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elliott20
2007-11-29, 04:07 PM
Recently, I've taken to playing with a bunch of guys who are into indy gaming systems. (Specifically, the Fate system and Burning Wheel system)

The whole concept they had was that roleplaying games should be a lot more like interactive novels/movies than just space vacuum for exploration, that the protagonists, while should have freedom to do what they want, should only be playing from scene to scene instead of trying to play out every detail.

This concept was supported very well by the Fate system (and even better by it's derivative game, Spirits of the Century), where your narrative devices actually have an impact on your gameplay. It's a very interesting system, in my opinion, with surprisingly simple mechanics.

But anyway, their philosophy towards gaming is very interesting and actually helps contribute greatly towards how I design and create adventures.

Does anyone else use a similar approach when gaming?

AKA_Bait
2007-11-29, 05:27 PM
Not sure if I understand exactly what you mean by this, as I have no exp with those systems, but if you mean what I call 'cutting to the chase' where time spent going from point a to point b where nothing plot effective happens is kept to an absolute minimum as are other actions that can be taken 'off screen' like buying potions then yes.

averagejoe
2007-11-29, 05:44 PM
I, too, do not fully understand what you mean. I mean, I tend to keep more of an emphasis on coolness and cinematics than making sure every little rule is followed.

I'm not quite sure how narrative devices can avoid having an impact on gameplay. I mean, every narrative device I've used, in any system, has had an impact on gameplay.

elliott20
2007-11-30, 11:20 AM
The concept of Scene based game really is just a difference in design philosophy.

Prior to this, I would design adventures around hooks, dungeons, creatures, and such. Pretty much, exploration elements. I would approach the game the way I would approach a video game. The players would be guided somewhat as to what to do next, but for the most part, I simply give them a backdrop to explore freely with occasional obstacles thrown in.

This approach gave them the sandbox feel and it works if your players can motivate themselves to find goals and what not. However, on the flip side of that, there is also a chance that players might lose focus of what it is they're playing towards. They might either miss the key thing to move on with the game or they could get obsessed with some other detail that really does nothing but derail the game further.

In cinematic based games, you think of the game in terms of scenes. What is the point of the scene? what is the lighting? what is the mood? You think of the game more as a movie with ad-lib scripts/plots than the environment.

Once the point of the scene has been reached, we move on. If something repetitive needs to happen, we get a montage scene instead.

while in practice, this might not be too different from most games, there is a subtle difference in how games are conceived and how the GM controls the pace of the game.

zaei
2007-11-30, 12:30 PM
I absolutely love the idea of Fate. Catch Phrases and Nemeses as "class features" is awesome beyond words. The unintiated should click here (http://faterpg.com/).

I like the mechanics, and the ability to describe what is going on in terms of plot. If I get into a fight and get "killed", I can choose to describe that in different terms based on what the game needs (For instance, I could simply be knocked out for the rest of the encounter, or, for something more cinematic, I could actually die). E6 has a similar "death flag" mechanic, which basically gives you 4 action points (similar to fate points in Fate) in return for saying "my character can now be killed."

Prometheus
2007-11-30, 12:36 PM
So for instance, like a choose your own adventure as opposed to roleplaying? I fail how to see how this is much different the restricting the choices the PCs are even able to make. Granted you could describe the scene in great detail for each action, but if you're going to do all that work for what might have been, I'd rather write a program to navigate through the scenes, so that the game could be played more than once and shared with others rather than do it across the tabletop.

elliott20
2007-11-30, 01:09 PM
It's not quite as simplistic as that. The concept behind the Fate system is that the players sometimes for a price, have greater affect on the adventure than just what is made available by the GM. But don't forget, the GM still supplies the story, the setting, and everything else. It's just that, the players now have a bit more control over the extenuating circumstances.

Fate system is not nearly as relevant though so much as it's just one of the example systems out there that uses scenes as the basis of it's game. the philosophy, I believe can be taken for ANY system. In terms of 3E what does that mean? It doesn't mean you have to write a million possible branching scenarios, trying to prepare for every possible storyline. It just means you spend more time thinking about the point of each scene and play to that goal.