6. Maturity

These are my notes on chapter 6 of The Elusive Shift: How RPGs Forged Their Identity, written by Jon Peterson and published by MIT Press. My notes on chapter 5 are available here.

Chapter 6: Maturity

The late 1970s saw the hobby shift toward highly codified rules systems, culminating in Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D). This game emphasized strict rule adherence, aiming for uniformity in gameplay and dismissing the idea of house rules--a significant departure from the original D&D's encouragement of creativity. This shift sparked debates on the essence of role-playing games. Commentators highlighted the tension between creating a standardized game experience and the intrinsic variability brought by players. Such discussions about the purpose and value of rules dominated the community in this era, even as the hobby entered a stage of maturity.

Blacow's Model

In 1980, Glenn Blacow contributed to this topic in "A Consideration on the Subject of Fantasy Role-Playing." Blacow's essay outlined four primary forms of gameplay:

• Role-playing, where character development is paramount.

• Wargaming, focusing on tactical and rule-based play.

• Ego-tripping (later power-gaming), emphasizing power and competition among players.

• Story-telling, where narrative and world-building dominate.

The form of gameplay dictated the attitude to rules. While wargaming is characterized by rigid rules adherence, role-playing and story-telling are more free-form. Blacow's influential model highlighted the multifaceted nature of role-playing games and the diverse motivations of players. Blacow also suggested that most players start as ego-trippers and then "mature" toward the other forms of play.

Applying the Model

The Blacow model offered a framework for understanding player and game dynamics. Jeffrey Johnson's "Fourfold Way of FRP" further developed the model by plotting these forms on a realism vs. goals axis, with wargaming/role-playing opposed on the realism axis and story-telling/power-gaming opposed on the goals axis. Despite its analytical value, some criticized the model for oversimplifying the complex dynamics of role-playing games and their communities. Others thought Blacow had a too narrow definition of what a "mature" player should look like. 

Starting from Scratch

Some commentators suggested that codified rule systems tended to stifle the creativity of younger players in the hobby. They argued that the essence of RPGs lies in the player/referee creativity and interaction, so the emphasis on rules was unhelpful. Some gamers became increasingly skeptical about the value of any rules systems at all. Companies partly addressed these concerns with introductory game sets that pared away complex rules and tried to start players "on the right foot." However, critics declared that a role-playing session's ultimate success depends more on the participants' imagination and engagement than on the rulebook. Somewhat paradoxically, the more immersed people became in their characters--the more actual role-playing they did--the more divorced they became from the game system.

Invisible Systems

In the early 80s, Ed Greenwood argued that an intricate knowledge of rules could hinder the immersive experience of role-playing. He advocated an approach where players had minimal mechanical information and could focus more on character actions. The hobby saw a backlash against complex systems like AD&D and a growing trend towards minimalist rules and free-form gaming. This movement eliminated fixed rules, promoting a gaming experience based on trust, creativity, and narrative collaboration between the game master and players. And even AD&D gave the referee broad discretion to overrule results, and play reports suggested Gygax himself only occasionally consulted the charts he created. These approaches were arguably a full-circle return to historical wargaming practices in Free Kriegsspiel, where referee discretion determined outcomes!

The Elusive Shift

Some had long feared a rift in the RPG community between those slavishly consuming TSR products and the "truefen" who remained committed to open, collaborative, and innovative role-playing. At the same time, this period also saw a demographic shift towards younger players, and critics lamented an alleged dilution of creativity and openness among newer, younger players. However, other voices within the community rejected this as elitism and advocated a broad hobby that accepted diverse play styles. This ongoing debate over what constitutes "true" role-playing games reflects a wider discussion on player agency, narrative control, creativity, and the tension between structured rules and open gameplay. While it is clear that role-playing games had forged an identity distinct from other gaming forms by the late 1970s, the exact moment of this shift and the true essence of the RPG experience remains elusive.

Epilogue

Since the 1980s, there has been continuous debate over game design principles in the RPG community. This period saw the emergence of computer and live-action role-playing games, which introduced new concepts to the genre and influenced the direction of tabletop RPGs. Game designers experimented with various mechanisms to enhance player engagement and share narrative control. The community continued to debate how to balance game mechanics with story-telling, character development, and player agency. This era underscored the adaptability of the RPG genre and its capacity for absorbing new ideas while grappling with the ongoing challenge of defining and creating the ideal RPG experience.

The Elusive Shift: How RPGs Forged Their Identity by Jon Peterson is now available at all good book stores.