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Draconica. A Narrative Exploration of the Tabletop Roleplaying Genre. Purpose of Draconica Senior Project. Looking to get employment in gaming industry after graduation and want to use project in portfolio. Interested in the possible literary/narrative aspects of table top gaming.
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Draconica A Narrative Exploration of the Tabletop Roleplaying Genre
Purpose of Draconica Senior Project • Looking to get employment in gaming industry after graduation and want to use project in portfolio. • Interested in the possible literary/narrative aspects of table top gaming. • The more research I did into topic, the more information I found. • Gaming in general has become so popular that research into the genre is beginning to explode. • The gaming genre appears to be the next major battlefield in textual classification.
Narrative and the Game The Debate on the Classification of Games
Narrative Definition Purpose • The sequence of events that connects the beginning and ending of a story. • Traditionally linear, meaning that it starts at the beginning and goes straight to the end. • Some narratives use a tactic of starting the action in the middle of the story then telling what happens through structures such as flashbacks. • Modern and Post-modern movements have rearranged the linearity of narrative and sometimes do away with it altogether • Gives the reader/interpreter a sense of continuity. • Makes interacting with the narrative piece comfortable. • Humans inherently seem keyed to the narrative organizational form. • Done correctly narrative pulls on cultural similarities among its audience to fill in some information so the text doesn’t have to .
Games Definition As a Narrative • A game is a text that is created with the purpose in mind of the audience engaging in some aspects of creation. • Games for the purpose of this presentation are limited to either the video or tabletop varieties (i.e. we are not talking about basketball or track which are undeniably a form of game) • Current debate in game theory between narratologist and ludologists • Games we are considering have a story for the audience to interact with. • Games of this type are often called roleplaying games (RPGs) as the audience is asked to take on a role to play in the game. • These games are further divided into 2 types. One using computer which we will call CRPG, and the other used around a tabletop with little technology which we will call TRPG.
The Two Styles of RPG CRPG TRPG • Computer Roleplaying Games • Player interacts with the game world and other players through the code. • Player has no contact with the code and is restricted to what the code allows. • Player has options but only within the narrative the code allows. • Tabletop Roleplaying Games • Player interacts with other humans directly. (sometimes using technology but not code) • The creator of the Narrative (the GM)is at the table with the player and can be negotiated with. • Player options are whatever the player and GM decide can happen and theoretically unlimited.
D&D as a Pioneer TRPG Antecedents of D&D History of D&D • War Games • Board Games • Miniature Simulations • Drama Versions of D&D • Gary Gygax creates chainmail, a miniatures simulation. • Gygax’s game group considers playing individual characters instead of groups. • Gygax creates rules for playing individual characters . • D&D is born. • Gygaxcreates TSR to manufacture and distribute his new tabletop roleplaying game.
Other TRPG Systems Available • World of Darkness • Vampire, Werewolf, Changeling, Mage • Savage Worlds • Deadlands, 50 Fathoms, Solomon Kane • Hero System • Pathfinder • GURPS • And 100’s of others • TSR created the open game license. This was a new legal agreement that allowed anybody who wanted to use the core of the D20 (3rd edition) system to do so.
