Interesting article from the author of Electrion Bastionland

[kyoryu]

https://www.bastionland.com/2018/09/...on-choice.html

Information, Choice, Impact.

The basic idea is that a (I'll say "a" and not "the") main loop of an RPG is exactly this - the players are provided information. The players make a choice. The players are told the impact of their choice... this includes new information, which starts the loop over again.

It implicitly recommends a few things - notably, making sure that the players have enough information to make choices, and also to make sure that the choices aren't single-dimensional enough that the choice is actually interesting, rather than a single "correct" choice.

[Martin Greywolf]

As long as you are far away from DnD style TTRPGs, then sure. DnD itself has a tactical puzzle as its core engagement loop, which is almost completely separate (mechanically at any rate) from the things happening outside of it, like social interaction. That's not to say you can't convince allies to join you via diplomacy, the idea here is that, mechanically speaking, you can only affect the starting conditions of said tactical puzzle, with very little in the realm of exceptions a la inspiring speeches.

That means that DnD should already provide interesting tactical decisions out of the box, provided one designing the encounter had a modicum of imagination. That's both a strength (you get interesting decisionmaking for free) and a weakness - you don't really learn how to set up those decisions at the plot level. It also caters to a specific subset of TTRPG players only.

[Jason]

The Angry GM has been saying much the same thing for years.

[kyoryu]

As long as you are far away from DnD style TTRPGs, then sure. DnD itself has a tactical puzzle as its core engagement loop, which is almost completely separate (mechanically at any rate) from the things happening outside of it, like social interaction. That's not to say you can't convince allies to join you via diplomacy, the idea here is that, mechanically speaking, you can only affect the starting conditions of said tactical puzzle, with very little in the realm of exceptions a la inspiring speeches.

That means that DnD should already provide interesting tactical decisions out of the box, provided one designing the encounter had a modicum of imagination. That's both a strength (you get interesting decisionmaking for free) and a weakness - you don't really learn how to set up those decisions at the plot level. It also caters to a specific subset of TTRPG players only.

Well, it's kind of interesting because in D&D that loop exists, with combat being (in some cases) the result of a choice, and figuring out the impact of that choice.

That obviously falls for cases where the players are on a completely linear adventure, where there's no real choices being made. That's why I said "a" main loop, rather than "the" main loop - though it's the main loop I'm personally interested in.

[Pelle]

https://www.bastionland.com/2018/09/...on-choice.html

Information, Choice, Impact.

The basic idea is that a (I'll say "a" and not "the") main loop of an RPG is exactly this - the players are provided information. The players make a choice. The players are told the impact of their choice... this includes new information, which starts the loop over again.

It implicitly recommends a few things - notably, making sure that the players have enough information to make choices, and also to make sure that the choices aren't single-dimensional enough that the choice is actually interesting, rather than a single "correct" choice.

I think it really is what has been the best practice for the OSR, with its focus on player agency and high stakes. I think Chris is really good at articulating it however, and I find myself gravitating towards his gaming philospohy.

The Angry GM has been saying much the same thing for years.

Dunno, what I remember of the earliest articles I read from Angry GM was all about narrative and combat math, while it's in later years that his blog has taken on more OSR sensibilities...