|
1 <?xml version='1.0'?> |
|
2 <!DOCTYPE article PUBLIC "-//OASIS//DTD DocBook XML V4.2//EN" |
|
3 "/usr/share/sgml/docbook/dtd/xml/4.2/docbookx.dtd"> |
|
4 <article> |
|
5 <articleinfo> |
|
6 <title>Mood-based Events Resolution Mechanics</title> |
|
7 <subtitle>The DRI/AIDO Events Resolution Taxonomy</subtitle> |
|
8 <abstract> |
|
9 <para>In this article, the author propose a taxonomy of |
|
10 resolution mechanics in role-playing game. The objective of |
|
11 this taxonomy is to provide a basis for orienting the choice |
|
12 of a resolution system not based on the action being |
|
13 simulated, but instead on the mood that the GM want to create. |
|
14 For this, the taxonomy will be compare to other existing model |
|
15 of events resolution, such as the DKF hierarchy, and especially |
|
16 its subelements, which are FatS, FitM and FatE.</para> |
|
17 </abstract> |
|
18 <keywordset> |
|
19 <keyword>resolution mechanics</keyword> |
|
20 <keyword>Drama-Kharma-Fortune (DKF) hierarchy</keyword> |
|
21 <keyword>Fortune-at-the-Start (FatS)</keyword> |
|
22 <keyword>Fortune-in-the-Middle (FitM)</keyword> |
|
23 <keyword>Fortune-at-the-End (FatE)</keyword> |
|
24 <keyword>DRI resolution taxonomy</keyword> |
|
25 <keyword>AIDO events taxonomy</keyword> |
|
26 <keyword>role-playing game</keyword> |
|
27 <keyword>system design</keyword> |
|
28 <keyword>play flow</keyword> |
|
29 </keywordset> |
|
30 <author> |
|
31 <firstname>Fabien</firstname> |
|
32 <surname>Niñoles</surname> |
|
33 </author> |
|
34 <copyright> |
|
35 <year>2003</year> |
|
36 <holder>Fabien Niñoles</holder> |
|
37 </copyright> |
|
38 |
|
39 <revhistory> |
|
40 <revision> |
|
41 <revnumber>0.1cvs :</revnumber> |
|
42 <date>2003-01-01</date> |
|
43 <revdescription> |
|
44 <para>Initial release (incomplete).</para> |
|
45 </revdescription> |
|
46 </revision> |
|
47 </revhistory> |
|
48 </articleinfo> |
|
49 <section id="intro"> |
|
50 <title>Introduction</title> |
|
51 |
|
52 <para>I try for a long time to create a truely generic |
|
53 role-playing system, able to handle a large range of both scale, |
|
54 but also genre or atmosphere of role-playing game. Those goals |
|
55 were often considered like a chimera impossible to reach, since |
|
56 some playing goals are just complementary to each other, as |
|
57 opposed to each other by their very own nature. Still, I was |
|
58 sure that it was possible although the idea were very vague. |
|
59 Although some people will put this confidence as a symptom of my |
|
60 great stubborness, pointing to the many failures of so-call |
|
61 generic role-playing systems in the market to prove it, I think |
|
62 I have an asset on my side: I GMing myself for more than 15 |
|
63 years in the same world with a very high variety of genres and |
|
64 settings that I must mixed together for the pleasure of my |
|
65 players. So, if I can do it, why no other people could? |
|
66 Except, if from words to practice there is a big step, the step |
|
67 backward is often as harder!</para> |
|
68 |
|
69 <para>Looking back at other role-playing systems, and on my many |
|
70 tries to adapt each of them to different settings, I find out |
|
71 that the same settings elements (like magic, combat, health, |
|
72 etc.) but with very different mechanics depending on the mood |
|
73 they want to create. Also, in most role-playing game creators |
|
74 forums, if you ask people what is the most important thing in |
|
75 creating a role-playing game, it's the mood, or the flavour of |
|
76 your role-playing game. Not the system or the setting, but the |
|
77 mood, the genre. Too often, mood and settings where mix |
|
78 together, but is it true? In this case, shouldn't we stop to |
|
79 create mechanics based on specific settings and instead, goes |
|
80 directly to the mood, the real thing that make all the |
|
81 difference between an interesting role-playing game experience |
|
82 and a boring one?</para> |
|
83 |
|
84 <para>This paper is a first attempt to elaborate on what such a |
|
85 role-playing game must contain. In fact, it goes a little more |
|
86 farther than this, as well as a little bit narrower. We will |
|
87 study a single aspect of role-playing game, tough an important |
|
88 one, which is the events resolution system, but we will study it |
|
89 in depth, questionning even the way GM treat this aspect of |
|
90 role-playing game, but keeping our focus on how the mechanics of |
|
91 events resolution can be used to create a specific mood.</para> |
|
92 |
|
93 </section> |
|
94 |
|
95 <section id="whatisit"> |
|
96 <title>What is events resolution?</title> |
|
97 |
|
98 <para>What's events resolution? Ask in the role-playing community |
|
99 and you'll end up with a lot of answer which more or less |
|
100 resumed to something like <quote>It's when you're rolling |
|
101 dice.</quote>. Well, this may be exact for some rpg but clearly |
|
102 not for all of them and especially this is a little bit short to |
|
103 define what's a major component of all role-playing games. For |
|
104 the purpose of this article, I want to use a little more broad |
|
105 definition, which will be develop a little more later but we can |
|
106 be first state as:</para> |
|
107 |
|
108 <blockquote> |
|
109 <para>The process by which the players decide on the follow-up |
|
110 of the current role-playing situation.</para> |
|
111 </blockquote> |
|
112 |
|
113 <para>This definition is quite broad. In fact, a whole |
|
114 role-playing game session can be resume with it: a situation is |
|
115 described, some options are offered and players decide, in |
|
116 accordance with their common judgements, rules, and/or some |
|
117 randomization mechanism, what will happen next. This new |
|
118 situation can then create another resolution events, forming a |
|
119 long chain of events, or, sometime, the resolution itself |
|
120 include it's own chain of more specific events. For example, |
|
121 the initial situation can be that the players families where all |
|
122 kill in a monstruous carnage. Players decide to investigate and |
|
123 get some justice for their family. The possible outcome is that |
|
124 either the players get their revenge or not. Which one will be |
|
125 chosen call for a whole chain of events that make an adventure |
|
126 by itself, including a lot of different resolutions.</para> |
|
127 |
|
128 <para>Some people will disagree with this very broad approach, too |
|
129 generic to correctly representing a role-playing game session |
|
130 with its non-linearity, multiple subplots and surprised events |
|
131 coming into play. On the contrary, I find it important to |
|
132 concentrate on such details. Too many role-playing session have |
|
133 seen its players lost their first goal and often, concentrating |
|
134 back to the primary goal of the game help GM and even players to |
|
135 focus back on the game and add some coherence to the whole |
|
136 story. We will see also how this can help GM resolved events in |
|
137 a more meaningful way by opening their usual methods of |
|
138 resolution for typical situations.</para> |
|
139 |
|
140 <section id="previousworks"> |
|
141 <title>Previous works on event resolution</title> |
|
142 |
|
143 <para>Although I doesn't pretend to make a complete presentation |
|
144 of every studies on events resolution, I should at least |
|
145 mention the work of others that influence a lot this |
|
146 taxonomy.</para> |
|
147 |
|
148 <para>First of all, the most popular model for events resolution |
|
149 is clearly Johnathan Tweet's Drama-Kharma-Fortune (or |
|
150 <abbrev>DKF</abbrev>) hierarchy. First publish into Everway |
|
151 RPG, the work was taken back by Ron Edwards which make it an |
|
152 important part of his role-playing game theory. The DKF |
|
153 hierarchy is mostly concern with the resolution mechanics |
|
154 itself, defining the choice of resolution mechanics as a |
|
155 hierarchy where more and more control at give from the players |
|
156 to the rules and some randomizers like dice. So, the |
|
157 principle of the hierarchy is to emphasis on players control |
|
158 instead of rules, an approach I will also try to |
|
159 follow.</para> |
|
160 |
|
161 <para>Children of the DKF, the Fortune-at-the-Start (or |
|
162 <abbrev>FatS</abbrev>), Fortune-in-the-Middle (or |
|
163 <abbrev>FitM</abbrev>) and Fortune-at-the-End (or |
|
164 <abbrev>FatE</abbrev>), is another taxonomy of resolution |
|
165 mechanics that try to study more specifically how Fortune |
|
166 resolution can be used to favorised players control over rules |
|
167 or fortune control. It is slightly different of the DKF |
|
168 itself, but kept mostly the same point of view, that I will |
|
169 try to include in this taxonomy.</para> |
|
170 |
|
171 <para>Finally, I want to include the excellent work of Hunter |
|
172 Logan in the Impossible Dream column of RPG.net. |
|
173 Specifically, M. Logan talk about Play Flow, in a very similar |
|
174 although more detailed approach as I used to describe events |
|
175 resolution, as well as Balance of Power, which explain how the |
|
176 Play Flow can influence the balance between players, GM and |
|
177 rules. I will compare the work of M. Logan with my own work |
|
178 in a later section. M. Logan also get back the three ladders |
|
179 of the DKF hierarchy but used it in a more |
|
180 <emphasis>dissecting</emphasis> way to describe resolution |
|
181 mechanics. He has however the good taste to used a different |
|
182 naming so that we not confused his definitions with those of |
|
183 misters Tweet and Edwards, calling his Three Means Chance, |
|
184 Ability and Intent. Currently only used to describe different |
|
185 resolutioons mechanics, by the time of this writing, we still |
|
186 don't know how M. Logan want to use it in correlation with his |
|
187 Play Flow and Balance of Power.</para> |
|
188 |
|
189 <para>Another interesting reading is <ulink |
|
190 url="http://www.rpg.net/news+reviews/collists/ruleslaw.html">The |
|
191 Travel of Mendes Pinto</ulink> by Sergio Mascarenhas. This |
|
192 amateur role-playing game is not only excellent but a very |
|
193 good reading for all the notes and explanation that the author |
|
194 give on his design. The section 4 about action is especially |
|
195 relevant here, since the author elaborate his own theory about |
|
196 game action resolution, which consist in a context, a goal, a |
|
197 performance and an outcome. I will also try to respond to the |
|
198 elements appearing there and to the excellent ideas that |
|
199 populate the game.</para> |
|
200 |
|
201 <para>This resume quite briefly what I consider as the most |
|
202 important elements of actual Role Playing theories about |
|
203 resolution mechanics. This is by far a complete survey since |
|
204 such survey is very hard to done (must libraries doesn't keep |
|
205 a good set of role-playing theories books, or even magazine, |
|
206 and also, must of the litterature on the subject was done in |
|
207 either commercial rpg, special editors magazines, and other |
|
208 difficult to consult elements). I will be please to heard |
|
209 about different approach to events resolutions, especially |
|
210 those that break with the current tendancy to consider events |
|
211 resolution strictly in terms of rules mechanics.</para> |
|
212 |
|
213 </section> |
|
214 |
|
215 </section> |
|
216 |
|
217 <section id="DRI"> |
|
218 <title>DRI Events Resolution Taxonomy</title> |
|
219 |
|
220 <para>What the DRI stand for? DRI stands for Definition, |
|
221 Resolution and Interpretation, the three steps involved in every |
|
222 event resolutions mechanics. The view of DRI on event |
|
223 resolution makes it very near the definition of play flow, as |
|
224 specify by Hunter Logan in his RPG.net's column <quote>The |
|
225 Impossible Dream</quote>, and as such can be considered the |
|
226 central element of any RPG, whatever freeform or rules-light it |
|
227 can be. However, although this taxonomy take good notice of |
|
228 some narrative aspect of RPG, it doesn't explore as in depth it |
|
229 could have. Doing so, it neglected an important part of RPG, |
|
230 part which can play a great role to the immersion of the player. |
|
231 However, the interest of the method are more into the |
|
232 interactive elements of narration, as well as of the decision |
|
233 process in RPG, a very different topic. So, to avoid to mix |
|
234 thing too much and having a too broad and often useless tool, |
|
235 the taxonomy accept to be less general than other method and |
|
236 keep focus on its primary goal: offering a good understanding of |
|
237 the resolution mechanics of RPG, so that the designer as well as |
|
238 the game master can choose the best fit for the system or the |
|
239 situation at hand.</para> |
|
240 |
|
241 <para>So, DRI is a mean to classify the process of events |
|
242 resolution in RPG. The taxonomy identify three important part |
|
243 in events resolution: the Definition of the events, the |
|
244 effective Resolution and finally the Interpretation of the |
|
245 results. Each of them happen in order, and different games or |
|
246 play style will put a different emphasis on different steps, |
|
247 putting more or less details in one, taking more time in another |
|
248 or according more or less power to the players, the GM or the |
|
249 rules in another part. We will see how all those aspects affect |
|
250 the role-playing experience in a <link |
|
251 linkend="DRIFortune">later section</link>, but let just |
|
252 consider the definitions currently:</para> |
|
253 |
|
254 <variablelist id="dridefinitions"> |
|
255 <varlistentry id="definitiondef"> |
|
256 <term>Definition</term> |
|
257 |
|
258 <listitem> |
|
259 <para>Each events can be defined using a set of parameters. |
|
260 Some parameters are mundane, or in game, such as the event |
|
261 description, who's involved and in which manners, what's |
|
262 the possible outcomes and what are the odds for each of |
|
263 them, and which parameters can influence them, like |
|
264 difficulties, materials or skills. But another important |
|
265 aspect are more on the narrative, or meta-game, level: How |
|
266 important is the event to the story? Are they any outcome |
|
267 that is necessary for a good continuation? Are they any |
|
268 outcome that is unwanted? And what are the general |
|
269 purpose of the event for the game? Which atmosphere such |
|
270 events must create? Those narrative elements are often |
|
271 more important than the mundane ones.</para> |
|
272 </listitem> |
|
273 </varlistentry> |
|
274 <varlistentry id="resolutiondef"> |
|
275 <term>Resolution</term> |
|
276 |
|
277 <listitem> |
|
278 <para>The next step is to determine the resolution mechanics |
|
279 used to resolved the event. There is many way to |
|
280 determine the final issue of an event. The taxonomy here |
|
281 doesn't aim to describe them in details but instead try to |
|
282 precise which caracteristics such mechanics should have to |
|
283 handle the event just describe previously.</para> |
|
284 </listitem> |
|
285 </varlistentry> |
|
286 <varlistentry id="interpretationdef"> |
|
287 <term>Interpretation</term> |
|
288 |
|
289 <listitem> |
|
290 <para>Finally, the resolution mechanics give just the choice |
|
291 of an outcome, but this in fact let to the players, again |
|
292 both GM and role-players, some liberties of |
|
293 interpretation. The interpretation can contain two parts: |
|
294 the effective performance (what happen) and the outcome |
|
295 (the result). This last one doesn't need to be choose |
|
296 from the possible outcome determine in the first step and |
|
297 can even be completely different. Don't hesitate to |
|
298 create new situations from it, it will just add to the |
|
299 story. Also, as for the <link |
|
300 linkend="resolutiondef">resolution</link>, the goal of |
|
301 this article is not to describe them but instead to make |
|
302 them in relation with the two previous elements.</para> |
|
303 </listitem> |
|
304 </varlistentry> |
|
305 </variablelist> |
|
306 |
|
307 <section id="DRIFortune"> |
|
308 |
|
309 <para>The control on the game events can be seen accross two |
|
310 dimensions: who have it and for which part they have it. The |
|
311 current RPG theory currently have two models for it: The |
|
312 Fortune model, describe through the <acronym>FatE</acronym>, |
|
313 <acronym>FatS</acronym> and <acronym>FitM</acronym> acronyms, |
|
314 which is related to when the players control the game, and the |
|
315 Balance of Power (<acronym>BoP</acronym>), which is more |
|
316 concern about balance between the players, the GM, and the |
|
317 rules.</para> |
|
318 |
|
319 <para>DRI provide a model based on the Fortune one, and so is |
|
320 more concern about the when then the whom. Although I |
|
321 consider this issue very important, is just that the current |
|
322 model doesn't add anything very useful to it. We can all see |
|
323 who are in control at which moment, but it's less clear how |
|
324 the exact balance is affected. I let's this to the BoP |
|
325 model.</para> |
|
326 |
|
327 <para>The original Fortune model include three different models: |
|
328 FatE, FatS and FitM. FatE, which stand for |
|
329 Fortune-at-the-End, is the most popular one: players describe |
|
330 what they try to achieve and roll the dice (or enable any |
|
331 resolution mechanics asked by the rules) and see if they |
|
332 succeed. This model is the one where the players have the |
|
333 less control on their character's destiny, since although they |
|
334 can decide what they do, they can't do anything to oriented the |
|
335 game after a bad roll, leading to PC die, etc.</para> |
|
336 |
|
337 <para>Fortune-at-the-Start try to give more power on the players |
|
338 about the issue of an action. The player roll the dice first, |
|
339 and seeing the result, decide what to do. This is most often |
|
340 used for initiative rolls, although some games try to use it |
|
341 for their resolution system, for example by letting the |
|
342 players draw cards and choosing their actions based on the |
|
343 cards in hand. FatS let you more control on the issues, and |
|
344 so on the story. FatS allow you to avoid most bad situation |
|
345 without need to fudging the dice, although it gives players |
|
346 less freedom on what their characters can do.</para> |
|
347 |
|
348 <para>Fortune-in-the-Middle, you guess, is a mix between both |
|
349 the precedent. The players choose their actions, call the |
|
350 resolution mechanics and, based on the results, describe their |
|
351 actions. This is the model which give the more narrative |
|
352 control on the events by the players.</para> |
|
353 |
|
354 <para>In DRI terminology, the three model can be describe using |
|
355 camel-cased variations of DRI. The use of uppercase signal |
|
356 players' control for this part of the events resolution, where |
|
357 a lower case letter signal rules control. So, FatE will be |
|
358 Dri, FatS drI, and FitM will be DrI. One will remark that the |
|
359 three models don't contain an uppercase R. It's may be seen |
|
360 obvious, giving this, that the reason for this it's, as long |
|
361 you are using fortune, calling to the resolution mechanics is |
|
362 always giving the control to the rule. Elsewhere, the game is |
|
363 no more contain Fortune element and so, can be better describe |
|
364 using either the Drama or Kharma mechanics. Well, I choose to |
|
365 say no to this hypothesis. Player cans have the control here |
|
366 too. Usually, players or GM let the rules describe which |
|
367 resolution mechanics used for a specific action: used this |
|
368 dice roll under this statistic for combat, or roll this |
|
369 statistic that number of time until you succeed thrice or |
|
370 more. A R system will offer you to choose the mechanic based |
|
371 on what you want the action to look like, not what's more |
|
372 appropriate. Used open roll for cinematic action, used |
|
373 extended roll to put more thrill, used simple roll on |
|
374 unimportant issues. Briefly, based your mechanic on narrative |
|
375 factors, instead of descriptive ones, since what you really |
|
376 want it's a good story and good atmosphere, nor an objective |
|
377 description of events. Although this look like a very |
|
378 narrative statements, credible simulations can still be |
|
379 achieve by such system. Currently, RPG used only one or two |
|
380 universal mechanics for most of their events resolutions. |
|
381 Simulation is often reach more through fine-tuned parameters, |
|
382 detailed tables or statistics or other related parameter, not |
|
383 through the specific resolution mechanics. Also, most |
|
384 resolution mechanics can be easily modified to give the same |
|
385 probabilities but with a different overall feeling. Since |
|
386 only the probabilities are essential for good simulation, this |
|
387 part is untouched and so can mood-based simulation system is a |
|
388 possible dream.</para> |
|
389 |
|
390 </section> |
|
391 |
|
392 </section> |
|
393 |
|
394 <section id="definition"> |
|
395 <title>Defining Events</title> |
|
396 |
|
397 <para role="todo">Explain how to define elements.</para> |
|
398 |
|
399 <section id="narrative"> |
|
400 <title>Narrative Elements</title> |
|
401 |
|
402 <para role="todo"> |
|
403 Must find how to determine narrative elements |
|
404 </para> |
|
405 |
|
406 </section> |
|
407 |
|
408 <section id="mundane"> |
|
409 <title>Mundane Elements</title> |
|
410 <para role="todo"> |
|
411 Actors |
|
412 Issues |
|
413 Decisions |
|
414 Outcomes |
|
415 </para> |
|
416 </section> |
|
417 |
|
418 </section> |
|
419 |
|
420 <section id="resolution"> |
|
421 <title>Resolution</title> |
|
422 |
|
423 <para role="todo"> |
|
424 Example on how to use the resolution mechanics. |
|
425 </para> |
|
426 |
|
427 <section id="DKF"> |
|
428 <title>The DKF Resolution Model</title> |
|
429 |
|
430 <para role="todo">How the DKF is related to all of this. |
|
431 Including what's DKF and how it complement the taxonomy.</para> |
|
432 |
|
433 </section> |
|
434 |
|
435 </section> |
|
436 |
|
437 <section id="interpretation"> |
|
438 <title>Interpretation</title> |
|
439 |
|
440 <para role="todo">Frankly, I don't know.</para> |
|
441 </section> |
|
442 |
|
443 <section id="history"> |
|
444 <title>History of the ABC/DKF model.</title> |
|
445 |
|
446 <para role="todo">Historic of the taxonomy.</para> |
|
447 |
|
448 </section> |
|
449 |
|
450 <section id="ack"> |
|
451 <title>Acknowledgements</title> |
|
452 |
|
453 <para role="todo">Acknowledge Mason, HighlandGreen and Pat |
|
454 "Sleeper", as well as Ron Oswald and the author of Everway.</para> |
|
455 |
|
456 </section> |
|
457 |
|
458 </article> |
|
459 <!-- Keep this comment at the end of the file |
|
460 Local variables: |
|
461 mode: xml |
|
462 sgml-omittag:nil |
|
463 sgml-shorttag:nil |
|
464 sgml-namecase-general:nil |
|
465 sgml-general-insert-case:lower |
|
466 sgml-minimize-attributes:nil |
|
467 sgml-always-quote-attributes:t |
|
468 sgml-indent-step:2 |
|
469 sgml-indent-data:t |
|
470 sgml-parent-document:nil |
|
471 sgml-default-dtd-file:"/home/fabien/.sgml/article.ced" |
|
472 sgml-exposed-tags:nil |
|
473 sgml-local-catalogs:nil |
|
474 sgml-local-ecat-files:nil |
|
475 End: |
|
476 --> |