I actually find it kinda funny that you're the one arguing against this.
Let's throw some examples for why I find this amusing.
In Werewolf, the implicit 'How' of the game is 'As a pack of Werewolves.' How did it feel when Sasha wasn't a werewolf?
In Paris, the implicit idea of the How was 'as a pack of werewolves and friends' And again, how did it feel when your characters couldn't interact in the same way?
In L5R, the implicit how is 'as magistrates.' Everything done in that game is as magistrates. If one character was off hanging out at the wall, they'd either a) steal the spotlight or b) eventually get dissatisfied with the game because they couldn't interact with it.
Similarly, in D+D, the how is 'as a party of adventurers' so yeah, you like the traps, but if one person was back at the bar, hitting on chicks, the same thing would happen. Either they'd get tired and quit, or they'd steal spotlight time.
My experience with gaming has been that if the how isn't implicit and enforced, the how that gets picked will inevitably sideline a character, intentionally or no.
Ah, I see. In burning empires then, the implicit how is "As the most prominent citizens on Proxeria". A nobody paperboy would certainly be shut out of this arrangement, but fortunately all of the characters are prominent citizens of Proxeria.
It's really counterintuitive. The idea that by limiting story options you increase them is a strange one! But, I feel that most players, when faced with an unknown expanse to play in, will sit down and play with their personal toys rather than going out and interacting with the world.
This idea is what I was trying to encapsulate in gaming agoraphobia. Not so much the fear of gaming outside, as an aversion to too much game space.
See, that's just the thing, that's NOT the implicit how. We could totally have burned up a nobody paperboy and still been in the same game, even if we burned 7 lifepaths on it.
And we AREN'T all prominent citizens, at least not in the same way. Roderick is a pirate/privateer. Hardly in the same league as the Hammer Lord. Misha is part of a massively stomped on minority. Again, not in the same lead as the Lord's Chamberlain/psychic/whatever else.
I think 'as prominent citizens on Proxeria' would be a GREAT How, but it's not established in any way that creates links between characters.
Let's throw some examples for why I find this amusing.
In Werewolf, the implicit 'How' of the game is 'As a pack of Werewolves.' How did it feel when Sasha wasn't a werewolf?
In Paris, the implicit idea of the How was 'as a pack of werewolves and friends' And again, how did it feel when your characters couldn't interact in the same way?
In L5R, the implicit how is 'as magistrates.' Everything done in that game is as magistrates. If one character was off hanging out at the wall, they'd either a) steal the spotlight or b) eventually get dissatisfied with the game because they couldn't interact with it.
Similarly, in D+D, the how is 'as a party of adventurers' so yeah, you like the traps, but if one person was back at the bar, hitting on chicks, the same thing would happen. Either they'd get tired and quit, or they'd steal spotlight time.
My experience with gaming has been that if the how isn't implicit and enforced, the how that gets picked will inevitably sideline a character, intentionally or no.
And fear of gaming outside?
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It's really counterintuitive. The idea that by limiting story options you increase them is a strange one! But, I feel that most players, when faced with an unknown expanse to play in, will sit down and play with their personal toys rather than going out and interacting with the world.
This idea is what I was trying to encapsulate in gaming agoraphobia. Not so much the fear of gaming outside, as an aversion to too much game space.
Reply
And we AREN'T all prominent citizens, at least not in the same way. Roderick is a pirate/privateer. Hardly in the same league as the Hammer Lord. Misha is part of a massively stomped on minority. Again, not in the same lead as the Lord's Chamberlain/psychic/whatever else.
I think 'as prominent citizens on Proxeria' would be a GREAT How, but it's not established in any way that creates links between characters.
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