As I've attempted to plow through the varioud GNS articles and the like, I find my non-academic brain needing some clarification. (I have to look up words like brachiate and ontogeny, y'see.) To try and understand the differences between G and N and S, I thought I attempt some simple examples to see if I'm "getting it." Input requested.

Example: Character movement abilities

Take a game where three characters all need to rush downtown to stop a large monster from eating the Levec Lincoln Tower.

Char A) has normal human running

Char B) has a souped up sports car.

Char C) has the inate power of flight.

All three leave at the same time, rushing to the scene... (now we get into the differentiation of GN & S)

Simulationist = Each movement ability has a specific rate, based off of a core rule that establishes cause and effect. Char A spent least amount of points and moves the slowest, Char B has more speed through a vehicle, and Char C spent a lot of points and has the fastest most reliable mode. To this end, staying strictly Simulationist, Char C arrives on the scene much faster, likely long engaged in the battle with the monster before Char B comes screeching up in his Silver-mobile! Char A, huffing along the jogging trail, may never even make it to the scene before the battle is complete. They just aren't fast enough.

Narrativist = It just doesn't matter HOW each character gets there, because the metagame issue, very much at hand, is "Let's tell a story about fighting a monster trying to destroy a city!" Therefore, there might be a brief description of each character, running, driving or flying to the scene, but this is passed over and the game really starts with all three characters engaging the monster (and only if the player and others agree that it is humorous and makes a good story, would the fact that Char A most likely comes trudging up after the battle is all over, even be discussed.)

Gamist = I'm not sure. Having abandoned the D&D style a long time ago, I'm not sure how this would play out, unless a party of generic character types, each with a list of attributes that fills a necessary niche for successful completion of a goal, opened a door to find themselves transported downtown and looking up at a large monster eating a building. (This is tongue in cheek, mind you.)

Anyway... do I have this right? Would this be a good "simple" way to separate the 3 types (at their extremes, of course. I understand that most games have varying levels of all three.)

Thanks,
Neil

I re-posted this to the GNS board. How do I delete this, here?

Neil

Hey,

Actually, we'll just leave this here as is, and I'll say, This thread is closed, and no one is supposed to post to it again.

C'mon over to the GNS forum to address this one, folks.

Best,
Ron

Handy Link to other thread.