That’s How I Roll – Fiction First

One of the most important concepts I’ve come to embrace as a GM is the idea of “Fiction First” gaming. “Fiction First” can be described as both an admonition and a style of play. At its core, the expression refers to the idea that when playing an RPG, the fiction should always take precedence over the rules. In other words, always start with what’s happening in the story and then decide how to resolve any uncertainties with rules and mechanics. Putting Fiction First also implies that there’s no excuse for shutting a player down just because “there isn’t a rule for it in the rulebook.” As long as it makes sense in the context of the story, the GM should allow it and make a ruling about how to resolve it, using the rules for reference if necessary.

The first time I can remember encountering this idea is when I read through the Fate Core rulebook (and carried over into Fate Condensed). Fiction First is so important to Fate, in fact, that they have two core rules dedicated to it: the Golden Rule and the Silver Rule. The Golden Rule of Fate is “Decide what you’re trying to accomplish first, then consult the rules to help you do it.” This is the standard Fiction First idea we’ve been discussing. But Fate also has a corollary to this, the Silver Rule: “Never let the rules get in the way of something that makes narrative sense”; if the rules interfere with your ability to tell the story you want to tell, either ignore the rules or tweak them to fit the current situation. Put another way: Never let the rules get in the way of a good story.

Now, of course, Fiction First assumes that the top priority of a game should be to tell a compelling story; this isn’t always a given. There can be many different reasons and goals to play games. Perhaps you want to crawl through a dungeon, outsmarting foes, avoiding death traps. In such a game, story often can take a back seat (if it exists at all) in favor of tactical maneuvering, resource management, etc. And that’s totally valid if that’s the sort of game you want to play. But more and more, gamers seem to be flocking to RPGs because they want to tell a collaborative story, the kind that they usually read in books or watch in TV shows or movies. For those gamers, Fiction First is an important guiding principle. The bottom line is, play your game the way you want to play it. But if storytelling is your goal, then I highly recommend a fiction-first approach.

So now we’ve covered the theory behind Fiction First, but how does it work in practice? Well, the best advice I can give you is to never make a player roll for something that has no mechanical impact on the game. For example, if a players wants their character to do a front-flip and try to hit their foe with a slashing blow as they land, a GM might be tempted to ask for an Athletics check to see if the PC can successfully pull off a flip. That’s a mistake, for two reasons: first, it means that you’re denying a PC the opportunity to be awesome, and PCs should always have the opportunity to be awesome; second, what difference does it make whether a PC runs, hops, jumps, or flips in order to get near their opponent mechanically? Nothing. They’re all means of fictionally describing the mechanics of moving closer to an opponent before attacking. Granted, in real life the coordination and skill required to do a flip and attack in mid-air would make such a feat much more difficult to pull off than just running up and attacking. But since doing so in the game won’t automatically give the PC any sort of mechanical benefit to hit or do damage, there’s no good reason to punish/prevent them from doing something that’s just plain cool in the fiction.

The bottom line of all this is that the rules and mechanics of a game should be used as guiding principles, not laws that have to be adhered to in the letter. Most modern games say as much right toward the beginning of their rulebooks; rules should be used in service of the story, not in opposition to it. If collaborative storytelling is your goal, then make Fiction First your mantra. I can guarantee you that both your gaming group and your stories will be all the better for it!

Do you have examples from your own games of Fiction First play or a story about a time when fiction wasn’t put first? Do you have thoughts or questions about the article or suggestions for future content? Leave a comment below or drop me a line at jtdimino@d20radio.com