Agreeing in my Disagreeing

OK, Ive listened mostly to the Ron Edwards interview that Paul Tevis and Mick Bradley informed me about over at Theory from the Closet, a pretty cool Gaming podcast. And from that I still dont agree with Mr. Edwards in his Brain Damage comments, though I relent I can see what he is saying.

I must agree with him on Story Now as being a interesting fun way to game. ANd its something I want to do. It answered a lot of my questions about what I was looking for, specifically in my Play by Post gaming. However, I do not see those who have played WW games in teh early editions as being brin damamged. I do understand now though he is refering to a small group and not the Overall community. He is refering to a group of expectations of some individuals. those who wanted and expected Story Now and got what they got.

However I do not believe this to be the mass of players that is infered. As there are countless valid ways to play and valid expectations from gaming we look for when we game. Story before is a wonderful way to play sometimes. SOmetimes I want to be inside someone elses story to help tell my Characters story within the larger story. Just as soemtimes I want to tell a collabrative story.

However those who played a certain way expecting somethign are not brain damamged just misguided. And I believe thses creative people are and will be leading the forefront of Game design as we search for different ways to game, different ways to tell the story.

I do however see this misguided set of expectations as something which gets in the way of gaming, sometimes, especially in PbP Gaming. The expectation of the GM feeding story to his/her players is a fine and sometiems Fun way to game, but in a more collabrative work, the player needs to realize that he/she must sometiems give back to the GM, and teh GM needs to realize that in PbP Gaming he needs his players to give more then just reactionary accounts of the story. Both sides need to be proactive.

This reactionary mindset can be a stumbling block, and it is the comfortable normal mindset of MOst gamers, especially story before players. THis is not brain damaged players, just a mindset that players incorporate. And it is one which can get in the way of Story Now Games.

So While I disagree vehemently with Ron Edwards and his psycho babble, I do have to give him this, he is close on the mark, and I think that education and shared experience under a story now model is useful to those who want that kind of Game. But in the long run its the expectations and wants We as Gamers bring to the table which ultimatly decide if we are having fun.

So Whatever you do Go Game.

Mark Thayan Reed