Wednesday, October 3, 2007

Storytelling Game vs. Role-Playing Game

Okay, I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about what to call the game. Technically, it is a role-playing game, but it is also a storytelling game. Wikipedia says that role-playing games are a type of storytelling game, and I agree.

The thing is that Strange World is very much about the characters and the story. It is really about dynamic, interactive storytelling. The rules, which are light, are just meant to help the storytelling and to add a level of randomness and surprise to the story. Strange World is not about killing monsters. If shots are fired, then the cast is likely to be in deep doo-doo! No, the game is about drama and suspense with just a taste of action thrown in for good measure.

So, I want to call Strange World a Storytelling Game, and even go as far as putting that on the front cover. My only concern is whether that would throw off "role-players." I think the Storytelling label would be more attractive to non-gamers (who are likely to be interested in Strange World), but would it turn people away?

I'm going to give it some more thought, but I'm still leaning toward calling it a Storytelling Game.

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