The Creation of Narrative in Tabletop Role-Playing Games

by Cover, Jennifer Grouling

• ISBN13: 9780786444519
• ISBN10: 0786444517
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-07-01
• Publisher: McFarland Publishing

Summary

Despite the rise of computer gaming, millions of adults still play face to face role playing games, which rely in part on social interaction to create stories. This work explores tabletop role playing game (TRPG) as a genre separate from computer role playing games. The relationship of TRPGs to other games is examined, as well as the interaction among the tabletop module, computer game, and novel versions of Dungeons & Dragons. Given particular attention are the narrative and linguistic structures of the gaming session, and the ways that players and gamemasters work together to construct narratives. The text also explores wider cultural influences that surround tabletop gamers.

Author Biography

Jennifer Grouling Coveris a PhD candidate in rhetoric and writing at Virginia Tech. She teaches writing and lives in Christiansburg, Virginia.

Table of Contents

Abbreviations, Terms, and Transcription Symbols	p. ix
Preface and Acknowledgments	p. 1
Introduction: Defining the Tabletop Role-Playing Game	p. 5
Early Models of Interactive Narrative	p. 21
Role-Playing Game Genres	p. 38
A Transmedia Tale - The Temple of Elemental Evil	p. 54
The Reconciliation of Narrative and Game	p. 72
Frames of Narrativity in the TRPG	p. 88
Immersion in the TRPG	p. 106
Levels of Authorship - How Gamers Interact with Texts and Create Their Own	p. 124
The Culture of TRPG Fans	p. 148
Conclusions, Definitions, Implications, and Limitations	p. 165
Appendix: The Ore Adventure at Blaze Arrow	p. 179
Chapter Notes	p. 191
References	p. 197
Index	p. 201
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