From: magnus@nexto.udac.uu.se (Magnus Ring)
Subject: Re: Different playing styles(was Improvisation)
Organization: UDAC, Uppsala, Sweden
Date: Fri, 28 Aug 1992 07:09:20 GMT

In article <1992Aug26.201152.11874@samba.oit.unc.edu>  
Elizabeth.Mccoy@bbs.oit.unc.edu (Elizabeth Mccoy) writes:
> In article <5168@blue.cis.pitt.edu.UUCP> seawasp@vm2.cis.pitt.edu (Sea  
Wasp) writes:
> >In article <1992Aug26.084517.12744@solix.udac.uu.se>  
magnus@nexto.udac.uu.se (Magnus Ring) writes:
> >>I think it's time to move the impro/prep thread on to a playing style
> >>discussion instead. Could someone start this up by giving a good  
> >>description of the different styles (Hack'n'Slash, Wargaming, Story  
> >>Playing, Role Playing etc)? It seems to me that some people has too
> >
> >	Well, sure, I'll give it a shot. 
> >
> >	NOTE: The "quotes" I'm going to use to illustrate them are 
> >tongue-in-cheek, so don't explode.
> >
> >
> >	HACK AND SLASH: Reguardless of the character background or  
whatever,
> >the real reason the characters exist is so that they can kill and loot
> [snip]
> >		GM: You open the door. Behind it you see...
> >		PCs: We Kill It. We Search The Room. We Go To Next Room.
> >
> >	WARGAMING: Sort of going back to the roots of FRP gaming; in this
> >kind of play the players are interested in tactics and strategy, often  
on
> [snip]
> >		GM: Okay, next combat turn. Missile Weapons fire first. 
> >Which direction is your first division firing on?
> >		PC: We direct our fire at those orcs, 6.5 scale inches  
away,
> >which is long range, so we can only do...
> >
> >	STORY TELLING: There is at least a basic plotline that the  
characters 
> [snip]
> >		PC:  Hold, foul villain, source of Evil! Across the  
Burning
> >Wastes and the Moaning Glacier I have tracked you, and your time of  
flight
> >is over! Stand and face me...
> >		Other player (To GM): Why isn't Mr. Evil blowing Sir 
> >Clueless away while he babbles on?
> >		GM: Villains always let the Heroes have their speeches,
> >just like the Heroes always let the Villains have theirs. Professional
> >and dramatic courtesy.
> >
> >	ROLE PLAYING: The behavior of the characters in their interaction
> >with each other is paramount here. Personal interaction, little  
personal
> [snip]
> >		GM: But, my lady, how could you have known that when I
> >was a child my stepmother separated us? Oh, cruel fate! For I love you
> >still...
> >		PC: *SOB* Is there no way we can be together? 
> >
> Ah, but you forgot one:
> 	PROBLEM-SOLVING: This may be a *very* mild form of war-gaming,
> where PCs strive to solve a problem of some sort, using the resources of
> the character (and the player, if the player isn't careful). Has a bit
> of similarity to story-telling, but the characters have a *lot* more
> free will. (Mysteries are one form of problem-solving adventures.)
> Problem-solving characters tend to be a bit short in the role-playing
> department, but this is by no means a given.
> 	GM: The secretary doesn't want to give you an appointment
> anytime this week.
> 	PC: Right. I'll just access the computer when we get back to our
> rooms. Hey, [other PC], how does 3am sound for an appointment?
> 	GM: <As official> "<Yawn> What could have possessed that idiot
> to set an appointment for *now*?"
> 	PC: "We don't understand it ourselves, sir. Does your secretary
> have a sense of humor?"
> 
> --
>    The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the University of
>      North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the Campus Office for Information
>         Technology, or the Experimental Bulletin Board Service.
>            internet:  bbs.oit.unc.edu or 152.2.22.80

OK. Now we have the different playing styles. Does anyone agree with me
about the improv/prep debate being more about playing styles than about
i/p?
Hack'n'Slash, Wargaming, Story Telling, Role Playing and Problem Solving
are the traditional playing styles and their definitions have been around
for more than 10 years now. Maby some new styles have evolved since them.
Anyone got any ideas?

/Magnus Ring
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc