thread: 2014-07-25 : RPGs Have Objects, Q&A
On 2014-07-26, Gordon wrote:
It's so easy for this to get all twisty-tangly cross-referential. Like, who's to say that "game" (in an object/etc. sense) can't BE the tool you choose to use? Then it's the people who don't know enough about "game" who aren't using it correctly and will never get better until they learn.
I'm assuming this series is much more about using the game tool well in RPG design than it is about what RPGs fundamentally ARE (in fact, I read establishing that as one of the purposes behind this particular post by Vincent). I'm hoping it's not necessary to think RPGs are first and foremost games to get value here, because for now I'm not sure what RPGs (even particular subsets of RPGs) first and foremost are - I'm actively trying to not worry about that.
In fact, as I consider the questions in the previous post (how to present object, when it's in your interest to ..., and etc.), I think I HAVE to abandon knowing what an RPG first and foremost is and instead just worry about the objects I care about/choose to focus on RIGHT NOW. Trying to answer those questions in any sense for all objects of even one particular game, never mind all RPGs ... ain't gonna happen.
It's a more focused way of thinking about this stuff than I normally adopt, and I do worry Vincent's losing some important stuff along the way (like, sometimes people ARE playing wrong despite basically/mostly/even entirely following the procedures, or that players do too have objects independent of the game), but maybe that's for later? Like, the truth is that the full set of all objects of a particular RPG maybe *is* impossible to talk about. But we can talk about (e.g.) these particular objects that're important to our insights. While there will be some interference from the other objects (and etc.), we don't need to fully understand to move forward.
Well, that's more of a personal digression than I planned, but I'll leave it in case someone finds it useful.
Looking forward to whatever's next ...
