Creation of Narrative in Tabletop Role-Playing Games - Jennifer Grouling Cover [5]
Although games have a lot of differences, we can continue to look for the resemblances that Wittgenstein calls for. One might say that one such resemblance is an element of chance; another that all games follow a set of rules. Indeed, an element of chance is often added to role-playing through the use of dice rolls. However, like miniature figures, dice are also optional in the TRPG. The Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) showed that 76 percent of gamers used some sort of detailed chart, though not necessarily a battle map; only 56 percent used miniatures; and 33 percent of TRPGs were dice-less. Furthermore, as many as 80 percent of those surveyed said their gaming group followed house rules (Dancey 2000). Simply trying to link together all TRPGs, let alone all games, is problematic. Gamers who play in their home rather than at official tournaments may alter rules and often gamers continue to play with older versions of the rules even when new rule books are released. These variations make it difficult to establish the relationship between TRPGs and more traditional, tightly rule-bound, games.5 How, then, do we define the TRPG? If we can’t link it closely with other games, what is it that makes one TRPG resemble another?
Mackay (2001) defines the tabletop role-playing game as
an episodic and participatory story-creation system that includes a set of quantified rules that assist a group of players and a gamemaster in determining how their fictional characters’ spontaneous interactions are resolved [pp. 4–5].
This definition further defines the TRPG within the broader category of RPGs. For example, most CRPGs do not include the gamemaster, which is key to Mackay’s definition.6 Although they can be played in a single session, TRPGs are often played by a group of participants who meet on a regular basis. In this case, TRPGs are episodic because each session can be seen as an episode in a story that continues to develop. Even when a game consists of a single session, there are often multiple tasks, or episodes, that lead up to the climax of the story. In this story, each player participates by controlling the character that he or she has created. The gamemaster (GM) also participates in the creation of the story by setting up the storyworld and the situations that these characters encounter, as well as controlling any non-player characters (NPCs). Rule books such as The Player’s Handbook and The Dungeon Master’s Guide (for D&D) provide rules that assist participants in creating and controlling their storyworld. These books create the system that is used to structure the game.
Naturally, this explanation is somewhat oversimplified. The dungeon master (DM) or gamemaster,7 for example, might not create the storyworld but might use a pre-prepared module or setting published by Wizards of the Coast or another gaming company. Likewise, an adventure module might even come with pre-made characters rather than having players generate them. However, a gamemaster still participates by adapting that setting to the players and situations presented in that gaming session, and the players still participate by controlling the actions of their characters. As previously mentioned, home rules may be instituted in a particular game; however, rules continue to exist and guide players and DMs. In subsequent chapters, I will explore some of the differences in authorship and participation among different types of TRPG sessions; however, I maintain that Mackay’s definition is broad enough to encompass these variations.
Looking at this definition of the TRPG enables us to situate it in relation to other texts. TRPGs are episodic,