Learning from Dungeons and Dragons...

I am looking forward to the new version of Dungeons and Dragons which is coming down the pike in a few months. I started gaming by playing D&D. I like the game. I really do. But, I kinda hate it too. I hate that there are so many "gamers" out there who won't play anything else. I have dedicated this blog to pointing the way to alternatives available for free on the web. I think people should experience all the different kinds of games that there are out there to play. But, I also think that D&D has something special to teach us about what players like and about why it continues to be the most popular table-top RPG.

What makes the classic gaming experience "classic?" Are there aspects to the gaming experience that can be exploited as universal to a game's appeal. I have been gaming for quite a few years now and I have introduced my fellow gamers to a variety of new gaming systems with... mixed... results.

I began to ask, "What do player's want."

One of the more telling moments came from playing "Mutants and Masterminds" when my players requested that we change back to "Dungeons and Dragons" because they missed the accumulation of "treasure." Yet, that same group when playing "Traveller" said they didn't like the fact that there seemed to be a constant emphasis on the obtaining of money.

That sure seems contradictory... but the thing is D&D walks that line. D&D makes players feel like heroes and motivates them accordingly... and when they do the right thing and slay the Dragon, it rewards them instantaneously for their efforts.

So, players want to feel like heroes... they want to be the most important thing in the story... after all, this is their story. D&D does this pretty well... generally, dungeon delving involves nothing more complex then the classic fairy tale... "slay the monster, save the princess..." dynamic.

"To Be a Hero." is the first trapping of the classic gaming experience that needs to find it's way into every other game. Even in a game where all the players decide they want to play "evil" they are still the "Heroes" of their own story... they are still the "good-guys" in their own eyes. If the characters are constantly struggling to earn enough credits to keep their ship in the air... the game becomes a game about money... not about the characters. Mundane concerns should be "beyond" the heroes of an RPG.

One important distinction lies in the difference between money and treasure. Money is seen in the classic game as a good disposable resource. It should flow freely enough from the dungeons that the players never feel like they have to seek it out, but not so freely that it becomes meaningless. This isn't really that hard to do. The trick here is that as long as normal things are really cheap, but magic things are really expensive and you can keep the player finances hovering somewhere in between the two ... you're doing good. Players will save and save for that particular magical trinket that they want, but never need worry where their next meal is coming from.

"Self Reliance" is one of the "trappings" of the classic gaming experience. Players like to feel that their fantasy selves are financially stable (rich even) able to sustain themselves without difficulty. As soon as your game feels like an exercise in balancing your check book... it's no longer fun.

About that magic trinket ... here is where D&D shines above games like M&M and Traveller... instant gratification. Magical Treasure. Players love it. They love writing about it on their character sheets and keeping track of it. They like selling it, trading it, using it and abusing it in ways you never considered when you sat down to design it. Magic Items are the ways in which characters can break the rules to become more than they were ever meant to be... more powerful... more interesting... more everything.

"Advancement Inventory" is one of the "trappings" of the classic gaming experience that must not be ignored. Players love their magic items. They want them, they strive for them. A unique magic item makes a player feel like their character is unique. Like a card in a collectible card game, a good magic item should introduce an interesting "exception" to the rules. It is also a form of character advancement that is within the players ability to control. These "advancement items" feel more tangible and "real" than other forms of advancement and every game should have an equivalent.

Another thing that my players seemed not to like about the other games they've played... especially the superheroes games... is the more static nature of their characters. Many games seem to discourage a dynamically evolving character. The D&D Level system falls under scrutiny often for its "unrealistic" nature. The thing is... the "Level Up" is a tangible evolution of a character. Players want to see their characters constantly grow change and evolve on paper.

"Constant Character Evolution" is the next "trapping" I want to recognize. This involves growing for the sake of it. It's not simply about the accumulation of experience points (though that's part of it.) It's about the sense that this experience is having an impact on your character... that your character's next great change is right around the corner.

These aspects... these elements of player gratification are something that most players crave whether they admit it or not.

That about covers the long term... the aspects of game play that keep players coming back to the table... but what about getting players to the table in the first place? How do we do that?

Again, D&D has done something right. Let's talk about pigeon-holes. We are all guilty of pigeon-holing of stereo typing... "He's the jock." ... "She's the pretty one." It's part of our nature to categorize. This isn't about denying how rich and varied the human race is ... it's this diversity that makes it necessary for us to narrow... to focus our world into understandable bits... because there's just too much.

RPGs can be like this too... give a player a blank "Champions" character sheet and say to them... "Okay, make a superhero." What character will they make? Have they ever played before? Do they read comic books... if they don't, how do you get them interested in creating a character without completely over whelming them?

D&D narrows it down... character classes are a good idea. Pigeon-holes containing tightly defined stereo types are easy to teach. This aspect of that game, has again fallen under much ridicule... but it makes it so easy to involve a new player and to help them to understand the game right away. "Character Classifications" are good. And along with Classes... levels... notable land marks of achievement to give the players a since of their own evolution... "Evolution Landmarks" (levels) are good.

These things act to "Narrow" the game... to filter it... this isn't about game balance... levels aren't about comparing degrees of power (not to me,) they're about sifting the information into a manageable package so that your players can digest it easily. It's about organizing the available choices... it's about a sense of escalation... players begin "small" and "grow." It's not about power (In RPG's power is an illusion.) It's about information control.

1) Being the Hero (Personalized Motivations)

2) Self Reliance (Financial Independence)

3) Character Classifications (Narrowing the playing field)

4) Dynamic Character Evolution and Evolution Landmarks (Levels and Experience)

5) Advancement Inventory (Magic Items)

These things don't exist in each game that I create ... but maybe they should ... at the very least they should be considered. I have read lots of stuff on game theory and what not ... but, this isn't about just making a good game ... this is about understanding OUR game... OUR players... the reasons that D&D stays on top... and trying to learn a little something from that.

Looking forward to D&D 4th Edition. I'll share my impressions when I have a copy of that in my hands.

Regards,

Jeff Moore