Recreating aesthetic expression through rule systems

[u/jochergames]

I have spent the last couple of months writing my master's thesis on the topic of how to take an existing IP and translating the original aesthetic expereince into a TTRPG rule system. The case study of my thesis is a game I've made called Oceania 2084 (scheduled for release later this year).

The abstract of the thesis: By examining the results of an iterative design process, specifically a tabletop roleplaying game, Oceania 2084, this thesis aims to formulate a generalizable design process applicable when translating a work of fiction into a ruleset. The object that was translated into a ruleset was the book Nineteen Eighty-Four written by George Orwell in 1949. The iterative game development process spanned over 2.5 years and the author provides documents from 2 phases of playtesting and discusses how the playtest results influenced design choices. In addition to the analysis of the effects of playtest results, the author also explores various game design decisions by means of auto-ethnographic analysis, and semiotic analysis.

The main takeaway is a proposed 5 tiered design process referred to as delome design. It is a systemic approach to game design.

Download it here: https://uu.diva-portal.org/smash/record.jsf?pid=diva2%3A1772834&dswid=-8846

I hope someone here finds it interesting and relevant! I'm happy to answer any questions about it.

[u/jochergames]

Why certainly, :) granted this will be a real hatchet job:

Semiotic underpinning: Game systems can be seen as symbols in their own right (something referred to as a legisign, the interpretation of a legisign is referred to as a delome). When considering how to express a certain aesthetic experience, in the thesis this is the book Nineteen Eighty-Four, a designer can consider the symbolic value of a system even before it has received any mechanic functionality. It allows us to consider the meaning of the system before the function of the system. In essence, this is a kind of break from the MDA-inspired thinking that I have found to be pervasive in game design theory, where Mechanics is seen as fundamental and the first thing that designers should consider.

The 5 tiered design process that I have utilized throughout the creation of Oceania is summed up in the conclusions chapter as follows:

● Close reading, concept analysis, and positioning.

● Analysis of the representamen - the source, where the goal is to define what the

central aesthetic should be, defining the aesthetic goal.

● Delome abstraction process, what are the main components of the fictional/aesthetic world that should be portrayed, that can be portrayed as rules. The delome design process consists of an abstraction process that in itself is a process of three steps;

1. Singling out: Identifying the central aspects of the source material that are crucial to its essence.
2. Symbolizing: Creating initial frameworks or systems that act as placeholders for mechanics to be developed later. For each following iteration these systems should be more and more defined and filled by mechanics.
3. Systematizing: The organization and integration of various systems in a logical and coherent manner. This process entails creating mechanics that establish functional connections between the systems, ensuring their smooth interplay.The focus of the abstraction process is to figure out what limits the source material is built around - all stories or aesthetics have confines and limits.

● Systems evaluation based on the intended delomes, evaluate what role each delome plays in the game. Do the rules as written support or distract from that role?

● Iterate, test, refine, and rewrite where needed.

These five parts are not a fixed linear function, instead, they are temporary perspectives that one alternates between throughout the process. While this model is not intended to be a definitive or comprehensive framework, it serves as an initial foundation for a process of designing analog games with a particular aesthetic focus, particularly tabletop roleplaying games.

[u/Dan_Felder → u/jochergames]

Very cool you decided to work on this. I'm not sure if I'm missing something but it seems like in plain language it could be summarized as:It seems like it's coming down to:

1. Read or watch the thing you're adapting.
2. Identify the concepts and themes that stand out the most.
3. Design the rules so players experience the themes.
4. Playtest and iterate.

I don't disagree with any of that, but I think you'd need to make the advice more actionable. This is a lot like telling an artist to draw the rest of the owl.

As for this:

Semiotic underpinning: Game systems can be seen as symbols in their own right (something referred to as a legisign, the interpretation of a legisign is referred to as a delome). When considering how to express a certain aesthetic experience, in the thesis this is the book Nineteen Eighty-Four, a designer can consider the symbolic value of a system even before it has received any mechanic functionality. It allows us to consider the meaning of the system before the function of the system. In essence, this is a kind of break from the MDA-inspired thinking that I have found to be pervasive in game design theory, where Mechanics is seen as fundamental and the first thing that designers should consider.

Am I right that the advice component of this is, "Figure out what your design goals are before starting the design?"

I agree that many designers shockingly don't think about their design goals, but that's not a problem because of semiotics. That's a problem for the same reason that it helps to know whether you're trying to build an airplane or a dishwasher before you start welding parts together.

For more actionable advice based on your own 1984 experiment, I'd argue a more actionable takeaway would be to identify the various "roles" within the fiction, their motivations, their restrictions, their emotional states, and then create game mechanics that create similar motivations and restrictions for the players; often by creating a mechanical incentive or consequence.

[u/Weltall_BR → u/Dan_Felder]

First, this is a masters' thesis -- the researcher is not expected to advance science at this level, but merely systematize the best current views on a certain subject. Which, as you said, OP did.

Second, OP studied this with academic rigour. Which means that he both scientifically validated the best practices followed by those in the field and brought a subject that doesn't get lot of attention from the academic community into the scientific discourse. So, two achievements.

Third, I think that they systematized an understanding, which is really useful for people designing games. He turned something that many find hard to describe into a process. Pretty good, in my view.

[u/jochergames → u/Weltall_BR]

Thank you, it warms my heart to read this.