Gaming Paradigm Shift

If you're like me you were brought up on a mix of table top and computer/console rpg games. In the later game the computer presents few options to the players in terms of story possibilities. Whether WOW or DDO or what have you, players are always begging for new content. Game content is expensive and slow to make. And for most games you either finish the quest or don't with few alternate endings -- usually one to be precise. But game designers are sly. They have tricked players into believing that having a near limitless number of feats, powers, skills, attributes, spells, classes, races, effects, trades, secondary skills, professions, proficiences, honor points, treasure, magic items, attack bonuses, and save methods will keep the players distracted long enough that they won't recognize that the story sucks!

When this paradigm spills over to the table top referee's are not only expected to come up with the story plot but make the multitude of player options work inside of it. Really? Please people, not much fun here and an agonizing amount of work for the referee! Computers do this way better than people. If you like this style of game play, take my advice stay home and play WOW and wait for Diablo 3.

If you want to try something new, try this paradigm on: it's the job of the referee to create a setting for the players to explore and the job of the players to create the story.

Players can create truly amazing stories. Players shouldn't be required nor should they come up with their characters personality before hand. Rest assured, characters will evolve by the interplay of dice and player interaction. It's a frustrating limitation of computer games that the story must of necessity be contrived and enforced -- computer games can only account for a few routes but people can account for limitless possibilities. So roll some dice, enjoy random character generation, enjoy taking a risk and losing a character, pull a gag on another player character. After a few session you'll be having fun and the character you are playing will take on a life of its own.

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