Suppose one produces stories that are always believable. Aren't those games both fully dramatist and fully simulationist? Simulationism is not defined in terms of believability, it is defined in terms of method. For example, you as GM you could have a storyline in mind, and set up the background and characters so well that during the game, the storyline occurs without your having to noticeably fudge. A very simulationist player might not notice that you constructed the events to produce that story. However, if she found out, she would feel cheated: you would have violated her preferred contract. Rightly or wrongly, a pure simulationist isn't simply trying to produce a story that is believable. He is trying to actually find out what would "really" happen by modeling what is in the game world. Of course, it is impossible to perfectly simulate this, but he finds interest and value in the attempt. For example, say the PCs are know that a target is hiding in one of eight hotels, but they cannot find out which except by searching them. A dramatist GM might decide based on pacing to have the second hotel they search be the right one, so that the game doesn't drag as they go through one after the other. This is perfectly believable, but a pure simulationist GM will refuse to do this. Most likely, she will decide on one in advance and let the players choose what order they search in. The players might find it immediately, or they might have to wade through seven others. So dramatism is ham actors playing through arty nonsense, gamism is munchkins who want to beat the GM, and simulationism is rules-lawyers who argue over ballistics? No, those are rabid stereotypes. Even if the stereotypes have some truth to them, the Threefold is not about just the lowest common denominator. There are good and bad examples of each type of game. A pure dramatist might run a gritty, low-key drama where the PCs are true-to-life characters who perhaps concentrate on their work. In this case, the dramatic story might be framed around how they relate to each other and the tension produced. A dramatist campaign could also include comedic campaigns, where the in-game action is tailored for humorous effect rather than classical "drama". The key is that in-game events are tailored based on how satisfying the storyline of the campaign is. A gamist could run a mystery game where the PCs are challenged to find the killer based not just on physical clues, but also on the personalities and motivations of the suspects. Note that this is similar on the surface to a dramatic story, but the emphasis is on making it solvable yet challenging to the players. A purely dramatist mystery might make a better story, but a purely gamist mystery will be a fairer test of the player's wits. Simulationism by definition is going to try to be "realistic" within the game-world, although it may have natural laws different than the real world. However, the players are not necessarily obsessed with rules or physics. A simulationist game could just as well focus on political discussion between important figures, or rebels fighting a propaganda war to win over the masses. Several posters have run diceless simulationist games. A purely simulationist mystery would start with determining how the crime was carried out based only on in-game factors. The logical consequences of this might mean that the players can solve it easily, or that they can't solve it at all, or that they can only solve it by turning it over other authorities. An absolutely pure simulationist GM won't go back and change things to make the mystery work better for the PCs. 7) I don't think I'm either dramatist or simulationist. I like gaming, though, so I must be gamist, right? Gamist was *not* intended as a catch-all for anything that isn't included in the other two categories. It is specifically about setting up fair challenges for the players to face. The threefold is not intended as a be-all and end-all of gaming, nor is it necessarily complete. Several people suggested a fourth group of styles, which was "Social". However, discussion died down as there was no consensus about what that meant in contrast to the other styles, or even whether one could even discuss it on the same level. Many aspects of gaming are not covered by the Threefold. For example, any of the three can vary from "Light" to "Serious". "Beer-and-pretzels" usually refers to Gamist dungeon-crawls, say, where you are trying to beat the monsters. However, there are also non-serious dramatists, say who run cheesy superhero plots where the hero always beats the villain. Note that this is not gamist since there is no challenge to it -- the hero always wins, it's just fun seeing how she does it. PART II: Plotting Distinctions 1) What does it mean to pre-plot a game? Much discussion has been on the subject of "dramatic plotting", based on certain formulas from dramatic theory. The basic concept is that the GM should prepare lines of tension which will specifically engage the PC's. In short, the GM looks at each of the PC's, and the C's as a whole, to determine what will engage them: what is interesting and meaningful to them. The GM then prepares background on elements which will lead to this engagement, and arranges for the PC's to get an inkling of what is there. (This is often called a "hook" in some circles, or the "plot-premise"). The key is that once the PC's have committed themselves to a line of tension (or perhaps even before), the GM prepares a series of scenes -- his prediction of how the conflict will be played out (using both his knowledge and communication with the players on what they plan to do). The sequence is designed as one would write a dramatic plot: with twists, climax, and so forth. During the game, the GM may have to abandon particulars of his prepared plotline, of course, when the PC's do the unexpected. The theory is that his preparation will still be useful, because even though the particulars of the second plot twist have changed, the GM can still arrange for there to be a second plot twist, and thus retain his scene structure. Copies of this essay can be found on the web at www.darkshire.org/~jhkim/rpg/styles/index.html" Back to Table of Contents -- Game! # 10 To Game! List of Issues To MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 2004 by George Phillies. This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com