From: [n--e--k] at [athena.mit.edu] (Neelakantan Krishnaswami)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.advocacy
Subject: [FAQ] Rec.games.frp.advocacy Glossary
Date: 17 Jun 1996 16:29:56 GMT
This FAQ has really gotten as long as is reasonable for a single post,
and I don't really want to see it grow into a monster multi-part
document that no one will ever read. Any ideas on what to do?
----
Here's a modified version of a glossary I came up with last year. I was
unable to keep it up because of time pressure, and I expect time pressure
to hurt me now, as well, so don't expect me to maintain it very well. :(
The FAQ has three parts: Types of Games, Narrative Stances, and
Miscellaneous Terms.
***Types of Games***
These terms can be combined to describe the type of game in more
detail. For example, a game might be freeform diced or diceless
simulationist game.
diced game -- any game that uses randomizers to resolve action. This term
usually, but not always, refers to a RPG.
Examples: Over the Edge, GURPS, Everway
diceless game -- any game that does not use dice. This term usually,
but not always, refers to an RPG.
Examples: Amber, Theatrix, Diplomacy
freeform game -- RPGs which have few mechanics, and rely heavily on player
and GM common sense to resolve actions. Note that that a
freeform game can be either diced or diceless, and that
there are diced *and* diceless non-freeform games.
Examples: FUDGE, Over the Edge, Everway
mechanics-heavy RPG -- any RPG that has many many mechanics for resolving
actions. That is to say, there are game mechanics
that deal with a great many situations.
Examples: RoleMaster, GURPS, Hero
plot-based game -- a game played so that a good story with strong plot are
formed by the characters' actions. The GM pays attention
to drama and tension, and tries to make sure the game
has closure. This does not require that a GM have a
particular plot he forces the players through, but that
he make sure that there is *a* plot at the end of the
game. Plot-based is NOT a synonym for scripted.
scripted game -- a game in which the GM decides all scenes ahead of
time, and the PCs have to go through the events in
order. This is the design for many modules, and is often
referred to perjoratively as ``railroading.''
simulationist game -- a game in which the objective is to make as accurate
as possible a simulation of the game world. To this
end, the only events that happen must arise naturally
from the situation, This does not necessarily require
mechanics or dice -- it is the intent of the players
and GM that determines the type of game.
***Narrative Stances***
This was first formulated by Kevin Hardwick and Sarah Kahn, and was
so useful that it immediately became part of the jargon of the group.
This section was written by Sarah Kahn.
Actor Stance
The position from which the game is viewed when the player makes a
meta-game decision to further his portrayal of his character by
consciously attempting to mimic the character's actions, tonal quality,
facial expressions, gestures, or other physical manifestations of
character. This is an important aspect of LARP, but even in table-top
gaming it often manifests: when, for example, a player stands up in a
sedentary table-top game, it is often an indication that he has
momentarily adopted the stance of Actor.
The Actor Stance is the one in which the player contemplates what
he can do to portray his character more effectively to the other
participants in the game. It is therefore by nature a meta-game stance,
removed from the internal reality of the game.
Audience Stance
The position from which the player observes, enjoys, and evaluates
the game or aspects of it as himself, rather than as his character. This
is also a meta-game stance, as it refers to the *player's* viewing and
interpretation of the game, which may be very different from the character's.
This stance is the stance from which things like dramatic irony or historical
accuracy are judged [I liked that part a lot, Neel]. It is also the stance
adopted whenever the player witnesses an in-game event of which his character
is utterly unaware.
Author Stance
The position from which the player evaluates the game with an eye
towards changing it or affecting its development. This is the stance
which must be adopted for any world-building to take place. It is also
the stance from which a GM might introduce plot elements to the game. The
entire process of character creation requires the adoption of the stance
of Author, as do the vast majority of meta-game decisions. "What system
shall we use?," "What is the reason for all these characters to travel
together?," and "What in-character reason can we come up with for Bob's
character to leave the game, now that Bob is moving to Alaska?" are all
questions which can only be answered through the adoption of the Authorial
stance.
Like the previous three stances, the Author Stance exists outside
of the in-game reality. It is an external position from which the game
is viewed for the purpose of making decisions about its progress and its
play.
In-Character Stance
The view of the game from within the inside of the game world and
its reality, usually from within the mind of a character living within
that reality. This is the stance of the *character,* not the player, and
it encompasses only those things seen from the character's point of view.
It is the stance commonly associated with "play itself," as opposed to
the meta-game, and is the position which the player adopts in order to
play his character believably and satisfyingly.
In any RPG, the participants will leap back and forth between
these four stances so quickly and intuitively that they are likely to be
unaware that they are doing so at all. The player who omits description
of his character's trip to the bathroom, to use a well-worn example, must
by necessity have adopted the stance of Author momentarily in order to
make this decision. The decision having been made, he is then likely to
jump back into the IC Stance. In many cases, these jumps in perspective
are made so instinctively and rapidly that they go unnoticed on any
conscious level. In other cases, the jumps from one stance to another may
be quite obvious, as when players are forced to spend a long period of
time in the Audience stance when they would far rather be spending more
time viewing the game from the IC position.
Certain gaming techniques may serve to emphasize one stance over
the others. One example of this is the technique of "cut-away scenes,"
which forces the players to adopt the Audience Stance. Another is the
use of private scenes and "cones of silence," which by restricting player
knowledge of information not known to their characters, attempts to reduce
the degree to which the players adopt the Audience Stance and to keep them
more firmly rooted in the IC Stance. Nonetheless, these four stances are
integral to the medium of table-top RPG, and while certain types of games
may privilege some stances over others, it is the interaction between the
four that largely defines RPG as a medium distinct from any other.
***Miscellaneous***
group contract -- The set of conventions the players and GM agree on.
This can be things like ``The GM will fudge things
so PCs won't die pointless deaths,'' or ``This is
a hack & slash D&D game; don't worry about consistency
or characterization,'' or even ``Don't let the cat
in the room while we play -- she bites legs.''
mechanic -- In this forum, a mechanic is usually taken to mean a
formal method of resolution. A statement like "low roll
good, lower roll better" is not considered a mechanic
unless it is spelled out just how low is good. On the
other hand, a statement like "a 02 or less is a critical"
is a mechanic.
mechanics-light -- synonym for freeform.
metagame -- dealing with concerns of the players and GM, as opposed to
the characters in the game. Examples are genre, mechanics,
and spotlight time.
quantification -- using numbers or ranked adjectives to rate some aspect
of a character.
spotlight time -- the amount of time a player is the center of attention
in the group.
-----
Neel