The Types of Play, Player & Campaign

7/25/2019 The Types of Play, Player & Campaign

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Player Types (from Robin D. Laws)

This a simple division of player types formulated in the book Robin's Laws of Good Game Mastering, by RD. Laws (published by Steve Jackson Games, 2001). It divides players into six types, derived from the four typeswhich Glen Blacow first described in an article forDifferent Worlds #10(Oct 1980). A followup article was publ

by Greg Costikyan (Nov 1984). The original postulated four basic types of RPG players: "Roleplaying","Storytelling", "Powergaming", and "Wargaming".

From "Robin's Laws of Good Game Mastering", pages 4-5

The Power Gamerwants to make his character bigger, tougher, buffer, and richer. However success is defiby the rules system you're using, this player wants more of it. He tends to see his PC as an abstraction, as a collecof super powers optimized for the acquisition of still more super powers. He pays close attention to the rules, withspecial eye to finding quirks and breakpoints he can exploit to get large benefits at comparatively low costs. He wyou to put the "game" back in the term "roleplaying game", and to give him good opportunities to add shiny newabilities to his character sheet.

The Butt-Kickerwants to let off steam with a little old-fashioned vicarious mayhem. He picks a simple,

combat-ready character, whether or not that is the best route to power and success in the system. After a long day the office or classroom, he wants his character to clobber foes and once more prove his superiority over all who wchallenge him. He may care enough about the rules to make his PC an optimal engine of destruction, or may beindifferent to them, so long as he gets to hit things. He expects you to provide his character plenty of chances toengage in the aforementioned clobbering and superiority.

The Tacticianis probably a military buff, who wants chances to think his way through complex, realisticproblems, usually those of the battlefield. He wants the rules, and your interpretation of them, to jibe with reality knows it, or at least to portray an internally consistent, logical world in which the quality of his choices is the biggdetermining factor in his success or failure. He may view issues of characterization as a distraction. He becomesannoyed when other players do things which fit their PCs' personalities, but are tactically unsound. To satisfy himyou must provide challenging yet logical obstacles for his character to overcome.

The Specialistfavors a particular character type, which he plays in every campaign and in every setting. Thmost common sub-type of specialist is the player who wants to be a ninja every time. Other specialists may favorknights, cat-people, mischief-makers, flying characters, or wistful druid maidens who spend a lot of time hangingabout sylvan glades with faeries and unicorns. The specialist wants the rules to support his favored character type,is otherwise indifferent to them. To make a specialist happy, you have to create scenes in which his character canthe cool things for which the archetype is known.

The Method Actorbelieves that roleplaying is a medium for personal expression, strongly identifying withcharacter he plays. He may believe that it's creatively important to establish a radically different character each timout. The method actor bases his decisions on his understanding of his character's psychology, and may become

obstructive if other group members expect him to contradict it for rules reasons, or in pursuit of a broader goal. Hemay view rules as, at best, a necessary evil, preferring sessions in which the dice never come out of their bags.Situations that test or deepen his personality traits are your key to entertaining the method actor.

The Storyteller, like the method actor, is more inclined to the roleplaying side of the equation and lessinterested in numbers and experience points. On the other hand, he's more interested in taking part in a fun narrativthat feels like a book or a movie than in strict identification with his character. He's quick to compromise if it movthe story forward, and may get bored when the game slows down for a long planning session. You can please himintroducing and developing plot threads, and by keeping the action moving, as would any skilled novelist or filmdirector.

The Casual Gameris often forgotten in discussions of this sort, but almost every group has one. Casual gam

tp://darkshire.net/jhkim/rpg/theory/models/robinslaws.html


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tend to be low key folks who are uncomfortable taking center stage even in a small group. Often, they're present thang out with the group, and game just because it happens to be the activity everyone else has chosen. Though theelusive creatures, casual gamers can be vitally important to a gaming group's survival. They fill out the ranks, whiespecially important in games that spread vital PC abilities across a wide number of character types or classes.Especially if they're present mostly for social reasons, they may fill an important role in the group's interpersonaldynamic. Often they're the mellow, moderating types who keep the more assertive personalities from each other'sthroats -- in or out of character. I mention the casual player because the thing he most fervently wants is to remainthe background. He doesn't wnat to have to learn rules or come up with a plot hook for his character or engage indetailed planning. You may think it's a bad thing that he sits there for much of the session thumbing through yourlatest purchases from the comic book store, but hey, that's what he wants. The last thing you want to do is to force

into a greater degree of participation than he's comfortable with. (Of course, if everybodyin the group is sitting threading your comic books, you've definitely got a problem...)

tp://darkshire.net/jhkim/rpg/theory/models/robinslaws.html


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Styles of Play (from D&D)

NOTE: The following is an excerpt from the D&D Dungeon Master's Guide, third edition, by Monte Cook. I amincluding it because it is a well-written and widely-read expression of a very common view of how role-playingstyles are divided.

DETERMINING STYLE OF PLAY

The DM provides the adventure and the world. The players and the DM work together to create the game as a who

However, it's your responsibility to guide the way the game is played. The best way to accomplish this is learning what players want and figuring out what you want as well. Many styles of play exist, but a few are detailed below as example

KICK IN THE DOOR

The PCs kick in the dungeon door, fight the monsters, and get the treasure. This style of play is straightforward, fuexciting, and action oriented. Very little time is spent on developing personas for the player characters, roleplayingnoncombat encounters, and discussing situations other than what's going on in the dungeon.

In such a game, let the PCs face most clearly evil monsters and opponents and meet clearly good helpful NPCs(occasionally). Don't expect PCs to anguish over what to do with the prisoners, or whether it's right or wrong to invade awipe out the bugbear lair. Don't bother too much with money or time spent in town. Do whatever it takes to get the PCs

into the action as quickly as possible. Character motivation need be no more developed than a desire to kill monsters anacquire treasure.

Rules and game balance are very important in this style of play, Characters with combat ability greater than theirfellows lead to unfair situations in which the players of the overpowered characters can handle more of the challenges athus have more fun. If you're using this style, be very careful about adjudicating rules and think long and hard aboutadditions or changes to the rules before making them.

DEEP-IMMERSION STORYTELLING

The Free City of Greyhawk is threatened by political turmoil. The PCs must convince the members of the rulingcouncil to resolve their differences, but can only do so after they have come to terms with their own differing outlooks a

agendas. This style of gaming is complex, deep, and challenging. The focus isn't on combat but on talking, developing igame personas, and character interaction. Whole gaming sessions may pass without a single die being rolled.

In this style of game, the NPCs should be as complex and richly detailed as the PCs -- although focus should be onmotivation and personality, not game statistics. Expect long digressions about what each player wants his or her charactdo, and why. Going to a store to buy iron rations and rope can be as important an encounter as fighting orcs. (And don'texpect the PCs to fight the orcs at all unless their characters are motivated to do so.) A character will sometimes take acagainst his player's better judgment, because "that's what the _character_ would do". Adventures deal mostly withnegotiations, political maneuverings, and character interaction. Players talk about the "story" that they are collectivelycreating.

Rules become less important in this style. Since combat isn't the focus, game mechanics take a back seat to charact

development. Skills take precedence over combat bonuses, and even then the actual numbers often don't mean much. Fefree to change rules to fit the player's roleplaying needs. You may even want to streamline the combat system so it takestime away from the story.

SOMETHING IN BETWEEN

Most campaigns are going to fall between these two extremes. There's plenty of action, but there's a storyline andinteraction as characters too. Players will develop their characters, but they'll be eager to get into a fight as well. Providenice mixture of roleplaying encounters and combat encounters. Even in a dungeon you can present NPCs that aren't mea

be fought but rather helped out, negotiated with, or just talked to.

tp://darkshire.net/jhkim/rpg/theory/models/dmg_styles.html


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Glenn Blacow's "Aspects of Adventure Gaming"

This an early division of player types, formulated by Glenn Blacow and published inDifferent Worlds #10(October 1980). It postulated four basic types of RPG players: "Roleplaying", "Storytelling", "Powergaming", and"Wargaming". This can easily be seen as an early precursor to future divisions such as the Threefold Model and theGNS Model. Many people have only heard about the original model by word of mouth, and I think it is morethoughtful than many people assume. The thrust of the article is acceptance of other styles of play.

Incidentally, there were three related articles in later issues ofDifferent Worlds. The first was "The Fourfold Wof FRP" by Jeffrey Johnson (DW#11, pg 18-19). The second was "Personalities of Role-Playing Gamers" by LewiPulsipher (DW#11, pg 42). The third was "Profiles from the Four-Fold Way" by Greg Costikyan (DW#37, pg 22-2

Aspects of Adventure Gaming Adventure gaming (also known as FRP, for fantasy role-playing) is a relative newcomer to the field of gaminThe original game which introduced the genre,Dungeons & Dragonsby TSR Hobbies, has since been joined by aflood of new games based on the same general idea: Tunnels & Trolls,RuneQuest, Traveller, Space Quest, ChivalrSorcery, and many others. These games are now a major source of entertainment to hundreds of thousands of playeincluding most of the readers of this magazine.

They are also a source of violent arguments in the pages of game magazines, APAs, and fanzines. All too ofteone hears Game Masters (GMs) complaining about 22nd level mages, 15th level split ranger/illusionists, and 30th lwerebears equipped with the Orb of the Dragon Kings. Or players griping about the "killer dungeon" where theirfavorite umpteenth level character got butchered by kobolds. Writers sneer abou the stupidity and lack of sense sho

by monsters of another GM. Caustic remarks concerning the lack of realism in background and motivation in anothcampaign are made. No small amount of heat gets generated as a result.

A bystander, reading the furious discussions and noting the feuds that develop might be inclined to feelbewildered. "Are we all playing the same game? Do the terms mean the same to everyone?"

The answer is no. While the people arguing may be using identical sets of rules, they are not necessarily usingthem in the same way or for the same purpose. Arguments rage the fiercest between players whose minds operate adifferent axes of game development. For there are four aspects of FRP gaming, and they tend to produce very diverideas of what makes a good game. And the flame grow most fiery when the two debaters have never played in gamthat have contained the same elements...

What are the four aspects of adventure gaming? They are:

I.Power GamingII.Role-PlayingIII. WargamingIV. Story Telling

Every game contains these aspects in at least a rudimentary degree, and the feeling of any given world isdetermined by the interaction of these four elements. But there are a large number of universes where developmentoverwhelmingly concentrated on a single one of the above facets. Much light on the question of ill-will within the

hobby can be shed by first considering games with just a single major emphasis. So let us begin with...

NOTE:I have reproduced this article in its entirety for documentary purposes. The

author has passed away, and I have been unable to find any estate. I contacted theoriginal publishers, but they did not hold reprint rights. If anyone has objections pleasecontact me.

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I. POWER GAMING

This is how most FRP games start out, and is by far the most common form. It's where the 20th+ level wizards,13th/13th/13th split fighter/mage/clerics most often come from. The Mace of Cuthbert, Stormbringer, the One Ringand other mighty artifacts often appear on the equipment lists of player characters who hail from them, usually to thdistress of GMs of other schools.

The purpose of the game is neither role-playing (as such) nor the development of skills. Instead, the main drivthe players is power. Levels, magic, special abilities, divine favor, and other sources of individual strength are whamatters. The personality of the typical character is that of the player, decked out with labels such as "class" and"alignment."

A typical exchange in some games of this sort might sound like this:

"I'm gonna run my 20th level cleric with the +5 plage and shield, the Sceptre of the Demon Kings, the Ringof Arkyn, and the Spell Turning Ring.""OK, what's his name?""Uh, name? Er, call him Jocko.""Got it! What's he a cleric of?""Huh? Oh, I never thought of that. But he's lawful/good."

It's usually the amount of power available that determines the outcome of battles, and an inadequate supply ocan be disastrous. Given this and the way games of this sort operate, then an abundance of magic is only to beexpected. Power gaming causes much competition among the players, "winning" being possible by the accumulatiomagic and other means of power. In some cases this has led to inter-character treachery, murder, and theft overownership of especially good magic, or even to prevent another character from overshadowing one's own.

II. ROLE-PLAYING

Within the pure role-playing campaign, the most important element is the player character and his or her life. Thepersonalities of the characters are worked out in loving detail, and favorite characters tend to have great emotionalinvestments made in them. Their owners do not hold the lives of these beings to be cheap. Characters tend to act wi

the personalities accorded to them and by the beliefs they're supposed to hold, and the players speak in persona. Anexample of this might be:

The party discussed the possibility that the young nobleman they were searching for was held prisoner inthe castle ahead. Cunnerith and Hippoclates the Sot are the most vocal, but the clever young elf-maidViolet and quiet Aris the Mariner have their own points to make. Much more seldom, dour and vinegaryWaldo the Silent makes a brief but incisive comment. And, inevitably, there is a constant stream of chatter

from Naomi. Not that anyone ever pays any attention to that thimblewit.The last was almost a fatal mistake. For as the party entered the great hall the next day, Naomi lookedaround confusedly and asked (one of the party, fortunately), "Where's the man we're supposed to rescue?"Well, nobody ever said she had any brains!"Shut up, Naomi!" came the chorus.

In a game of this sort, the world is just a stage on which the characters live out their lives, with the spotlightdirected at them. They suffer, they triumph, they have their loves, hates, and sorrows; and in some way they are as as the players who created them.

As might be expected, the above tends to influence the structure of the game. Given the emotional attachmentthe player to his characters, a high casualty rate is downright counter-productive. The players will withdraw the

precious "lives" from the game to a place of safety. As a result, the GM tends to exercise a considerable amount ofdiscretion with regard to the player characters, utilizing methods such as "soft-keying" (willingness to adjus theopposition's strength after the fighting has started so that the party won't be overmatched) and subtly trying to warnthe expedition if they're approaching something that they can't handle.



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It should be noted that this is a particularly cooperative form of FRP gaming. Inter-player rivalry -- except asdemanded by characterization -- tends to be relatively rare. The GM usually helps things along by providing the plachances to interact with the universe and each other.

III. WARGAMING

Here one might say that the emphasis is almost the reverse of the role-playing oriented game. The most importantfacets of this type of game are the tactical abilities of the players and GM, and the mechanics of play. There is a strotendency towards a relatively low level of magic here, both in quantity and quality, since it is upsetting the GM to ha tactically brilliant setup destroyed when a character pulls out a gadget.

Wargaming FRP is a competition between the players (as a group) and the GM in which they match wits andskills. He sets up tactical problems which they have to solve for their experience and treasure. Knowhow is all-important, and detailed knowledge of rules a vast help. Since there is a fine edge of danger in the game, developingcharacter's personality may result in it doing things dysfunctional to survival. Hence the role-playing aspect of the"pure" wargaming approach is often minimal.

It should be obvious that in a game dominated by this way of thinkng, soft-keying is an extremely dubiouspractice. The ethic demands that the players survive by their wits, with bad play being rewarded by death. For the Gto arbitrarily reduce the opposition in order to save the party would be as much cheating as adding monsters to raisedeath rate would.

Unlike role-playing based games, killing player characters is an integral and logical part of the game; in fact,many Gms of this school set themselves a desired kill ratio and try to meet it. While this fosters a competitive appro

between the GM and players, it usually tends to reduce inter-character fighting. The world is foe enough...

IV. STORY TELLING

In the most general sense of the term, any successful FRP game requires some story telling ability. There are fewplayers who will abide a GM who is so inept that they can't figure out what's going on most of the time, or whose tlimps so badly that suspension of disbelief is impossible.

However, the term as used here means something beyond this basic approach.

All of the game types mentioned above have background of some sort. The GM may be content with the basigilded hole with attached false front town, or he might indulge in the splendid pageantry of empire, complete withruling dynasty, elaborate history, and detailed geography. Regardless of the extent of the universe, however, in mogames it's just stage setting. Unless the players characters walk into a scene, the non-player characters there remainfrozen and inactive, just stringless puppets.

In a story telling world, the non-player characters are alive offstage. History is a continuing and developingprocess, with the actions of both player and non-player characters affecting the course of events. Moreover, the GMusually a very good idea of how the general trend of events is going. Also, of how the actions of the adventurers ca

affect things.

Now, the pure form of the story telling game is rare, and every campaign emphasizing it is unique. The detailwhat's going on depend entirely on what story the GM is telling. A role-player encountering such a game for the firtime will usually find it a trifle odd, for unlike the heavily role-playing game, the player characters are not on the ceof the stage, not the element about which events revolve. The player characters can only act within the tale, and thefreedom is somewhat limited...

The friends sang merrily, toasting their luck in fine Golidene wine in the public room of the Red WolfInn.

"By the White Christ!" hiccuped Rhodri, "Tomorrow we head for the Alarghi Hills and enough gold to



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make us rich for the rest of our lives!"

The other fighter, a pretty lass named Susanna, and the half-drunk mage Gondor, both noddedhappily, aglow with anticipation.

Gondor looked up at the sound of footsteps. "Sergeant Orse! Sit down and have a drink! We're leavingtomorrow. Gonna get rich!"

The sergeant grinned, poured himself a glass of wine, and let the sparkling vintage wash the dust fromhis parched throat. Then he smiled benevolently at the group, "Oh no, you're not."

"Huh?!" chorused the group, "Why not???"

"Because," said the sergeant, cheerfully sipping away at his glass, "the Hadurnei just broke out inrebellion, and you're all drafted into the militia for the duration."

The amount of freedom can vary enormously. In some games of this kind, there is a distinct impression that tGM has already determined the entire future of the universe, and that the player characters are just improvising thescript. In more free-form versions of this game type, the flow of the story and the form of the script are decided byinteractions between the GM's general outline of events and the actions of individuals within the campaign.

Much of the attraction of this kind of world comes from the fact that there is a story being told in which one'scharacter is participating. The world has a purpose, a reason for being, independent of what the adventurers do. Livin such a world is not a little like being a character within a novel. It does require a constant effort on the part of itscreator to make the universe -- whether it's a county or a continent -- rational and consistent. And as an FRP forum,requires a cooperative group of players.

The statements above are, of course, generalizations. They are useful, however.

Most of the older games in existence long ago passed beyond the simple forms described above. Wargamers hlearned how to role-play, role-players have learned to see the advantages of well-done rules, and there has been a

growing drive across the hobby towards more reasonable and consistent worlds. But this does not mean that alladventure gamers have common attitudes. The mind sets generated by the original approaches still live on, and eveamong the most sophisticated players and GMs can produce raging disputes, mostly through lack of understandingabout the assumptions that the other side is operating under.

Consider the cases that might occur at an ordinary convention...

Ben Jones has been running a successful dungeon for years. He's a role-playing GM from the word go, and habeen working smoothly with a group of similar-minded players for almost as long. He was asked to prepare a specscenario for the con and run three groups through it, one per day. Ben really gets into the spirit of the thing and

produces an adventure to remember. There's a castle wiht suitably gruesome garrison, some interesting magic, and

exciting random encounter. After a moment's thought, he also provides for a meeting with one of his most fascinatinon-player characters, Arilla of the Silver Lake. Arilla is a personality his regulars always enjoy meeting, visitingplayers consistently go out of their way to encounter. A great chance for some role-playing.

Unknown to Ben Jones, the three groups are unmixed collections of people brought up in the other three FRPtraditions. The first party to experience the scenario is the people from a story telling world, the second is a batch owargamers, and the last a collection of power gamers.

1) Ben sets up the first trip and begins. As an adventure it seems to go quite well. The players, however, insteof just appreciating and experiencing Arilla, keep asking a lot of irritating queries about the castle and its owner. Afuming Ben begins to wonder if they're trying to show him up. Why don't they just hurry up and get along with thescenario?



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The run comes to an end with Ben somewhat annoyed about their taste for nitpicking detail. They departconvinced that he hasn't quite gotten his act together.

2) The wargamers run through next. They organize the expedition quickly and without any of the pre-game roplaying Ben dearly loves to hear. They march out to the castle, almost ignoring Lady Arilla. Once there, they spendminutes setting up an assault plan. The actual assault may take even less time than the planning. It is also done withstartling efficiency and an almost total lack of character (as opposed to player) interaction.

Ben watches them leave with the conviction that while they know their stuff, they're a dull and uninteresting l

In the eyes of the wargamers, he's probably proved himself to be incompetant. The trouble that they had with monsters would almost certainly seem minor ("Why, I've had more trouble with a room full of Kevin's kobolds), anrewards disproportionately great.

3) The last expedition is the one that really sours Ben. Looking at the group with some caution, he insists on oaccepting characters of the proper level, and refuses to allow some of the more extravagant items into the game. Thexpedition starts in the midst of much discussion about who gets to go where in the marching order. ( "Well, my palhas 18 strength, 78 hits, and a Vorpal Sword!" "Yeah, but my fighter has a Belt of Storm Giant Strength, a Rod of

Lordly Might, and +5 armor.")

Once again the party encounters Arilla of the Silver Lake. This time, there's no conversation at all. The playercharacters eye the magical crown, the cool looking belt, and powerful staff -- and kill her! Poor Ben sits there in a sof shock while the adventurers commit atrocities on her followers, destroy the bodies, and divide the loot among thWhen they finish and look expectantly at him, he grinds his teeth in rage and begins handing out appropriate

punishments for their crimes. The paladin is stripped of his paladinhood, alignments are changed, and various weapargue at great length with their (former) owners.

By the time the expedition reaches the castle, there is no small amount of ill-will in the air. A still furious Benattempts to avenge Arilla, whle the players buckle down with grim determination to show him up. Given the powerthe players characters on the expedition, they win. The GM watches them leave, growling about "over-equippedturkeys" under his breath. The players in turn consider him to be a poor loser and a sorehead.

Variations of the theme could be endlessly devised, but the basics are visible above. To the role-player, the wargam

GM is the master of a "killer dungeon"; to the GM concerned, characters are just "dice," and there are plenty morewhere the player characters he just killed came from. Power gamers find other games dull restrictive, andcomparatively unrewarding. Players inured to a wargaming approach tend to impeach the skills of GMs and playerother game types, and are apt to mutter the words "Monty Hall" more often than is likely to earn them good will.

ALl of the above cases derive from mutual inability to perceive differences in game philosophy. Ben Jones,contrary to the assumptions of the three groups of players, has his act together, is quite competent, and was not beinsorehead. He is not really trying to write an epic, he was not interested in killing the characters of the second grouphis outrage at the killing of the non-player character was justified. What he was offering was a chance to role-play.

Conversely, none of the three groups were trying to be difficult. The first group was looking for something

important to them that wasn't there. The wargamers were looking for a tactical challenge. And the last group wasinterested in having fun, according to their own perceptions of it. To them, Arilla was not an important and interestperson, but a wandering monster. And what else are wandering monsters for, if not to kill and loot?

Sadly enough, one of the biggest gulfs between groups is increasingly one that coincides with age. Overwhelminglynewcomers to the hobby are high school age or younger. By their very numbers, it becomes almost certain that theywill begin their FRP careers in new games. And, as has been said, most campaigns start out emphasizing the powergaming aspect of the craft. It is obvious that the older games contain older players. Most of these campaigns went

beyond power gaming long ago, and the people running in them have increasingly associated power gaming with tyouth of its most numerous proponents -- and labeled them both "childish." This statement is both false and extrem

harmful. It's true that power gaming is the most basic of the approaches, but this doesn't make it childish. There are



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older players aplenty, even in more developed games, who operate on exactly the same principle. The statement isharmful because while statistically true, it's conceptually false. Younger players do indeed largely play in powergaming campaigns. But they don't do so "because they're young," they do so because they're new to the hobby.

I'd say that there are enough substantial questions in the field of adventure gaming to keep us arguing for decaI can't see any reason to add to the unpleasantness by dragging in irrelevant question of age.

Hopefully, this article will help reduce the amount of heat in some of the arguments about FRP. An argument in wh

neither side realizes the vast gaps in the fundamental assumptions that underlie what they're discussing is an argumapt to result in nothing more productive than angry name calling. If the aggrieved player can understand that the deof a beloved character is an integral part of the campaign he's in, then he may appreciate that the GM is not evil; ifanother finds the rewards too easily come by, he may realize that the GM is using a different set of parameters for tgame and refrain from uttering the word "turkey." Then we can get down to really important matters, such as what

people want in a game, and how to achieve it in practice. It's important to remember, however, that we do not all wthe same thing.

So, when you're at a con getting ready to run your own patented, super-duper, error-free, guaranteed-to-promrole-playing, tactically flawless, polished to the last degree, builds-strong-bodies-eight-ways game -- and up strollseager adolescent who wants to run his 100th level druid/illusionist/samurai -- don't scream at him. Young he is.Ignorant of everything you think is important about FRP he may be. This does not mean that he's either stupid orincompetant. Give him a chance.

Just remember that you aren't going to convince him that your way is superior by insulting him. Nor will killioff his character, or cleverly finding a way to strip it of its magic, or ignoring him during the run. While I've seen althe above used, in no case have they caused a conversion. Instead, you might try explaining things to him, or bettershowing him how Your Way is better...



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A Proposal for Campaign Classification

y Leon von Stauber

onverted to HTML by John H. Kim

What follows is an actual attempt at a complete classfication of campaign styles based on axes. This is the secon

ird stab at this on my part, and certainly not the last. But I did first want to make some acknowledgments.

This is pretty much entirely a summation of other people's ideas, hopefully presented in a manner that will clarifther than obscure, the issues. It draws especially heavily on Rodney's recent and not-so-recent ideas. The ol' plot/wosiness is still in here: I can't remember if that was yours, John, or if you were summarizing the "story/world"

stinction. The Diagetic setting issues here were spurred by Mary's original "romantic/realistic" contrast. Also, I canmember who recently suggested the "Conflictual/Mundane" distinction recently; speak up, so I can properly credit y

the upcoming Web page! (John Kim has inspired me!) And of course, all of the people engaged in the discussions r.g.f.a. have added immeasurably to the exposition and value of these ideas.

Preparation

Plot (Light/Heavy Plot prep)

World (Light/Heavy World prep)

Drama (Light/Heavy Drama)

Diagesis

Realism (Realistic/Fantastic)

Romanticism (Romantic/Nihilistic)

Conflict (Conflictual/Mundane)

Metagame

Authorship (Auteur/Troupe)

Direction (Directed/Natural)

Mechanism (Mechanical/Freeform)

Some of these terms suck. "Mechanism", in particular. "Mundane" seems to imply boredom. Also, is "Diagesisord? Rodney, or somebody, help me out on this one. I couldn't find the def in an online Webster's, and I don't have ardcopy dictionary handy.

Another term for "Plot" might be "Story", and "World" might well be "Setting". "Romanticism" may be more clit's called "Heroism". I'll be taking votes on these names, so speak up!

A note on choosing these terms: on the axes with clear duality (the Diagetic and Metagame axes), I chose the terat seem easier to grasp. For example, from "Fantasy/Realism" I chose "Realism" as the term for the axis, sinceantasy" doesn't seem to get the point across.

reparatory issues

These deal with the *kind* of preparation a GM does. They deal fairly directly with the motivations and limitathind the preparation for a campaign.

ot and World

I still like setting up the Plot and World axes so as to define a plane, as below (again, my apologies to those usin

oportional fonts):

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World axis

10-| /

9-| World /

8-| -oriented /

7-| /

6-| /

5-| /

4-| / Plot

3-| / -oriented

2-| /

1-|/

0-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-| Plot axis0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

The origin (0,0) of this graph is pretty much meaningless -- it indicates no preparation of any kind. "10" on theses might represent some sort of humanly achievable limit on the amount of preparation.

With this, you would describe how much Plot prep and how much World prep went into the campaign, usuallymited by the amount of time the GM has to spend. Campaigns with more time on world design than on plot designould fall into the "upper left" part of the graph, and would loosely be termed "World-oriented". Campaigns which fato the "lower right" would be described as "Plot-oriented". (For those of you with a background in physics, this isalogous to the definition of spacelike and timelike events on a relativistic spacetime diagram.)

(Rodney, your idea to do some basic statistical analysis on this sounded intriguing, but I often wonder if we'reready taking things too far. ;-) )

Drama |-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-| Drama axis

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

My ideas on this have changed, and I agree that this is better viewed as an issue in GM campaign preparation. (e notes on the Direction axis for what happens in play.) It deals with the degree to which the plot or world hinges onramatic necessities" of the PCs. This may still require some definition, but basically it describes how much theot/world hooks into and is dependent upon elements of the PCs' personalities and backgrounds.

A "0" on this axis means that the plot/world is designed completely without regard to the PCs that will be involv"10" describes a plot/world that is formed entirely from PC considerations. This, of course, means that a lightly

ramatic game would probably have the GM design world/plot long before the players make up characters, while thery heavily Dramatic game requires knowledge of already-made (or nearly so) PCs.

Heavily Dramatic could also be called "character-oriented".

Diagetic issues

These are also issues for campaign preparation, but they deal with *what* the GM prepares. They describe theternal characteristics of the campaign or setting.

Realism Fantastic Realistic

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

This is a measure of the extent to which a setting abides by the same physical, sociological, and psychological rat govern the real world. (Of course, we may not all completely agree on what those are!) A "0" on this axis represe

outlandishly fantastical setting which violates everything we know about how the world works (Lovecraft's storiesthe Dreamlands come close), while a "10" is a faithful model of reality (something scientists are still trying tohieve!).



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Romanticism Nihilistic Romantic

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Will the PCs prevail against overwhelming odds (most supers campaigns?)? Or are the PCs doomed, and it's onatter of time (Call of Cthulhu)?- ``Abandon hope, all ye who enter here.''

- The PCs almost can't lose.

Conflict Mundane Conflictual

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Is the setting rife with conflict (war, political intrigue, etc.)? Or are things pretty quiet, and it's up to the PCs to mething interesting to do?- Kansas.

- Bosnia, early 15th-century Europe

Metagame issues

These deal with how a GM handles things on a level external to the game setting or story. Two of these axes are

ly ones in this scheme that really deal with in-play decision-making.

Authorship Troupe Auteur

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

This is a measure of how much authorial control is in the hands of one person. A ``0'' indicates equal control am participants (perhaps no GM as such), a ``10'' disallows any meaningful player input (``control freak'' GMs).

Direction Natural Directed

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

This is an important one. It measures the degree to which the GM will take a hand to keep things ``on track''. In

rected game, the GM will make a conscious attempt to keep things Dramatic (i.e. especially relevant to PCckgrounds and personalities), to keep the Plot moving, to make sure the Conflict level stays high, etc., perhaps givisome setting consistency to do so. In a Naturally-GMed campaign, the GM will interpret and respond to PC action

e way that seems most likely and consistent, given the particular setting, even if some Drama is lost or the Plot israiled.

- Any way the campaign goes is fine.- Complete railroading.

Mechanism Freeform Mechanical

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

This is a measure of how unwilling the GM is to bend or break the rules in favor of game considerations. Its sor

me-mechanically-oriented form of the Direction axis. Note: "Mechanical" is a *terrible* term.- ``Dice? What dice? And did you say something about a rule book?''

- The GM will beat rules lawyers to the punch. ``The dice are always right.''

Comments

This scheme presumes in its descriptions a simplistic pattern of game design followed by game play, and never ain shall meet. Of course, this doesn't actually exist, but I think the system is still valid for the normal routine ofsign/play/design-while-playing/design-some-more/ play/design/etc.



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Notice that I've been using this as a system to classify individual campaigns (or settings, or stories, pick yourvorite). It could also be used to rate general GM tendencies and preferences, which is probably most of what we'll bing in this group.

Did I hear the word "simulation"? Not until now. While this term doesn't have an official place in this classificatymore, I think it's a GM style with which most of us are familiar and which we can comprehend. So here's what I thmulationism is primarily characterized by a strongly Natural style, usually associated with heavy World prep, light ep, light Drama, and a healthy dose of Realism. (At least it's not typically strongly Fantastic.) It's middle of the roade Romantic axis, and usually pretty true to the Mechanical side of things. I think this probably describes Mary prettyell.

If this works, perhaps it would lead to some interesting discussion on the implications of various styles on SODpe of gaming (tabletop, solo, one-on-one, PBM, PBeM, network, IL), and similar issues.

If we can get a lot of this stuff on the campaign/GM side of things to shake out soon, then I think it's time to turntention back to the role-playing/player side. Some nuggets of ideas for RP classification:

Narrative Stances

Audience

Author

Actor

In-character

Proactive/Reactive PCsPC (integration into)/(dependence upon) setting

PCs with many/few dramatic hooks

hn H. Kim ast modified: Tue May 6 16:41:21 2003

The Types of Play, Player & Campaign

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