3. Designing for Role Play
These are my notes on chapter 3 of The Elusive Shift: How RPGs Forged Their Identity, written by Jon Peterson and published by MIT Press. My notes on chapter 2 are available here.
Chapter 3: Designing for Role Play
The phrase “role-playing game” predates D&D, being used in political wargames since the 1960s. D&D, initially not labeled an RPG, sparked a genre that extended beyond traditional wargames. By 1975, commentators like George Phillies recognized D&D’s role-playing aspect. The term “role-playing” gradually became standard in game reviews, but its meaning remained ambiguous. Early adopters struggled to define role-playing, often associating it with character identification and first-person protagonism. The transition from wargames to RPGs involved a shift in player-character relationships, focusing on character attributes and nature rather than strategic command. Early RPGs, including D&D, fluctuated between character-driven and strategy-focused gameplay. This chapter explores how this evolving understanding of role-playing shaped the genre’s development.
Self-Determination
In the early days of D&D, character creation began with random dice rolls for attributes like Intelligence and Wisdom, shaping the character’s potential actions and decisions. This random generation sparked debate among players and designers about how much a character’s actions should be determined by these inherent traits versus the player’s choices and creativity. Some argued for strict adherence to the rolled attributes, embodying the character’s limitations and strengths, while others preferred a more flexible approach, allowing player ingenuity to dominate. This debate highlighted two distinct play styles: one focusing on strategic gameplay and the other on faithful character portrayal. Alternative character generation methods emerged, reflecting a broader shift in role-playing games, from randomness dictating character abilities to giving players more creative control and self-determination in shaping their characters’ destinies.
Ethical Calculus
In early D&D, character alignment, chosen by players, played a crucial role in defining character behavior and guiding in-game decisions. Initially, D&D featured three alignments: Law, Chaos, and Neutrality. Alignment impacted gameplay, determining party compatibility and interactions with certain magical items. While characters like Clerics had alignment restrictions, alignment wasn’t immutable; significant actions could change a character’s alignment. Communities implemented various interpretations of alignment, sometimes tracking it quantitatively to influence gameplay. Characters were free to act against their alignment, but this came with potential game consequences enforced by referees. Over time, alignment systems evolved to become more nuanced and integral to character development, intertwining with other character attributes to shape personality and behavior. This approach encouraged players to engage deeply with their characters’ ethical choices, enhancing the role-playing experience by balancing character-driven actions with strategic gameplay.
Personal Goals
In traditional board wargames, players have clear victory conditions, but in D&D, the goal is less defined, focusing on character development rather than winning. Players accumulate experience points to advance their characters. This progression system implies a character arc, with characters growing in power and developing a personal history over time. However, this focus on progression can arguably overshadow the role-playing aspect, leading to a hunt for experience points rather than immersive character play. Some games experimented with different progression systems, such as rewarding players for role-playing or character-driven actions. Ultimately, D&D and similar games encourage players to explore their characters’ motivations and stories, making the role-playing experience central to the game.
The Elusive Shift: How RPGs Forged Their Identity by Jon Peterson is now available at all good book stores.