Thread by @OrdoaleaP

Ok conversation in a group ended with me defining 3 types of #ttrpg "core" products:

Framework

System

Game

So that would be a Core Roleplaying Framework/System/Game

Let me get into the definitions.

I went from the assumption that a game is a set of rules used to create a narrative.

SO what is a narrative? A story told after a set of rules and assumptions. These are the Genre, Tropes, Cliches, and Direction.

Genre is a broad definer while Tropes are tools to tell a genre.

Cliches are known and specific Tropes used in a genre that are expected to happen by those who are in the genre. This can be used to further the genre and tie in other tropes.

The Direction is the SPECIFIC thing that makes your work unique to others...

... it's that special twist you give to make it interesting. It's your experiences portrayed in the work itself.

So with that in mind, can you separate a setting from a ruleset? You can. Can you separate a genre from a ruleset? You CAN!

BUT we IMHO need to get on the same page!

So that's why I came up with the classification above, and honestly I'm happy as that explains the initial need for me t call my #horror #ttrpg a system instead!

Moment for me to get coffee and I'll continue. I'll let you all hype this up!

Ok back.

*sips krop coffee*

So Frameworks go first. These are rulesets. NOTHING BUT rulesets. Aka your universal games, like GURPS, FATE, Fudge, etc.

They are without a genre and without a story. They NEED to be hacked to provide you with anything.

These are toolkits for you to use. They require more work but allow you to tailor your experience fully. Great for DIY stuff or designing your own Systems or Games.

Now what are Systems then? These are works that include a genre in themselves but no story. They work towards a specific type of story but have enough blanks for you to fill them in. Aka they expect you to make your own setting within the system.

They require SOME work but not to the point that a Framework needs. So the prep is less than for a frameowor but more for a game!

In the end Roleplaying GAMES are full Systems with a Story/Setting already. They work towards telling ONE specific story. Which isn't bad. But they shouldn't be hacked. They are intended to be used as is. They have their Genre, Tropes, Cliches, World, Story, Setting...

These are there to guide the players of the game towards a specific thing they want to show.

By telling people a GAME could be a framework/system means telling them they need to find a way to remove things from it in a way that preserves the Ruleset.

Which in turn is already tied into the things that make the game!

A System has less to remove, as they are already tailored for that. Want to do DIY stuff? Pick a framework instead.

So #DnD is a Roleplaying Game. Why? Hell it has a ruleset, specific setting, and genre (yes D&D FANTASY IS A GENRE IN ITSELF!).

It's intended for that. And that alone. HACKING it takes too much time to be workable, even then it's the same time needed to write a FULLY new game.

My own game the #DomainsHRS is a System. And I tried to keep it as is, by making it stick to a genre and keep things "open" enough for anyone to strip unnecessary things to play a #horror game of their need. It doesn't do fantasy, or anything non horror based.

I think that GURPS are the IDEAL description of a framework...

Here's a set of rules, use them. They aren't even tied to anything but definition how the character interacts to things in game. There's no reason WHY it's done that way to be explained in game.

Also here's the final "evolution" of that logic:

MY #narrative #horror #ttrpg SYSTEM!

ordoalea-publishing.itch.io/ordo-dhrs-c001