Post by Dmitri on Mar 2, 2011 10:10:41 GMT -5
So it seems that most pencil & paper games also play video games. Not all, but most of the ones that I know, at least. So I was playing Call of Duty: Black Ops the other day, and it really struck me - this game actually has a heck of a good narrative structure. Like, not just a little good, but really good. So, a few hours in, I was still enjoying it immensely, even though the main campaign is relatively short, like most CoD games. When I got to the end, I enjoyed the twist, and had to leave to pick up Nate from school. Anyway, on the drive there I got to thinking about video games and DMing.
Now, I am not going to say that DMs should run P&P games like video games - if we did that, we would all just jump on line and play WoW together and save the gas money! But... there are some neat things to learn and to consider as we play video games. Some of the narrative elements, and some of the mechanical decisions that we make, bear striking similarities to those made by designers in video games. Realizing this can help us, as DMs, to make better experiences for our players. Recently this has become a bit of an obsession with me, as I realized the strides I have made in DMing over the past few years... and just how few of those strides have come from memorizing hundreds of pages of mechanics out of the PHB or DMG or various splatbooks.
So... here is a thread for interesting DMing advice, with a few videos I found on the Escapist forums that bring up cool ideas for DMs. Feel free to contribute, one and all, though I was envisioning this not so much as a "read XYZ pages in WotC product ABC" as much as a shot of adrenaline from outside the usual venues. Not all the sections and points are relevant, but enough is relevant to make it worth watching, at least in my not-so-humble opinion...
First, here is a two parter by some game designers on how to "play like a designer" or essentially, how to view a game that we are playing to become better at creating other games.
www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/extra-credits/2713-Playing-Like-a-Designer-Part-1
www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/extra-credits/2738-Playing-Like-a-Designer-Part-2
Additionally, here is a neat clip on narrative technique, a thing that I have been working on developing more in Albion, in terms of variety and intensity.
www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/extra-credits/2681-Amnesia-and-Story-Structure
Some cool stuff on horror and atmostpere can be found here...
www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/extra-credits/2264-Symbolism-101
www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/extra-credits/1933-Where-Did-Survival-Horror-Go
A little less here for DMs, but still made me think some interesting thoughts...
www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/extra-credits/2590-Choice-and-Conflict
And finally, a very interesting little blurb on non-combat gaming - while much of the video focuses on mechanics for console or PC gaming, the central idea reminded me of some interesting thoughts I once had about use of skills and such in D&D.
www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/extra-credits/2633-Non-Combat-Gaming
Sorry this is so long... but I found it interesting, and thought others might too.
Now, I am not going to say that DMs should run P&P games like video games - if we did that, we would all just jump on line and play WoW together and save the gas money! But... there are some neat things to learn and to consider as we play video games. Some of the narrative elements, and some of the mechanical decisions that we make, bear striking similarities to those made by designers in video games. Realizing this can help us, as DMs, to make better experiences for our players. Recently this has become a bit of an obsession with me, as I realized the strides I have made in DMing over the past few years... and just how few of those strides have come from memorizing hundreds of pages of mechanics out of the PHB or DMG or various splatbooks.
So... here is a thread for interesting DMing advice, with a few videos I found on the Escapist forums that bring up cool ideas for DMs. Feel free to contribute, one and all, though I was envisioning this not so much as a "read XYZ pages in WotC product ABC" as much as a shot of adrenaline from outside the usual venues. Not all the sections and points are relevant, but enough is relevant to make it worth watching, at least in my not-so-humble opinion...
First, here is a two parter by some game designers on how to "play like a designer" or essentially, how to view a game that we are playing to become better at creating other games.
www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/extra-credits/2713-Playing-Like-a-Designer-Part-1
www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/extra-credits/2738-Playing-Like-a-Designer-Part-2
Additionally, here is a neat clip on narrative technique, a thing that I have been working on developing more in Albion, in terms of variety and intensity.
www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/extra-credits/2681-Amnesia-and-Story-Structure
Some cool stuff on horror and atmostpere can be found here...
www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/extra-credits/2264-Symbolism-101
www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/extra-credits/1933-Where-Did-Survival-Horror-Go
A little less here for DMs, but still made me think some interesting thoughts...
www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/extra-credits/2590-Choice-and-Conflict
And finally, a very interesting little blurb on non-combat gaming - while much of the video focuses on mechanics for console or PC gaming, the central idea reminded me of some interesting thoughts I once had about use of skills and such in D&D.
www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/extra-credits/2633-Non-Combat-Gaming
Sorry this is so long... but I found it interesting, and thought others might too.