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John Kim's Styles of Roleplaying Page What's New •About This Site •Site Map •What is an RPG? •Company List •Bigass List of Games •Free RPGs •Murder Mysteries •RPG Theory •System Design •Systems & Reviews •Games&Copyright •My Campaigns •Convention Reports •Links •BlogRPG THEORY This page covers various attempts to describe RPGs in general terms. There are many sources for advice on role-playing games, butmost of these try to promote a "One True Way" of playing.Rather than telling you how to roleplay, this is a collection of articles on what the different ways are -- and the pros and cons ofdifferent choices. Many of the articles here were inspired by discussionon the newsgroup rec.games.frp.advocacy, discussion on the web-based bulletin board The Forge as well as the RPGnet Forums, and ideas froma number of RPG blogs (see the Blog Links of my journal). PURPOSE AND DEFINITIONS The Purpose of RPG Theory rec.games.frp.advocacy information Selected Text from Major RPGs on Roleplaying (new August 1, 2003) Books about Roleplaying and Roleplaying Styles External Links: The Hidden Art: Slouching Towards A Critical Framework for RPGsby Robin D. Laws On The Vocabulary of Role-Playingby Phil Master An Introduction to Recreational Roleplayingby Mark Grundy A Glossary of Selected Role-Playing Termsby John Mack Australian Convention Roleplaying Glossary On Roleplaying Games by Joshua Macy What is a Game? by Bernard Suits (added April 9, 2005) Theory Topics Wiki (added May 9, 2005) I Have No Words & I Must Designby Greg Costikyan (added September 15, 2005) Role-Playing Games: An Overviewby Andrew Rilstone (added September 15, 2005) Where We've Been, Where We're Goingby Greg Porter (added September 15, 2005) My Eyes Glaze Over: Roleplaying theory for short attention spansby Allen Varney (added July 3, 2006) the Play's the Thing by Mark Wallace (added July 25, 2006) The Provisional (Forge) Glossary by Ron Edwards (added August 30, 2006)SOCIAL AND EDUCATIONAL CONTEXT RPG Realism & Education (added July 1, 2003) External Links: Seriously Considering Play by Lloyd P. Rieber(added November 27, 2004) EdGames on "Seriously Considering Play" by Monica Veinbergs (added November 27, 2004) Game Playing and Value Theoryby Gwendolyn Bradford (added April 9, 2005) Game Styles, Innovation, and New Audiences: An Historical Viewby Greg Costikyan (added September 15, 2005) Creating a Level Playing Field: Improvisational Play and Collaboration in Educationby Tina Blaine and Brenda Bakker Harger (added September 15, 2005) Reconstruction 6.1 (Winter 2006) Games, Gamers, and Gaming Culture (added September 20, 2006) The Infamous Five by Ron Edwards et al. (added December 29, 2006) Cheetoism Wiki by Kyle Aaron (added December 29, 2006) MODELS OF ROLE-PLAYING Aspects of Adventure Gaming by Glen Blacow (added April 9, 2005) Player Types by Robin D. Laws Styles of Play (from Dungeons & Dragons) A Proposal for Campaign Classification by Leon von Stauber The Threefold Model (new August 1, 2003) A series of articles concerning a model which was formulated on rec.games.frp.advocacy in 1997, with many related models since then. The local articles include: Early Threefold Model FAQs (added March 12, 2004) The Threefold Model FAQ (from 1998) The Three Way Model (updated February 26, 2004) The Origin of the Threefold Model (added August 1, 2003) Selected Threads from rec.games.frp.advocacy Simulationism Explained (added February 24, 2004) GENder Theory (added May 6, 2004) A series of articles authored by Scarlet Jester of Gaming Outpost, outlining an offshoot of the Threefold Model with an emphasis on "Exploration" which was picked up by Ron Edwards as part of "GNS". All You Need to Know About GEN Character Potential - A Path to Successful Gaming Stress-Testing GEN GEN - Stances GEN - Explorative A Brief History of Fashion in RPG Design by John Kim (added February 24, 2004) The 3D Model of Role-playing: An Overview by John Kim (added June 1, 2005) External Links: The Forge Articles primarily by Ron Edwards Breakdown of RPG Players by Sean K. Reynolds (added November 29, 2003) Hearts, Clubs, Diamonds, Spades: Players Who Suit MUDsby Richard Bartle Morality in Campaigns: An Interaction Model(archive) by Brian Gleichman Real Men, Real Roleplayers, Lunatics, and Munchkinsby Jeff Okamoto, Sandy Petersen, et al. Situationist Gamemastering by Bruce Baugh The Evolution of Munchkin by Monte Cook (added December 22, 2003) The Meilahti School by Jaakko Stenros & Henri Hakkarainen(added March 8, 2004) System Color: A typology of RPG mechanics by Fabian Nioles(added March 8, 2004) What is Real? Reality in RPGs? by Marco Chacon(added June 24, 2004) Facets: 5 Motivation Factors for Why People Play MMORPG'sby Nick Yee (added December 7, 2004) The Process Model of Role-Playing (added April 9, 2005) Channel Theory of Role-playingby Larry D. Hols (added July 25, 2006) The Turku School of Roleplayingby Mike Pohjola (added July 25, 2006) The Daedalus Project: the psychology of mmorpgsby Nick Yee (added July 25, 2006) A Brief History of Roleplaying:Part One,Part Two,Part Threeby Shannon Appelcline (added July 25, 2006) Why We Play Games by Nicole Lazzaro (added July 25, 2006) The AGE Model by Brian Hollenback (added August 29, 2006) Theory 101: System and the Shared Imagined Space by M. Joseph Young (added December 22, 2006) Theory 101: The Impossible Thing Before Breakfast by M. Joseph Young (added December 22, 006) Theory 101: Creative Agenda by M. Joseph Young (added December 22, 006) Design Patterns of Successful Role-Playing Games by John Kirk (added May 3, 2007) Games Research Project by Brant Guillory (added June 1, 2007)GENDER ISSUES Gender Roles in RPG Texts by John Kim (added November 15, 2004) Gender Disparity in RPGs by John Kim (added June 1, 2005) Women RPG Authors (added August 28, 2006) External Links on GenderNARRATIVE STRUCTURE Group Narration: Power, Information, and Play in Role Playing Games by Liz Henry (added August 8, 2003) The Literary Edge by Robin Laws (added October 29, 2003) Story and Narrative Paradigms in Role-Playing Games by John Kim (added October 29, 2003) Ritual Discourse in RPG's by Christopher I. Lehrich (added January 6, 2003) download as PDF (1.4kb) Immersive Story by John Kim (added April 3, 2004) External Links: Games telling Stories? by Jesper Juul A Clash between Game and Narrative by Jesper Juul Role-playing Games as Collaborative Fiction by Dariel Quiogue Playing Stories, Telling Games: Collaborative Storytelling in Role-Playing Games by Lisa Padol Element-based Role-play by Jonathan Dobson (added February 26, 2004) Polytropos on "Narrative Paradigms in RPGs" by Nate Bruinooge(added July 16, 2004) Notes Towards a Semiotics of RPGs: Part 1, Part 2, Part 2A, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, PostScript by Ed Heil (added July 16, 2004) Literary Vocabulary by L. Kip Wheeler (added July 16, 2004) Where Stories End and Games Begin by Greg Costikyan(added December 21, 2004) What It Might Be Like to Live in Viriconiumby M. John Harrison (added December 21, 2004) Do Drama Theory (added April 9, 2005) Creating Theme by Vincent Baker (added September 15, 2005) Control and Restrictions in RPGs: A mechanistic approachby Lucian Smith (added September 15, 2005) Creative Accounting: Role-playing Games, Possible-World Theory, and the Agency of Imaginationby Daniel Punday (added April 16, 2007)PLOTTING & GENRE Plot Issue Questions Understanding Genre in RPGs by John Kim Genre and Setting Simulation: Perils, Pitfalls, and Possibilities by Steven S. Long (added March 5, 2003) Reifying Genre Conventions by John Kim (added March 5, 2003) "Techniques for Common Genre Conventions" by John Kim (added April 21, 2003) Techniques for Genre Characters addressing unequal PCs, ultra-competant characters, and light equipment Techniques for Genre Plotting addressing synchonicity with character and unusual events Handling Character Death by Genre Techniques for In-Genre Planning Techniques for Action Pacing Handling PCs Splitting Up Proactive Player Characters and Related Issues by John Kim (added July 17, 2004) External Links: The Big List of RPG Plots by S. John Ross Writing and Running Adventures by Dariel Quiogue The 36 Plots by Loren J. Miller Improvisation: Game Mastering On the Fly by Todd Secord(added March 8, 2004) How do you run a Dungeon-free RPG Campaign? by Doug Anderson(added July 16, 2004) Fault Tolerant Game Design and Execution by Marco Chacon(added April 9, 2005) Integrated Scenario Design by Marco Chacon(added April 9, 2005) How to Get Along with Your Players by Heather Grove(added April 9, 2005) The Adventure Funnel by "Dr. Rotwang"(added February 21, 2007) Flag Framing by Chris Chinn (added February 21, 2007) The Conflict Web by Chris Chinn(added February 21, 2007)CHARACTER DESIGN AND ROLE-PLAY How to encourage role-playing by Al Petterson and Sarah Kahn (edited by John Kim) Moral Tests by Mary Kuhner Personality Mechanics by John Kim Player Input: Re-active vs Pro-active Use of Disadvantages External Links: Personality Mechanics by John Mack (added March 8, 2004) Baiting the Hook by Jeff Gilmour(added March 8, 2004) Misfits, Freaks, and Weirdos by Jennifer Brandes and Chris Hepler(added March 8, 2004) Designing Your Team - the Scooby Way!by Lise Mendel (added April 2, 2004) NPC Template Generator by René Vernon(added July 16, 2004)SCENES & RESOLUTION External Links: Roll Initiative by Andrew Finch(added February 21, 2007) Tips on getting a game going quickly by Elliot Wilen(added February 21, 2007) Fighting the Good Fight by Wil Hutton and Edwyn Kumar(added February 21, 2007) EXAMPLES OF PLAY James Bond 007 from the main rulebook by Victory Games An Amber Swordfight from the Amber Diceless RPG rulebook The Hotel Combat, an extended diceless combat in the Theatrix system The Train Combat, a Theatrix example from the author Podcasts of Actual Play, a collection of links to audio recordings of actual play FORUMS & SOURCES Amused in Review: Games by Joshua Macy A set of essays and reviews on RPGs. Beyond Role and Play Information on a book of 28 essays on role-playing theory, published in Finland for the Solmukohta '04 convention. Blackhat Matt's Role-playing Essays by Matthew McFarland (added December 21, 2004) A series of some thirty essays on role-playing, with a focus on storytelling and the Storyteller games of White Wolf. Burning Void RPG (Roleplaying) Resources This is an extensive set of essays, primarily by Heather Grove, on theory and advice for role-playing. Collaborative Roleplay This is a site devoted to the concept of "collaborative roleplay" -- play with no game-master, which is aimed at encouraging participation, unlocking creativity, strengthening the game setting, and making play more flexible. Critical Miss: The Magazine for Dysfunctional Roleplayers An online magazine with a tongue-in-cheek style. Dogme 99: A programme for the liberation of LARP A Norwegian site which describes a new style of live-action role-playing events and some of the philosophy behind it. Daedalus: speculative workshop e-zine A free quarterly e-zine dedicated to the role-playing hobby, started in Fall 2003. Fill in the Gap (added April 9, 2005) A notable column at RPGnet by Matt Turnbull, which is full of paradigm-challenging scenarios. Spoiler warning: these are scenarios which you may well want to play. However, I recommend reading at least the first one, "Singular Space". The Forge A popular forum for independent RPG design, along with essays and resources by Ron Edwards. Gamerene.com Writer Index: Beth Kinderman A series of essays hosted by gamegrene.com, including several looking into gender issues in gaming. Imazine A long-standing fanzine run by Paul Mason, with a number of excellent articles and discussion. In particular, he has a focus on "culture games" which convey real-world history and culture. The Interactive Toolkit by Christopher Kubasik A set of four essays originally published in White Wolf's "Inphobia" magazine. Interacting Arts (added April 9, 2005) A group dedicated to interactive art, notably their concept of Second stage interacting arts (or SESTIA) -- where "second stage" implies that the method focuses on participation (first would be traditional art forms), and "interacting arts" that sestians never specialize within one medium. This includes roleplaying as well as improvisational theater games and some computer games. The Key Manifesto A manifesto based on Scandanavian LARP play which suggests keys for the design of better games. Kpunkt 2003: "As LARP Grows Up" This is a 207-page book on RPG theory, which is available in PDF format. It has essays by many authors, which were written for the international Scandanavian role-playing convention known as Knutepunkt, Knutpunkt, Solmukohta, or Kpunkt (depending on the language of the country). It is available chapter-by-chapter, or you can download the complete book as a (16MB download). laiv.org Theory Forum (added May 9, 2005) The theory forum for the Scandanavian site laiv.org. This discusses live-action role-playing theory. Some articles are in Norwegian, but many are in English. The Masters' Council A web forum dedicated to RPG theory and practice. The Oracle A website devoted to serious discussion of role-playing games. Place to Go, People to Be Another online magazine based in Brisbane, Australia. It is primarily devoted to tips and suggestions for games, but also has some reflection on the hobby itself. Push: New Thinking About Roleplaying An annual journal of progressive roleplaying thought, edited by Jonathan Walton, and released in book form. Realms - Roleplaying Articles A series of gaming articles, with a focus on "Vampire: The Masquerade" play, but with some more theoretical advice essays. Redefining Games: How Academia is Reshaping Games of the Future by Lauren Gonzalez An article on electronic games, but which may also have relevance for non-electronic role-playing games. Roleplaying Theory, Hardcore A series of ten short essays on RPG theory by Vincent Baker of Lumpley Games. Roleplaying Tips An interesting site which has many suggestions for gamers, but unfortunately does not in practice acknowledge that ideas that work for some styles of play don't work for others. RPGnet Forum: The Art of Game Design A web-based discussion forum for discussion of game design. This is dominated primarily by mechanical design rather than theory, however. RPG.NET Gamer's Realm: Theory and Morphology Another set of theory links. RPGs: Theory and Practice by John Mack A page with a glossary of terms, notes on personality mechanics, and description of some Australian convention games. RPG Theory Articles by Fabian Nioles Articles including "System Color: A typology of RPG mechanics". Shakespeare Eclectic Science Fiction Interactive Theater This is a site by Brian Phillips, focussing on the educational use of role-playing games and mature live-action RPGs ("interactive theater"). It includes a long list of dramatic scenarios. Skotos Tech An online role-playing site with a number of articles about storytelling and role-playing. Tastes Like Phoenix Games A series of articles by Chris Hepler, Jennifer Brandes, and others including suggestions for gaming. The Turku School of Roleplaying A collection of articles by Mike Pohjola, including the semi-infamous Turku Manifesto which advocates a highly immersive approach to role-playing. The 20' by 20' Room A communal weblog subtitled, "To talk, thoughtfully, about role-playing games". Uncle Figgy's Guides A series of advice essays for RPGs in general. The Vaults of Atreion by Dariel Quiogue A personal site with a number of essays. Vi Åker Jeep (Added September 15, 2005) A wiki of material maintained by a Sweden-based roleplaying game author group including Olle Jonsson and Tobias Wrigstad. This contains an analysis of their variety of "freeform" play with tabletop play and larps. Ways to Play by Chris Chinn A series of six essays hosted at RPGnet, describing in practical terms a narrative approach to roleplaying. John H. Kim <jhkim-at-darkshire-dot-net>Last modified: Sat Dec 8 11:45:19 2007 |
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