What gives a game “staying power”?

You know, I knew what the answer to this question was as soon as I read it. However, I second guessed myself. Despite the fact that I know that these questions are prompts and open ended, (hell, I’ve told enough people that they are simply jumping off points), I found myself feeling like I should look at the aspects of the RPGs themselves that make them keep from getting stale. So, I don’t want to waste what I came up with, and to be honest there is a great deal of truth in those answers ~ they just aren’t THE answer. So buckle up.

A game that allows you to stay in the “sweet spot” as long as possible has a greater appeal over time. We have all run into the dilemma where a game suffers from “power creep” (sometimes power sprint). Somewhere in the middle of the competence spectrum is where characters are the most fun. The game I grew up with and all of the iterations since have suffered from some level (pun intended) of that unfortunate phenomenon where the characters become caricatures of themselves ~ (try saying “the characters become caricatures” three times fast). One of the great things I have found about the games powered by Ubiquity (Hollow Earth Expedition, All for One, Desolation, etc.) is that the characters start out competent, and as they improve, they do not become some superhuman versions of themselves. Comparing my musketeer (the incomparable Phillipe Moreau ~ have you not heard of him?) to the stats for D’artagnan shows a considerable expenditure of XP requiring extended long term play, but they can exist together in the same world and both live in the same house in terms of being hyper-competent, but believable human beings. (At least in the pulp heroic sense).

Nostalgia aside, a game can have some staying power if the system makes sense to you and it works for what you want it to do. It seems contradictory, but to a certain point, (and for the right people), a game has staying power if the possibility exists for you to tinker with it to make it interesting again. Maybe it’s in the setting, or maybe it’s in the nuts and bolts of the system, but for some of us an old love becomes fresh when we get under the hood and tinker with it a bit. I think that’s why the OSR has a certain amount of traction. Many games are best treated as “hands off” for me, but my “first girl” just begs to be messed with every once in a while. ~ That’s not as creepy as it sounds, I promise. 😉

The last of the “not quite right” answers is possibilities. When there are new applications of possibilities for a favorite system it can become new again. I look at the Ubiquity rule set and I don’t think I could get to all of the scenarios and ideas I have. There are other systems I have similar feelings about. Of course you have to be careful with that. A system produces a certain feel no matter what, so it’s not as easy as bolting on any old rule set to any old idea ~ but that is a topic for another day.

The other sort of possibilities inherent to a game itself are all of the unexplored parts of a game or system that keep you coming back for more. Broken Rooms is one of those games that I look at longingly as it sits on my shelf. With 13 parallel worlds, 13 meridians of “unusual abilities” and a super freaky unpublished meta-plot that the designer was nice enough to share with me, It’s hard to imagine running out of possibilities with that game for a long, long time.

So what’s the real answer?

There is a downside to the earth not being flat. (Sorry if you’re one of those people – ~ it’s round). RPGaDay starts later each day on the east coast of the USA than it does in other parts of the world like Korea & the UK. ~ This is awesome as I get to listen to and read a near constant stream of answers, but it also means that I have to write my notes early the day before to keep from being affected by their answers. Sometimes I think that some of them have been peeking at my notes. ~ True to form, at 11:30 AM my time during what was to me Day 2 of RPGaDAY, the Slinger of Runes & Caster of Shadows said what I first thought of as the “correct” answer to the question for day 3.

What gives a game staying power are the people involved. The right group of people interacting with the game and making it “real” create something that I want to return to again and again. Sure, the social aspect by itself can be enough for some, but there’s more for me. The whole somehow becomes more than the sum of its parts. The group of players and the characters become something special, something that it’s hard to explain to someone not involved. Situations, scenarios, & genre are all important, and without them the fiction doesn’t work. But when the characters become “real”, everything else does as well. A game where the characters and surrounding fiction become real to the players, where the stakes seem important, and where we become immersed in the experience is something that leaves me wondering when we get to do it again. It’s why our game of All For One ~ Regime Diabolique feels like “home” every time we get to play. (Alas, not often enough!)

What do you look for in an RPG?

I don’t think that I go searching for new RPGs. I hear about them, and sometimes I get interested so I look deeper. I made a short list, but it’s not in any real order. In any event, these are the things that will turn my head (& keep my gaze transfixed the more they show up).

I’m a sucker for a premise. Something unusual or that I personally find compelling. Looking at the Delta Green RPG and the idea that an agency continues to attempt to protect humanity from Lovcraftian Horrors after the initial raid off of Innsmouth, that’s a premise that turns my head. That game may be in my future. ~ All that said, a premise all by itself isn’t enough.

I struggle with settings. It’s something I’ve talked about on my YouTube Vlog, and it’s something I’ll probably talk about here one day. It’s not that I don’t like them, I enjoy a flavorful and nuanced setting as much as the next person, but I have a difficult time internalizing them. So, one thing that makes me smile is when I see a setting that I can learn over time as needed. Something that I can assimilate piecemeal as we play.

I love an interesting mechanic. Systems & mechanics fascinate me. There’s something magical that happens when I see a novel mechanic and the system around it & I can see how the fiction can be shaped around it. I can visualize what kind of fingerprint this will put on the experience. Sometimes I can learn to love a premise if the system captures my imagination. ~ A caveat is that I don’t want the mechanic to take center stage, rather I get excited when I see that it can get the fiction to the spotlight in an interesting and different way. Strange that I guy who doesn’t want too many rules loves them so much.

Good writing grabs my attention right away. Writing RPG texts is a science and an art. A real skill with a healthy dose of feel & mojo thrown in. I love it when an RPG is written like a technical manual. Everything is clearly defined, the terms remain the same so you aren’t juggling synonyms trying to figure out what they’re talking about (is a spell the same thing as a ritual? was that on page 217?). I love clear instructions, good examples, flow charts, etc, and I really take appreciate it when books are presented in a redundant manner. Tech Noir is one of those RPGs that I found used redundancy to great effect in teaching you how to play the game without having to flip back and forth. ~ Now, an RPG manual that does all that and still presents the material in an engaging manner is a thing of beauty. When these things are absent? Well, RPGaDAY is about being positive…. 😉

Last but not least is good design. I could call this coherence, although I might be misappropriating that term slightly from its original use regarding RPGs. What I mean is, I look for games that don’t fight themselves mechanically. When a game says it is about pulp heroics and action & the mechanics produce a pulp heroic feel, it is a win. When the various parts of the system interact well together and produce results aligned with the fiction and the genre, this might not get my attention on its own, but if something else on the list has turned my head, this will certainly assure me that the game is worth a further look.

There are other things I look for, but often these are more ephemeral and change with my evolving interests, biases, & preferences. ~ Tune in Tomorrow for staying power!

What do I love about RPGs? ~ Good Question. After a year of paying for this blog, i figured it would be a good idea to start using it. RPGaDAY seems to be a good impetus for doing just that.

As a child I had a vivid fantasy life. Part of this was an effort on my part to create a safe & predictable place for myself during a childhood that was less than ideal. I was introduced to fantasy and science fiction at a very early age, & fell in love with those genres. Having been born in 1968 (could you guess!?!) I experienced the 70s in all of their resplendent glory , including all of the cutting edge fantastic media available at that time.

Retreating to my fantasy life & daydreams, I often imagined myself in these captivating settings. However, frequently I imagined myself as someone else. (Unless you’re in Narnia, being a 10 year old uncoordinated somewhat overweight young boy tended to be a deficit). ~ Hearing about and finally being exposed to RPGs (in this case it was 1981 B/X D&D) opened up a whole new world to me. The idea that I could be an active participant in scenarios set in these compelling worlds, that i could be someone else, that my imagination wasn’t the only one contributing to to fiction, that it would be surprising and unpredictable, all of that drew me in. So yeah, all of that is a part of what I love about RPGs.

Likewise, I’m not sure if you can relate, but frequently i have finished a book, series, movie, show, etc, & found myself imagining “what happens next?” ~  RPGs allow me to explore settings that I have come to love. Also, unlike those books or movies where you are at the mercy of the author if you want another fix, an RPG campaign can be taken off of the shelf at any time & we can play to discover what happens next.

All of these still contribute to my love of RPGs, but age brings sophistication & introspection. Over time I have come to realize that I value an experience where we become immersed in the scenarios, the characters, & the settings ~ an experience where things become “real”. Sure, I still enjoy lighthearted sessions & always laugh a lot when I play. However, something magical happens when our shared imagination produces a world and characters every bit as real as our own world and selves.

Last but not least, human connections have become more important to me as time has gone on. We develop different kinds of friendships & relationships depending upon how we know each other. As gamers ours become unusual connections. We share fictitious yet “real” experiences that few others would understand. When a player leaves a game we miss them and their character. We discuss ideas related to the games, the experiences, and about the human condition. Often the insights and conversations we have about real life surprise us. ~ These are unusual and compelling connections & friendships that i do not think I would find elsewhere.

There you have it. This list is longer than I wanted it to be, but it could have been a lot longer. ~ What do you love about RPGs?