Author: Dale Smith (---.spiritone.com)
Date: 12-22-2000 15:25
Scott,
Kudos for a very thoughtful and well-written column.
While at this point I remain a tabletop gamer, I find your insights into both "modes" of roleplaying fascinating, and worth much consideration. GMing lo these many years, I've encountered (sometimes "run up against" would be more accurate ;-) the phenomena of different players visualizing my "meta-narrative" differently, dispite my "best" efforts to spin a description of the surroundings and set the scene right the first time.
What I've come to learn is exactly what you wrote about in your column, that each player generates a mental movie in their own way. In my current group, several of my players really focus on miniatures and the tabletop scenery, needing "props" to help them visualize what is going on. Others, including myself, tend to prefer to let the meta-narrative and verbal byplay between members of the group create the mental story. The "propists" (for want of a better term<g>) seem to have a greater difficulty visualizing a scene without a grid and miniatures, while the "verbalists" in the group (who certainly enjoy a well-painted miniature) enjoy the fluidity of narrating with words.
Of course, what I've gathered from friends who play LARPs is that a mental construct is still quite important, especially if several of the LARPers aren't in costume and the surroundings aren't remotely close to what is being imagined.
Thanks again for a great column. I look forward to the next installment.
Dale
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