Changing the game : the rhetorical approach of “no dice, no masters” tabletop RPGs

Abstract

This thesis is a rhetorical analysis of gamebooks for the tabletop roleplaying games (TTRPGs) Dream Askew by Avery Alder and Wanderhome by Jay Dragon. Using Dungeons and Dragons as the ubiquitous example of a TTRPG that operates on foundations of hierarchy, coloniality, and violence, I consider the reframing of discourses that their designers achieve through how they structure character and world creation and player interaction. These games exemplify counter-hegemonic, decolonial practices of game design and play by undoing the player-gamemaster hierarchy, changing the apparatuses that mediate in-game and out-of-game discourses, and increasing the value of lived experience and subject positionalities for players and characters. Collaborative processes and structures that increase player agency and relationship-building shift the objectives of gameplay from conquest and domination to building a mutually satisfying narrative and emphasizing the value of empowering and uplifting other players. I’ll also be attentive to the structure of Dream Askew and Wanderhome in my primary analysis, taking inspiration from their configurations as a conversation and a journey, respectively. Through considering these games as attending to a broader range of experiences and reimagining game design for a more inclusive audience, I position them as examples that can inspire game designers to consider the discourse their games enact and TTRPG players to recognize what a game’s structures restrict or enable in their play experience