Okay, so I may have cheated a little by using an acronym that’s not, strictly speaking, a game mechanic. But in my defense, I thought this would be a fun subject to discuss. GNS standard for “Gamism Narrativism Simulationism,” and the GNS Theory of roleplaying conceives of all tabletop RPGs being driven by at least one of these perspectives. A lot of controversy surrounds GNS Theory, especially because it views those three perspectives as mutually exclusive rather than complementary. I think it’s safe to say that most people today recognize that RPGs can (and probably) should include some combination of all three. Regardless, GNS Theory is still useful as a way to analyze the composition of various RPGs.
Let’s start with the G, for “Gamism.” The Gamism aspect of roleplaying games focuses on the “game” aspects of RPGs, as opposed to the story or the realistic simulation. In particular, Gamism focuses on how to improve one’s character in order to overcome the challenges of the game. In this view, a PC is merely a collection of statistics, abilities, and other mechanical pieces that players use to resolve game challenges. Gamist elements include things like how characters become more skilled and powerful, as well as determining which actions lead to the best outcomes from a game mechanics standpoint. More often than not these games focus strongly on combat, though other forms of challenges can be present and emphasized as well.
Narrativism, on the other hand, focuses on the story side of RPGs. This perspective views roleplaying games primarily as a story-telling medium. Narrativist games focus more about the character motivations and in-game interactions between characters than the characters’ statistics and mechanical abilities. At times, it can be a thin line between a narrative RPG and a pure story(telling) game. The main difference is that in a narrativist RPG, players generally play the roles of one or more individual characters rather than telling the story as an omniscient and omnipotent narrator. Narrativism as a perspective does not necessarily seek realistic simulation but rather desires mechanics that allow the players to tell the most interesting stories possible.
Finally, Simulationism as a perspective focuses on realistically simulating genres or settings in as faithful a manner as possible. It can overlap somewhat with Narrativism because both care about PC motivations and personalities. However, whereas Narrativism focuses on telling the most entertaining story possible, Simulationism seeks to faithfully adhere to tropes and consequences of the genre and/or setting. In many cases, simulationist games have mechanics that adhere to real-world physics and outcomes. An example could include determining the range of an arrow based on the strength of the archer, the material of the bowstring and/or the arrow, and the angle of release. In any case, the world is self-contained and follows prescribed conventions according to the genre and setting; characters respond to the world and each other according to these conventions rather than what they think will create the most interesting outcomes and stories. Some simulationist games also seek to have the mechanics to act in a more realistic way than in other perspectives.
There of course is no one “right” answer for how a tabletop RPG should be designed or played. Most gamers and game designers today now recognize that these perspectives are not mutually exclusive; games can and do contain elements of all three. While GNS Theory may seem a bit outdated, I think it can still be used as a good, basic framework for analyzing the designs of various RPGs.
Do you focus more heavily on one of the three perspectives more than others? How do your favorite games break down according to the GNS model? Let me know in the comments!
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.
J.T. Dimino
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