"entire game = one system for one multi-session adventure"

[HenryT]

However, I don’t dig the idea of “Party-RPGs” as a next step. Sure, you can strip off all the intensity and emotional commitment and creativity and power of imagination and turn it into Cluedo with funny voices, but that’s not what roleplaying is about, at least not to me. In my opinion, RPGs are not for everyone. It’s a nice romantic idea to get all your “none-gamer friends” to play, and there is certainly a lot of potential yet uncovered. But not just anyone is fit to play and enjoy RPGs. Unless you turn them into Cluedo with funny voices, of course.

I don't think you should confuse the fact that a game is a prepackaged one-shot partially aimed at non-gamers with a lack of intensity or emotional commitment.  D&D is as canonical as it gets in RPGs, but it's not usually cited for emotional commitment.  And on the flip side, several "Party RPG" style games that can be quite intense have been mentioned on this thread.

I suspect that more people are turned off to roleplaying by its geeky reputation and high learning curves than by its demands for emotional commitment and creativity.  I know plenty of people who have trouble with complex mechanics, but only a few who can't actually play a character.  (And actually, most of the latter are people who do roleplay--or at least try--to the perpetual frustration of other roleplayers.)

As one anecdote, I know Shifting Forest ran a custom larp for a group of professionals in their 50's with no roleplaying experience, and found that they didn't have much trouble getting into the characters and playing up the emotional intensity.

Henry

[Ron Edwards]

Hi Frank,

I think this conversation has turned into too many reactions about too many things.

Can you provide a specific, definite focus for us? This is much more important than responding to anything anyone has said so far. I recommend not responding to them, in fact. Just start over from the new focus.

Best,
Ron