Ive heard that its easier now to learn to play TTRPGs now than it was in the 80s because we have more access to materials and as a total noob I disagree.
I spent years wading through TERRIBLE TTRPG advice/content before I discovered this site and sister game philosophies. The only reason I found out how to actually play TTRPGs is that I was dissatisfied with the current state of DnD and was on a mission to create my own game that was actually a game and not a “Magic tea party.” I spent months studying TTRPG design, I watched Critical Role, I looked at Matt Collviles game, I looked at Powered by the Apocalypses “games” etc.
It was only recently that I discovered that some people actually play TTRPGs as a real game. I did not need to fix anything. Its extremely frustrating to me as a new player that it took me so long to find this information. I can not express my loathing for WoTC in words.
I remember when it clicked for me. I was listening to someone on youtube describe one of their favorite DnD memories. They were talking about how their party found some isolated goblins in a cave and carried over some tree trunks and blocked the cave entrance, then they lit the trees on fire and suffocated the goblins. I realized that this was an objectively terrible call by the GM. Yes the players were happy with themselves perhaps in the short term, but I think ultimately in the long term it was bad.
I asked several AIs to analyze the GMs call using a stimulationist approach. The AI all agreed that 1) The GM needed to roll to see if the goblins could hear the players chopping down the trees
2) Goblins are expert cave dwellers they are of course going to have back exits to the cave.
The fact that the AIs agree means that there is an objective measurement that can determine the success and failure of plans. This means that players can use actual logic to solve actual puzzles.
This means that at long last I understand how TTRPGs are AN ACTUAL game and not just a circle jerk story time.
This realization blew my mind because it meant that the lore IS the rules.
For example in video games, chess, magic cards its the rules that create logical choices. The more the players understand the rules the more skill they have.
Rules are important in TTRPGs too, esp in tactical combat, but when it comes to making meaningful choices outside of combat mastering the lore and nature of the world is just as important for making real choices with consequence.
The reason every AI could agree on the correct GM ruling is somewhere in the lore it says “goblins are expert cave dwellers.” A skilled player would know that. A good GM should have made those goblins escape the cave, or at least given them a favorable roll to escape.
The bad GM deprived those players of the joy failing and learning. If we are not learning when we play we are not playing a good game.
Heres another example of how lore is important to making meaningful gameplay. Lets say that the players find a troll. The troll is way stronger than the party (they realize that much). So they devise a plan to poison it. They tell the GM that they will follow it and use their one vial of poison on its water supply when its asleep. In order for the GM to make an OBJECTIVE ruling, yes he needs rules, but ALSO he needs lore. The more troll lore the better and more objective the ruling. For example, the monster manual may say what trolls eat or drink, what their foraging patterns are what their sleep patterns are.
This way if the players plan fails, yes it could be due to a bad roll, but also it could be due to not understanding the lore or performing bad logic.
The skill of the game is to be able to predict the GMs calls. But in order for that to be an actual skill the calls must be objective, otherwise its just a guessing game. Lore and rules make the GM calls objective. Now I understand why Alex is so hell bent on veracity, its not just appreciation of realism, veracity is necessary to make calls that the players can predict, without it players can not reason about their world. It is the difference between playing a real game and play acting.
This is why im so drawn to ACKs, the depth is absolutely massive.
Anyway, as I said, Im a total noob. If I got anything wrong please let me know. Im still trying to understand. It just so confusing with virtually every youtube channel being completely insane