Observations of the Fox

I'm probably going to wind up this series soon. I've noticed that in a couple of posts I've started going over the same stuff from slightly different perspectives, and that overlap basically means I've run my course with what I really want to say about this topic. I'll probably top before I hit post number 25.  If anyone out these is reading this, and wants me to address something specific about running games, send me a message...make a comment on the blog...or contact me via some other method. I might revisit the topic in a few months, or a few years, you never know. For the moment, let's look at one of the less desirable aspects of running a game...

Looking back on the last post about a welcoming environment, I probably should have included it far earlier in the sequence. A good, welcoming, and inclusive environment is probably one of the most important elements of running an enjoyable game that people want to come back to. I just figured it was better to get a good grounding of concepts and understanding of the elements I've seen regularly appear over decades of playing and running games.  ...anyway... Red, Amber, Green. Traffic Lights. I've mentioned the tension that pulls on a game. That tension can add drama and dynamic story, or can rip it apart if it isn't managed well. One of the key things I've found over the years is that the game tends to run smoothly if everyone is involved in the game's tension at some level. From the perspective of the three-way tension analogy, This keeps the pull smooth, reducing sudden jerks on the line when someone hasn't been paying attention then suddenly decides to make ...

Maybe it's because I grew up during the Satanic Panic , maybe it's because I saw gaming books being burned (and even had my own books threatened), or maybe it's because many of the game groyps I've been a part of over the years have been filled with outsiders, introverts, members of mixed religious beliefs, and neuro-divergent folks (where multiple members ticked a few of those boxes). I always try to make sure the atmosphere at my table is as welcoming as possible, and establish a safe liminal space for my games to take place in. Liminal spaces are  transitional or transformative spaces , and such places are often associated with a forlorn atmosphere, a disconnection from the concept of reality, and a fluid or sometimes neglected aesthetic. They are the waiting areas between one point in time and space and the next. What is Liminal Space and How Does it Affect You? Liminal space works a few different ways, a hallway is considered a physical liminal space, but I'm t...

The average length of productions has crept up by around 32%, from one hour and 21 minutes in the 1930s to  one hour and 47 minutes  in 2022 (see chart) The Economist, 2023 The top 10 grossing movies of the year in 1981 averaged 110 minutes. By 2001, the average was 126 minutes. In 2021, it was  131 minutes . Center for the Digital Future, 2023 However, a typical D&D session can last anywhere from  2-6 hours or more . Some groups prefer shorter sessions of 2-3 hours, while others may play for longer periods of time. Quora, 2023 Most D&D sessions fall within the range of  3 to 7 hours . This timeframe offers a balance between allowing for meaningful gameplay and ensuring that players and the Dungeon Master don't become too tired. Dicedragons, 2023 A couple of random cherry picked bits of data to start off this post...and this isn't even including the various "cinematic experiences" that are split into multi-part releases. So this generally indicates that ...

An interesting point was raised in an earlier post There is often a lot of choice and customization when developing a character for an PG session. In most fantasy games you pick a race (which give a range of abilities and maybe a limitation or two), you pick an occupation or class (which defines the way you'll progress with your character in future), and a range of equipment (which give you advantages in a range of situations...like extra damage, the ability to do ranged damage, bonuses to different tasks, etc.) Variations apply for cyberpunk, superhero, and sci-fi games, but on the whole this kind of concept veers into the concept of "front loading the characters". This is common in heaps of convention game sessions, where the writer of the story module develops a range of characters that fit the type of narrative their trying to tell. It's a very simulationist style of play. The characters fit the narrative, the scenes inform that same style of narrative, and you en...

Let's say I have a plan for a story over a couple of sessions. Think of this like a story arc that goes over a couple of episodes in a TV series. Each session has a "context" act to establish it's events, a "complication" act to build up its tension, a "climax" act to face the issues at hand, and finally a "conclusion" act to resolve the story and pull things back into line. Four vignettes scattered across the episodes can help tie sessions that otherwise seem disconnected into a coherent whole. If we're going with the four act story structure, there are a few ways we can build a long form narrative while allowing a generally freeform approach to the choices made by characters.    Story Act Episode Event Notes E01 Act 1 Context: Let the players explore No predefined vignette E01 Act 2 Complication: Introduce the immediate story Optional Acceleration vignette to prompt na...

Alright, so I've indicated that I have this concept called " Vignettes ". These are basically modular scenes that can be plugged into a session wherever they're needed to have specific dramatic effects on the narrative.   Back in the day (2010 and 2011) I developed what I called the " Vector Theory " of gaming. It worked on the metaphor of an imaginary particle of storytelling, the Narraton. Like a photon when discussing light, various tools could be used by the Narrator, the players and the rules to manipulate the particle's trajectory. The general idea is that the same story could be run a thousand different times, and the path of the Narraton would change in subtle ways each and every time. Lenses and mirrors could change it's direction, gravity and density could change its speed. Unlike a photon moving around in 3D space, a narraton might move left and right depending on how happy or sad the story currently sits, it might move up and down based o...

 When it comes to games, this is a pretty personal one. I don't know how other people run games these days, because it's been a while since I've played in a game run by someone else, and even longer since I've talked game design (and game running) with other folks... but here's a technique I've developed that helps me run semi-structured games that are resilient to players who desperately try to go off the rails. It goes back to a group of gamers on the Sydney game conventions circuit back in the 1990s. It was a team that ran under the name of "Demolition". These guys were hated by organised and structured GMs. They would deliberately push the envelope, and derail their sessions by trying to direct stories in ways that the writer of the convention module hadn't intended. My easy answer at the time was to not have rails that could be derailed. This led to years of running freeform styled games where anything goes, that was basically the late 90s and...

I did a massive series on how to draw maps back in the day. It's the most popular part of the blog based on page views, though that's probably because it was picked up by Pinterest, and a whole heap of shares just keep coming through. Here's the link to the page if you're interested (but you can also find a link at the top of the page). Most of the things I think about maps haven't really changed in the time since I wrote (and drew) that sequence, but I have been planning to do a revision of it a number of times over the years.  Maps work really well as a guide to the story, helping to immerse players in the world that their characters are exploring. They also help in establishing some of the boundaries of play, as well as providing hooks for characters to latch onto. The map becomes a part of the rules that govern the story, but I'll clarify the previous points.  Some people are verbal, they use words to establish an imaginary scene (I had this idea reinforced...

  I didn't write that, and I've saved the image from a post I saw on one of the Non D&D game groups of Facebook. Apparently it's an excerpt from "Fear Itself", a horror-genre game based on the Gumshoe system, but it provides some great advice for all types of gaming groups. Generally my observations regarding this are fairly straightforward. I've already described the three-way tension, and have referenced it multiple times during this sequence. If there is only tension or antagonism between the GM/narrator and the players, there is little scope for the story moving forward.  Instead it stagnates, and both sides get frustrated. Sometimes the players and narrator have to work together to pull the narrative out of a rut, away from the stagnation, or away from the power of the rules. In some cases this might even be the "rule of cool" or "rule zero" which many games have... this rule basically says that if everyone thinks something is  goo...