meta-issues
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Storyboard: The leveling effect
A couple of weeks ago, I took a look at some of the issues that crop up when you start considering in-game details in the context of roleplaying. Today, I'm doing something very similar but in the opposite direction. Instead of fitting verisimilitude into the game world, I'm trying to fit game mechanics into the game world. And if you've ever tried to explain in-character what level you are, you should understand that this is an arduous task to say the least. Of course, to some people, the very idea is ridiculous. There's a reason why gameplay and story generally remain in two different baskets: When you start trying to mix them too closely, everything gets dicey. The problem, of course, is that level isn't just a mechanical concept; it's tied to almost everything in the game world. And that begets all sorts of questions, the same sort that you start asking when you ask yourself about time, but from a different angle.
