Designing a kickass world is what every gamemaster dreams about, holds his breath, crosses his fingers, and should the stars come into alignment, just right, hopes to create. World is used by me in the broadest sense. Right or wrong doesn't affect me all that much. They do say, you can't teach an old dog, new tricks, so, you'll have to excuse my old fashioned ways. If it makes you feel any better, every time I use, world, merely substitute the word, universe. At any rate, the latter is probably, the better expression, than the former. So many words, to say similar, but still, different variations of the same theme. With every utterance and each syllable, an idea is waiting to explode onto the scene. Never mind the smallness of envisioning a raging river. Think colossal, and within your mind's eye, imagine the implications and the meaning of ideas, all running through the entirety of it. Do I have your attention, yet? 

Whether you are a player or gamemaster, a novice to roleplaying or a guru, who has been gaming for decades, or are simply a creative type, with a penchant to delve more deeply into the realm of fantasy, what you're about to read will have relevance. There is nothing about roleplaying that doesn't involve the imagination. When you look at gaming in that light, anything that encompasses a creative mindset becomes pertinent. Buckle up and steel yourself for a cerebral journey into the shadowy crevices of the mind of a creator. Three, two, one, ignition! 

Should you hang in there with me, the fog of ignorance will retreat and make way for the new kid in town, a clarity of mind. Not exactly a map to the stars, but, nonetheless, a coherence of thought, more or less. Without a context and no matter how hard you may try, "it" can never be pinned down. Under these nebulous circumstances, how could logic and reasoning be expected to illuminate what is shrouded from inception with purposeful intent and indeterminate vagaries?

Creation is a daunting task. It(that word, again) takes a whole lot of hubris to even think about, putting on the big-girl pants and conceiving of a world, from nothing more, than a cerebral twitch. Not to mention the lady-balls needed to transform that mental spasm into a full-blown reality. Any god will tell you that much. Don't tell me, you actually believe the Earth was created in only seven days? 

Whatever you might otherwise believe, you cannot dispute this fact, gamemasters are an arrogant lot. Necessity requires that characteristic to take hold of them and not let go. GMs can't do their work, while lookin over their shoulders and second-guessing themselves at every turn. After he chooses the genre of game(Oh, so many choices) and picks out a system to support the kind of roleplaying(even more options, with ever more being added every year), for which, he desires to GM, the real heavy lifting, probably, unbeknownst to him, has, yet, begun. What about any of that, causes you to think, arrogance and confidence do not intertwine on some level, or even become, one and the same, during the creation process? 

Extrapolate ideas to their broadest expanse, put them into the pressure-cooker of your mind's eye, and turn up the volume. If something comes into view, you'll have no problem, following my train of thought. You're already a master of creation in your own right, heading straight for the big, brass ring. Should nothing occur to you, keep reading and something will definitely formulate in that noodle of yours. Either you're new to roleplaying, or simply haven't developed the mental discipline to perceive ideas, as if your senses had plucked them from thin air. Once you can do that, you'll be heading for the top seat, as well. 

Gaming has a way of leveling the playing field. Within the framework of it, anyone can be a creator. To be sure, a beautiful thing to behold. Gaming causes a sense of wonder, without actually doing anything to us. Ideas spark it off, and the mind fills in the rest. What's that clicking noise?

World building is where the story begins. There is definitely an art to it(again, with that expression), thus, the raison d'être of where I'm going with all of this. Somewhere in the mix, I'll call upon the big steroid, organization, the idea that amps it all up. Notions come in all shapes and sizes, and I'll focus on the largest of them in a manner, you'll, hopefully, find more amusing, than not. Don't worry, if what you read, brings to mind, more questions, than answers. Just, chalk it up to the way the creative process works. My goal is to fire your imagination, not fill your mind with more minutia. The rulebooks, you faithfully tote to each gaming session, have more than enough of that sort of nonsense. No, the more appropriate term for it is, madness!  

Never doubt the fact of the matter, crafting a world is work. It can be a lonely, and seemingly, thankless task. The only certainty is, nobody can do it for you. Yea, I realize, there is a product called, modules. They may be a great way to start, but, at the end of the day, aren't the product of your unique imagination, which, by definition, makes them less than what you could devise. Oftentimes, with shortcuts, I find, you miss out on the beauty of the sights you'll experience, going the long way around the mountain. Nevertheless, even if you use a module to jumpstart your process, making it your own, requires a lot of decisions to be made, especially, if you're going to turn it into a campaign, rather than a one-shot adventure. So, what's next? 

At this point, the possibilities are endless. There are so many questions, and a bounty of answers to those inquiries. In many ways, this is the coolest aspect of the creative process. I daresay, almost as invigorating as making a character to roleplay. Something that is lost on most GMs because the task seems too monumental for any, one person to even contemplate, so forget about accomplishing it.

Instead of basking in the light of the moment, most GMs charge, head-on, into the breach and scurry to get something on paper, anything, really. Even if those scribblings aren't the best and brightest nuggets, the GM, with more thought, might, otherwise, have designed. The drive to get down to the playing is an urge, so, well, overwhelming. Only the most disciplined of GMs are able to resist the temptation to truncate the all-important creative process. Make your saving throw and ward off the temptress! If you are new to gaming and choose to ignore the rest of my advice, take this one, to heart. Doing so, will save you so much, needless aggravation on the back end.  

Like most creative ventures, worthy of our time and energy, creating a world is ninety percent thought and ten percent sweat. I think Woody Allen once said something like that. No, his deal was the showing up thing. Well, you have no choice but to be present because the activity of world-building happens in your mind. Anyhow, when you start out, nobody tells you any of this, but they should. Oh, yea, I just did. You are in possession of the shiniest pearl of wisdom on this topic. No need to thank me, but you are most welcome! 

A blizzard of questions storms through the mind of every creator, each time she engages her masterpiece. Creating a world triggers even more of them. What kind of world or universe should I create? Is it one universe or a multiverse? How many monsters, and what kind, populate the landscape? Who are the NPCs, and why do they, do what they do? How potent are they? Do Gods exist, and if so, who or what are they? 

Although, as important as those questions, may, in fact, be, I advise you to take a deep breath, relax, and think about the ultimate consideration, how does it all work? It's a notion that needs to be accounted for, at some point along the way. Easier to do it, up front, than years down the line. Advice, I wish someone had given me, when I first sat down with the D&D Boxed Set. It would have saved me years of casting about in The Dark for the answer to the question, I never thought to ask and no game system truly answers. Hindsight is one, helluva, sweet mistress, everybody should invite over, for Christmas. Creation is an adventure, unto, itself. Now, do you see the charm of going the long way around the mountain? 

Without depriving anyone of their cerebral journey into the mouth of madness(what I call, my creative process), I offer my solution to the question, how does it all work? Thinking about that inquiry, reminds me of another query, what is the glue that binds everything within my world together? This is another matter, every GM, worth his salt, eventually, contemplates. For me, the two issues pirouette around, one another. So, what is the common ground that forms their dancefloor? 

This is about figuring out the big picture of your design. After you've discerned that, everything else falls into place. To take from Immanuel Kant and Stephen Hawking, once you know what is most fundamental to your world, you know the theory of everything and can apply it to your pièce de résistance. Something, so obvious, but trust me, it took years to formulate the conception. A variety of game systems dance around the notion, but none of them put it, in quite, those terms. If I had to venture a guess, as to why that's the case, it 's because most game designers start by creating the trees and at some point, realize they have a forest. It's the classic problem of not seeing the forest for the trees. 

Details have a way of distracting us from the big picture. If we're not careful to avoid this pitfall, they can conceal the truth of the matter from us, even within our own creations. You don't want to be trapped by your design, and you can take that to the bank. Specifics can always be added at a later time. Without a contextual framework to give them value, particulars can be so meaningless. It's much easier to remember the details of matters in your world, once you've simplified the equation in some logical manner to something less complex, but nevertheless, intelligible. The coolest aspect of this is, there's no one, right way to do any of this organizational shit. You just need to devise a methodology that works for you and stick with it.

Keep in mind, no player wants to watch you do the irritating, GM thing of constantly searching through notebooks, filled with specifics, for particulars that will never be found, nor can they ever be rooted out, and everybody at the table, including you, knows it. Stop stalling and run the game, already! Wouldn't it be nice, if roleplaying were that easy? No shit, huh? 

Organization is next to godliness. I know, perhaps, a tad, irreverent, but I've never been much of an adherent of cleanliness. A little dirt, never did much harm to anyone, but a lack of order, within the chaos of creation? I hate to even think about the prospect of it. Who can even contemplate the consequences that would flow from such insanity? Oh, the madness of it all! 

Some kind of framework is necessary to maintain consistency within your world. It's the magic sauce that makes the trains run on time. Every gamemaster, who doesn't have a method of arranging her thoughts, proceeds at her own peril. Not only does the little missy make an already, arduous task, more difficult, she risks exposing her players to a fate, worse than death, from which, there is no saving throw. 

Many gamemasters are under the mistaken notion, every word they think of and write down is pure gold. Don't fall under that spell. No matter how long, you've been at it, much of what you create is out-and-out shit. Even if you fool yourself into thinking otherwise(but, isn't it, really, wishful thinking on your part), your players will see through the facade and discern the truth, in less time than it takes a fart to dissipate. Everybody knows the difference between a quality product and an inferior one. Integrity begins here. Don't be that GM, who feeds a shit sandwich to his players, week in and week out, and has the balls to ask them, if they're having a good time. 

You can't be squeamish about throwing shit away, and, at the same time, be a topflight creator. The two notions don't jive with one another. I've literally thrown away hundreds of notebooks, all filled with garbage, to clear the deck for the good stuff. The trash was the necessary byproduct of developing the quality product, or, at least, something palatable to my players. Self analysis and criticism are integral pieces of the creation puzzle. Critique is the vehicle, through which, we hone our craft. Feedback from your players should always be considered. After all, their characters are what breathe life into your world. 

Not every adventure I create is a home run, but I always swing for the fences. There can be no fear of striking out. When I do miss the ball, which I certainly have done on many occasions, I dust myself off, learn what I can from the mistake, and move on to my next project. If every creator embraced this attitude, there wouldn't be so many shit sandwiches being served up! 

One method of keeping the trains on the tracks and running on time, is to use several notebooks or pads of paper. Devote each one to a separate and distinct task. Ideas fundamental to your world go in one, while NPCs and monsters are dealt with in others. Issues, such as dungeons, gods, magic items, politics and spells, should have separate pads, dedicated to those matters. Reserve, at least, one notebook for new ideas, in need of development. Writing ideas down, before you forget them, can prevent so many unnecessary headaches. This pad would also serve as the place to noodle through the who, what, when, where, why, and how of your random thoughts. Don't be a cheapskate and utilize as many tablets as are necessary to get the job done. Keep in mind, organization is about, making life easier for you, so tailor your system to do, just that. Most importantly, and I can't emphasize this enough, don't be afraid to throw shit away! 

If you think all of this writing stuff sounds dated, you're probably correct on that point. I'll admit it, I'm an old guy, and damn proud of it. My wrinkles and gray hairs have been earned, the hard way, through the School of Hard Knocks. In all seriousness, although I like doing it old-school(if that makes me a Luddite, I can live with it), my process can easily be modernized via computers, cellphones, tablets, or whatever other technological wizardry, you may prefer. Before you go there, consider this, the act of actually, scrawling things out with pen and paper(or pencil) is a more intimate experience, which triggers more parts of your brain than typing on a keyboard will ever do. For creators, anything that causes us to use more of our brainpower is a huge advantage, you shouldn't take lightly. Our masterpieces deserve everything we can marshal, don't they? 

Rather than doing it old-school, you could always use the new-school approach and go all-in on tech gizmos. Most game systems have an online presence for their materials. Also, there are plenty of applications(apps) available, if not designed specifically with gamers in mind, certainly make going digital, much easier and without a doubt, cooler. With all of the bells and whistles available, forgetaboutit!

For instance, you could download one of the notebook apps, and voila, your cellphone has been transformed into something you can us to jot down thoughts, before you forget them. On your computer, a separate file can be dedicated to each issue and matter within your world. You can even get fancy and create a table or spreadsheet to keep track of these individual files. Technology is not limited to pure text, either. Memory can be allocated to any kind of information, whether that be; text, maps, pictures, or any other information you can devise. All of this data, a keystroke away, if you're organized, that is. Remember to use, easily identifiable filenames and keep your developing thoughts, that are under construction, separate from those, which have been released into the wilds of your world. 

Surprised? You shouldn't be. I never said I didn't understand or know how to use technology. I only indicated, I preferred the physical act of writing. I suppose that does make me a dinosaur. Rah! 

Returning to the big picture of it, my how is power, and the what are principles and definitions. Both dance upon the common ground of ideas. Easy to understand and keep straight, without an inordinate amount of notes and rules to make it functional. That's the beauty of boiling things down to the fundamental level, or better, yet, beginning on that existential plane. Once you've done that, your world will practically run itself. I don't know any creator, who wouldn't want the kind of turnkey operation, I'm talking about, do you? 

Care must be taken, and much thought must be put into the decision of what is most fundamental to your world. Because everything hinges on this choice, it's a determination that should be handled with kid gloves. Consistency matters, and your world deserves a solid foundation. Cracks within it from the beginning will only grow in magnitude, until, one day, the walls come tumbling down. 

That's the problem, I've found with the designs of most game systems. What might have begun as poetry in motion, over time, with each added element in the form of massive rulebook expansions, the simple became unduly complex and riddled with contradictions, to boot. I don't fault game companies for attempting to fill the gaps within their original logic, remaining relevant to modern sensibilities, and oh, yes, doing what capitalists do best, sell shit. However, what you do with their material, is solely, on you. 

Though, the real problem for these systems is a lack of a strong foundation to support every aspect of the game, from the truly insignificant to the most powerful divinity, and everything in between. What works fine for beginning characters, quickly falls apart, well-before, they get anywhere close to the point of acquiring an obscene amount of power. A fate, easily avoided, given enough forethought. Don't hamstring your players with limitations, for which, they didn't bargain. There is an old saying, rules are meant to be broken. At root, every standard in those tomes is a mere guideline, an empowering notion, to be sure. Where there's a will, there's a way to get to, yes! 

Albert Einstein is often attributed with coining the phrase, imagination is more important than knowledge. I don't know if he actually said that or not, but I appreciate the sentiment, for how it frames the issues. Knowledge lays out the possibilities, while imagination opens them up, to the otherwise, impossible. In any event, knowledge is power, and I built the framework of my world upon that idea. From there, I used my imagination and added to every bit of wisdom I possessed, what I call, a fantasy gloss. A transformative process, that forges the vapidly mundane into the deliciously wondrous. Every conception, known to us, can be turned on its head, in this manner. This is the tipping point, where matters develop a momentum of their own. 

Power comes in many forms. Every game possesses this idea in some manner, but most games do not have an explanation for why it exists or how it really works. It just is, doesn't set my imagination aflame. Although they have thought about and written down scads of mechanics, describing the various ways to allocate power, oddly enough, none of these systems, even refer to it, as an idea. You read that correctly, not one word has been devoted to that context. Changing this fact, is revolutionary and will cause your mindset of what is possible to evolve toward the impossible. Playing with perspectives is what gaming is all about, isn't it? 

No matter how you slice the proverbial pie, power is a potent notion. A conception that energizes and motivates, pretty much everything in existence. Galaxies are formed because of it, kingdoms rise and fall, struggling for superiority over it, warlords raise armies, based on it, and even the gods rely upon it to perform their miracles. Thus, the web of conflicting and convoluted rules for dealing with this idea. 

Within my world, infinity is a lynchpin idea, and in many ways, an ideal. It is real, and as such, nothing is truly impossible, and I do mean that in a literal sense. Most games want to go there, but their mechanics prevent it from happening. I don't look at it as losing control of my world, but as breathing life into it, while at once, explaining the inexplicable. This notion allows for any kind of exploration my players may wish to undertake. Something not lost on any of them, bless their adventurous souls. 

Once infused with infinity, power becomes more of a fluid conception. Something that can do most anything, if not, everything. That's where definitions and principles come into the picture. These are the notions, which limit the scope of power, to some degree, anyway. Also, they provide a vehicle for the creation of variations of it, as well as the utilization of it. 

Something, so encompassing and impressive, must have a unique origin, and it most certainly does. Power began with The Big Bang. It came before the universe, or Cosmos, as I refer to the space, within which, everything dwells in my world. All of existence is dependent upon power for its continued expression. Without power, everything ceases to exist. Where did The Big Bang come from or what set it off? Nobody knows the answers to those questions, or at least, they're not telling. Players need some mysteries to explore, don't they?

The Cosmos, eventually oozed from the collision of forces, attendant to the creation process of The Big Bang. Probably after the passage of millennia upon millennia, sometime during creation, Power and The Cosmos intertwined and formed the first binary. For, you see, binaries are a formal means of coupling and a necessity for creating offspring, and thus, also a foundational principle. At any rate, the offspring of this mating is the first of the gods, known as the One, True God because it's the only deity, directly spawned from the first products of The Big Bang. The scriptures of this first divinity are cryptic, at best, speaking to the discovery of the other deities, without describing in any particular manner, the actual origin of them. Beginnings are always shadowy and ominous, as they should be. If your players can get to the bottom of what was the first egg or chicken in your world, good for them. Just don't make it easy to discern, lest you deprive your players of the adventure of noodling it through to the origin. 

Potentialities, options, fate, destiny, bonuses, alliances, resources, and whatever else you can think of, are all shades of power. As such, they are ideas, which run through power and are an intrinsic part of it. Therefore, in order to manifest something new, all one has to do, is take an idea, any one will do, and express something of power, through it. Definitions and principles fill in the details, and really, do most of the work. This is where, game mechanics come into the picture, and the place for GMs to dovetail system rules into their creation. Simple and yet, riddled with so many possibilities. Some call it, the bullet holes of reality. 

I never found the answer, it just happens that way, to be satisfying in any way, shape, or manner. My world began as a remedy for that dissatisfaction. Somewhere along the way, one thing led to another, and before I knew it, I had an answer to everything, and lots of ideas for adventures into the heart of those matters. Every gamemaster can do something similar, or she can keep on, attributing blind spots in the rules to "arcane powers," "divine miracles," or the excuse that really chaps my ass, "it just works that way." 

By now, you should have some concept of the meaning of ideas, running through it. The "it" being the indefinite article of the day, of which, hopefully, you have come to appreciate in a different light. The implications are empowering to player and GM, alike. With that all, having been said, until next time, create up a storm and, of course, game on! 

Whether creating a painting, penning a song lyric, curating a museum exhibit, writing a book, or roleplaying a character, there is a story to tell. Without communicating something, art flounders because it has no point and falls flat. At root, artwork is an expression of the artist's inner soul, and as such, is a dissemination of some type of information. You didn't think of your roleplaying as an artform? It is, if you treat it with the respect you'd give to any other work of art. On that issue, gaming and other creative forms, intersect. Think about it for more than five seconds. Something that fills your time and gives you so much pleasure, surely deserves that much of your time. After reading this post, you probably won't be able to write the next fantasy novel that sets the world on fire, but you will be exposed to enough storytelling ideas to enrich your roleplaying experience. If that thought piques your interest, read on!  

What is it about roleplaying that captured our imaginations? Certainly, doing something, we couldn't accomplish in the real world was a big part of what drew us into the roach motel, but was that what really brought us to the game table? I say, no way, José! What fired my imagination about the whole affair was the built-in ability to tell a bounty of stories that were open-ended and never truly came to a conclusion. If that's the case, then, why are so many games devoid of, or at least, seriously lacking, this all-important characteristic? Why do so many games, merely, go from one battle scenario to the next, without any rhyme or reason?

Some may instinctively come to the knee-jerk reaction, it's because of the game-master. Perhaps, so, but a bit too simplistic to call this, merely a GM problem, don't you think? Players must take ownership of their part in this, as well. As Milton Friedman, once wrote, "There is no free lunch," and he further indicated, "Systems have parts, and those pieces can either work together, or work against one another." 

Although Milton Friedman spoke about economic theory, his ideas are applicable to this issue. GM and player, alike, have stories to tell. Whether they recognize it or not, both are integral parts of a system. Roleplaying cannot exist without both parties. So, they can either work together to tell their stories, or against each other. In the end, this is a choice, and decisions have consequences for both dance partners. One of Milton Friedman's most famous books is, Free To Choose.  

Wisdom comes from the oddest of places. They do say, truth is stranger than fiction. Given enough thought, every bit of information out there can be repurposed for some gaming objective or another. You only need to be open to the possibilities. Frankly, I've discovered many, more gaming ideas from perusing nonfiction and experiencing life itself, than I have from the fantasy, horror, and science-fiction arena. There are so many stories to tell, and a multitude of ways, in which, to communicate them. Huh, that communication notion, rears its head, once more. Couple it with creativity, the application of some specific skill, and crafting or making something, and voilá, you have a work of art! 

Not everyone can be a writer, a painter, or any of the other artistic endeavors. Those activities require a certain amount of innate ability, teamed with enough discipline, patience and perseverance to hone it. On the other hand, one doesn't need to have any particular skill, in order to spin a yarn, interesting enough, for use in a roleplaying scenario. This fact is the coolest aspect of gaming. If you can think, you can roleplay a character or NPC. The only question is, how to do it with such a style, nobody can refute it as being your creation? 

The essence of good storytelling is putting your indelible mark upon the tale. To do this, you need material to work. Nobody does it, in a vacuum. To start, fantasy, horror, and science-fiction are fantastical places to discover wondrous nuggets. From the minds of authors, there is much to learn. I have composed a list of decent authors and have organized them, more or less, in chronological order, so check some of them out: Homer, Ovid, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, Edgar Allan Poe, Bram Stoker, Jules Verne, H. G. Wells, Fritz Leiber, H. P. Lovecraft, Robert E. Howard, J. R. R. Tolkien, Edgar Rice Burroughs, August Derleth, C. S. Lewis, Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov, Philip K. Dick, Kurt Vonnegut, Anne McCaffrey, Mary Stewart, Roger Zelazny, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Ursula K. LeGuin, Raymond E. Feist, David Eddings, Michael Moorcock, Stephen King, Clive Barker, Harry Harrison, Neil Gaiman, Robert Lynn Aspirin, Mercedes Lackey, Terry Pratchett, George R. R. Martin, Lynn Abbey, Margaret Atwood, Jim Butcher, Anne Rice, Dean Koontz, Andrew Offutt, Robert Jordan, J. K. Rowling, and believe it or not, that is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg! 

Classic literature is another logical place to look. This area has much to offer anyone, desiring to learn how to navigate their way around a story. You can mine so much from the likes of: Aristophanes, Geoffrey Chaucer, William Shakespeare, Dante Alighier, John Milton, Miguel de Cervantes, Charles Dickens, Emily Dickinson, Mark Twain, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Leo Tolstoy, Robert Louis Stevenson, William Faulkner, Franz Kafka, Jack London, Dylan Thomas, Oscar Wilde, Jean-Paul Sartre, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, John Steinbeck, Henrik Ibsen, George Orwell, George Bernard Shaw, Arthur Miller, Robert Frost, Harper Lee, J. D. Salinger, Sylvia Plath, Tennessee Williams, Jack Kerouac, and the list can go on and on. There is just so many authors, who have mastered the art of dialogue(John Steinbeck, William Faulkner, and George Bernard Shaw are good choices, here), including dialects(Look to Mark Twain, on this), plot twists(Geoffrey Chaucer and Harper Lee, come to mind, regarding this element), and every other aspect that elevates a story from a trifling ordeal to something truly magnificent. 

However, the search shouldn't stop there. Philosophy, economics, history, and a whole, range of other nonfiction topics, also have their stories to divulge. Aristotle, Plato, Socrates, the authors of The Bible(the most influential book ever committed to print), Tacitus, Lao Tzu, Sun Tzu, Baruch Spinoza, Niccolo Machiavelli, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, René Descartes, Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Edmund Burke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Francis Bacon, Immanuel Kant, David Hume, Nietzsche, Ludwig Von Mises, Charles M. Andrews, Richard Hofstadter, Charles A. Beard, William Safire, William F. Buckley Jr., F. A. Hayek, George Will, Milton Friedman, Robert Bork, Soren Kierkegard, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Richard Posner, Frank H. Easterbrook, and Arthur Schopenhauer, all have stories to recount and do so, with style and grace, but don't stop at this short list of great minds. It sounds weird, maybe, even feels that way, too, but any author, who can make a dry topic, like American Colonial Life, come alive, has something to teach us about storytelling. 

Every author and great thinker, I've listed, places something of value into your mental toolbox. Some, like Aristotle, bring ideas such as celestial music that can be used, within any fantasy setting, straight out of the box. While other ideas, need to be worked by adding, what I call, a fantasy gloss to them. An example of what I mean by this, is:  Instead of telling a story about two old ladies arguing at a deli counter, about whom should be served next, maybe have two, ancient and crotchety, trolls spew about, which one should get to eat the mid-section of the netted, young, gold dragon. You took in a humorous observation and spun it on its head to relate an equally, amusing ditty. Adding your imagination to information is what this notion of a fantasy gloss is all about. Nothing more to it, than that! 

Life, meaning, the world around us, is full of inspiration to impart upon our narratives. Observe people going about their daily lives or children playing at your local park, visit a museum(The Smithsonians are fabulous repositories of information) and see a Salvador Dali painting, up close and personal, or a centuries-old piano, go to a military park such as Gettysburg and visit an old fort or battlefield, and enjoy media such as movies and music. There are so many potential storylines, blooming and developing around us all the time. You just have to perk up your senses to notice them. 

So many ways to tell a story. Everything has a tale to utter; each object, item of clothing, or battle flag, just to name a few, and within a gaming context, items can actually speak. What might a battle-worn banner have to say about the war, it survived, but its bearers didn't? If you keep all of this in mind, you're on the right path to spinning the yarn that will knock the socks off of your gaming group. Once you know the methods and elements available to you, the rest falls into place. 

Research does wonders to get this to work for you. The more you have under your cap, the more adept at storytelling, you will become. No need to reinvent the wheel, either. Authors, thinkers, songwriters, actors, museum curators, and people, going about their everyday lives, have already done the heavy lifting for you. You just need to expose yourself a bit and be open to their efforts. Easy peasy, right?   

Roleplaying is a cerebral process. The worlds, in which, we play, are purely, mental constructs because they aren't real, but we react to them, all the same, as if they were more than products of our imaginations. For everyone at the game table to buy into the ongoing action, a suspension of disbelief needs to occur. Nothing would be more irritating, than one of the players, reminding everyone, every third round, "This isn't really happening. It's only a game," which is why, everyone at the table, leaves their disbelief at the door. What makes the suspension of disbelief more of a reality, than not? More importantly, or most pivotal, however you may wish to view the issue, what gets gamers to become engaged in ways, they never thought to be rational or even possible? 

Without a doubt, the name of the game is, interactive engagement. Now, that you have some inputs, what do you do with them? How do you weave a persuasive storyline? There are a few literary principles, when understood and properly employed, that can assist the process. These deal with conflict, descriptions and details, dialogue and voice, mood, motivation, plot development, story flow, and themes. Although these items should work in conjunction with one another, for the sake of comprehension, I will handle these eight, crucial principles, one at a time. This isn't meant to be an English lesson, but hopefully, some of what follows, will jog your memories. No matter how you may slice it, whether oral or written, a story is a story, and the methods of crafting them, are more similar, than you might've thought. 

Conflict is a key ingredient to any interesting storyline. It builds drama, by explaining and underscoring the stakes, and boils down to four, basic categories. These are:  Man against The Gods, man against nature, man against man, and man against himself. As such, the types of confrontation are pretty straight-forward. Somewhere along the line, one issue that eventually presents, itself, is where to put the struggles with monsters; within the man against nature category, or in the man against man one? I believe, it depends upon the intelligence of the monster, and I have played with that notion in my games and stories.

If the particular monster is as intelligent as the PCs or main characters, then what? Do monsters have human-like characteristics, such as emotions and aspirations to become something more than what it was born to be? If so, who labeled them, monsters, and why did they do, so? Can a monster change its destiny? If not, why not? 

As you can see, conflict, at the core of it, is simple. However, the handling of this idea can get tricky and give rise to a series of questions, all begging for answers. Once your imagination shifts into maximum overdrive, the notion of struggle takes on a life of its own, and the stories flow like water.

Every scenario, most likely, has more than one kind of struggle, involved. Although one aspect of the game may be about the party, gearing up for a fight against a particular deity(man against the gods), one of the PCs may be experiencing an existential crisis(man against himself). While maintaining a continuity and flow, the GM has to deal with both struggles. A task made easier by identifying and acknowledging the two types of conflict going on. It can be a difficult task of aligning them to maintain consistency of the world, surrounding the discord. Though, with some thought, it can be done. 

Descriptions and details go hand-in-hand, so I group them together, as one of the fundamental principles of storytelling. Although, seemingly obvious, it is easy to overlook this one. Descriptions and details add dimension to the tale, being told. There is a reason why we all know, the devil's in the details. Nothing earth-shattering, so far. Where it gets hairy, is when it comes time to decide what kind and how much to use? 

Too many descriptions and details, and you lose your audience within a sea of specifics. Not enough of them, and your fellow gamers don't have enough of a foundation to follow your train of thought. Descriptions and details create a context, around which, your yarn gets woven. Remember, words are ideas and different ones invoke a variety of differing notions, feelings, and, most importantly, interactions. The coolest aspect of this is, as long as your fellow gamers can follow the vibe, the concepts don't need to be based on real words. You can make up words and the meanings that accompany each of them to your heart's content. Within a gaming context, adjectives, such as fibronoxious, neuroplastic, protoplastemian, and spazmodic, no matter how bizarre and out-there, they may appear to be at first blush, can become commonplace and acceptable, once understood and embraced by your gaming group.

Choices must be made, and often, lickety-split. Keeping the flow of the game, moving forward, is important, but don't discount the impact, a pregnant pause can create. Regarding this aspect, the sky's the limit, bounded only by your imagination. This is where lists of words, you've thought about and created, beforehand(that preparation thing, again), can be a handy tool.  

Issues to take into account, when using this principle, are: What combination of descriptions(adjectives, adverbs, nouns, terms, and anything else that informs)? How much to use(one word, a series of them, or more, maybe less)(Sometimes, in the moment, saying nothing is the thing to do, because a look, says it all)? When does one use them(Timing is something, with which, all gamers struggle. Getting it right, isn't as easy as it sounds)? How many details do you prepare in advance versus creating them on the fly?

Preparation is a necessary evil for player and GM, alike. Yes, players should be prepared in advance of sitting down at the table. Although, one shouldn't sacrifice spontaneity upon the altar of preparation, either. Improvisation is definitely important to the energy, flow, and drama of any cool game.  

Dialogue and voice are another pairing, without which, storytelling wouldn't be nearly as dynamic. This principle imparts the emotional impact to the tale, sometimes by adding drama to the conflicts being roleplayed. I look at these two aspects as parts of an equation, in need of a balance. Dialogue is the content piece of the equation, while, voice is the expressive piece of it. When the equation attains a satisfying equilibrium, there is no other way to describe it, but as pure magic. If done well, your friends at the gaming table are in stitches or on the edges of their seats, depending upon the type of emotion you invoked. This principle does take practice, and those, who stick with it and don't throw in the towel, eventually master the use of dialogue and voice. 

You may think, we're roleplaying and not writing a book, so dialogue and voice do not apply. If you were to take a closer look, you'd immediately understand the wrongmindedness of your first impression of this issue. Roleplaying involves lots and lots of talking in a variety of situations, thus, the need to look at how dialogue and voice can add or detract from the drama. Effective use of dialogue and voice can make the difference of a scenario rocketing into orbit or a character, coming off as being flat. This is something that can be honed, controlled, and deployed by virtually, anyone. Paying attention to the tiniest of nuances is all that's required to come off as a genius in this area. 

Whenever a character or item speaks, dialogue, obviously comes into play, but how? The trick to master is always in the how of any given situation or issue, don't you hate that? Another pet peeve of mine is finding that lost object in the last place, you look. Why can't I find my keys, in the first place, I look? It seems, my friends have been trying to explain that one to me, since time began, ticking, like a bomb, biding its time, waiting for the opportune moment to explode. 

Anyway, the dialogue part of this principle of storytelling, determines the what or content piece of the equation. Meanwhile, the voice part, is about the quality, type, or how of the expression the equation takes on. The Crone may say, "Good morning, Deary," but does she speak fast or slow, with a gravelly tone or a youthful one, or does this character communicate in some other manner. The content piece of this principle, although important, is not what seals the deal and makes for a memorable character. It is my experience, the voice is the key component, turning the game session into more of a theatrical experience. This is the essence of roleplaying, and you know what, everyone has at least one voice, other than their own, just waiting to break out of its confinement and spring to life! 

Mood is about the atmosphere, surrounding a world, region of that world, scenario, or character. Is it:  Dark and foreboding or light and cheery; organized and predictable or a hot mess and random; sensual or devoid of passion? So many options, from which to choose. Here is where the imagination, truly comes into play. Once a decision is made about mood, consistency needs to be maintained, unless, of course, the lack thereof, is a clue of some sort. This principle only works, when it is done in a dependable manner, otherwise, it can become a nuisance or distraction, instead of that flourish, without which, something doesn't seem to be, quite, right. Attaining the status of the former proposition, means you hit the nail, squarely on its head. It's the greatest form of flattery, any gamer can receive. 

Motivation can elevate a character or place to someone or something memorable. If inconsistently utilized or overused, motivation falls flat. The secret to working this principle is quite simple. treat it like a spice and add to it, bit by bit. Once in the stew, you can't remove it, but you can always sprinkle in, some more. What is this seasoning, we refer to, as motivation, and how do we use it? 

Two simple questions, with equally, straightforward answers. Yea, finally, something uncomplicated. The complexity comes into play, during the interactions of the various motivations in the mix. 

Putting it, as plainly, as possible, motivation is about inciting the emotion, impulse, and inner drive of a character that causes him, her, or it to act, and that manner of reacting, becomes an integral part of its identity. Within this framework, anything is possible, at first, anyway. You only get pinned in, after you've added something, otherwise, everything's fair game. 

Things to contemplate, regarding this aspect of storytelling, are:  What are the likes and dislikes of the character(a good place, from which, to launch)? What are the pet peeves of the subject? How might it react, under stressful situations or any other circumstances, for that matter? What are its beliefs and/or ultimate goals? Does it have a favorite color, number, geometric shape, or personality trait? Why does this particular character wander about the world, or if sedentary, why is that the case? Is the individual altruistic or a misanthropic type? What is the character's idea of the perfect day, or place to go and hang out? Does the character have any personal projects in the works, and if so, what might they be? The list of possibilities is endless. Let your imagination be your guide, and you can't go wrong. 

No character has only, one aspect. People are generally, a series of contradictions. In other words, messy. A fully developed character will likewise, be a tangle of inconsistencies, but within a consistent framework. Now, wrap your heads around that notion! 

Plot development is not some obscure conception, but is the bread and butter of the game. Without plot, there is nothing to do and nowhere to go. A tedium of routine is all there is to grab onto. Plot can be as simplistic as stopping a dragon from terrorizing a town, or a complex web of deceit, in need of heroes to sort it out. It takes somewhat of a delicate touch to insert plot points into a game. On the one hand, they need to come across as being natural and part of the surroundings. However, the storyteller must ensure the plot points don't come off as feeling contrived, forced, or too predictable. It can be a single thread or a tapestry of them, but some plan or scheme needs to be on the table, or what's the point? 

Timing is the keystone of story flow. Whether fast, slow, or somewhere in between, depends upon what is happening at the moment. No game should always be fast, nor forever, crawling at a snail's pace. In the heat of a battle, a frenetic pace gives the feeling of a situation, beyond everybody's control, including the GM. Many game-master's fear the loss of control. Instead of embracing it, they contrive ways to maintain their power. Far from the best way to handle matters. Players need to feel their actions are having an impact upon the world, if even, in a small way. A GM accepting a loss control, at times, signals to the players, their activities are having some effect, which adds to the excitement of all, involved. However, conflicts do have their lulls, which, if used judiciously and properly, can intensify the drama. Don't discount the fun of connecting the scenario to a larger campaign, with an infinite number of parts. This kind of development distinguishes the one-shot situations from the truly, epic designs. 

By this point, themes should be all, but self-explanatory. Themes are the concepts that make the story, bigger than life. They tie everything together. A theme can be anything, but ideally, are large conceptions, cerebral explorations. If the spellcaster wishes to explore the darkness and vacuity of the empty and undefined space between the multiverses, what kinds of spells will she have to develop, and what material components will be needed to support her desire? How does a mortal warrior defeat a God? Questioning the fabric of the reality, encompassing the game, exposes themes, you may have taken for granted. Small notions don't make for persuasive or interesting topics for anyone to explore. 

Having considered the available resources and principles of storytelling, how do we utilize all of this information? The answer to that question is not as difficult as it may seem. Your imagination fills the gulf between the raw information, you've gleaned, and the fantastical stories, you wish to tell. I never said, it was a process that didn't require some work and thought. Nobody can do it for you, but, with some effort and practice, you too, will be able to spin that inspiring tale. 

Once you've delved into the deep-end of gaming, by becoming a creator, you'll never want to retrace your steps, by returning to going from one battle to the next, or merely, being a passive witness. One coach, once told us, runners, "There are those, who make things happen, those, who watch things happen, and those, who wonder what happened. Which one, are you?" 

A question we should all keep in mind. It shouldn't, entirely be up to the GM to always make things happen. Players need to carry some of the water, as well. They have stories to relate, and need to focus on doing, just that!

Storytelling is the connective tissue between player and GM. Without stories, there is no game, or at least, no point to the game. The only difference, regarding storytelling, between player and GM is in the application of the principles of it and all acquired information(recognizing, everyone has different kinds of knowledge) to the gaming experience. Yes, GMs have much to think about, while players need only concentrate upon roleplaying their characters. Still, both must accept their dependence upon one another, and yet, find a way to actualize what they do within their chosen framework, without crushing the spirit of the other. 

As with most matters, a balance needs to be attained, an exploration, unto itself. Finding that equilibrium for the group, makes all the difference. Every player at the table must express the desires, whims, and motivations of his or her character, without diminishing playability. The GM must find a means of making every player a hero or heroine, to stand out, in some manner, while keeping the action, moving forward. After all, the entire point of gaming is to have fun, right?   

Most fantasy, roleplaying games(RPGs) use dice to determine outcomes in a supposedly, objective manner. Since game-masters have a lot of discretion, built right into the rules of most games, the amount of objectivity that actually does exist, is questionable, at best. The notion that dice transform this built-in subjectivity into something more objective is a mere illusion. Everything looks fine on the surface, until one takes a look at what's actually going on beneath the water. Long ago, I peeked and didn't appreciate what I had discovered. At first, it felt like I had somehow cheated, by looking behind the wizard's curtain. The more I thought about what I had viewed, the more I realized the dice were the con, not I. Any doubts about that, read on and make up your own mind, or roll a D-100 and let the dice tell you what to think about this topic of dice. Would you take a con-artist's word for it, when he swears on his mother's left butt-cheek, his game is legit?  

While you think about how much faith to put into the dice, I'll lay a foundation for my thoughts on the matter. I do warn you, up front, my contemplations have been known to be infectious, in particular, to those with an open mind. Now, some games employ an absurd amount of dice, while others use them more sparingly. Many, if not most, die-centric games have some mighty, fine charts to determine the outcomes of die throws. Regardless of what you might think of the fact, and no matter how you slice it, dice are a major component of most gaming experiences. 

There are all manner of dice, from four-sided to hundred-sided ones, but my favorite has always been the twenty-sided die. That one has a cool feel, as it spins and turns in the palm of the hand. If nothing else, my early version of a fidget toy. Oh, and let's not forget the unmistakable sound of a fistful of dice(better than dollars, I tell you), knocking against one another(not to be confused with knocking boots).

Despite what the title of this post may indicate to you, I don't hate dice. I just don't use them for roleplaying purposes, and there is a significant difference. Dice work fine for Yahtzee and other board games, but there is something different about roleplaying, and that difference should be celebrated, rather than boiled down to some random throw of the dice.

A long history exists between dice and fantasy gaming. In fact, that's where it all began, and it made perfect sense for that to be the case, when one understands fantasy roleplaying emerged and evolved from the miniature wargaming tradition. You can see the direct correlation to this, within the rule structures of early editions of games, such as AD&D. Rules delineated distances for such things as range and movement in terms of inches. That made no sense, unless you consider the application for table top games, namely, miniature wargaming.

Gamers are a loyal and ritualistic lot. Once something has become custom, this kind of person is so resistant to letting it go by the wayside. In that vein, in the guise of removing dice, some gamers have even pretended to come into the modern age with computer-generated randomizers. Perhaps a better solution because it takes the distraction of actually rolling dice out of the equation, but also the fun of clicking dice together. The purported fix still relies on too much random luck, rather than player and game-master ingenuity. I know this thought may seem strange, and even sacrilegious to many gamers, but, "Dice and randomizers are bunk and don't belong anywhere near the gaming table!" 

How dare I even jest about such sentiments? Well, my forty-four years of gaming experience, both playing and game-mastering, gives me the confidence to boldly state my opinion about this subject. I've played in and run games from every genre of RPG, and long ago, came to the conclusion that dice do nothing to add to the excitement and fun, but actually, inhibit good roleplaying. I know, another heretical statement. All I ask is for you to keep an open mind about this subject of dice. No matter what genre of roleplaying you prefer, you may benefit from my advice, more than you can imagine. Even if you only mine a nugget or two from this post, what do you have to lose? 

I went diceless twenty-six years ago with the fantasy game I run on a regular basis. My players and I haven't looked back, nor regretted for one minute the decision to leave the dice, where they belonged all along, unused and within our dice bags(except, of course, for fidget-related activities). What's that damn, clicking noise? Now, all choices have consequences, and I'm not saying that going diceless is all cakes and roses, but it does make for more of a fluid and dynamic gaming experience. It liberates the players to focus on their main objective, roleplaying their characters, and forces the game-master to do his job by being prepared. Both add intensity and drama to the adventure of it all. Now, who's not down for any of that jazz? 

Some may say, diceless games are a good diversion for short stints, but once the scenario has been completed, you charge back into the breach to the main attraction, brandishing a handful of dice. I contend those naysayers are full of shit, and probably aren't willing to give up their crutch, the dice. To those, I say, "Leave your dice at home and fuel your imaginations so they fire on more cylinders than you realize, you have at your disposal!" 

Dice serve many purposes, fill a multitude of voids, and keep the action, excuse the pun, rolling along. Without them, the players and game master must do more work. Believe me, that's not a crock of shit. Diceless games are not for the lazy-minded, but are for anyone with a desire to become invested in the action. Who doesn't want to feel the actual swing of a bad-ass sword, the force embodied within the casting of a miraculous spell, or the adrenaline-rush felt during the picking of that impossibly, difficult lock? 

By using dice, you become accustomed(some cynics and critics of the game industry, call it, conditioning) to luck being the primary determinant in the success or failure of any given action. Something I never found to be satisfying. I was always more apt to roll a "1" on any die, than anything more useful, but that's a different issue, altogether. Players, who want to be in charge of the actions of their characters, don't want to be hamstrung by dice. The calculus is just that simple. 

Yea, running a diceless game, requires game-masters to do much more work before the gaming session even begins. My rule of thumb is for every hour of game time, I devote, at least, ten hours to preparation. Many scenarios require, depending on the complexity, double or triple that commitment. Even if you suppose I'm a preparation fanatic, try a 1:2 or even a 1:1 ratio, and you will be head and shoulders above your brethren. What could possibly require such devotion? Now, that question is where the rubber meets the road! 

No matter what genre, any given game-master may run, details need to be worked out in advance of the session. There are no dice to do the handiwork and no crutches, upon which to rely. No doubt about it, lazy game-masters flounder upon diceless seas, ships without rudders, keels, nor sails. 

We've all experienced or, at least, heard about games run by unprepared folk, who hadn't worked out the details of the scenario before the session began. They hadn't done any of the basics, such as determining what treasure was within the dragon's lair, or any other host of particulars that demonstrated, up front, the game-master's lack of commitment and preparation. Unfortunately, this sort of game-master is far from unique. 

Nothing is more irritating than to show up, all stoked to play up a storm, only to discover within a few minutes the game-master is not ready to facilitate the action. Just as the action is heating up, game flow is interrupted by the game-master, having to roll dice to search through her random tables of monsters, magic items, room dimensions, classes of encounters, and the list goes on and on. While the game-master is busy, putting the scenario together, the players come out of character and talk about their favorite movies, the books they're currently reading, and anything else to pass the time.

Think I'm kidding you about lack of preparation on this scale? I know of one game-master(and he supposedly runs epic-level adventures), who, to this very day, "rolls up" the treasure after the dungeon has been sacked. How strange it must be to discover pristine items the intelligent creatures could have used against your character, but didn't because the master of ceremonies hadn't done even that amount of work before everyone sat down at the table. Doing the work after the dust has settled on the adventure, seems a bit over the top to me. What do you think?

For roleplaying games, these are the worst-case scenarios. Every, single time the game flow is interrupted, it takes time for the players to get back into character. Dice are not only this sort of game-master's crutch, but a key distraction away from what everyone is at that table to do in the first place, roleplay. By taking away the dice, you've already made the gaming experience better by forcing the game-master to do all of those preparations beforehand. It also removes from the table one reason for the players to fall out of character. Oh, players will find lots of reasons to come out of character, but game-masters don't need to add any.  

Not only does this preparation during the gaming session halt the flow of the game, it causes the players to lose faith in their game-master, and trust is the bedrock of gaming. Nobody wants to play in a game, where everything is inconsistent, arbitrary, and capricious(unless, those are the points of the particular game or scenario). Objectivity is the standard all gamers, at some level, seek. Game-masters, who provide it by the shovel-full, are prized, above all others.

Don't believe me? Give any of the things I talk about within this post a shot, and see how your players react. Try just one thing. I dare you. It may take a while for the reality of the change to sink in, but, I guarantee, you will get some, very, positive responses. 

What is the secret sauce, which makes a diceless game function? I'm not so sure it's any one thing, but a collage of them, incorporated and arranged in just the right manner to fit the gaming styles of the game-master and his players. I'll touch upon what I've found over the years to have been pure magic. 

Storytelling is one of my touchstones and strengths. Every detail has a story behind it, just waiting for my players to explore, however they may wish. At root, gaming is about an exploration of something. Isn't that why we all came to the gaming table in the first place, for an adventure into the unknown, to be surprised at what we bump into, and to accomplish tasks unfathomable before sitting down?

Many specifics will never be interacted with, not directly, anyway, but that's okay. The unexplored qualities are just as important to the the feel of a game as the investigated ones. Who doesn't want the reality they're gaming within to be larger than life? The promise, there is something really cool behind every door, is a key ingredient to any game, even ones with dice, but especially for those that don't use those pesky, little distractions. Preparation by the game-master goes a long way toward achieving this and creating a springboard for the players to dive right in and lose themselves for as many hours as possible. 

An important aspect to keep in mind is, the game-master's stories are merely the beginning, the necessary preparation. Good gaming is about the players' stories, yet to be told. As such, what the game-master has to say should take a backseat and only be a means of facilitating and drawing out what the players will reveal over time, through the roleplaying of their characters. Interaction is the entire point of roleplaying, and thus, should be encouraged on every level. 

Part of this storytelling characteristic is what I call, getting to, yes. Many game-masters feel it is their job to say, no, to every inquiry. Those folk are looking at gaming, completely wrong. To them, control is paramount, and no, underscores their power. It brings to mind what one of my law professors loved to say, "They've wrapped themselves around the axel!"

No, turns off the imagination and becomes a roadblock. Nothing is more empowering to players, than when they get to, yes. The characters of my players are the focus of my game, not merely decorations or window-dressing, there for my pleasure. Yes, there are challenges and not every adventure turns out successful. As in real life(I know, what's that?), often, more is learned from failure, than success. As such, failure and negative answers are part and parcel of any good, gaming experience, and that shouldn't be stolen from the players. There is a balance to everything the game-master brings to her game. 

Like the song, the players can't always get what they want, but if they try, sometimes, they just might find, their desires are possible to attain and have been carefully considered by the game-master. Okay, you busted me, I changed the last part. The essence of what I'm talking about here is having a yes mentality, rather than a negative one. Embracing this notion and having a player-centric approach will send any game into orbit. That much, I can promise you.  

You may be thinking, this is all well and fine, but what are the mechanics of how it all works? To that question, there are no, pat answers. Gaming involves a balance, whether intentional or not, of an array of complexities. However, I will attempt to shed some light upon this issue. 

Rogues are my first love, and the first character I played was an assassin, named, Narricious The One And Only. Brings back fond memories of yesteryear, when the hardest part of the day was figuring out when the next gaming session would occur. Past glories are never truly forgotten. They just laze about in the mental dustbin, until something triggers them, and you never know when that will happen. I find it both pleasurable and humorous when old friends rise up and tip their hats in my direction.  

Getting back on point, although some game-masters dealt with my characters and the situations they got into, better than others, I never truly enjoyed the way my game-masters handled my characters. It never made sense to me, how a game-master couldn't describe a lock, I was about to pick, or a trap, I was about to disarm, with any specificity. He created the situation, but left it to the dice to determine the rest? Not so cool, satisfying, nor keeping with the idea of roleplaying a rogue. To me, that meant actually doing something, and you can bet your sweet bippy, that thing I had in mind, didn't involve a die! 

In order to remedy a deficiency with the gaming I had experienced, I thought long and hard about what I longed for, regarding playing rogue characters. For my assassin, I came up with a list of all the tools of his trade; from pieces of string, various sizes of magnifying glasses, pieces of shale, metal and wooden picks and other doodads, down to vials of:  powdered limestone, water that had Continual Light spells cast upon it(our party had a cleric), different kinds of bugs, cloth wads, and the like. At the next gaming session, I told the game-master of my new bag of tricks. He shook his head, and said, "It must have taken you a shitload of time to think that all up, so okay. You can have everything in that bag of yours." 

After deciding not to tell my game-master how magnanimous I thought him to be, I bided my time, until a use for the contents of Narricious' bag of tricks came to pass. The cleric detected a trap on the door at the end of the hall. Ah, time to go into action. I walked up to the door, unfastening the toggle on the leather bag, as I approached the portal. The bag hung from a belt on my left hip. I was right-handed, so didn't want the bag to interfere with pulling my longsword from its scabbard. I had thought it all through. When the game-master told me to roll a percentile, he seemed both perplexed and annoyed, when I barraged him with a host of questions, "What does the locking mechanism look like? Is there a keyhole or something else? Are hinges visible? Are there scuff marks on the stone in front of the door? What is the door made of, and is it banded with metal strips or something else?"

The game-master gave me that look that told me he stopped listening at my first question, then he matter-of-factly, said, "Roll a percentile." 

Of course, I wasn't going to let it go with a dice throw, and he saw that, so he thought for a minute, and said, "It's too dark in the hallway to make out any details. Roll," to which I reminded him we had a bullseye lantern, pointed at the door, about which, he said, "Still not enough light. Roll the damn dice!" 

Why didn't he just make something up on the spot? He knew I wanted to solve the problem with a discussion, rather than with dice. Although his face was getting beat-red, instead of complying with his wishes, I asked, "Remember that vial of water, glowing with a Continual Light spell, you said I could have? Well, I pull it out. Is there any better visibility with that?" 

Things didn't go quite as I would've preferred the rest of the session, but my game-master received the message, loud and clear. I wanted to do more than roll dice, and he needed to supply something more. Later on, he had details prepared in advance of the session, but the traps and locks were always much too easy and lacking imagination, but, at least, he thought about them. That's more than I can say about many others I've played under, mostly at roleplaying conventions, where you would have thought I'd have found fellow travelers on this point. 

Much to the chagrin of that game-master, the idea caught fire with the other players, who also wanted to do more with their characters. Experiencing and doing, will always be preferred over being told. I've yet to meet a player, who doesn't want to become more involved and placed into the middle of the action. It's the game-masters, who can't or won't keep up with this notion. That thing called, taking time to develop their game. It just keeps rearing its mighty head. Chimera along the ridgeline? I think not. 

That experience had quite the affect upon me, and is when I decided to create a game, worthy of playing. If the gamers, with whom I played, weren't going to rise to the level I thought possible, I would have to show them the way, and I did. Some of those gamers are still playing with me to this very day. I can't say they follow every nuance I create, but they do understand, gaming is a world of possibilities in need of exploration. 

Extrapolating upon what I learned could go on with my rogue character, I widened my thought process to include warrior and spell-casting types. For the warrior, I researched and created fighting forms(including stances, offensive and defensive maneuvers, and the like), invented training protocols(which adventures can easily be designed around), came up with tactics the players could utilize and visualize within a game setting, thought about cool weaponry and armor, and even what would be included in their bag of tricks. For spell-casters, I devised spell and prayer books, tomes, and scrolls(including how players would interact with them), came up with various types of methods the casters Could employ to make their magic a reality(such as rituals, physical acts, and the imagination goes from there), thought about what kinds of material components would intensify or diminish magical effects, and of course, what things might be included within a caster's traveling bag of tricks, versus what would be in his or her laboratory. The idea is to create ways for the players to interact with my world by getting them to think and express the actions they wanted their characters to undertake, without merely throwing the dice. 

Another thing to consider is, the more senses you can invoke for your players to pick up on, the more invested in your game the players will become. Although roleplaying is a cerebral experience, the senses heighten the adventure of it all. Physical maps add visual and tactile elements. When your players find an ancient scroll, actually handing them something to peruse, performs wonders for their ability and willingness to engage with your world. I have created playlists of tracks I play during gaming sessions, which creates an energetic atmosphere and fires the players' auditory senses. The senses are an important thing to take into account. I may go overboard on this element, but you can't hit a home run with any given adventure, if you aren't always swinging for the fences. The players always want a home run adventure, one, in which, the flow is perfect, the players actually feel an adrenaline rush during play, and everything just seems right. Not every game can work out in this manner, but with enough work and practice, enough sessions can accomplish this feat. 

Without dice, something has to perform all of the functions, dice once served. Sure, easier said, than done, but when one considers logic and reasoning do most of the work, the task of replacing dice isn't so onerous. For combat, the game-master informs the players of the number of NPCs, their placement, stances, type of equipment, and the like. Are the NPCs directly facing the PCs, do any of them have their backs turned, or are the NPCs moving to surround the PCs? All of these details add to the drama of the situation and allow the PCs to make informed decisions about how to proceed. So far, no major changes to the usual gaming flow, at least, we would hope not. Once the PCs commit to their actions, that's when it gets real interesting. Logic dictates a heavier weapon will move slower under normal conditions. Have the PCs done anything to modify what is defined as normal? There will be slashes, feints, parries, and everything else the NPCs and PCs devise. Hits cause whatever damage that seems logical under the circumstances. A credible head shot, may cause the target to drop on the spot. Most hits probably cause minor cuts, abrasions, and bruises, while others may glance off the armor of the target, altogether. It becomes a test of tactics, maneuvers, and ingenuity. The stuff gaming promised us at the beginning of it all. 

As for all of the other aspects of the game, again, logic and reasoning fill most of the gaps left after the dice are discarded. Most of the charts aren't all that, anyway. First and foremost, player and game-master preparation before each session, negate the need for such charts and lists. Yea, the amount of damage, caused by any given blow or spell needs to be figured out. Some gaming groups may have everything cause maximum damage. Other groups, may devise a system of modifiers to the maximum damage possible for each given action. There is no right way, in which to proceed on this issue. I say, use whatever works for your particular group. My first principle for my game is:  Whatever makes the game more fun is how it should work out in the end. So far, this principle hasn't let me down, but my focus isn't on what I've created, but upon what my players intend to accomplish. My way of sorting through the various actions and issues is to have more of a dialogue between myself and my players. If they can convince me something makes sense, then I pretty much, go with it. Sometimes the PCs forgot about something or didn't look closely enough to determine an important detail, and things start to go sideways for them. In those cases, I give the PCs the opportunity to recover, by giving them a warning, in the form of information like their spell is lagging, they've taken unintended damage from some unknown source, or some other tidbit that cues them in on the fact, something has gone wrong. When the dust of the adventure has settled, the players should feel like they've done more, than simply rolled some dice and collected a pile of treasure. 

Much has been covered within this post. Some of the issues I just barely touched upon, will be covered in future postings. Hopefully, I have managed, if not to get you to see dice as unnecessary mementos of a past gaming culture, at least to have you consider dice not to be as important to a fun gaming experience than most of the rules systems suggest. It isn't necessary to discard the dice, altogether, but you can minimize their use. Try replacing one function, just one, with a more player-centric focus and see where it goes from there. If you're looking for exact details of how to run a diceless game, only trial and error can help you find your way. After each session, ask your players for feedback about what they liked and disliked about the experience, and take a good look at what actually occurred. Creators must learn to take criticism as a positive thing, rather than a negative one, how to do a self-critique, and finally, act upon what is discovered along the way. Gaming is an art, not a science, and everyone can always get better. If you don't strive for excellence, you will never get close to it! 

I met Bomba Dardanelle while working on my doctorate at The Polytech Institute of Liscomb. She worked as a robotics engineer in the lab next to mine. We dated off and on for six months before I proposed we marry. Six months later, after proving matter could be transformed to a singularity and earning my doctorate for the proof, we married. 

Things went like clockwork for the first decade of our marriage. What was there not to love about Bomba? She had it all; a beautiful mind that mostly kept up with mine, an incredible work ethic that coupled with a curiosity I had never seen in a woman before I met her, and a body no sane man would've ever thrown from his bed of his own accord. Bliss wasn't a strong enough word for how I would've described the early years of our union. On the other hand, Hell was the precise word that defined every minute since those golden years. 

To have topped it all off, during this so-called honeymoon period, Bomba gifted me with three beautiful girls; Gilda, Dorma, and the youngest and my dearest, Penelope. A son would have been nice, but that wasn't in my cards. My friends always kidded I placed a man in a singularity, but couldn't put the stem on the apple. I ignored those idiots, and besides, it was to me and not any of them The Cosmos gifted with wonderful daughters, all three intelligent in their own right. 

Penelope was a child prodigy, far ahead of where I was at her age. Her curiosity never ceased to astound me. It wasn't what she knew, so much, as the manner in which she understood it that confounded her teachers and branded her a prodigy. 

At the age of twelve, Penelope had no inhibitions about correcting anyone, especially her teachers. By fifteen, she taught her own class, mostly because no teacher would've allowed her to attend their classes. A streak of individual, prideful arrogance ran through and through this most precious daughter of mine. Whether Penelope appreciated it or not, in her case, the apple didn't fall too far from the tree. Next year, she'd begin her studies at The Tech. I supposed I volunteered for this journey with her in mind, as much as anyone. 

Bomba and I had been divorced for five years. At first I was hurt and angry. Discovering your wife cheated on you with your best friend had a way of doing that. Since our heavily-contested divorce, I had come to terms with the cheating and had forgiven Bomba. I wouldn't have called us friends, but at least, now we talked civilly with one another, if for no other reason, than for the sake of our daughters.

To have seen our current interactions, you never would've guessed, we both hired contract killers to force a favorable conclusion to the divorce that just wouldn't end. Fortunately, our assassins were both less competent than our knuckle-dragging bodyguards. The intercom interrupted my walk down memory lane, "Commander, are we getting our house in order? Over." 

How much time had passed? The Philoverve had really done a number on me. I couldn't have told the Major my mind had been skipping, or the launch would've been aborted without a second thought. To buy some more time, I responded, "All systems are getting ready to go! Over." 

"Is that so? Over." 

"Major, that's an affirmative. Over." 

"Then, Commander, why are all of your vital signs fluctuating like you are about to crash? Over." 

[Check back in the coming weeks to follow the adventures of Commander Landry Vandersmythe. Updates should occur weekly.]

I checked my instrument panel and found nothing out of the ordinary. All systems were set for launch. I had completed the checklist. My nerves were on edge, but otherwise, my spirits were high. I would be the first to go where no man had gone before in a craft with an unproven drive to explore a phenomenon that threatened The Cisturn. What could possibly have gone wrong?

Major Wittgenmyre's voice came over the intercom, "Commander, you need to calm yourself. Your blood pressure is elevated, as is your heart rate. We can't proceed to liftoff with you in this condition. Over." 

The Major was most correct, but what he asked was easier said, than done. Although I was no novice Explorer, this expedition felt different. I was heading into a phenomenon that threatened The Cisturn and the very fabric of The Cosmos, without any means of support from Control Central - A first for me. With the stakes so high, I would have been either a fool or a psychopath, if my nerves weren't at wit's end. My body reacted to what my mind knew, all too well. The odds of returning to Binnvander were so miniscule, even The Establishment couldn't predict them. Wittgenmyre asked, "Do you copy, Commander? Over." 

"I do, Major. I will inject myself with another dose of Philoverve. Give me a moment to get back on track. Over." 

"Take all the time you need, Commander. Over." 

Depressing the panel button on the forearm of my envirosuit, I felt a prick and then the warm sensation of the happy juice, entering my veins. I inhaled and exhaled slowly to collect my thoughts and allow the Philoverve to work its majyke. As I felt my heartrate normalize, I thought, "Landry Vandersmythe, the things you get yourself into will be the end of you, yet." 

Waves of nausea almost overcame me. Don't yak in your envirosuit, stupid! The intercom chirped at me, once more, "Will we need to abort launch, Commander? Over." 

Had I said that, out loud. Philoverve had a way of blurring distinctions between thoughts and reality. I took a few breaths, then said, "No, I'll be fine. Over." 

My mind and body began to settle down and berate one another, "After so many years of sitting pretty in a cushy lab, why would you volunteer to go back into the field, and on a suicide mission, at that?" 

It seemed like a good idea at the time, even heroic. Nobody else wanted to volunteer to go into this dark phenomenon. Suffice it to have said, my Savior Complex had kicked my ass. There was no other explanation. Logic dictated, instead of spending several trillion creds on a fool's errand, we should have used those resources to abandon The Cisturn. Even my ex-wife, bless her cheating heart, understood the futility of this mission, when she told me, "You dumb bastard, get off that damned cross. We need the wood for something useful!"

[Check back in the coming weeks to follow the adventures of Commander Landry Vandersmythe. Updates should occur weekly.]

[This is the fifth of a series of posts, beginning with the post, entitled, "BREAK DOWN DEAD AHEAD"]

The engineer turned the knobs of the fuzzbox. The squelch didn't improve. No clarity came. The purpose of the noise was still unclear. Captured by her thoughts, she didn't notice what the fireman had, "Lady engineer, something's on the tracks up ahead!" 

Annoyed at being pulled away from her thought process, she lashed out, "What could be so important to disturb me with your minuscule notions? If you had even one developed synapse in your mind, you'd know, rumination takes concentration!" 

The fireman pointed at the windscreen, and repeated, "Something's on the tracks up ahead!" 

"Oh, forget about what I just said. Good observation." 

She fiddled with the controls for the windscreen to bring the image of what lay ahead into focus. Sure enough, some lady and several wolves blocked the tracks down the line. Nothing that would cause a derailment. The engineer pulled on the cord, and the horn blared the train's presence, and she exclaimed, "Feed the firebox! Full speed ahead!"