thread: 2011-05-18 : Ben Lehman: Rules and their Functions
On 2011-05-18, Emily wrote:
These are what I often mean when I talk about structuring tools, too. A shared story you are playing out is a long, continuous fictional cue that guides the flow of play. Very different from the staccato creation of story through the interjection of bifurcated choices that immediate mechanics bring.
A function of the continuous guiding form of mechanic or rule is also that they often serve to put everyone on the same page at the start, with a referent that all can look to, to keep the consensus of play moving. This is a major difference between traditional and forge/indie/nar games and the set of larp/scenario/freeform play that is popular in Europe: when you use chance based mechanics to create space for twists and turns for a story or series of events to take place, you create the possibility for narratives with more varied specific events. The choice to use a pre-determined storyline creates a different dynamic between the players and the game.
US larp style play and European that is characterized by the extensive use of mediated mechanics have a very different flavor. Julia learned that when she brought our game What to do about Tam Lin? to Denmark. "What is up with drawing cards for our powers?" was a common response.
Ben, are we agreed that there can be immediate mechanics that are not mediated? Jeep and others do use them, just judiciously. And of course, much of the continuous type of rule/guide/mechanic/structure would be content derived.
