The games we play

[morsla]

I've been thinking about roleplaying games, and why I play them - partly motivated by a post sylver_spiders made a few weeks ago. I think the vast majority of you lot play games of one sort or another, and I'm always intrigued by the different things people get out of them.

I really enjoy the social aspect of gaming. It's a good excuse to get together with friends on a regular basis, be creative, and eat loads of food. The creative aspect is the biggest attraction though - there are other reasons to gather friends and cook vast quantities of food, but games get people bouncing ideas around and creating stories.

Second on the list, then, is the telling of stories. Last week, aeliel and I wrapped up the third act of an Exalted game that we've been running since early last year. Along the way we saw heroes rise out of warring city-states as conflict reshaped the world. Gods meddled and clashed, alliances were forged and betrayed until the original champions passed into the legends of future generations. Only a small part of the story came from the original structure, where we gave agendas and personalities to the gods, rulers and heroes of the setting. The real story happened once we turned that over to the rest of the group, and then ran along to keep up. Whether I'm running or playing in a game, I like exploring the background that other people use to breathe life into their characters.

I've begun to appreciate a well-crafted game, too - particularly as mousebane and bishi_wannabe have introduced new titles over the years. There's something satisfying about watching as a game deftly shapes a particular type of story "out of the box," without needing to add half a dozen rules to get the desired effect. I'm talking about the steadily rising tension that Dread brings to a survival horror game, Prime Time's screenplay-style scene framing, or the violent struggles for redemption that make Dust Devils so good at handling Westerns. Most of my favourite games don't have a whole lot of rules, but those rules are simple and elegant.

Last on the list would be tactical and strategic play - manoeuvring and problem solving. I love this stuff, but it's not the main reason I play these games. Miniatures games like Warmachine let me deal with tactical problems to my heart's content, so that I can spend roleplaying sessions immersing myself in the characters, the setting, and the company of the fine folks sitting around the table. And enjoying the food, of course :) I'd be a shadow of my current self if miss_rynn and umbra_mentis decided to stop baking things to bring along on Wednesday nights...