This was originally supposed to be a simple concept I idealized to help people discuss ‘what goes on’ during role-playing game play. Really. I named it to identify it with role-playing gaming and mathematics. (Gaming is shared; gaming is imaginary; what takes place in gaming can be identified as a possibility space.) I did not [...]

Inspire the Unplanned For those of you who think this sounds like ‘plan the unplanned’, have I got a deal for you! If you keep in mind a few basic ingredients, and your games will be smoother, looser and more driven by what the player personae do. It really breaks down to a few elements: [...]

Hi! I thought I’d start off my gamemaster tips with a few simple, but central, ideas. Pacing, Pacing, Pacing I’ve given this advice for years without complaint. This has got to be the most important thing a gamemaster does. In fact, by my experience, if you have players who’ll ‘do their own thing’, this is [...]

Today, let’s get down to the heavy-duty theory! I do a lot of design ‘cross-training’; I read academic articles on the concept of role-playing games. (Yeah, I know, technically these are about computer role-playing games, but you’d be surprised how well their work speaks to ours.) Just reading through what they have makes me think [...]

For my first article on this new venue, I’d like to take a moment and discuss something I’ve never seen discussed. Role-playing game design. I know, I know, but play along, okay? I’m not talking about the actual design of role-playing games. I’m not even talking about the culture of role-playing game designers. What I’m [...]