In this post I hope to bring attention to a topic that is poorly understood by many RPG fans yet important to our games. Whether intentional or not most people in a roleplaying session are trying to adhere to a set of guidelines that will bring about a desired direction for the game. They have a style or focus in mind that they think will bring the best experience. Many people don’t know this is happening because they aren’t aware of there being more than one possible style. A great many players and gamemasters know one style of play and assume everyone else is on the same page. When people discuss this concept the term for it I hear most often is play style. I’m going to offer this definition: The intended focus of a game session and the methods used to accomplish it.
When people complain about other people running a fantasy rpg “the wrong way” or “not getting it” it’s often a matter of differing play styles. I hope our hobby can develop a better understanding of it. Discussing the play style that will guide the game will manage expectations for the group and inform people how to pull in the same direction. I believe this would go a long way toward reducing friction between personalities at the table. I also think a number of gamers leave the hobby or change games because of play styles. Either they don’t understand how to bring about the play style they would enjoy or they’re ready for a change in play style but think only another game can offer it.
When I consider play styles six general styles come to mind.
- Strategic
- Tactical
- Political
- Story
- Heroic
- In-Character
Play styles can be an abstract topic so I would expect other gamers to have different names for these and even additional ones on their minds. Before I discuss each style in more detail I’d like to offer a possible explanation for why there is such a large difference between the play styles used by game groups in our hobby.
When roleplaying started in the early to mid 70s most gamers were already fans of war games (also called strategy games). They spread game pieces across a map or modeled landscape and used their strategic skills to find the optimum placement and timing to beat their opponent while carefully managing their resources. This mindset naturally carried over to the dungeon crawls of the initial years of Dungeons & Dragons. The dungeon was the territory to move through and the monsters were the opponents. Getting the fighter into the right spot while protecting the wizard was crucial. Managing money, rations and equipment made or broke the dungeon delve. The players’ characters had names but personalities and personal histories were mostly ignored. If one character died another was easily dropped into place because they were little more than pieces on a board anyway. Obtaining the treasure was the objective. Anything after that was rarely considered. The strategic and tactical play styles were foremost in their minds.
Fifteen to twenty years later a new crop of gamers came on the scene. War games had dropped in popularity so the new crowd got their notions of fantasy roleplaying from novels and movies. Saving the princess or toppling the Dark Lord was seen as the goal rather than laying hands on treasure. The wilderness treks had firmer destinations in mind and the party wandered into cities with greater frequency. The players’ characters were more resistant to death, had more detailed back stories and needed motivations to get lost in the wilderness. The heroic, story and in-character play styles were often their defaults.
Please be aware that the “old school” and “new school” points of view described above are meant to be tendencies more than strict factions. Most people learned to play RPGs in groups that sat somewhere between the two extremes.
Strategic Play Style
This play style demands the players keep the big picture in mind. Like the war games of old, each adventure has a concrete objective that won’t change (often find the treasure and get it safely home). The only way they’ll accomplish the goal is to make a plan, make sure the party has the right sort of characters in it, stock the right supplies and stay focused on the prize. Strategic players don’t want to immerse themselves in the imaginary world their characters inhabit. They don’t take an interest in their character’s history or personality. Proper planning, self-control and focus pay off in the end for these players. This play style is still used by many gaming groups today but I get the sense it is watered down and only one or two people at the table have it in mind. Emphasizing it at key points in an adventure can be very rewarding if you have anyone at your table who wants to play this way.
What rules and techniques enhance this play style? The early editions of Dungeons & Dragons are full of rules tailored to strategic games. Encumbrance rules (how much weight different members of the party can carry), equipment lists, info on pack animals, NPC (nonplayer character) hirelings, etc. were all intended for planning campaigns where strategic play was paramount. The hex crawls that were popular in the early days of the hobby emphasized record keeping for rations and other supplies while the party spent time wandering in the wilderness. Hireling loyalty had to be handled or there was no way to carry supplies. Wandering monster rules both in the wilderness and the dungeon were meant to give the party tempting distractions. Fighting monsters is exciting and there may be some treasure (or rare body part) but time is lost, party members may be killed (especially using older game rules), the payoff is usually small and hirelings may be wiped out. The smart strategic players avoided fights whenever possible to keep their eyes on the prize. Negotiating with potential enemies was also a favorite tool of strategic players. Making a high charisma party member the negotiator and pushing them out front when meeting intelligent opponents saved time and resources.
Tactical Play Style
This play style fits nicely with the strategic style. The tactical play style is action-packed and focuses on immediate problems. Tactical players use what they have at hand to defeat challenges. A tactical player will either hatch a quick plan based on the lay of the land to drop a boulder on enemies or tell players how to engage the enemy in combat for victory. This is the player who will run interference while telling another party member to slip behind the melee and take out the Bottle of Healing Waters to make the ground too slippery for the enemy to charge (will the gnomes of the Gentle Lands appreciate their gift being used this way?). Tactical players love traps and puzzle rooms. Quick thinking, flexibility and teamwork are valued by these players.
Again, classic editions of Dungeons & Dragons was full of rules to support this play style. Balanced encounters were less important in the 70s because tactical play was more prevalent. No matter how tough the ogre was a clever party could get the advantage. Miniatures on an encounter map help many players get into the feel of the tactical play style. Movement rates, different hit point values for different character classes and rules on what armor different characters can wear emphasize tactical. If you want to emphasize tactical in your games, having less powers and abilities on a character sheet encourage a player to look around for anything they can use. In fifth edition, don’t use feats. Don’t do anything to help players who want compensation for a weak character. Describe the scene of the encounter to your players with some detail. Toss random objects and terrain details in without worrying about why they’re there. Give your party a magic item with no combat value.
Political Play Style
This is the play style that is rare in every era of roleplaying but very rewarding to those who enjoy it. Political play style deals with the larger world the players’ characters inhabit and the nations therein. Waging and avoiding wars, advising leaders, bluffing generals, etc. The players use their intelligence to predict the outcomes of conflicts in the game world, their planning skills to decide how to influence things and their charisma to bring their plans to completion. D&D can be as complex and nuanced as the board game Diplomacy if the gamemaster and players put in a little time. These games focus on a large map rather than a dungeon map. Political players use cunning, observation skills and delicate conversation to carry the day.
Political games can be a lot of fun for some players and less so for others at the table. You may want to use the political play style in pieces rather than make it the focus of your campaign. Get back to it after some standard adventuring so the political players can get their fix. Then switch again to the action before the barbarian gets bored and spoils the diplomatic dinner. This can work well because for many players it would be their first introduction to a play style they may enjoy in future. Editions of D&D over the years have done a poor job of supporting political play. Early editions mentioned building fortresses and beginning domain level play but rules were sparse. More recent editions remove it entirely. Thankfully, you don’t need much rules to try it. Use the players’ charisma score more often, think about the political situation in your game world and things should flow without too much effort. One thing to note, campaign settings with less immediate danger from inhuman monsters have more interesting politics. When the orc horde is threatening to invade tomorrow no one is thinking about assassinating the king or convincing the mountain dwarfs to allow trade.
Story Play Style
The story play style rose to prominence in the 80s and it isn’t hard to understand why. Lots of people got excited about their favorite fantasy novels or TV shows and carried the ideas associated with them into their RPGs. Story players want to see the tale unfold, session by session, of their character moving through a quest that would rival Frodo’s from The Lord of the Rings. Gamemasters in this group plan a storyline that includes action, travel, character motivation and struggling with dramatic villains. Story gamers want a larger story to give meaning to the fights and dungeon delves. They expect magic items to take on greater significance once their background is known. They want to use character histories to plan future quests and encounters. Players of this camp are disappointed when gamemasters take no interest in their character’s background. This more than any other play style should be discussed at the start of a campaign. Great games can result from emphasizing it and from ignoring it completely but player expectations are tied to it. Whether a player or a gamemaster, you should state at the first session what you intend to do with it. Story style players value imagination, continuity and willingness to agree on the party’s goals.
To use the story play style in your games you should lower the lethality setting of the rules you’re using. Main characters don’t die in chapter 2 of novels and story gamers want their chance to play a main character. Gamemasters should ask each player a few questions about their character and think about how to work in NPCs or plot elements that relate to them. The Mace of Mastery that lies at the bottom of your dungeon isn’t going to lose anything if it bears the family crest on its handle from one of the players’ characters. Also, if you want to show your players some Old School Goodness in the campaign you’re planning then don’t be afraid to tell your players that the story style isn’t going to be a factor in the game. Remind them that Conan the Barbarian (the one from Howard’s original stories) had almost no back story and only wandered the world because he was bored with his home village.
Heroic Play Style
Swords swing, battle cries are heard and hotblooded action is the order of the day with this play style. Heroic action is all about dramatic action without worrying about cunning plans or wordy parlaying. Direct combat is the first choice in every encounter and anything else would be missing the point. As of this writing, the current edition of D&D is the fifth. Fifth edition emphasizes the heroic play style with gusto. Gamers who favor this play style are usually looking to let off some steam or indulge in escapist entertainment. After watching action movies they want to kick down some doors and skewer some orcs. Don’t get the impression that these gamers are simplistic. The heroic style is visceral and caters to urges within us that go way back. This style allows gamemasters and players both to live a dramatic scene and exercise their imaginations to the fullest. Heroic gamers like direct solutions, rich descriptions and a fast pace.
To use this style at your game table keep the lethality of your game real low. Wading into a pack of dire wolves with your axe swinging is exciting but loses its punch if you fall dead 2 rounds later. Balanced encounters are also important here. Players expect to do well when they engage the beasties they run across. Gamemasters should live in the moment. Describe each action with an eye towards drama. Let your players feel the excitement as each round goes by. Allow your players to rise in level quickly so they can unlock even greater abilities. Enjoy it for the fun it is but don’t feel bad if you get tired of it after a while. Skilled game masters use it in doses to keep certain players happy then switch back to other styles to keep the rest of the players from drifting away.
In-Character Play Style
The in-character play style appeals strongly to some gamers but bores others to tears. It consists in letting players talk and interact with each other in an environment where they have time to do so. Before you dismiss it, remember that many movies and novels we like have famous scenes where the heroes are only talking to each other. Fans of this play style value originality, spontaneity and an easy-going nature.
In my experience, few campaigns focus on the in-character play style. It’s rare to have a group of players where everyone wants to pursue it. Used in doses, it can make some players at your table very happy. I like to use it to introduce important clues and plot devices without making it obvious what I’m doing. The players who enjoy in-character interactions are usually the ones who remember the hints I drop in this way and feel rewarded when they remind the other players later on. These episodes can be very easy for gamemasters because they don’t have to plan anything and don’t have to propel anything forward. They can also be very difficult because the gamemaster has to be patient and has to come up with a name and personality for every last stinking serving wench in the tavern. If you’re the gamemaster and have a group demanding this sort of thing, perhaps you can choose one player to take over for these scenes. Nothing is needed from the game rules. They can be pushed aside during these episodes. Many OSR game supplements have random roll tables to spice up in-character sessions. The right book at the table may liven the experience up considerably.
Before I conclude I want to mention two related topics. Simulation vs. escapist is a gradient that describes how closely people try to simulate reality in their games. It was a desire for simulation that inspired rolling character attributes as strict 3d6 in order. Some people are born more gifted than others. I don’t consider this kind of simulation to be a play style but it is something to think about when planning your campaign.
The other item is emergent story. Emergent story is a middle ground between the story play style and the traditional strategic play style. In this middle ground the gamemaster and players together see what kind of story elements occur to them during play. A random roll decides the goblins are not found in their lair. The gamemaster decides they were reacting to an emergency attacker. A player mentions the goblins would probably grant them safe passage through the dungeon’s entire second level if they aided the goblins. Before long the players know the goblin chief’s name and all about how trolls threaten the goblin tribes because of the rich veins of glowing gems nearby. Without planning it a story emerged and the players reacted well to it. If the gamemaster is game… run with it!
I hope this examination of play styles gave you something worthwhile to ponder. A deliberate discussion of them at the start of a campaign may help the campaign survive longer. Considering the options in play style may lead gamers to switch things up and keep their games fresh. I’ll take a chance on switching styles before I let my players go over to the other camp and take up collectible card games.
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