YOUR GAME STILL SUCKS

BY EDDY WEBB
NASHVILLE BY NIGHT 2014 EDITION
WHAT DO YOU MEAN STILL?

Your Game Sucks: Given over a dozen times over four years
Consistently my most requested presentation
I have more to say, but I cut some excess material think of this as
Sucking 2.0
BUT FIRST: DISCLAIMERS

The idea is to get the most people to have the most fun
My personal theories
Based on my experiences not automatically right
A chance to think critically about your opinions
PLAYSTYLES: HOW DO THEY WORK?
A BRIEF OVERVIEW
DIFFERENT KINDS OF FUN

People have fun in different ways

They play in the style of the fun they gravitate to
Hence, playstyle
DONT HATE THE GAME; HATE THE PLAYER

Fun is fun, period

When other people can impact your fun, however, things
change
Playstyle conflicts result
As video games and hobby games increase social components,
theres been more study on this
STUDIES OF PLAYSTYLES

D&D Survey (Wizards of the Coast)

The Big Model/GNS Theory (Ron Edwards)
Bartle Test (Dr. Richard Bartle)
Venue Style Sheets (Minds Eye Society)
Rules of Play (MIT)
What Does Your Favorite Game Say About You? (PBS Game/Show)
8KindsOfFun.com (Marc LeBlanc)
EIGHT WAYS TO HAVE FUN
AND FOUR WAYS TO BE A DICK
300% INCREASE!

Reorganized and expanded my original four playstyles into twelve

Internal: My fun comes from me and what I do
External: My fun comes from how I interact with others
Disruptive: My fun comes from disrupting the fun of others (aka:
assholes)
INTERNAL SENSUALIST

Enjoys the environment (costuming, listening, moving)

Sense-pleasure is the most important
Dislikes disruption of sense-pleasure, even if appropriate
to the game
Can come across as snobbish
EXTERNAL ACTOR

Enjoys portraying a particular character and the story that

emerges
Character-driven roleplay is the most important
May find non-game interactions to be disruptive
Can become attached to personal story
DISRUPTIVE CONTROL FREAK

Enjoys having the game exactly as needed, even if inconvenient to

others
Forcing people to conform to personal needs is the most important
Positive Form: Sensualist or Actor
INTERNAL CULTIVATOR

Enjoys improving characters and understanding rules

Mechanical development is the most important
May find non-rules interactions to be unfair
Can fall out of character to pursue rules-based
resolutions
EXTERNAL CHALLENGER

Enjoys proving mechanical superiority and establishing a

pecking order
Continuing to challenge others is the most important
May find being the best to be boring
Conversely, can find impossible challenge frustrating
DISRUPTIVE POWER-GAMER

Enjoys disrupting others fun with mastery of rules

Winning or being right (even if cheating) is the most
important
Positive Form: Cultivator or Challenger
INTERNAL EXPLORER

Enjoys engaging in and exploring the backstory and environment

Discovering new things is the most important
May find contrary concepts to be jarring
Can become pedantic about lore
EXTERNAL FIXER

Enjoys solving problems in the environment (such as chasing

plot)
Resolving tough issues is the most important
May find peaceful situations to be boring
Conversely, can find too much conflict to be overwhelming
DISRUPTIVE MAD BOMBER

Enjoys creating problems and destroying the fantasy

Breaking immersion is the most important
Positive Form: Explorer or Fixer
INTERNAL SELF-EXPRESSIVE

Enjoys using the game as a form of expression or soap box

Visual or social expression is the most important
May end up needing attention
Can bend concepts or game fantasy to fit new expression
EXTERNAL SOCIAL BUTTERFLY

Enjoys being social and making friends

Fellowship is the most important
May ignore game if a real world conversation is more interesting
Can find small games too confining
DISRUPTIVE DIVA

Enjoys stealing the spotlight for any reason

Having attention (even negative attention) is the most
important
Positive Form: Self-Expressive or Socialite
FROM THEORY TO PRACTICE
WHAT DOES ALL THIS MEAN FOR MY GAME?
1) DETERMINE WHAT YOU LIKE

Write an honest list of things you like and dislike

Not a list of judgments think of ideal game
See which playstyles you gravitate to (not one you want to be like)
2) FIND OUT WHAT EVERYONE LIKES

Players: Consider scenes that happen around you

Storytellers: Get feedback about what your players like and
dislike
Look at whats there, not what you want to see
3) IDENTIFY AREAS OF CONFLICT

If players and Storytellers dont know how everyone is having fun, playstyle
conflict can result
A playstyle is not wrong; imposing your playstyle on others is
GETTING AND USING FEEDBACK

Short, anonymous works best

Dont wait for it; go get it
Productive, not judgmental
Get to action plans, not game theory
ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL

Playstyles are general trends, not player classes

Players evolve over time, so the game and the players must be
regularly reassessed
Never assume what another player wants
PERMUTATIONS
WHERE PLAYSTYLES AND ADVICE MEET
STORYTELLING FOR MULTIPLE PLAYSTYLES

You cant address all kinds of fun simultaneously

Only two strategies to resolve
STORYTELLING FOR MULTIPLE PLAYSTYLES

1) Expand to address more fun

Hire specialized narrators
Divide games into sub-games
STORYTELLING FOR MULTIPLE PLAYSTYLES

2) Focus on what fun you will address

Specialize game
Find local alternatives
TRUST AND ETHICAL BEHAVIOR

A LARP cannot exist without some level of trust between the

participants
Sometimes you can replace trust with rules or structure, but its
a Band-Aid
When playstyles collide, trust is the first to go
The only way to build or regain trust is to act ethically
TRUST AND ETHICAL BEHAVIOR

What is ethical LARPing?

Avoiding the perception of favoritism
Reducing conflicts of interest (such as acting as Storyteller
and player simultaneously)
Saying yes and no consistently and evenly
Addressing problems, not players
TRUST AND ETHICAL BEHAVIOR

Trust also comes from clear boundaries

Liminal Space (Rules of Play)
Ritual and separation are important
In game vs. out of game relationships
BLEED

Primarily from Nordic LARP

Popularized by Bleed: How Emotions Affect Role-Playing
Experiences by Sarah Lynne Bowman
From Jeepform dictionary, 2009: Bleed is experienced by a
player when her thoughts and feelings are influenced by those
of her character, or vice versa.
BLEED

The more bleed, the more likely that conflicts against the character
will be felt by the player, as well as the reverse
This is good or bad, depending on the style of game
Playstyle often shifts depending on the amount of bleed, even into
or out of disruptive forms
BLEED

Bleed can have positive benefits

I learned how to navigate a Fortune 100 company through LARP
Many stories of people who tested social skills in a safe
environment
By focusing on whats fun now, players can push personal
boundaries
CHANGE

Change is necessary for a LARP to stay dynamic

Change is easier to deal with when there is trust and clear
boundaries
Change also helps foster trust when its declining
CHANGE

Character Retirement and Death

Gives new opportunities and a change in dynamic
Breaks
Avoid burnout, allow for reestablishment of trust and boundaries
Rotation or Seasonal Chronicles
Able to enjoy an old game in a new way
I HAVE LOTS OF OPINIONS
http://eddyfate.com/free-stuff/
Killing Sacred Cows: refuting LARP assumptions
Your Game Sucks: the early version of this talk
Size Does Matter: how smaller footprints have a bigger impact
Playing To Lose: how giving in can get you what you want
DO WE HAVE TIME FOR QUESTIONS?