A number of years in the past for a web-based course about strategic wargame design I devised an inventory of a few dozen dichotomies between warfare and video games. The paradox of wargames is that warfare and video games are polar opposites! After writing some 150 “Worlds of Design” columns I made a decision to do the identical for RPGs, relying partially on a few of my columns.

“Dichotomy”: a division or distinction between two issues which are or are represented as being opposed or completely totally different.

Where you see your self in these dichotomies is a fast solution to decide your play model. Game masters who reply a method and gamers who reply one other could discover they don’t seem to be a terrific match for each other. Of course, dichotomies are a pressured selection and gaming experiences are a spectrum, so that is as a lot a provocative thought experiment to get a dialog began as it’s a dialogue of two opposing tensions of tabletop play.

Game vs. Story​

I’ve addressed this a number of instances in columns, as it’s the basic divide amongst RPG gamers. Is it a recreation, with an opportunity of failure (loss), or is it a storytelling machine? This is a spectrum, with varied periods sitting at totally different factors on the spectrum.

Fantastical vs. Realistic​

This is “RPG as governed by the “rule of cool” versus RPG as “a life that could exist, but does not”. For each side of this debate, see “Spectra of RPG GMing Styles: Improvising the Adventure” and “Spectra of RPG GMing Styles: Believability”

Everyday Heroes vs. Superhuman​

Heroes may be recognizably human, or may be extra like superheroes, impossibly highly effective and impossibly fortunate. For an in-depth dialogue, see “Heroes Made or Born?”

Balanced vs. Unbalanced Character Classes​

Some gamers insist that if character courses should not equally highly effective (balanced), they’ll’t have enjoyable. Others are extra oriented towards attention-grabbing capabilities than class stability. I explored this matter in “A Question of Balance“

GM- vs. Player-Controlled Characters​

Some GMs prefer to say {that a} participant character does such-and-such although the participant doesn’t need that to occur. This “your character does” such and such is extra prone to occur in storytelling than in video games, in fact. For the GM’s perspective, see “Your Character Wouldn’t Do That“. How a lot can the gamers have an effect on the result of the sport? The extra it’s story- relatively than game-oriented – the much less company they’ve; within the excessive they’re “led around by the nose” by the GM. I mentioned this in “The Tyranny and Freedom of Player Agency”.

Old vs. New School​

There are numerous parts right here, however a significant one is whether or not there’s actual hazard for characters, and one other is incomes what you get versus being rewarded for participation. I mentioned this dichotomy in a two-part sequence reviewing Failure and Story and Rules, Pacing, and Non-RPGs

Solo vs. Group Play​

Does the GM assemble issues for the group as a complete, or does the GM tailor adventures and components of adventures to particular person characters? The “All About Me” FRPG sequence was examined in half one and two.

Magic vs. Technology​

We’re usually not even certain the place expertise and magic meet, whether or not one thing is one or the opposite.

Combat: Sport vs. War​

Sports are purported to be truthful. War is the alternative – “All’s Fair in Love and War”. A good struggle is for suckers.

Elaborate vs. Simple Backstories​

Some gamers create elaborate backstories for characters, others simply get a naked bones character collectively and use the play expertise flesh out the character. See “Which Came First, the Character or the Backstory?”

Other Dichotomies to Ponder​

For the next, I haven’t written a column to cowl the dichotomy, but.

• GM: Arbiter vs. God: Is the GM’s job merely to interpret the (clearly large) guidelines of the sport, or is it to be a creator of world and journey, who can select to do no matter is finest for the sport (within the GM’s view, in fact)?
• GM vs. Player: Is the session a contest of GM versus participant, or not? NOT is my reply, the GM is rather more like a referee than a competitor.
• Treasure-Hunters vs. Divine Soldiers: Are the participant characters money-grubbing, mercenary treasure hunters, or are they “heroes” in a battle for his or her gods?
• Player Desires vs. the “Good of the Game”: Is an RPG a car for what the gamers (assume they) need? Or is it about what’s finest for the sport as a complete? (This is carefully associated to the earlier dichotomy.)
• High Magic vs. Low: High or low with respect to each commonality and energy.
• Tolkien vs. Non-Tolkien: Fantasy recreation worlds don’t need to be very similar to J. R. R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth – however usually they’re.
• Roll-play vs. Role-play: This has a component of historic development to it. Early FRPGers have been normally wargamers, and plenty of have been accustomed to actively attempt to make good issues occur. They tended to role-play conditions to find out outcomes, relatively than rolling cube. With Third Edition D&D we noticed Skill rolls begin to dominate. This was good for passive gamers, who didn’t need to negotiate (in impact) with the GM, they only wished to roll a die for Diplomacy, or Intimidate, or no matter. (In board video games, negotiation is changing into a Lost Art.)
• Vicarious Participation vs. Acting Out a Role: This additionally has a component of historic development to it. In early FRPGs, gamers usually considered their character as themselves, and requested “what would I do in this situation?” This made numerous sense for recreation enjoying. Now it’s extra frequent for a participant to ask, “what would my character, given their background and experience, do in this situation?” This works higher for RPG as storytelling machine then RPG as recreation.
• Rules Lawyers vs. Rule Zero: Gamers are inclined to have a powerful opinion about this. I’ve even seen guidelines referred to (maybe tongue in cheek) as “sacred texts.”

There’s no proper reply to those dichotomies as a result of they don’t seem to be questions. They’re spectra through which gamers and recreation masters negotiate what they’d prefer to occur and the way they take care of the sport when it does occur. In some instances, you may not know the place you stand till the scenario comes up, and plenty of players may not really feel strongly sufficient someway to care. But for individuals who do, figuring out shared boundaries early will go a protracted solution to serving to the complete group have enjoyable.

Your Turn: What dichotomies are most essential to you in figuring out appropriate play kinds?