Thought Punks

Tag: Simulation

  • TTRPG Mechanics Model: Granularity, Modularity, Connectivity, Fidelity

    TTRPG Mechanics Model: Granularity, Modularity, Connectivity, Fidelity

    This entry is part 4 of 5 in the series RPG Theory

    Understanding TTRPG Design Through Four Overlapping Scales

    Chess pieces balanced on a scale depicting equality or strategy in decision making.
    When discussing tabletop RPGs, terms like “crunch” or “narrative focus” frequently arise. While useful, these discussions can become muddled, lacking a structured way to examine what makes each game unique. To frame this conversation, we can use a model of four overlapping scales: granularity, modularity, connectivity, and fidelity. Each of these represents a distinct axis of design, shaping how we experience and engage with games.

    Let’s break down each scale and explore how they influence play.

    1. Granularity (aka “Crunch”)

    Granularity measures how detailed a game’s mechanics are. High-granularity systems, like GURPS or Pathfinder, offer intricate rules that cover a broad array of situations, from combat maneuvers to nuanced skill checks. On the other hand, low-granularity games like FATE or Lasers & Feelings simplify mechanics, focusing on streamlined gameplay. The level of granularity directly impacts pacing and player focus, influencing whether the experience feels like a tactical simulation or an improvisational story.

    • High granularity: Provides clarity and structure but often slows down play with extensive rules. These systems excel when precision and fairness are crucial, such as in detailed simulations or competitive campaigns.
    • Low granularity: Prioritizes narrative flow and accessibility, sacrificing precision for speed and creativity. Minimalist rules can empower players to improvise and lean into storytelling.

    Granularity’s importance depends on player preferences. High granularity caters to those who enjoy mastering detailed mechanics or exploring tactical depth. Conversely, players seeking fast-paced, story-driven sessions might prefer the flexibility of low-granularity systems.

    The interaction between granularity and other scales is key. For example, high granularity often pairs well with high fidelity when realism is a goal, as in games like Call of Cthulhu. However, it might clash with high connectivity when detailed mechanics interfere with narrative immersion.

    2. Modularity

    Modularity examines whether a game’s mechanics can function independently or integrate additional subsystems without disrupting the core rules. While modular games excel in flexibility and customizability, tightly integrated systems maintain consistency and reinforce their themes.

    • High modularity: Games like Dungeons & Dragons thrive here, allowing the addition of feats, crafting systems, or optional rules without breaking the foundation. This adaptability has enabled D&D’s long-lasting popularity and its ability to support various playstyles and genres.
    • Low modularity: Systems like Blades in the Dark or Apocalypse World have tightly integrated mechanics that are harder to separate or tweak without losing the intended experience. These games rely on focused systems that ensure every rule reinforces the theme.

    High modularity supports flexibility and customization, enabling GMs and players to tailor the experience to their preferences. This is especially valuable in long-running campaigns or for groups with specific narrative or mechanical interests. In contrast, low modularity ensures a unified play experience where every rule contributes to the game’s thematic and narrative goals.

    For example, a modular game like GURPS allows players to create entirely new genres or settings, while a low-modularity game like Blades in the Dark deeply intertwines its heist mechanics with its narrative, making it harder to adapt without losing its essence.

    3. Connectivity

    Connectivity refers to how closely the game’s mechanics link to its setting or story. High connectivity fosters immersion, embedding players deeply in the game world. However, low connectivity can allow the same system to support wildly different stories.

    • High connectivity: Games like Apocalypse World tie their mechanics directly to narrative beats and thematic elements. Moves in these systems feel intrinsically tied to the world and its flavor, creating a strong sense of immersion.
    • Low connectivity: Systems like Savage Worlds or GURPS use universal mechanics designed to adapt across genres, settings, or styles. Their flexibility allows for a wide variety of stories but can result in a less immersive experience.

    Mechanics in high connectivity games are designed to evoke the tone, mood, and flavor of the setting. Conversely, low-connectivity systems prioritize flexibility, enabling creators to use the same mechanics across multiple genres and settings.

    An excellent example of high connectivity is Call of Cthulhu, where the Sanity system deeply reflects its themes of cosmic horror. In contrast, Savage Worlds or GURPS offers flexibility, allowing players to jump from pulp adventure to hard science fiction without needing entirely new rules.

    Call of Cthulhu and Pendragon (also from Chaosium) also reflect an interesting intersection: low connectivity systems can be developed into high connectivity games. BRP is a generic roleplaying system that both use. However, their implementations are high connectivity with the way Sanity is integrated in CoC and the way morality is directly tied into the mechanics for Pendragon.

    4. Fidelity

    Fidelity measures how well a game’s rules express its core genre or themes. High fidelity creates genre-rich experiences but may alienate those unfamiliar with its style. Low fidelity broadens accessibility, making it easier to approach but sometimes losing specific thematic weight.

    • High fidelity: A game like Call of Cthulhu uses its Sanity mechanics to evoke the horror of cosmic dread, weaving the theme into every aspect of play.
    • Low fidelity: Systems with generic mechanics, such as FATE, prioritize versatility over thematic depth. While these games can be tailored to fit many genres, they may not evoke specific moods as strongly as high-fidelity systems.

    High fidelity creates genre-rich experiences but may alienate those unfamiliar with its style or unwilling to embrace its thematic focus. Low fidelity broadens accessibility, allowing games to be more flexible and replayable across genres.

    The impact of fidelity on play can be profound. A high-fidelity game like Cthulhu Dark leverages simplicity to heighten its horror themes, while a low-fidelity system like FATE allows players to create settings and genres tailored to their specific desires, at the expense of specific thematic resonance.

    Clarity: Distinguishing Connectivity and Fidelity

    Connectivity and fidelity are closely related with some overlap, but are nevertheless distinct aspects of TTRPG design. Connectivity is focused on how mechanics push the narrative forward, how they shape and influence the story. Games with high connectivity, like Apocalypse World, have mechanics that tie directly to the development of the story and its characters, driving the narrative momentum.

    Fidelity, however, is about how well a game’s mechanics represent its core genre or theme. High-fidelity games, such as Blades in the Dark, reinforce the setting’s dark, gritty nature through mechanics like stress and trauma, which emphasize the risks and emotional weight of the game’s actions. Morality and corruption mechanics are also often high fidelity, but also quite often only drive the narrative forward by their interpreted consequences and future play rather than a direct high connectivity narrative mechanic (Vampire: The Masquerade presents a good example).

    Fidelity isn’t just about advancing the story; it’s about enhancing the mood and emotional engagement with the genre or game concept itself. The key difference is that while connectivity is about narrative flow and how the mechanics influence the direction of the story, fidelity is about how deeply the mechanics immerse players in the themes and atmosphere of the setting.

    Why These Scales Matter

    Each game balances these scales differently, creating unique experiences for players and GMs. For example:

    • A gritty cyberpunk game might lean heavily into high granularity, high connectivity, and high fidelity to emphasize its dystopian tone.
    • A pulpy adventure game might favor modularity and low granularity for fast-paced, action-packed play.

    Games that deliberately subvert these scales often create surprising or innovative experiences. For instance:

    • A modular, low-fidelity system like early D&D used in a thematic setting like Dragonlance.
    • A rules-lite, high-fidelity system like Cthulhu Dark, where simplicity reinforces the core horror theme.

    By recognizing how these scales interact, designers and players can make intentional choices that suit their desired play experience. Balancing granularity, modularity, connectivity, and fidelity allows for rich, varied TTRPG experiences that cater to diverse preferences and playstyles.

    What do you think about this model? How do you see these factors? Poke us on Bluesky and let us know!

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    Related posts:

    1. Rebuttals to Criticisms of Rules-Heavy TTRPGs
    2. Rebutting the Criticisms of Rules-Light Systems
    3. Great TTRPG Newbie Paradox (they’re easier to teach)
    4. Dice Modes: Simulation, Narrative, Oracles
    5. In Defense of Optional Rules
  • Dice Modes: Simulation, Narrative, Oracles

    Dice Modes: Simulation, Narrative, Oracles

    This entry is part 6 of 5 in the series RPG Theory

    Dice in TTRPGs: Tools That Shape Play

    A close-up of a hand tossing several dice against a dark background, symbolizing chance and luck.

    Dice in tabletop RPGs are more than mere randomizers. They set the tone of gameplay, define the rules of engagement, and guide storytelling. Whether you’re leveraging dice as narrative levers, world simulation tools, or answer oracles, each approach uniquely impacts the experience at your table. Beyond just mechanics, dice become an active participant in shaping the stories we tell and the worlds we explore.

    Each approach, while interconnected, emphasizes a different aspect of play. Narrative levers prioritize storytelling momentum and player involvement. World simulation tools ground the game in consistency and logical outcomes. Answer oracles spark creativity and open-ended interpretation. By understanding these approaches, we gain insight into how dice influence not just outcomes but the tone and texture of a game. Let’s delve into each category to explore their unique qualities and the nuances that set them apart.

    Dice as Narrative Levers: The Heartbeat of Storytelling

    In games like Powered by the Apocalypse (PbtA) and Blades in the Dark, dice results create pivotal story beats. The rolls don’t just resolve actions—they shape how the narrative unfolds. Success and failure aren’t binary; instead, they add layers of complexity:

    • Rolling a “10+” in PbtA might mean unambiguous success, moving the story toward player goals.
    • A “7-9” adds drama, introducing complications or choices that deepen the story.
    • A failure invites the GM to twist the plot, often in unexpected and exciting ways.

    This approach makes dice feel like they’re alive, co-authoring a tale alongside the players. Every roll becomes an opportunity for narrative twists, making these systems excellent for collaborative storytelling. These mechanics reinforce player agency while embedding unpredictability into the tale.

    Adding extra emphasis, games in this category blur the lines between player and GM roles, often encouraging co-authorship of the story’s direction. By doing so, they offer a sense of shared ownership that enhances player engagement and emotional investment.

    Narrative levers are distinct in how they ensure the dice directly propel the story forward. Unlike world simulation, which often focuses on fidelity to the setting, narrative levers prioritize drama, pacing, and the interplay of character motivations. The emergent narrative becomes not just a backdrop but the driving force of the game.

    Dice as World Simulators: Grounding in Reality

    Dice as simulation tools shine in games like Dungeons & Dragons or GURPS. Here, rolls replicate the logical and physical rules of the game world. They determine whether actions succeed or fail based on character abilities and environmental challenges:

    • Attack rolls simulate combat uncertainty.
    • Skill checks reflect the balance between player expertise and task difficulty.

    This method offers predictability within the rules of the game world, creating a grounded sense of immersion. While the outcomes might seem less narrative-focused, they provide a structure that players can depend on, fostering strategic planning and investment in their characters’ capabilities. By anchoring the story in a consistent system, simulationist mechanics lend credibility to the world.

    Furthermore, this predictability creates opportunities for player growth. Mastering mechanics like attack rolls or saving throws offers a sense of achievement, which appeals to gamers who thrive on measurable progress and tactical depth.

    What sets simulation apart is its focus on fidelity to the game’s logic and world-building. Unlike narrative levers that prioritize story momentum, simulation emphasizes realism and consistency. This approach draws players who enjoy solving problems within a defined framework, creating a satisfying sense of coherence and strategy.

    Dice as Answer Oracles: Co-Creators of Story

    Solo RPGs and GM-lite systems like Ironsworn or the Motif Story Engine elevate dice to a different role: answering questions instead of resolving tasks. These “oracles” inject creativity, surprise, and collaboration into gameplay. For example:

    • Prompt: Is the forest safe?
    • Roll: Yes, but…
    • Interpretation: The forest is free of predators, but its twisting paths make navigation dangerous.

    Oracles provide flexible prompts, encouraging players to interpret results and weave them into the narrative. This method is ideal for emergent storytelling, where the dice guide discovery rather than dictate outcomes. It fosters a sense of collaborative play (even for solo players!) by turning the mechanics into a creative partner.

    An added benefit is the ability to surprise even the GM or solo player. By delegating narrative twists to the dice, oracles enhance replayability and maintain freshness during longer campaigns.

    What distinguishes oracles is their open-endedness and reliance on interpretation. While narrative levers and simulation mechanics provide more structured paths, oracles thrive in ambiguity, making them ideal for discovery and emergent storytelling.

    Exploring a Cave Through Different Dice Styles

    Let’s illustrate how these approaches differ with a single scenario: exploring a cave.

    • Narrative Lever: Roll to find out what happens next in the story. Success moves the group closer to their goal; failure introduces an unexpected challenge, such as a hidden trap.
    • World Simulation: Roll to check perception. If the player fails, they miss a clue, leaving the cave’s mysteries unsolved until they retry or investigate further.
    • Answer Oracle: Ask, “Is there something unusual here?” and roll for an open-ended response. “Yes, but it’s buried beneath debris. Clearing it will take time and caution.”

    Each approach brings a distinct flavor to gameplay, catering to different player preferences and storytelling styles. Exploring a cave isn’t just a scenario; it’s an opportunity to reveal the game’s core philosophy. Whether the dice drive collaborative storytelling, simulate a living world, or spark creativity through open-ended interpretation, they help define the experience for both the players and the GM.

    Oracles Can Work in Group Play

    Though often associated with solo RPGs, oracle mechanics are incredibly versatile for group play. By asking open-ended questions and interpreting the dice results together, groups can collaboratively build their world and narrative. This approach not only democratizes storytelling but also encourages players to invest more in the game’s direction.

    GMs, too, can benefit from oracles, as they provide a framework to improvise without extensive preparation. By embracing ambiguity, groups can create dynamic and surprising stories that feel fresh and organic. This adaptability ensures oracles remain a valuable tool for a variety of play styles, from tightly structured campaigns to looser, experimental ones.

    What’s Your Dice Philosophy?

    The beauty of tabletop RPGs lies in their versatility. Each approach to dice mechanics reflects a unique philosophy, enhancing different aspects of play. Whether you prefer the dramatic beats of narrative levers, the immersive logic of simulation tools, or the creative flexibility of oracles, the choice shapes the kind of stories you tell.

    Maybe you mix and match these methods, blending systems to fit the mood and needs of your game. Or perhaps you’re experimenting with a completely new approach. Whatever your preference, the ways we roll dice are as diverse as the players at the table.

    Share your perspective with us on Bluesky. Let’s continue the conversation and explore how the smallest tools, our dice, become the heart of the stories we love.

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    Related posts:

    1. Rebutting the Criticisms of Rules-Light Systems
    2. Rebuttals to Criticisms of Rules-Heavy TTRPGs
    3. Handling Mysteries in Tabletop Roleplaying Games (Part 2)
    4. TTRPG Mechanics Model: Granularity, Modularity, Connectivity, Fidelity
    5. In Defense of Optional Rules

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