It's easily the best gaming-related podcast I've ever listened to. Episode 21 (the most recent) opens with a 30-minute discussion of how to be a better player that I think should be mandatory listening for every gamer - player and GM alike. Even if you don't agree with what they have to say (I myself am no huge fan of Laws' approach to what makes game rules "good"), there's always plenty of interesting food for thought to chew on. Here's one, also from the most recent episode, roughly paraphrased:
[Talking about the holy grail of old school play, the sandbox free of any built-in story.] "The GM designing his dungeon says to himself, 'These four rooms will be less dangerous, this fifth room will be super-dangerous.' You're telling a story with your dungeon design!"
The first half of this episode offered some of the most interesting ideas they've done so far. Each episode is strong, but this one had practical implications.
ReplyDeleteHere here, I love that podcast as well - it's really good listening. I'm a Pelgrane fan-boy, so I appreciate all the occasional Pelgrane insider bits, too.
ReplyDeleteOoh, that comment about sandbox design is worth unpacking a bit though. Of course the DM is making story-related choices during dungeon stocking, but unless it's a linear design (like the popular "5-room dungeon technique") the players still choose how or even whether to engage the content. The order of those 5 rooms could always be different, creating much different experiences. But the point is taken; folks protest too much if they claim the sandbox GM isn't injecting any story into the setting; it's the degree of player agency inherent in the sandbox that makes the play style different from more overtly narrated forms.
Yes, that's largely the conclusion I reached as well. I liked the point, though, as it redirects focus towards agency and away from "story=railroad," which is how it seems a lot of people view sandbox vs. non-sandbox. There are story elements inherent in every type of game. It's just a matter of how much leeway the players are expected to have in a given adventure/campaign.
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