How does this compare to other roleplaying games?
If you haven’t played many roleplaying games before, then this section won’t mean much to you, and you can skip ahead to the next section on why you should play this game. If you have played other roleplaying games, though, you should make sure not to expect The Fifth World to play just like them. This game does some things quite differently, and if you try to play it like other roleplaying games, you might have a bad time with it. This section goes into some depth about how this game differs from other games you might have played, and how you should adjust your expectations before you start playing.
#It doesn’t require or look for conflict.
We often hear that every story ultimately centers on conflict, but as Ursula K. Le Guin wrote, “Conflict is one kind of behavior. There are others, equally important in any human life, such as relating, finding, losing, bearing, discovering, parting, changing.” We might find that we can describe all of these as kinds of conflict, but that tells us more about our point of view than it does about story. Kishōtenketsu, the classical structure used in Chinese, Korean, and Japanese art, can tell stories about conflict, but can just as easily craft an emotionally engaging narrative without one. As you read, you might notice how we have used kishōtenketsu to create a game that doesn’t require conflict.
Conflicts certainly exist in the Fifth World, and you can play out stories about conflict with this game, but you don’t have to. If you can’t find the conflict in your story, don’t worry. You don’t have to find one. The game creates tension, suspense, and emotional engagement through other means. If you go out of your way to find a conflict, you’ll miss these other forces at play and find a story that may feel ill at ease with the rest of the Fifth World.
#It has no game master.
Most roleplaying games divide players into two asymmetrical teams: the players, who each portray one of the main characters in the story; and the game master, who adjudicates the rules, provides the opposition, maintains the verisimilitude of the setting, and plays the entire supporting cast. Rather than placing all of these responsibilities on the shoulders of just one person, we divide them up so that we can handle each one separately. Your role will shift frequently during the game, sometimes focusing on playing your character, sometimes on playing a place, and sometimes on playing the audience.
#It asks you to look at the world in a different way.
The people of the Fifth World have never seen our world. They didn’t grow up like we did or experience the things that we have, and we haven’t grown up like them or experienced the same things as them. They have developed a different way of seeing and understanding the world. The game tries to steep you in that worldview, even down to the question of the roles you play in the game. To enjoy this game, you’ll need to set aside any judgments you might have about their worldview and allow yourself to live in it for a little while. Perhaps the experience will confirm your judgments. Perhaps it will challenge them. Either way, you’ll have an opportunity to see the world from a different perspective. If you try to bring 21st century judgments to this vision of the 25th century, you’ll likely just find disappointment and frustration.
#It does have some close relatives, nonetheless.
For all its unique properties, the Fifth World comes from a particular tradition of roleplaying games. We owe a great debt to these games for the inspiration they provided. If you’ve played and enjoyed these or similar games, then you might not find the Fifth World roleplaying game so surprising after all.