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anecdotes and free association of popular culture references from which the players never return” (p. 75). While these pop culture references may actually add to the immersion in the storyworld by allowing players a common reference point, they can also branch into tangents that have little to do with anything other than maintaining the social atmosphere. Often, Sorpraedor sessions are a bit slow at the beginning because players engage in this sort of off-record speech while waiting for others to arrive. Likewise, during breaks for food, the pleasure of socializing can make it hard to re-start the game.

Off-record speech can also show how something in the real world is connected to something in the game world. In the beginning of the orc adventure, two heads that Whisper recognizes as the twins Mirador and Mardowin land in the middle of the camp along with the cursed scroll tube. While Maureen and Whisper did not initially tell the group who Mirador and Mardowin were, Mary and I explained to the new members of the gaming group that they had been the characters played by our last gaming companions. This led to an out-of-game discussion on different types of gamers and why these particular players did not fit in with the gaming style of the Sorpraedor campaign. This discussion was off-record in the sense that it did not forward the narrative or the game; however, it both explained the bodiless heads in the storyworld and gave the players an opportunity to discuss the way in which they preferred the game to progress.

Sometimes, though, off-record speech will more clearly relate to the narrative being formed by the game. The following transcript from a Sorpraedor gaming session clearly shows the way off-record speech can work. In this scene, the characters are at a tavern enjoying themselves. They have been drinking the ale provided by the establishment and are discussing whether or not this would affect Mary’s character Gareth’s ability to perform his musical act at the tavern.

The reference here to popular culture icon Joe Cocker, known for performing his music while intoxicated, helps to determine whether or not Gareth might also be able to entertain in such a state. While the reference is off-record in that it no longer refers to the TRW, but to the AW, the example helps to clarify circumstances in the APW. In cases like this one, off-record speech begins to morph into the next category, narrative planning speech.

The next category of speech that Cook-Gumperz (1992) refers to as narrative planning speech (p. 188) is essential both to the children’s makebelieve games and D&D. While planning for the three-year-old girls consisted of deciding who would use what doll and the like, adult games involve much more complex planning. Often this form of talk involves complex negotiation of the game rules. This type of talk can also be seen in the above transcript. The dice rolls that determine Gareth’s success as a musician are based on the charisma ability score. According to the official game rules, charisma is not affected by drinking (Cook, 2002). Mary sees that logically playing a musical instrument would also involve dexterity, an ability that is affected by intoxication. Thus, she challenges this rule, and the group negotiates it.

Although Cook-Gumperz (1992) includes narrative planning speech as a subdivision of off-record speech, my model places it above off-record speech on the narrativity scale because in this type of discourse the players are no longer a passive audience, but actively involved in planning how the game will progress. This level still exists outside the narrative in the AW but creates a bridge between the actual world and the game world through its discussion of gaming tactics. However, just as everything discussed in this frame does not become a part of the narrative, every idea posed in this frame does not become a move in the game.

Although the social frame affects the narrative, the final story that is created from the role-playing gaming session does not usually reflect this stage of thought.