Comments on: Why Dungeons & Dragons Beats Videogames Like Grand Theft Auto V

By: Isegoria

Isegoria — Thu, 26 Sep 2013 16:43:47 +0000

I would agree with those design goals, but I don't think many role-playing games do a good job of modeling combat — real or fictional. Instead, they replace the game-master's (flawed) judgment with an opaque system shockingly divorced from the modeled reality. The rule-books generally read well though, and they seem to make sense.

By: Scipio Americanus

Scipio Americanus — Wed, 25 Sep 2013 21:51:11 +0000

As I see it, the purpose of the rules in most (good) games is twofold.

First, they are an attempt to crystallize the expertise of the game designer into a form that can be procedurally applied by the players, thus taking the load off the referee or GM. A game might have more combat rules so that the GM need only generally set up the party’s fights and can instead concentrate on making the story more interesting. The opposite is also an option (rules for generating narrative with combat left very freeform).

Second, they allow the GM recourse to impartiality. Dems da rules, as it were.

All that said, those games my wife and I have run in the last few years since college have certainly orbited closer and closer to rulelessness. An exception would be that Mrs. Africanus likes a good crunchy combat system because she doesn’t have faith in her tactical sense or, more specifically, would prefer to focus on characterization and story.

As an aside, I’m in love with free Kriegspiel and am trying to organize some of my more military-history/tactics minded friends into a league, or at least some playtests.

By: Isegoria

Isegoria — Mon, 23 Sep 2013 18:42:11 +0000

Rather than diceless, consider ruleless. This ties into some of the ideas from How to Measure Anything.

By: Scipio Americanus

Scipio Americanus — Mon, 23 Sep 2013 18:24:22 +0000

Depends on the RPG, in my experience, and especially in what you’re looking to get from it. Some systems are very “crunchy,” with lots of rules and tables and a simulationist bent; these tend to be for combat-heavy games. Others are much more about the narrative. They don’t necessarily have fewer rules but the rules govern the story rather than the player’s actions.

If you’re interested in the latter then check out:

Sufficiently Advanced
Post-Singularity adventure with plausible science (the creator is a particle physicist – and an acquaintance)

Mythender
You play as a magically imbued god-killer, but if you chose to gain power from the gods you end you will become a god yourself – and then the rest of the party will seek to end you.

Amber (diceless roleplaying game)
Based on the eponymous Zelazny fantasy universe

In general you might want to look at diceless systems, come to think of it.

By: Isegoria

Isegoria — Mon, 23 Sep 2013 14:57:12 +0000

You’re right that pen-and-paper RPGs have rules, too. I found that they tend to be the weakest part of the gaming experience.

By: Gina

Gina — Sun, 22 Sep 2013 05:39:54 +0000

This is not much of an argument they’re making. Pen and paper RPG’s have rules, conventions and limitations, too. If well crafted, both media allow you to find the sweet spot where for a few minutes or hours, you almost forget you’re playing a game.

By: Borepatch

Borepatch — Fri, 20 Sep 2013 00:14:49 +0000

Shorter WSJ: Get offa my lawn.

In other news from the WSJ, Grand Theft Auto 5 pulls in a cool $800M the first day it goes on sale.

;-)