The Same Page tool

[Totally Guy]

Roleplaying games mean different things to different people. I was reading a blog called Deeper in the Game and found something called the Same Page tool. It's a tool for gaming groups to define what they consider good or bad in a specific game. It's not a survey.

All credit to Chris Chinn's blog Deeper in the Game.


Do you play to win?
a) Yes, you totally play to win! The win conditions are…
b) Good play isn’t a win/lose kind of thing.

Player characters are:
a) expected to work together; conflicts between them are mostly for show.
b) expected to work together; but major conflicts might erupt but you’ll patch them up given some time.
c) expected to work together; major conflicts might erupt and never see reconciliation.
d) pursuing their own agendas – they might work together, they might work against each other.
e) expected to work against each other, alliances are temporary at best.

The GM’s role is:
a) The GM preps a set of events – linear or branching; players run their characters through these events. The GM gives hints to provide direction.
b) The GM preps a map with NPCs and/or monsters. The players have their characters travel anywhere they can reach on the map, according to their own goals.
c) The GM has no plan – the GM simply plays the NPCs and has them act or react based on their motivations.
d) There’s no GM. Everyone works together to make the story through freeform.
e) There’s no GM. The rules and the system coordinate it all.

The players’ roles are…
a) …to follow the GM’s lead to fit the story.
b) …to set goals for their characters, and pursue them proactively.
c) …to fling their characters into tough situations and make hard, sometimes, unwise choices.

Doing the smartest thing for your character’s survival…
a) …is what a good player does.
b) …sometimes isn’t as important as other choices.
c) …isn’t even a concern or focus for this game.

The GM’s role to the rules is…
a) …follow them, come what may. (including following house rules)
b) …ignore them when they conflict with what would be good for the story.
c) …ignore them when they conflict with what “should” happen, based either on realism, the setting, or the genre.

After many sessions of play, during one session, a player decides to have her character side with an enemy. This is…
a) …something that shouldn’t even happen. This is someone being a jerk.
b) …where the character becomes an NPC, right away or fairly soon.
c) …something the player and the GM should have set up ahead of time.
d) …only going to last until the other player characters find out and do something about it.
e) …a meaningful moment, powerful and an example of excellent play.

[Earthwalker]

Decided to send this to each member of my group and see what replies I get back, will be interesting how it compares to the answers I gave.

Thanks for sharing this Totally Guy

[Krazzman]

Do you play to win?
b) Good play isn’t a win/lose kind of thing.

Player characters are:
b) expected to work together; but major conflicts might erupt but you’ll patch them up given some time.
c) expected to work together; major conflicts might erupt and never see reconciliation.
(something in between, sometimes the are ignored, sometimes solved, sometimes one pc dies)


The GM’s role is:
a) The GM preps a set of events – linear or branching; players run their characters through these events. The GM gives hints to provide direction.
b) The GM preps a map with NPCs and/or monsters. The players have their characters travel anywhere they can reach on the map, according to their own goals.

(again something in between, our dm mostly does that, he has planned quite a few things, sometimes just some events, followed by a free to roam part followed by another few sets of events)

The players’ roles are…
b) …to set goals for their characters, and pursue them proactively.

Doing the smartest thing for your character’s survival…
b) …sometimes isn’t as important as other choices.

The GM’s role to the rules is…
b) …ignore them when they conflict with what would be good for the story.
(We have our Houserules, but if something confuses us, we wing it/make a statement[the DM] and move on)

After many sessions of play, during one session, a player decides to have her character side with an enemy. This is…
c) …something the player and the GM should have set up ahead of time.


That's how I would answer it.
Some Questions lacked the answer I would have given but...

Although this seems to be a good start to set the groups tone and art/style of play.

[Totally Guy]

I'm pretty sure the intent is apply it to an existing or potential game (to get everyone on the same page) not a particular person. This isn't a survey.

[Riverdance]

Thank you. I will be giving this to my players.

[STsinderman]

This is a great idea! I will indeed be passing this round to try and get anonymous feed back from my group to see where the ground lies.