Re: pbem role-play - hints?

From: "Carl D. Cravens" <cravens@southwind.net>

Date: Fri, 09 Jan 1998 00:00:00 +0000

On Fri, 9 Jan 1998, Jason Paul McCartan wrote:

> Human GMs DO provide more flexibility, but for Shattered Isles, which can
> cater for over 1,000,000 player parties in each game, THERE IS NO WAY I'M
> WRITING THAT MANY RESULTS IN ONE WEEK <grin>. With the right design,
> computer moderated games need not be restrictive, and can in fact be almost
> as 'real' as a 'traditional roleplaying' experience. After all, most
> roleplaying games gave a core engine "the rules" that everything is bolted
> onto. sic

This probably isn't the place to get into a discussion of what *I*
think real roleplaying is, but the roleplaying I'm involved in
(face-to-face or PBeM) is something that isn't going to be handled by
a computer until we get true artificial intelligence of some kind.  My
games aren't "enter the dungeon, kill the monster, take the
treasure".  Many of my games don't involve consulting the rules at
all.

> Also, there's a problem with defining exactly what 'roleplaying' is. Taken
> literally, it means 'playing a role' and that can mean just about anything,
> depending on your point of view, and your basis for comparison.

While your computer game will handle dungeon/monster/treasure
scenarios, and might provide characters with limited ability to
communicate with NPC's, it won't provide a "true" roleplaying
experience unless it can fully simulate a real human being, because,
to me, that's what roleplaying is about... pretending to be other
people in other (imaginary) places and times.  The computer can't
handle a discussion of the nature of good and evil between the good
guys and the bad guys... or the stormy love relationship between one
of the characters and the spy from the enemy...  or the smoldering
hatred of the merchant-turned-adventurer who's family was murdered by
a renegade priesthood for speaking out against them.

Computer-moderated RPG's and "real" PBeM RPG's are two very different
creatures and it's really difficult to even compare them.  While they
may even share identical rule systems, the nature of the games as they
are played can have a focus so different that you'd be hard-pressed to
see any relation between the two.

--
Carl D. Cravens                  Systems Administrator
cravens@southwind.net
SouthWind Internet Access, Inc.  Wichita: 316-263-7963
http://www.southwind.net/        Elsewhere: 1-800-525-7963

References

Re: pbem role-play - hints?
"Carl D. Cravens" <cravens@southwind.net>
Thu, 08 Jan 1998 00:00:00 +0000
Re: pbem role-play - hints?
"Jason Paul McCartan" <jason@mindshift.prestel.co.uk>
Fri, 09 Jan 1998 00:00:00 +0000
pbem role-play - hints?
tim@leaphome.pelican.org (Tim Franklin)
Mon, 05 Jan 1998 00:00:00 +0000
Re: pbem role-play - hints?
"Jason Paul McCartan" <jason@mindshift.prestel.co.uk>
Wed, 07 Jan 1998 00:00:00 +0000

Referenced By

Re: pbem role-play - hints?
"Carl D. Cravens" <cravens@southwind.net>
Thu, 08 Jan 1998 00:00:00 +0000
Re: pbem role-play - hints?
"Jason Paul McCartan" <jason@mindshift.prestel.co.uk>
Fri, 09 Jan 1998 00:00:00 +0000
pbem role-play - hints?
tim@leaphome.pelican.org (Tim Franklin)
Mon, 05 Jan 1998 00:00:00 +0000
Re: pbem role-play - hints?
"Jason Paul McCartan" <jason@mindshift.prestel.co.uk>
Wed, 07 Jan 1998 00:00:00 +0000