Agency

03/26/21 • 67 min

For this insightful episode I am joined by Scott, a.k.a @optionalrule, and we talk about the incredibly important topic of agency. It's a term that gets bandied around a lot, carrying with it an awful lot of weight. In this hour, Scott and I begin to unpack some of that weight and how it can drastically and dramatically impact the gameplay experience. Starting by clarifying some common misconceptions and misinterpretations, we define what "agency" really is within the TTRPG experience. When you have so many options on the table, where do you draw the line? Indeed, the GM is player too with their own pool of agency, and it's that trading of agency which leads to interesting and dynamic games. We finish on the importance of trust, something not always directly associated with agency, but the two are often intrinsically linked. The more you trust each other, the more you're willing to part with to increase the enjoyment of everyone at the table, and I can't think of a more poetic explanation than that!

02:30 - Nobody puts agency in the the corner - the common misconceptions
13:33 - What constitutes "meaningful" actions
24:16 - Taking player agency away through in-game mechanics
42:04 - An ethical tug of war - sacrificing agency for others
52:43 - Railroading versus sandbox - the analysis paralysis of too much agency

Follow Scott (@optionalrule) on:

Website: https://optionalrule.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/optionalrule
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/optionalrule/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi7AoQ6KbaZQqhdO7heKPqw

Follow me on:

Website: https://www.thinkingcritically.co.uk
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Danilo_DnD
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinking_critically_dnd/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThinkingCriticallyDnD

References:

Dungeons, Dice & Dudes

Intro Music: 'Local Forecast' by Kevin MacLeod
Intermission Music: 'Chill' by Kevin MacLeod
Outro Music: 'Local Forecast - Elevator' by Kevin MacLeod

02:30 - Nobody puts agency in the the corner - the common misconceptions
13:33 - What constitutes "meaningful" actions
24:16 - Taking player agency away through in-game mechanics
42:04 - An ethical tug of war - sacrificing agency for others
52:43 - Railroading versus sandbox - the analysis paralysis of too much agency

Follow Scott (@optionalrule) on:

Website: https://optionalrule.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/optionalrule
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/optionalrule/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi7AoQ6KbaZQqhdO7heKPqw

Follow me on:

Website: https://www.thinkingcritically.co.uk
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Danilo_DnD
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thinking_critically_dnd/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThinkingCriticallyDnD

References:

Dungeons, Dice & Dudes

Intro Music: 'Local Forecast' by Kevin MacLeod
Intermission Music: 'Chill' by Kevin MacLeod
Outro Music: 'Local Forecast - Elevator' by Kevin MacLeod

Previous Episode

Rules

Oh dear, hopefully we don't make any enemies with this episode all about the rules! Andrew Block and I discuss a range of topics interspersed with luke-warm takes and personal opinions. If that doesn't sell it, I don't know what will! We open with a discussion around the 'Rule of Cool' (RoC) and how it often belies the tricky nuances around modifying rules on the fly; there's often a wider impact that isn't always immediately visible. Indeed, D&D is a game of two halves where all the players work together to maintain a satisfying balance. Do you focus on verisimilitude and a believable universe potentially at the expense of "cool" set pieces? Or do you throw caution to the wind and allow audacious feats of heroism, possibly sacrificing standardisation and consistency? Ultimately, the rules are there to facilitate a story, so if you're achieving that, you're doing fantastic!

03:03 - RAW versus RoC - verisimilitude versus spontaneity
15:53 - A tale of two systems
21:10 - Empathy with interpretation
41:42 - Does the existence of clarification services and common issues suggest a weakness in the framework?
49:40 - The house (rule) always wins

Follow Andrew (@Nominrath) on:

Twitter (https://twitter.com/Nominrath)
YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC--jFXPcBpcM5sxOLrHEKpw)

Follow me on:

Twitter (https://twitter.com/Danilo_DnD)
Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/thinking_critically_dnd/)
Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/ThinkingCriticallyDnD)

References:

Gloomhaven
@OptionalRule on Twitter
Conflict episode of Thinking Critically
Archetypes episode of Thinking Critically
RPG Stack Exchange
Sage Advice

Intro Music: 'Local Forecast' by Kevin MacLeod
Intermission Music: 'Chill' by Kevin MacLeod
Outro Music: 'Local Forecast - Elevator' by Kevin MacLeod

Next Episode

Fudging

This episode is (unfortunately?) not about the delicious sugary treat, but instead the DM tool of "fudging dice"; changing the outcome of a roll behind the screen. For this discussion, I'm joined by Bart Wynants, a.k.a @critographer, author, historian, and all-round inspiration machine. Off the back of Bart's extensive, seven-part Twitter thread, we discuss the finer points of this particular incarnation of DM fiat, and how it's a bit of an iceberg of unseen issues. Firstly, it's not limited to just altering the result of a dice roll in secret, and it's pervasiveness can take many forms: dice tables, magic items, difficulty DCs, etc. I go through my personal realisation of how public rolling completely changed the game for the better, with no drawbacks! We come to the conclusion that fudging is less a DM tool, and actually a symptom of a deeper problem - seen as an exceptional occurrence. Through the use of the "five-whys" methodology we can get to the bottom of why the need for fudging has manifested, and fix it at the root, which is easier than you might expect!

02:32 - Transparent rolling: the silver bullet?
09:19 - Improvising/fudging DCs
18:46 - Single points of failure and the 'rule-of-three' cure
26:20 - Finding peace in the absolution of responsibility
32:13 - Fudging dice table results - why bother & how to remain flexible
38:04 - Tier 1 life support - a failing of the framework?
43:48 - Miscellaneous fudge
53:26 - The Five Whys - how to get to the root of your fudging habit

Follow Bart (@critographer) on: