RP Gaming for Fun and RP Gaming for Blood

[Carthrat]

I recently re-read the article that sparked this whole thing off.

Now, Drac, while you may belive that at the higher ends it's more fufilling to game. To an extent, I agree. Yes, when playing with more experianced roleplayers in a challenging environment, it's far more entertaining.

However, at a certain point past this, I think the actual 'Fun' part seeps away, with people worrying too much about surviving to actually enjoy the game. While I'm sure that this appeals to some of you out there, I doubt this appeals to the most of us as fun gaming. To each his own, as I say.

On the flip side, of course, too MUCH fun can be annoying. I can attest to this when playing *shudder* Bleg. The game was split. Most players, with a few notable exceptions, were merely out to screw up as much as possible, I, unfortunately, among them. The game got out of hand, one of the leading members quit (presumably out of disgust), and it collapsed from there.

Perhaps part of the problem with such games is that people fail to understand the style from the outset. A large part of enjoyment is knowing exactly what you're about to do.

Finally, I'd like to say that yes, it IS possible to merge gaming for fun and gaming for blood. Though I may have bias, I'll take my current RPG, Destiny's Off Day.

Making big mistakes gets you killed. Making smaller mistakes handicaps you, loading up stress, the way your character percieves the world, and actually having a MAJOR effect on the kind of world you're currently playing in. It's quite dark, and making too many mistakes can be quite deadly. The player, while he might not DIE for his mistakes, is quite clearly not encouraged to make them.

Which I think is a great idea for people striving for a balance. When people make a mistake, punish them with something that they'll see, they'll hate themselves for doing it, and they'll strive not to make it again.

[kpjam]

I may be beating the dead and decomposed horse, but a couple other things struck me.  The major ones goes to, as much as I hate to say it, redeeming kwok a bit^_^.

"Playing for Blood" which really means playing to win, assumes that there is a clear identifiable 'win'.  And this goes to Drac applying the same premise to 'all' RPGs.  The 'win' in TOMB and in the online RPG that was displayed elsewhere was to survive and beat the scenario.  

In JLOT, and quite a few other's I've seen in various forums, the 'win' isn't clear cut, and it isn't to beat anything in particular.  It's to have fun and make interesting storylines through posts.  That's not to say, Kwok, doesn't stink at it-p, but the goal is 'completely' different.  Sure, there may be some monsters to squash, or Crystal Tokyo to topple, but the crafting of a story is more important.  I'm more thinking of the Utena and Sailor moon RPG's I've seen in the other delphi forums(forgot the names).  

The point is, that scrubs are defined narrowly for each endeavor they undertake.  A champion 'blood' RPG'er could suck at the story oriented RPG because he's stuck into 'winning', when 'winning' for that story could be doing something stupid to move the plot along and increase interest in the joint story that's being compiled.  Which is the goal and 'winning'.

Gaming for 'Blood' is winning.  In any endeavor.  It's also an interesting way to look at how people approach things.  The person who tests the boundaries of whatever is constraining them towards their goal is someone who is generally out to 'win'.  It is counter to what some people want out of the endeavor.  It's counter in a lot of situations to what we're taught in our 'nice' society where 'fair play' is what's taught, but Microsoft rules from 'cheating.'  Gates played to win, and no matter what we say about how he did it, 'he won'.  And anyone who wouldn't want his success, is lying.  Maybe we wouldn't have done what he's done, be we generally have at least one thing in out lives we wished we could have that type of success at.

The ultimate question is, do you approach something in order to get the maximum value out of it?  If you don't, you're a 'scrub'.  And hey, I'm a scrub at a lot of things, so bite me.-p

[Dracos]

In retrospect, this article and it's examples are stupid.

Dracos

[Carthrat]

HAH!

VICTORY!

[Dracos]

Yeah, yeah.  Arrogance bends before wisdom with years of age ^_~.

Dracos

[Carthrat]

I dunno. I think you're still pretty damn arrogant.

[Kwokinator]

Maybe it's a different kind of arrogant? ^_^

Maybe he's just less stupidly arrogant, who knows ^_^

[Olvelsper]

So speakth the pot. :p

[Kwokinator]

I've never been arrogant ^_^

Therefore, by definition I cannot possibly be stupidly arrogant ^_^

[Olvelsper]

Suuure. ^^

Where *have* you been lately, you lazy bum? It's gotten so bad we had to make the Gerbil the room's kickboi.

[Kwokinator]

Avoiding kicks, of course ^_^

Where else would I be? ^_^

[Olvelsper]

Mad Bitch Disease struck again, eh? *pat pats*

[Kwokinator]

Err... ^_^;;

It's caligynephobia that's keeping me from joining #sr! ^_^

'tis such a cool word ^^

[Olvelsper]

Riiiight. ^^