Freelance Traveller

It is widely held that there are three overall styles of gaming: Gamism, Narrativism, and Simulationism (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GNS_Theory). Which do you think is best supported by Traveller, and which do you prefer? Why? (Your answer to this may be a reasoned refutation of the validity of the GNS model.)

Originally posted in the November 2010 issue

Chad Munson replies, in the September 2015 issue:

This was a very good question, and rather troubling that it, as of yet, had no response. I will do my best: Though it is ultimately up to the GM to determine what sort of philosophy your players fall into and appeal to that, I believe the game lends itself best to the simulationist role. Though narrativism can be accomplished in anything (just use the tools to tell a story), one has to limit danger and neuter the game’s lethality to ensure the narrative has a chance of becoming. Gamism also can exist in most games, but the streamlined ruleset, the lack of levels, and characters not gaining complicated perks allowing them to become legendary heroes detracts from the efforts of the “game-inspired” player. Your character in Traveller is an incredible pilot because he’s spent the last twenty years flying, which brings me to the third element of the trinity: Simulationism, or as some refer to it (acceptably), Immersion. I, as a GM, want you to feel like you are here. Whoever you are: 21 year old store clerk, 42 year old merchant marine, or 30 year old intelligence agent, you are who you are in the context of where. The standard model of character creation attests to this—I tell my players “Don’t have your whole character in mind, you won’t get that,” because so much is random and a unique and fleshy character emerges from the ether naturally, rather than a min/max optimized character built for being threatening and cool. The lethality of the setting often demands that characters act with caution, a large part of the game is focused on mercantile exploits, exploration (foreign locales, cultures, politics, etc.) being a key element of play. All of these are evidence that, at its core, the game is a simulationist system. Narrative can be up to the players with little work on the GM. Gamists will likely be disappointed. This could be colored by the fact that I myself prefer the immersive approach, and it is my job as a DM/GM to “Make the sandbox, fill it with sand and toys, and let the players find their story.”