Core engagements part 1: Submission

Below is content I'm writing on the different core engagements. Players are expected to eventually self-identify which core engagements they enjoy most so that they can help highlight their wants to GMs an thus result in games they enjoy better. So far I've done the Introduction and Submission engagement.
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Player version (there’s a different version for GMs which talk about catering for the different core engagements instead)

Core engagements
Core engagements (also known as aesthetics of play) are the elements of games that players find fun or enjoy engaging in. The original list of core engagements defines 8 different core engagements which players usually enjoy in their games. In order of relevance to the running of a medieval fantasy role-playing games, the core engagements are: Submission/Hobby, Narrative, Discovery, Expression, Fantasy, Challenge, Fellowship, and Sensory Pleasure. Submission/Hobby, Discovery and Narrative seeking players are the most important in recognising before the game starts because the shape of the campaign takes is very relevant to meeting these different needs:
a) Submission/Hobby-seeking players enjoy Dungeon Crawl campaigns best
b) Discovery-seeking players enjoy the Sandbox/Mega-dungeon campaigns best
c) Narrative-seeking players enjoy Story-driven campaigns best

It is worthwhile for players and GMs to know which core engagements the players enjoy most. It is worthwhile in knowing what you want in your games so you can highlight your preferences to the GM or seek out games which meet your desires better.  It is also worthwhile trying to understand what your fellow players want so that you can communicate and come to compromises if there are conflicting desires. While players may not always get a campaign format which suits their wants perfectly due to competing needs of their fellow players, at least the GM can anticipate the different player needs and plan and compromise accordingly.

It’s perfectly normal to enjoy more than one type of core engagements. Most people enjoy more than one. And even if you only enjoy one aesthetic now, there’s no reason you cannot learn to enjoy other aesthetics later. It is also okay to be wrong and correct yourself later and not have your wants met perfectly. Given time and compromise, players and GMs will understand themselves and their friends better and learn to have fun with each other better.

Submission (aka Hobby or abnegation or pastime)
This is the primary and most common core engagements players seek, but it is very poorly named. (Let’s call it ‘Hobby’ since the term ‘Submission’ gives the wrong idea) The Hobby-seeking player plays medieval fantasy role-playing games to roll dice, kill monsters, find awesome loot, and level-up their PCs into powerful heroes. If you think that description sounds rather generic and describes all players, you’d be half-right. Most people who stay in the hobby have a bit of the hobbyist in them, otherwise they stop playing medieval fantasy role-playing games.

Hobby-seeking players formed and may still form the core audience of medieval fantasy role-playing games. The hobbyist is the original core engagements role-playing games were designed for. The original format that medieval fantasy roleplaying games used, the Dungeon Crawl, was designed with hobby-seeking players in mind. If you are a hobby seeking player, give yourself the satisfaction of knowing that medieval fantasy role-playing games were made for you more than anyone else.

Medieval fantasy role-playing games are said to have three core engagements: combat, exploration, and interaction. The hobbyist enjoys engaging in combat more than figuring out how to traverse obstacles and talk to NPCs because combat is where the dice really get rolling, the stakes are real and real action happens. It is in combat that vicious monsters are cut down, victories are won and the best rewards (such as loot and experience) are awarded. Player characters are exceptionally powerful in combat compared to the average commoner and the hobbyist wants to experience that strength in combat and earn great rewards from doing so.

The Dungeon Crawl features mainly combat and finding treasure, sometimes with a little exploration but rather limited interaction with NPCs. While hobbyists may tolerate or even enjoy the occasional diversion in the form of overcoming obstacles like traps and talking to an NPC, a campaign which involves a lot of combat relative to interaction and exploration works best for hobbyists.

How do I know if I’m a hobby seeking player?
You probably are. The more relevant question is if you also seek other core engagements.
One of the give-aways is how much effort the hobby seeking player spends rolling their dice. Hobby seeking players may shake the dice furiously in their hands, pre-roll their dice before the session to test their luck, or discard accursed dice which have failed them. If you do any of these behaviours, you’ve at least got a bit of the hobbyist in you. That’s fine! Remember, medieval fantasy role-playing games were made primarily to satisfy the hobby-seeking aesthetic of play.

Most people who stay in the hobby have some of the hobbyist in them, especially if they stay as players rather than GMs. So if you’ve willingly embraced the genre, the answer is you probably are. At least a little. The better question to ask is if you’ve also embraced the other core engagements and desire to experience those other core engagements as well, or desire the other core engagements more than the hobby aspects. In so, the Dungeon Crawl campaign format may not meet your desire for those other core engagements as well.

On the other hand, if you find the other core engagements such as planning, talking to NPCs and puzzle solving boring and find yourself wanting to roll dice and conquering monsters more, it’s likely you’ve embraced the hobby aesthetic more than the other core engagements. There’s no need to apologise for that; the game was made for you. As always, try to communicate politely with your fellow players and find compromise.

There is a long list of games that hobbyists may enjoy, including Call of Duty, Warframe, Destiny, PUBG, World of Tanks, Diablo 3, FIFA, Forza Motorsport 7, Rocket League, Super Smash Bros, Goat Simulator, Clicker Heroes, Realm Grinder, Adventure Capitalist, and many more. Hobbyists form the core population of gamers and the gaming industry is desperate to make games which are attractive to hobby seeking players. Hobbyists are important in this way.

Conflicts: Narrative, Expression, Fantasy, Challenge, Exploration
Considering that medieval fantasy games were built specifically for the hobbyist in mind, you may be surprised that not everyone shares the same passions as the hobbyist and there is a lot of potential for conflict with other players.

Narrative, expression and fantasy seeking players may be more interested in interaction or even exploration rather than combat, and thus may spend a great deal of time role-playing talking to various non-player characters. These players may also appreciate the GM spending time to describe the setting and little details that make the world feel more alive. Hobbyists may also enjoy these activities and diversions, but to the hobbyist these little touches are diversions from the main course of the game: combat, riches, and becoming powerful. Having these players may also mean that the GM will run a Story-driven campaign instead of a Dungeon Crawl campaign.

Some challenge seekers may actively seek to trivialise or even completely avoid combat altogether, therefore robbing the hobbyist of the glory of cutting down or blasting foes himself as well as the chance to prove his valour. The hobbyist may be wondering why anyone would want to play a medieval fantasy roleplaying game if you’re trying to avoid and trivialise all the fights. What are the dice even for if you never roll them? It is especially irritating to the hobbyist if the challenge seekers take a great deal of time planning out precisely how they want to solve a problem, worse still if the solution involves avoiding or trivialising combat.

Exploration seeking players clash with hobbyists less often in comparison. Exploration-seeking players prefer the Sandbox/Mega-dungeon campaign instead of the Dungeon Crawl, which involves a lot of freedom of choosing where to go and what course of action to take. However, sandbox/mega-dungeon campaigns are quite flexible and could also incorporate a lot of Dungeon Crawl elements. Many commercial modules of sandbox campaigns are built as sandboxes which lead to dungeon crawls. Hobbyists may be willing to allow explorers to search every little nook and cranny of a dungeon because their efforts may lead to finding hidden riches which the hobbyist appreciates. Or not. Explorers can overdo it sometimes.

Specific advice for submission/hobbyist players: Learning to enjoy other core engagements of role-playing games is like learning to paint. You don’t have to learn to paint in order to appreciate looking at art, but it can be a rewarding experience if you choose to put in the effort to do so. Learning to participate in other core engagements is not mandatory; it’s your choice if you want to put in that effort or not as you may find it is not worthwhile. If it isn’t worthwhile for you, it helps to highlight what you want from the game and what doesn’t interest you so that other players can anticipate your needs and hurry up when they are engaging in activities that doesn’t interest you.

Alternatively, find someone who runs Dungeon Crawls. You can’t go wrong with Dungeon Crawls.