The right game model doesn't exists
TAGS: #THINKTANK
Last week I read this interesting post from a ‘guru’ of the industry: Succeeding at Failing.
I admit I am not a fan of the ‘creating the story’ approach, this is a matter of both tastes and background. I have always played RPGs according to the traditional way, the ‘experiencing the story’ approach. In this sense, I had both great and painful experiences (according to the GM, of course!) and in any case I still think this is the right way for me to live the RPG.
The main outcomes I got from the post quoted above are:
Consistency: in case of ‘creating the story’ approach there could be the risk to get to a point where a situation could not be consistent or at least which it could not be explained with a sound rationale.
Outcomes: the single agenda of a player in a ‘creating the story’ approach could lead to a point towards a situation which could be either wonderful or a real nightmare… why should this risk be taken?
With VI·VIII·X it is possible to play in a way decoupled from the mechanics. The rule which grants PC’s advancement requires that the GM asks to the player whether or not his PC will succeed (in a main action): in this case the GM could even take the liberty to follow what is the prediction of the player instead of looking after the application of the game mechanic. If the perception of the GM is that the statement of the player is as a matter of fact the expectation of the player, then the first example of the quoted post can be deployed!
Keeping in mind the two models (creating vs experiencing) I am comfortable when I say that despite the fact VI·VIII·X has been thought over the ‘experiencing the story’ model, there is room for the second approach as well. A rule has been added in this sense: it is possible to ‘spend’ one or more Morality points in order to get in-game outcomes like when in a movie the protagonist is cornered and finds a way out with a twist. Therefore VI·VIII·X is one of those games which
“allows a character to succeed or fail based on the player’s (or GM’s) idea rather than the character’s mechanics”.
To wrap it up: the most important concept I used to build the game mechanics of VI·VIII·X is not the character’s success. These are two features strictly tied together: the importance of consistency in (PC) life and the valors used to found the consistency. These are two elements totally ‘demodé’ compared to modern RPGs and this makes me confident of the failure of my game in a market dominated by current trends (which are clearly going in an opposite direction)… however the very little mark I will leave on this earth with this game makes me extremely happy and the idea of having one only GM embracing my ideas and perceiving how satisfying is this kind of model is more than enough for me!