for players to make choices that can be confined to a narrative space and a close group of friends. The second element plays into this as well, and that is the way RPGs are a social activity, they allow players to get to learn about one another through their characters, I've met so many friends this way. The third is the way RPGs prompt the imagination and act as a catalyst for learning, I'm actually planning to use RPGs in my classroom when I finally manage to get my accreditation as a teacher.
2. What do you look for in an RPG?
When I'm looking at new RPGs, I look for an evocative setting, coherent mechanisms of play, and the potential to tell good stories with it. I can tell stories with any game, but if there are mechanisms of play that promote specific types of stories then that's good, if it's a type of story that isn't necessarily supported by other games then that's a bonus. Games that don't particularly draw my interest are those that simply provide a generic setting, or a similar batch of mechanisms to numerous other games... such games really need to do something unique and incredible to add a twist to their setting/mechanisms to get my attention.
3. What gives a game 'staying power'?
Versatility and adaptability keep a game interesting over the long term. I find that games that only do a single thing well become predictable and monotonous, and in turn this reduces the longevity of the game. Similarly, the balance of a character's ability to advance, versus the effort necessary to get that advancement is a delicate balancing act. If advancement is too easy, then a game may not feel challenging, and instead feels overly simplistic...conversely, if advancement is too difficult, then the challenges may not feel worth engaging. I guess that for me, there are more criteria that render a game lacking in 'Staying Power' ad it's only if a game doesn't have these that it has the potential to be a good long term game.
4. Most Memorable NPC?
The most memorable NPC I encountered was a vampire pirate, he was named 'Janaan Baraka' from a character in a CCG (I think it was 'Legend of the Burning Sands'). This was a character who got by on his reputation more than anything else. He surrounded himself with competent assistants, each of whom helped maintain the facade that he was an incredibly competent warrior and sorceror. I remember numerous people in a LARP being quite scared of this character, and it was only later when the truth was revealed that the cleverness of this character and his story became apparent.
5. Favourite Recurring NPC?
My favourite recurring NPC is simply referred to as 'Old Jed'. He has occurred in fantasy games, cyberpunk games, and even far future science fiction games. Old Jed is an amputee from a long forgotten multi-planar war, with hideouts scattered across the multiverse, the lower half of his body changes depending on the setting where he is found, often clockwork or steampunk legs, but possibly a wheelchair, or even a hover pad. Jed is a tinkerer able to fix almost anything that is damaged, this makes him a useful NPC, but his repairs often come with a price (and that leads to new stories and adventures). Most of my players come to learn that 'Old Jed' is a mean and surly coot, and a catalyst for change in the towns where he is found.
6. How can players make a world seem real?
Players can make a world seem more real by engaging with it, this involves adding their own story elements through their character, or even something as simple as taking on mannerisms and accent that help the immersion for the players around them.
7. How can a GM make the stakes important?
Stakes become important when they actually have an effect on play, and on the narrative. Simply killing a character as a result of a bad roll isn't really making a difference to the wider narrative, unless that character is important. Disposable character aren't a way to make stakes more important, instead the characters need to be built up, the players need to care about them (this is true for both characters and for NPCs). Places can be jeopardised in the same way, so can pieces of equipment or anything else. Similarly, as long as stakes have a permanent effect on the world, they become important.
8. How can we get more people playing?
I think in recent years we have been seeing a lot more people playing, I think a more pertinent question is "How can we get more people playing RPGs other than D&D?" I think this is a case of showing that there are more games out there, and they all have the potential to tell very different types of stories. Not all RPGs are about murder-hoboing in a fantasy setting.
9. How has a game surprised you?
I didn't expect to like "A Penny for my Thoughts" when I first encountered it. The procedural play just didn'tfeel like it would be something that appealed to me... then I played it. It was through this play that I saw how clever the simplicity of the game was. I think it was this moment that made me see the potential in the genre of game now referred to as "Story Games".
10. How has gaming changed you?
I met my wife of almost 15 years through gaming... enough said.
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