thread: 2005-04-19 : Turks vs. Oldsters
On 2005-04-19, xenopulse wrote:
The biggest reason that rules are different now than they were ten years ago is that we've stopped treating fictional causality as the be-all. Instead we're looking at the actual causality in tabletop roleplaying - the human beings playing the game and the things they say. If you want cool stuff to happen in your game, you have to get the people to say cool things.
This is probably the best explanation and summary of what this is all about that I've seen so far.
And yes, I think there is more of a focus on interpersonal relations, both between players and between characters. Why? Because that's the interesting stuff. Fighting monsters that are clearly marked evil, without any ambiguity, might be entertaining, but it's not personally engaging. Having to decide whether to beat up your friend because he's about to stab an innocent person, now that's going to get me personally involved.
I don't like things that are clear cut. They're no fun; they're too easy. I like messy things, complicated, no-good-way-out issues that deal with the imperfect creatures that we happen to be.
I hate Steven Seagal movies. I love Deadwood, and the Sopranos, and those ambiguous shows. That's what I want to play. That's what'll get me involved. And I won't find that in clear-cut, no-meaningful-relationships games.
- Christian
