RPG Insights #20: Let's go space trucking
New releases, other kinds of games, a bit of real life
Greetings, everyone! As we enter 2024, I want to share with you the final letter of 2023. This little blog has had a wonderful year, and I have achieved my goal of writing a substantial conversation about the games we love every month. We live in a world of small talk, quick messages, and short videos. My aim here is to offer you something that you can pause and dive into, at your own pace. I hope to launch more projects in 2024.
🎲From the Table - Taking the time off GMing to write
📺My Media - Foreign Affairs (yes, I read that)
📝Design Talk - MTDA+N: going deeper
🎲From the Table - Spelljamming
This year was particularly challenging for me as a writer. I may have taken on too much. I started the year with the #dungeon23 challenge, GMing, and a busy day job. I barely had any time to write. Yet, I still joined the Liga dos Aventureiros Spelljammer series as an additional project.
Liga dos Aventureiros is a group of Brazilian players and DMs who run D&D 5e Adventurer’s League games. They are very popular in the Brazilian TTRPG community. They invited writers to join their Spelljammer series and I was selected to co-write the third book out of six with Marco Antônio. He is a streamer and a great person as well. It’s been an immense pleasure to work with him and the Liga team.
Here is the link to our game. It combines the elements of Contra games, exploration, Lost in Space, secret labs, and more from modern D&D. Don't miss it and the rest of the series!
SJ-DC-LIGA03 THE DARK HUNGER - Dungeon Masters Guild | Dungeon Masters Guild (dmsguild.com)
📺My media - Foreign Affairs
Following what happens in the world of geopolitics is part of my day job duties, and Foreign Affairs is the most important magazine for these topics. Anyone working in my field and many others should read it regularly. This last month, they featured a text about wargaming. It's different from the wargaming we know from 40k and the like, but it has the same Kriegsspiel origin and it's a fascinating read.
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/united-states/what-war-games-really-reveal
These kinds of games have been important and popular throughout the 20th century and even before. As early as the turn of the nineteenth century, the U.S. Navy used war games as part of its budgeting and planning process. It was the navy that professionalized military war games in the United States by making them a part of officer training.
“The war with Japan had been reenacted in the game room here by so many people in so many different ways that nothing that happened during the war was a surprise—absolutely nothing except the kamikaze tactics toward the end of the war.”
The article claims that war-gaming can help policymakers experience a situation that they might never imagine and discover something new about their own reactions. This is also a goal that we can pursue in our games, isn't it?
📝Design talk - MTDA+N
As promised, this month I’ll be reviewing MTDA+N. Next month we’ll take a time off pure theory to talk about more freeform games in the TTRPG tradition.
A more comprehensive and nuanced understanding of the different elements and interactions that make up a game is the aim of MTDA+N, a framework for game design that integrates two existing models: MDA (Mechanics, Dynamics, Aesthetics) and the Elemental Tetrad (Mechanics, Technology, Aesthetics, Story). MTDA+N has four core elements and three types of narratives.
Mechanics are the components of the game that create challenges for the player, such as rules, objects, actions, skills, and chance.
Technology is the medium through which the game is delivered and played, such as a game console, a mobile phone, or a board game.
Dynamics are the emergent patterns of player-game interaction that arise from the mechanics and technology, such as gameplay styles, strategies, and behaviors.
Aesthetics are the emotional responses and subjective experiences of the player, such as fun, frustration, immersion, and discovery.
Embedded Narratives are the stories that are intentionally embedded in the game by its creators, such as through cut scenes, dialogues, or artwork.
Emergent Narratives are the stories that are created by the player using the game, such as through choices, actions, and consequences.
Interpreted Narratives are the stories that are formed in the player’s mind based on their interpretation of the embedded and emergent narratives.
Some examples of how MTDA+N can be used to analyze and design TTRPGs are:
Mechanics: TTRPGs use various mechanics to create challenges and conflicts for the players, such as dice rolls, character sheets, skills, attributes, combat systems, and magic systems. Different mechanics can create various levels of complexity, realism, and randomness in the game.
Technology: TTRPGs can be played using different technologies, such as physical books, dice, maps, miniatures, cards, or digital tools, such as online platforms, chat applications, virtual tabletops, or video calls. Different technologies can affect the accessibility, convenience, and immersion of the game.
Dynamics: TTRPGs generate various dynamics among the players and the GM, such as cooperation, competition, negotiation, exploration, problem-solving, and storytelling. Different dynamics can create distinct types of gameplay, such as sandbox, linear, episodic, or open-ended.
Aesthetics: TTRPGs evoke various aesthetics in the players and the GM, such as curiosity, excitement, fear, suspense, humor, or satisfaction. Different aesthetics can create diverse types of experiences, such as epic, tragic, comedic, or horrific.
Embedded Narratives: TTRPGs have various embedded narratives that are created by the GM or the game designers, such as the setting, the plot, the NPCs, the quests, the lore, and the themes. Different embedded narratives can create distinct types of stories, such as fantasy, sci-fi, horror, or historical.
Emergent Narratives: TTRPGs have various emergent narratives that are created by the players and the GM, such as the actions, the decisions, the consequences, the interactions, and the outcomes. Different emergent narratives can create diverse types of stories, such as heroic, villainous, dramatic, or surprising.
Interpreted Narratives: TTRPGs have various interpreted narratives that are formed in the players’ and the GM’s minds, based on their perception, and understanding of the embedded and emergent narratives. Different interpreted narratives can create several types of stories, such as meaningful, memorable, enjoyable, or disappointing.
“Vampire: The Masquerade” is a popular tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG) that has also been adapted into various video games. It’s also one of the most analysed TTRPGs we have, having inspired the whole GNS controversy, IMO. Here’s an analysis of the game using the MTDA+N framework:
Mechanics: The game mechanics involve players taking on the roles of vampires, each with their own unique abilities and limitations. The game uses a dice-based system for determining the outcomes of actions, adding an element of chance to the gameplay.
Technology: As a TTRPG, the primary technology used in “Vampire: The Masquerade” is pen-and-paper, though digital tools and platforms are often used to facilitate online play.
Dynamics: The dynamics of the game revolve around the interactions between the players and the game master, as well as the decisions made by the players. The game encourages strategic thinking, negotiation, and role-playing.
Aesthetics: The game creates a dark and atmospheric aesthetic, immersing players in a world of intrigue and danger. The aesthetics are further enhanced by the rich lore and detailed setting of the game.
Embedded Narratives: The game features a complex and layered narrative that is embedded in the game world. This includes the history of the vampire clans, the politics of the vampire society, and the personal stories of the characters.
Emergent Narratives: The narratives that emerge from the gameplay are largely driven by the decisions and actions of the players. This can lead to unexpected twists and turns, adding to the excitement and unpredictability of the game.
Interpreted Narratives: The narratives that are interpreted by the players can vary greatly, depending on their understanding and interpretation of the game world and the events that unfold during the game.
In terms of its relation to TTRPG game design, “Vampire: The Masquerade” is a prime example of how the MTDA+N framework can be used to create a rich and immersive gaming experience. A popular point of analysis has been how the mechanics of this game do not support the narratives and aesthetics it proclaims to inspire.
Applying the MTDA+N framework to your own game design involves a thoughtful consideration of each component. Here’s a step-by-step guide:
Mechanics: Start by defining the rules and systems that govern your game. This includes the actions that players can take, the challenges they will face, and the conditions for winning or losing. Consider how these mechanics will create interesting choices and challenges for the players.
Technology: Determine the medium or platform for your game. This could be a physical board game, a digital video game, a mobile app, or even a virtual reality experience. If you’re going for a TTRPG, look beyond dice as a randomizer, and other tactile elements you can add.
Dynamics: Think about the emergent behavior that will arise from your mechanics. How will players interact with the game and with each other? What strategies might they develop? How can you design your mechanics to encourage these dynamics?
Aesthetics: Consider the emotional responses and experiences you want to evoke in your players. This could include excitement, tension, joy, surprise, or any number of other emotions. Your aesthetics should be reflected in all aspects of your game, from the mechanics and dynamics to the visual and sound design.
Narratives: Finally, think about the stories that will be told through your game. This includes both the embedded narratives (the backstory, the setting, the characters) and the emergent narratives (the stories that arise through gameplay). Consider how these narratives will enhance the player’s experience and engagement with the game. This maps to the classic advice of “ask what the characters in your game do”.
Remember, game design is as much an art as it is a science. The MTDA+N framework is a useful tool, but it should be used flexibly and creatively, in conjunction with intuition, experience, and feedback. Happy designing! 🎮
References:
Engineering emergence: applied theory for game design (uva.nl)
Design, Dynamics, Experience (DDE): An Advancement of the MDA Framework for Game Design
A Working Theory of Game Design - First Person Scholar
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