Note that this is the player version to identify themselves. The GM gets more tips on how to cater to these core engagements.
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Discovery
Players who seek the joy of discovery want to explore
unfamiliar places or uncover hidden things. Discovery as a core engagement
normally comes in two forms in role-playing games, that is Discovery through
Exploration and Discovery through Investigation, but medieval fantasy role-playing games mostly caters for Exploration
rather than Investigation. Exploration of locations such as dungeons, ancient
sites and exotic realms which contain hidden doors, traps, treasure and lore
are common staples of the medieval fantasy genre as they are appropriate for
the setting. Investigation usually involves searching for clues, uncovering
mysteries and secrets and sometimes even puzzling out the solution to
mysteries.
(More on Investigation: The concept of the detective is
fairly modern and arguably did not really exist until very late in medieval
times. While with some investigation activities can be appropriate for a
setting the GM creates, investigation needs some additional work from the GM to
be fitted into medieval fantasy as it is not well-supported by the medieval
fantasy game systems by default. In role-playing game systems where
investigative actions form the core activities, the mechanics and resources
provided in the game focus on supporting investigative activities. However,
most of the role-playing game systems which do focus on investigation are set
in the genre of paranormal horror rather than medieval fantasy due to appropriateness
of setting.)
How do I know if I’m
a discovery-seeking player?
One would think that folks who take joy in discovery through
exploration would enjoy travelling and visiting new places around the world. While
that may be true, the types of discovery offered in medieval fantasy
role-playing games is so much more. It is better compared to the joy of finding
a secret location which promises hidden treasure, experiences or lore. For
example, the search and discovery of a hidden bird’s nest or finding a valuable
antique in a lonely shop in the forgotten section of a town. This joy would be less like a tourist and more
like a documentary photographer, an archaeologist or antique hunter. It’s
pretty rare for folks to try to do this in real life because it is very
difficult work that one must be dedicated to do. So it can be difficult to
recognize folks who really enjoy discovery based on established behavior since it's too difficult a thing to do in real life.
Some examples of games which exploration seeking players may
play are the Elder Scrolls series (Skyrim, Oblivion), Fallout 3&4, ARK:
Survival Evolved, Rust, Farcry, the Myst & Riven series, Red Dead
Redemption, Horizon Zero Dawn, Metal Gear Sold V and the “metroidvania”-style
Castlevania games. These games feature a world with freedom of movement and
travel, lots of little nooks and crannies to explore, little secrets to
discover and rewards for exploration.
Some computer games which feature investigation include the
Phoenix Wright series, Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars, Sherlock
Holmes: Crimes & Punishments, L.A. Noire, and interestingly, The Witcher 3:
Wild Hunt, which really is a medieval fantasy computer RPG.
(On day, someone should make a medieval fantasy pen &
paper RPG where the heroes are monster hunters for hire who investigate the
type of monster, prepare based on the knowledge gleaned, and then track down
the monster.)
Conflicts: Submission/hobbyist,
Narrative
There isn’t that big an issue of conflict with players who
enjoy other engagements for folks who enjoy discovery through exploration. While
Discovery players enjoy the sandbox/megadungeon format more, each location in the
sandbox/megadungeon can be fitted to lead to Dungeon Crawls which Submission/hobbyist
players prefer. Fitting an overarching story into the sandbox/megadungeon
format can be tricky but is doable.
Specific advice for discovery
seeking players: Like submission/hobby and narrative, it’s important to
recognize the desire for discovery early since it can have a big impact on the
campaign structure. While conflict
with players isn’t a big issue, the workload on the GM can be pretty big. Preparing
content for players who desire discovery can be pretty challenging for a GM
because the GM would need to plan lots of content beforehand which can be missed
completely because the players chose a different path or just didn’t check for
secret doors. Please be kind to your GM and have reasonable expectations.
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