Answer: I'm a little worried I'm going to run out of alternate questions before this month is up. I've already answered three and this will be my fourth not even half a month in. I've just recently come back to gaming, so any revelatory experience I might have had has been lost in the haze of the past. I stopped playing instead of changing. It will be interesting to me to see if I have a different perspective on gaming so many years later and if I will be challenged to change my play style in this new world. Any who, onto today's alternate.
Answer: I'm going to start my answer by referencing this comic book ad for the Moldvay/Cook/Marsh B/X version of D&D. For whatever reason I associated the kids in this ad with the ultimate role-playing experience. I even used to dream about one day have a table and chairs like ones in this picture. Why? Because they look like they're having fun, which is what anyone wants out of an RPG experience. But what then constitutes fun?
For me, role-playing fun means losing yourself in the story, feeling like you're in the midst of the action, on the verge on solving a mystery. As a GM it means watching your players thrill to the world and the adventure you've set before them. As a player it means playing losing yourself in the character and feeling good that you were able to work out the puzzle, make it through the last fight by the skin of your teeth, or find the secret door out of the dungeon. I want to imagine myself in a stranger, more magical world than the one I normally inhabit.
In terms of tone, my perfect RPG experience would have some laughs, but it would also have some weight and gravitas as well. I want to feel the thrill of danger and risk as a player and the excitement as a GM of knowing the PCs are getting to the good part. Any good RPG should be able to give you that thrill of suspense, and wanting to dive forward to see what happens next.
No comments:
Post a Comment