Primæval Fantasy

The unique gift that RPGs can give, the thing that no other medium is capable of to its degree, is that the players can dwell in a world of cause & effect, free from any imposed plot or scripts. The habit started, I believe, with most of the old D&D modules. Escaping it is hard, but certainly worth it.

"Better with Bacon" had me on his pod to chat about my methods.

Was interviewed on AoW about my RPG philosophy/goals/tools.

The goal is for the players to feel immersed in theSecondary World as real people. The primary tool is by playing in a simulationist fashion, but how do we accomplish that?   It’s not by being buried in charts and Wiki pages, butprimarily using our most powerful tool: Informed common sense, the power of Intuitive GMing.  The secondary title is a play on Dr. Iain McGilchrist’s powerful book, ‘The M...

Attention & focus guide our outcomes. The conventional RPG methods we inherited have players constantly toggling between the Meta & Make Believe. For those gamers who truly want an immersive Role Playing experience, we must be willing to change that method. Mechanics are vital for the game, but this does not mean the players need to any attention to them whatsoever. By freeing players from...

"There's no wrong way to play RPGs," is a common retort against all RPG discourse about methods, mechanics, etc.. I decided to briefly shine some light on these confusions, & the fallaciousness of the undergirding dynamics generating such assertions.

Continuing from part 1, I delve into the players' task of crafting their characters who are consistent with the Secondary worlds/settings of their games.

I peruse the topic of player free will in RPGs.

I examine the issue of GMs sometimes transcending cause/effect (mechanics or sometimes purely logic) in the game (aka, ‘fudging’). What motivates it? Numerous things, but while I believe their intentions are generally good (“help the players’ enjoyment”), it’s at best a Pyrrhic victory, one which can not only destroy your sessions going forward, but retroactively as well.

After a conversation on Che Webster's, Role Play Rescue podcast last week, I wanted to share some follow-up thoughts on worlds. One of the vital elements of enjoyment we get from RPGs is the ability for players to explore the Secondary Worlds. This requires GMs to craft rich, detailed worlds, and to avoid cookie-cutter, generic backdrops. But this exploration also requires that the players be...

Today I share a conversation with Tablerunner (‘Crispy’) about how his RPG appetites changed through the years into a strong desire for the group to feel immersed into their characters & worlds. Chris then shares the changes he’s made in gaming methods to strengthen that role playing goal.   Please visit Chris’ channel at https://www.youtube.com/@Tablerunner Thanks for listening.

Continuing from part 1, I explain that identifying the Eudaimonia of RPGs is what allows us to begin the actual journey of moving towards that ideal state of the game, but this requires employing the notion of ‘Arete’- excellence. We must employ a host of tools to bring about the changes in our games. Only through this process will be actually transform our Role Paying Games into something that we...

I muse about how we can discern the Eudaimonia – optimal flourishing – of our RPGs. What can RPGs do that no other similar activity can do? Is there something unique about the activity? I believe so, and I believe that once we discern it, we can maximize this strength to create fantastic experiences in gaming.

22. Interview with Che Webster of Roleplay Rescue, Part 2. -This is part 2 of my interview with Che Webster, the creator of the Roleplay Rescue (RPR) podcast & blog.   -In part 2, he discusses the problem of gamers not getting on the same page about what they want (& don't want) in their RPG sessions, what his own gaming goals/appetites are, & his future goals with his RPR website...

21. Interview with Che Webster of Roleplay Rescue, Part 1.  -Special introduction by Tesla, my cat!  -Today I talk with Che Webster, the creator of the Roleplay Rescue (RPR) podcast & blog.  Che talks about many topics, & so I split this interview into 2 parts.  -In part 1, he muses on the motivation behind RPR, encouraging gamers to return to the hobby, the psychologic...

20. Jordan’s Journey into Game Design Madness. Here I have a casual conversation with 2 old friends, Eric & his son, Jordan, who has been gaming since he was in utero. We talk about their gaming preferences, D&D 3.5, & Jordan’s own game-in-development, “Ultra-Real”.

Another fun group-conversation with John & Nate, and another old friend, Eric. (Bonus-amounts of banter!) Our main topic: PC Fear, fury, and self-control. My desire in RPGs is to escape a miniature wargaming mindset, to encourage the feeling that the characters are people, not 2-D caricatures. In this case we address the question of PC fear, rage, or even laziness overwhelming their cold, rati...

Episode 18. A short essay about the role of realism in RPGs, focusing on the clarification of terms, the belief-generating power of realism, and the dangers of "detailism". All Tolkien quotes are from, "On Fairy Stories". 

17. Hooking Up, Breaking Up with Gamers This was a tangent from another conversation, which I decided to edit into a stand-alone episode. We discuss the problems with gamers in our groups who have conflicting appetites & expectations, the importance of doing what you can to get on the same page before you ever try gaming together, and of breaking up if you are gaming with people who have confl...

Continuing our conversation about magic in Primæval Fantasy, discussing the tools we've used through the years to keep casters in harmony with the kind of Fantasy setting we want. "Less is more!" 

Part I: My friend & co-magic-system designer, Drew, talk about our decades of work on this magic system, discussing the task of allowing players to possess magic while preserving the kind of Fantasy world we want, where magic remains special, mysterious, & restrained. Part II to follow.

This is part 2 with my friends John & Nate on RPG styles. Here we delve specifically into the nuances of difference with Cause/Effect on the PCs as opposed to all others in the world. 1) What do we allow the PCs to do (more than NPCs) just because they are PCs. 2) To what degree do we “protect” the PCs just because they are PCs.

Here I am chatting with RPG friends, Nate and John, about gaming preferences & styles. Here is part one. Part 2 to follow soon.

Episode 12: Menion (https://twitter.com/OldShabbyGamer) & I decided to have a casual convo about RPG stuff, and to split it between our podcasts. Here is part one. Part 2 will appear on his site: https://anchor.fm/menion

Episode 11 - Meandering Musings: Making Magic Magical -  Changing methods & mechanics for all supernatural elements in our Fantasy RPGs can strengthen the feeling of awe, wonder and fear.