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'My Pleasure': Toward a Poetics of Framing in Tabletop Role-Playing

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'My Pleasure': Toward a Poetics of Framing in Tabletop Role-Playing FRAMING STRATEGIES IN ROLE-PLAYING GAMES ‘MY PLEASURE’: Toward a Poetics of Framing in Tabletop Role-playing Games NOVEMBER 16, 2018 DAVID JARA Dissertation zur Erlangung des akademischen Grades eines Doktors der Philosophie (Dr. Phil.) im Fach Englische Literaturwissenschaft Dissertation zur Erlangung des akademischen Grades eines Doktors der Philosophie (Dr. Phil.) im Fach Englische Literaturwissenschaft Vorgelegt bei der Neuphilologischen Fakultät der Ruprecht–Karls–Universität Heidelberg im Wintersemester 2018/2019 Framing Strategies in Role-Playing Games ‘My Pleasure’: Toward a Poetics of Framing in Tabletop Role-playing Games Eingereicht von: David Jara Soto geboren am 23. März 1981 in Santiago de Chile Matrikelnummer: 2248194 Holbeinring 33 H 69126 Heidelberg [email protected] Abgegeben am: 16. November 2018 Erstgutachter: Prof. Dr. Peter Paul Schnierer Zweitgutachterin: Prof. Dr. Vera Nünning Contents Abstract..................................................... 6 Acknowledgements............................................. 7 Introduction: Crossing the Analog Border..................... 1 Digital vs Analog: The Human Factor ........................ 6 Previous Work .............................................. 8 Diversity of the Field and the Corpus of Study ............. 9 Methods of Approaching an Ephemeral Text .................. 11 Theoretical Framework ..................................... 13 Dissertation Structure .................................... 15 Chapter 1: A Game of Theories............................... 18 Back to the Future: Literature & Role-playing Games ....... 19 Literature as Play ...................................... 22 Literary Play ........................................... 23 TRPGs' “Literary Heritage” .............................. 25 Hyperfiction and the Digital Humanities ................. 27 Play and Tell: The “Ludology vs. Narratology” Debate ...... 29 Chapter 2: The Tabletop Role-playing Game................... 33 Historical Overview: From Strategy to Storytelling ........ 33 From Role-playing- to Storytelling-games .................. 37 Definitions: Play, Games & Role-play ...................... 39 Play .................................................... 40 Game .................................................... 42 Magic Circle ........................................... 43 Role-playing Game ....................................... 45 Conventional TRPG Mechanics ............................... 50 The Game Master ......................................... 53 The Players ............................................. 54 Chapter 3: The Text......................................... 56 Frames of Discourse in Tabletop Role-Playing Games ........ 60 Diegesis as Interface ..................................... 64 Chapter 4: From Frame Analysis to Literary Framing.......... 67 Literary Framing and Paratextuality ....................... 72 The Paratext ............................................ 73 Literary Framing ........................................ 75 Identifying Framings in TRPGs ........................... 79 Chapter 5: The Rulebook..................................... 83 Rulebook as Framing Device ................................ 86 Components and Framing Functions .......................... 89 Rules ................................................... 90 Setting Information ..................................... 96 Fictional Semantics .................................... 99 (Meta)Framings and Paratexts ........................... 104 The Cover ............................................. 106 Prologues, Epilogues and Frame/Embedded Narratives: ... 114 (Intra)textual, Implicit Framings ..................... 118 Genre, Theme and Mood ................................. 120 From Expectations to Performance: The Rulebook as Dramatic Text ..................................................... 122 Potential Narratives and Self-fulfilling Prophecies .... 126 Chapter 6: Framing Storyplay: Negotiating Emergent Narratives ........................................................... 132 Participant Observation and Gameplay Analysis ............ 134 Bodies of Play: Gameplay Corpus .......................... 138 Call Me A Dog .......................................... 140 The Dice Stormers ...................................... 141 Titansgrave ............................................ 142 Critical Role .......................................... 144 Framing Desire: A Hedonistic Approach to Role-Playing .... 146 Sources of Pleasure in Role-play ....................... 148 GNS Theory ............................................. 153 Gameplay Definition and Framing Typologies ............... 155 Temporality and Discourse Level ........................ 156 Modes of Play .......................................... 158 Narrative Play vs. Role-play: Frames of Authority and Agency ...................................................... 160 Contextual Framings: Marking the Space of Play ........... 163 Meta-textual Framings: Playing with Fiction .............. 171 “Mock Role-play” ....................................... 175 Textual Framings: Playing with Narrative ................. 184 Backstories as Initial Framings ........................ 185 Framing Vast Narratives: Serialization in TRPG Gameplay 192 Intertextuality and Fictional Poaching ................. 198 Pervasiveness in TRPGs: Framing Across Borders ........ 204 Pervasive Metalepsis .................................. 205 Pervasive Gameplay .................................... 211 Framing Horizons: From Player Framing to Game Design ..... 217 Chapter 7: Welcome to the Reading Games: Framing Future Narratives................................................. 220 Creating Meaning in TRPGs: Ambiguity, Polysemy and Poetic Knowledge ................................................ 222 Written Bodies: Textual Corpus ........................... 224 Authority, Agonality & Uncertainty in Universalis (2002) . 227 Rules and Game Mechanics ............................... 229 A Game of Collaborative Competition .................... 230 Agreement & Collaboration .............................. 231 Disagreement & Agonality ............................... 234 Uncertain Pleasures .................................... 239 Poeticity, Specularity and Doubling in Meguey Baker's A Thousand and One Nights (2006) ........................... 241 Setting Summary & Main Premise ......................... 241 Poetic Rules and Narrative Closure: Framing Texture .... 242 Doubling and Specularity ............................... 246 Metalepsis and Ambiguity in John Wick’s Houses of the Blooded (2008) ................................................... 252 Metaleptic Transgressions and Narrative Authorization .. 253 Fiction and “Cultural Authenticity” .................... 258 Dramatic Structure, Character Conflict and The Pregnant Moment in Fiasco (2009) ......................................... 261 Transmediation and ‘Playing to Lose’ ................... 263 Dramatic Structure and Narrative Progression ........... 267 Authorial, Narrative and Simulation Rules .............. 271 Playsets: Setting, Modularity & Iterability ........... 272 Character Creation: Authority and Engagement ........... 277 Relationships, Conflict and the ‘Pregnant Moment’ ..... 280 Structuring Narrative Emergence ........................ 282 Re-defining the “Storytelling” TRPG ...................... 283 Conclusion: Closing Frames and Open Doors.................. 291 Works Cited................................................ 300 Abstract The dissertation discusses the use and impact of “literary” framing (as by Werner Wolf) in generating and negotiating fictional spaces, narratives and meanings within the medium of tabletop role-playing games (TRPGs). In a second step, the text describes some of the specific and most salient framing features and strategies used by players during game sessions. By analyzing these through actual gameplay it is possible to identify the ‘transceptional’ border (Bunia) between reality and fiction to be the constitutive moment of role-play where players are both aware of, and immersed in, the fiction they collaboratively construct. Finally, the dissertation adapts Wolf’s theoretical framework in order to discuss and analyze the often overlooked category of “storytelling” TRPGs - one that, as the text argues, rather than focusing on narrative as such, aims at creating gameplay texts with heightened aesthetic and literary value while also enabling players to experience particular forms of immersion and deep emotional involvement. In the conclusion, the dissertation proposes re-conceptualizing literary framing as a defining characteristic of the fictional practice in general across media. In this regard, the dissertation argues, TRPGs reveal how framings are used and adapted in order to enable a specific mode of human interaction which is based on the figuration of emotional complexes via fictional “masks.” Acknowledgements I would like to show my deep gratitude to the following people who contributed, in one way or another, to making this ship finally reach its destination: My supervisor, Professor Peter Paul Schnierer for kindling my curiosity to explore literature’s borders and for encouraging me to continue beyond them. This project would have not been possible without his unconditional support, guidance, and the conviction that I could actually pull the whole thing off. Professor Gerhard Poppenberg at the Institute of Romance Studies who not only gave me a job (and a
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