Acquisition & Investigation

Why I Play TTRPGs

The simple answer is of course "we play for fun and fellowship". It is my nature to question the obvious and to dig a little deeper and what follows is my (current) thoughts on the role of "acquiring" and of "discovery" as they pertain in the hobby of tabletop gaming.

The online "old school renaissance community" has a saying/mantra, "we play to find out". This sentiment suggests that we won't have a script to follow, no pre-written story as it were. It also alludes to the investigation side of adventure games as is evident on many levels in all that we discover through the act of playing. 

Exploration and discovery may lead to the acquisition of great (character) wealth, magic and power as we advance our in-game persona - the player character - through application of various aspects of the game's mechanics. Experience for all those gold pieces snatched from monstrous lairs and brought to the surface, and maybe spent on training or other services, can be one common old school source of "experience points". 

XP or experience points are accumulated through treasure or defeating monsters and as it adds up will eventually allow the player to "level up" their character, thus acquiring greater (superhero!) abilities and power. Higher level characters are better equipped to delve deeper into dungeons and can undertake more dangerous quests by virtue of having more hit points and access to more damaging weapons and magic. This is the essence of  the acquisition side of the game (although the game always hinted at establishing a stronghold from which one would wield political power).

Investigation is the defining activity in some tabletop roleplaying games - Call of Cthulhu player characters are called "Investigators" and it therefore immediately comes to mind. But investigation (asking questions), and discovery through both exploration and role-play, is not unique to Call of Cthulhu and they have been an essential play element of the hobby even from its earliest days. 

The dungeon environs are by their vary nature unusual and filled with tricks and traps and fantastic creatures. The discovery of just what lies buried beneath the surface of our fictional world of fantasy adventure is a huge part of the fun to be found in playing. Balancing knowledge of what is different than the real world, and what is the same, is an essential part of "playing the game". 

Designing and Stocking the dungeon is a significant part of the enjoyment I get from taking the role of game referee. Discovering just how my players will solve the challenges they uncover while exploring my "dungeon" is the reward I have in mind when planning my sessions. Invariably my players will surprise me as they come up with ways to interact with my encounters that I could never have imagined. 

A typical tabletop RPG is two parts imagination (what the referee comes up with and what the players come up with), one part rule procedure and one part chance (the dice rolls). Applying the game rules during play (and adjusting the narrative per outcome of dice rolls) is always a constant challenge as I seek to improvise and act as game judge/referee, reacting to creative ideas as they are put forth by my players when they face-off with an interesting challenge. The more understanding the players have regarding the nature of our imaginary world serving as "the stage" upon which their characters "act out their part" in our "play" (as it were!), the better they are able to devise clever solutions to the problems being faced down by their characters. Example - consider the various oozes! (the mindless cleaning crew of dungeon halls) Some oozes (molds, etc.) are harmed by fire, others may feed on it, etc. Figuring out the specific vulnerabilities of these "dungeon ecology" creatures can be an enjoyable aspect of classic dungeon exploration and play. 

Originally aimed at a wargames audience (role-playing didn't exist as a gaming hobby until the 1974 publication of TSR's Original Edition), much of the emphasis of the classic game is on combat mechanics. The Original Fantasy Role-Playing Game has been described as a "dungeon skirmish" game. This is undoubtedly true, but there is a lot more to unpack. It is a game about acquiring and about investigation and discovery. 

Combining tactical combat wargaming elements with a fantastic setting filled with wonderous creatures, supernatural forces and virtually anything a referee can imagine (or lift from a source of inspiration), the games we now call tabletop RPGs are as much about climbing the ladder to character success and power, and finding out what is lurking unknown in the fictional world setting as it is about slaying monsters.