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<blockquote data-quote="RareBreed" data-source="post: 9198712" data-attributes="member: 6945590"><p>I believe that certain game settings and systems were designed to be played in a certain way. I also have never been too thrilled with the notion that games should be <em>fun</em>. <em>Fun</em> is not, or at least doesn't have to be, the be all and end all of any endeavor worth pursuing. So I would argue that "The only right way to play is when you are having fun" is also too limiting of a definition.</p><p></p><p>Is exercise fun? Perhaps to some it is. Is it good for you? Absolutely. Does it make you feel good <em>after</em> you do it? I think most people (as long as they aren't terribly sore) would also say yes.</p><p></p><p>Is watching a sad movie <em>fun</em>? I suppose if you have an odd definition of fun. But is it moving and can we learn from it? Hopefully yes.</p><p></p><p>A game session doesn't have to be everyone laughing, having a jolly time, and congratulating themselves on a victory (even if perhaps there were missteps and loss along the way). A game session can be educational, thought-provoking, inspirational, or therapeutical too.</p><p></p><p>All my most favorite TV episodes and movies are ones that were usually either sad, or made me think deeply. My favorite MASH episodes were the sad ones, my favorite Magnum PI episode was where (seemingly) Magnum murdered the Russian, and my favorite Avatar episode was where Iroh paid tribute to his fallen son, Lu Ten. Because I watched Asian cinema way before it was en vogue in America, someone once asked me, "how come so many Asian movies end with the hero dying?". I explained that in Buddhism, it is said that one does not commit to seeking the path until one has become truly tired of suffering. Or as Aeschylus said in <em>Agamemnon</em> "Zeus, who guided men to think, has laid it down that wisdom comes alone through suffering".</p><p></p><p>So here is I think the <em>real</em> question: what do people want out of their gaming sessions, and how can the game system or setting help provide that? The "right way to play" is really a question about "what do people want to get out of this game?". And the more thorny question is "what if some people want a grim and gritty campaign, and the others wants swashbuckling high stakes drama?".</p><p></p><p>Potentially, you can have the same game system play either style, but the GM may differ in adjudicating some rules, and players will act according to what they perceive as <em>fun</em> and therefore the <em>right way to play</em>. I liked the very detailed and crunchy Phoenix Command Combat System. But I think it would bore players to tears who want quick and dirty action that focuses on the outcome rather than the tactical decision making.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="RareBreed, post: 9198712, member: 6945590"] I believe that certain game settings and systems were designed to be played in a certain way. I also have never been too thrilled with the notion that games should be [I]fun[/I]. [I]Fun[/I] is not, or at least doesn't have to be, the be all and end all of any endeavor worth pursuing. So I would argue that "The only right way to play is when you are having fun" is also too limiting of a definition. Is exercise fun? Perhaps to some it is. Is it good for you? Absolutely. Does it make you feel good [I]after[/I] you do it? I think most people (as long as they aren't terribly sore) would also say yes. Is watching a sad movie [I]fun[/I]? I suppose if you have an odd definition of fun. But is it moving and can we learn from it? Hopefully yes. A game session doesn't have to be everyone laughing, having a jolly time, and congratulating themselves on a victory (even if perhaps there were missteps and loss along the way). A game session can be educational, thought-provoking, inspirational, or therapeutical too. All my most favorite TV episodes and movies are ones that were usually either sad, or made me think deeply. My favorite MASH episodes were the sad ones, my favorite Magnum PI episode was where (seemingly) Magnum murdered the Russian, and my favorite Avatar episode was where Iroh paid tribute to his fallen son, Lu Ten. Because I watched Asian cinema way before it was en vogue in America, someone once asked me, "how come so many Asian movies end with the hero dying?". I explained that in Buddhism, it is said that one does not commit to seeking the path until one has become truly tired of suffering. Or as Aeschylus said in [I]Agamemnon[/I] "Zeus, who guided men to think, has laid it down that wisdom comes alone through suffering". So here is I think the [I]real[/I] question: what do people want out of their gaming sessions, and how can the game system or setting help provide that? The "right way to play" is really a question about "what do people want to get out of this game?". And the more thorny question is "what if some people want a grim and gritty campaign, and the others wants swashbuckling high stakes drama?". Potentially, you can have the same game system play either style, but the GM may differ in adjudicating some rules, and players will act according to what they perceive as [I]fun[/I] and therefore the [I]right way to play[/I]. I liked the very detailed and crunchy Phoenix Command Combat System. But I think it would bore players to tears who want quick and dirty action that focuses on the outcome rather than the tactical decision making. [/QUOTE]
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