Casting Shadows

The question for Day 31 is long and a little awkward. My first thought was computer emulation of RPGs, but I don’t play them so they really cannot be tagged with the ‘favorite’ condition, now can they? That thought, however, set me on the path of what has ultimately become my answer for this unusual question. It will be a short answer, if you can believe it.

Capitalizing on the emergent property of characterization which is quickly, effectively, and I suppose addictively made evident in RPGs, we have a whole class of board games now which can trigger similar reactions and responses within their play as RPGs do, but which are clearly not. There is a grey area in-between for some of the grander games, but still one is definitely an RPG while the other is definitely a board game. For an example, I will cite Eldritch Horror. Relying on the vehicle of character to give the game context and a compelling hook, it has the capacity to spark identification and empathy within the player, allows for decision-making, but still constrains and limits choice with its components and mechanics. Allowing for more interaction and decision-making than a computer game, but less than a roleplaying game, this class of game is perhaps my favorite non-rpg item to have arisen after they hit the scene.

How about you? How would you answer this peculiar question?

THE END
This question, like it or not, is the last in the series. I would have liked to have ended this series on a more personally interesting and compelling question, but overall I would say that I enjoyed the challenges and the quirks of this run of questions quite a bit. I haven’t seen as much participation as last year, but I have seen more consistently interesting answers than in 2014, so I have no complaints. If you have followed along with my contributions here on the blog, or on YouTube, thanks for your interest and for your comments. That interaction is what makes these sorts of series fun and worthwhile.

#rpgaday2015