Songs of Sibylline: Playing vs. Using
My friend Brandon has been talking about this idea of a distinction between “using” the mechanics of TTRPGs as a toolbox to help tell stories and “playing” these games by their rules, he introduces the concept in his latest blog post.
It’s an elegant distinction which helps contextualise a way that it can be easy to talk across each other, especially because it’s so clear that neither of these stances is better than the other. It’s great to remember there are so many ways to enjoy these games and this particular distinction is a valuable addition to my vocabulary.