Creation of Narrative in Tabletop Role-Playing Games - Jennifer Grouling Cover [1]
Then there were those who accompanied me on my writing journey. Like in D&D, some companions were with me all the way, while others came and went. My officemate Dan Lawson was rather like an oracle, who I consulted multiple times over the course of the book in times of need. We talked about ideas, and he directed me to several key sources.
Patrick Johnson was the equivalent of the fellow adventurer met in a tavern in the D&D world, who says, “what is your quest?” And when you tell him, responds, “Cool. Can I come along?” I met Pat in line for lunch at the Writing Program Administrators (WPA) conference in July 2009 as I was finishing this book, and our conversation quickly turned to my research and D&D. Pat kindly volunteered to provide additional feedback on one of my revised chapters.
There were others who helped me out along the way, from Professor Brian Epstein, who fielded my questions about possible-worlds theory to my many professors at Virginia Tech who were flexible with my Ph.D. work while I was writing and who answered any number of questions on publishing and book writing. There are my parents, who raised me to be an academic and a writer, and my husband who is the backbone of this book. Scott not only got me interested in D&D, but also pushed me to continue my academic work on the topic. He has held my hand when I was frustrated, and celebrated with me when I was excited, and is the main reason this book exists. Without the support of these people, I could not have completed this project.
Finally, there are those who would be considered members of my adventuring party, had this book been a D&D campaign. Dean Browell and Tim Lockridge are two of the smartest, most talented people I know, and I was extremely fortunate to have their feedback through the entire course of writing this book. Dean, who wrote a dissertation on World of Warcraft, served as my “MMORPG police,” helping me see beyond D&D to where my book might interact with videogame research. Tim is everything one could ask for in a reader—he is the type of guy that finds the loose thread in your writing, pulls on it just hard enough that everything starts to fall apart, and then hands you what you need to sew it back up again. This book is inordinately better because of his feedback.
However, all of these efforts would be in vain if it weren’t for you— my reader. Whether you are a gamer, a researcher, or just a curious onlooker, I invite you to take an active role as you read this book. I have tried here to write a book that will be useful in multiple disciplines, and it is my hope that it will help spur discussion about tabletop role-playing in multiple forums. Whatever your position in relation to this text, I hope that I have shown here that your voice counts. I have been told multiple times by multiple people that I’m not supposed to write a book yet, that as a graduate student I “don’t have a book in me.” As the physical artifact in your hand proves—I did. Likewise, I believe that you, my reader, has something to say, and I, for one, would like to hear it.
INTRODUCTION: DEFINING THE TABLETOP ROLE-PLAYING GAME
You approach the Blaze Arrow outpost. The bastion that guards the frontier of the city of Gateway is silent except for the distant cry of gathering carrion birds. You notice that the ground around the outpost has been scarred by the hobnailed feet of dozens of invaders. The three-story tower is surrounded by a now broken gate. The smell of burning orcish flesh, the smell of death, profanes the air. As you enter the gate, you find the remains of a ballista that once defended the outpost. Another rests farther in, still fully loaded, its human operator dead beside it. All in all, twelve human bodies lie around, evidence of the attack that took place only hours ago. It appears the victors have suffered losses as well, but their dead have undergone the cremation rituals known to exist in orcish societies. There are also orc bodies piled up and smoldering. Yet the process seems to have been done quickly and