Types of player skill in RPGs

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• My feeling is that the best way to learn to run an RPG is to get access to what a GM is thinking as he or she is running the game. Most of a GM’s work is invisible, but if you’re able to see it in action it gets demystified and it’s easier to see yourself trying it. I made one of these videos in the past for Winter’s Daughter, but this week I made one for Mothership. Turn on the Klingon subtitles to see my GM commentary.

• I appeared on the Game Master’s Laboratory this week, talking to the authors of the popular 5e-focused Game Master series about the OSR style of play.

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Types of player skill in RPGs

When I talk about games online, especially games that avoid mechanics and dice rolling, a frequent refrain from commenters is that the “G” in “RPG” stands for Game, and that the mechanics are the game. If you remove the mechanics, the protest goes, then you aren’t playing a game any more.

I don’t think this is correct. In my recent video on the OSR style of play, I talked about how OSR games test the players’ problem solving skills, and mentioned that every game tests something. Even the most laid back, “cozy” RPG is asking something of its players, and the players could be good or bad at that thing. Most importantly, if they play the game enough, they could get better at it.

For me, a critical part of what makes something a game is not mechanics but challenge. This challenge could be easy or difficult, cooperative or competitive, and it could be mathematical or based on judgement calls, but the challenge is the key.

This got me thinking about the different player skills that RPG systems, adventures, and groups could test to produce a challenge. Goblin Punch investigated a similar line of thought in 2015, but it was focused on dungeons. I want to look at the different ways that groups challenge their players, and the cultures that arise from doing that. Some examples off the top of my head:

• In-World Problem Solving. This is what the OSR tests the most often. It challenges the players to overcome a difficulty in the game world by interacting with it in-world. Requires lateral thinking skills. Success is determined more by GM judgement calls than by mechanics.

• Systemic Problem Solving. This type of challenge asks the players to overcome in-world problems by manipulating the game’s rules system. It requires a more mathematical and analytical mindset. Examples would be games like D&D 4e or Draw Steel, which emphasize chess-like, abstracted combat arenas that must be beaten by activating the right abilities in the right combination. The most boardgamey of the challenges. Success is determined by the rules.

• Optimization. This is similar to systemic problem solving, but the goal is less about solving in-world problems, and more about overcoming the limits of the game system itself by finding exploits in the rules. Groups that focus on “character builds” are optimizers. The cultures surrounding Pathfinder and D&D 3e tend to be very optimization focused, although this can be true of any RPG that has very robust character generation rules or large numbers of special abilities that can be chained together. Like Systemic Problem Solving, it requires a mathematical and logical mindset, although one that is less concerned with the game world. Success is determined by how much the GM lets you get away with it.

• Anticipating the GM. This is something I particularly dislike, but it’s certainly a skill that some groups test. You tend to see it the most in badly written adventure modules. In this challenge, the GM knows the plot of the session ahead of time, and the players’ challenge is to figure out what to do to unlock the next pre-determined scene. Success is determined by the GM.

• Humor. There aren’t a lot of comedy RPGs, but ones like Paranoia are really just testing how well you can create funny situations. This can also be emphasized in recorded live play sessions, where the goal is to entertain. Your success at the game is measured by how many laughs you get.

• Acting and Immersion. This is mostly about table style, although some games like Burning Wheel grant mechanical rewards for players who are good at it. Groups that emphasize this push the players to adopt the mannerisms, voices, and perspectives of their characters. This tends to be what many actual play sessions are really testing. Success is determined by how much the group believes in your character.

• Storytelling. There are storygames like Fiasco that directly test how well the players understand story structure and when to inject the most dramatic moments or scenes. Many “GM-less” games are like this too, or any game that shares GM authority with the players. I’ve found that for many players this is the hardest skill to master, because it’s not something that most people have thought about. Success is determined by how much the group enjoys your additions to the narrative.

Note that the types of player skill being tested in a session (and there are often several) are going to be influenced by the rules system, the adventure being run, and the table of people playing it, not just the rules alone. In fact, I’ve found that the table has such a big influence on the kinds of player skills being tested that two groups playing the same system and adventure can feel like they are playing completely different games.

Think about how the game will feel for group one, which tests “can you use the rules and your abilities to defeat the orcs” versus group two, which tests “can you realistically portray how your character would act and feel regarding the orcs.” The text of the game, the mechanics, and the adventure content in both groups is exactly the same, but the experience of play will be fundamentally different.

Let me know what you think below, especially if I’ve missed any player skills that a session could test.