So we have RPGaDay2018 starting today. You should get a post a day for all of August from me and something to think about.
The answer to this question is sort of a rod for my own back. I suspect I am somewhat autistic. My mind tends to race with ideas constantly and if I cannot get those ideas out I tend not to be able to get to sleep. RPGs give me entire fantasy worlds to set my mind free in and then simply jotting some bullet points down may be enough to get the idea out.
One of the hardest things about blogging apparently is knowing what to write about. It is fine for the first few weeks when you have loads of fresh ideas but if you are in it for the long haul then constantly having to come up with fresh ideas can be a problem. With a brain like mine this is rarely a problem. In fact this is my 351st post on blog and I tend to write an average of about 600 words each time so that is over 200k words or the equivalent of an 800 page novel according to Google.
RPGs are also incredibly flexible. I can play with my friends in our periodical game two or three times a year, I can play One GM, One Player games several times a week when my player is back from university, I can play almost daily using PBP and I can solo play. Of all those options I use Rolemaster for all the regular games. I tend to Solo play either games I have bought but never got to play and much simpler game systems so the rules do not impinge too much on the stream of consciousness style of play that Solo play requires. Right now my favourite Solo game systems are FUDGE based, which is not something I ever thought I would say.
From a writing point of view RPGs keep pushing me into new directions. I am writing adventures at the moment with the goal of making them extremely flexible. You have seen this with the undead adventures where I am trying to make the level neutral. I am also working on making them HARP compatible and I have even bought the RMFRP single volume rules. Don’t worry I am not about to abandon RM2/RMC for RMFRP but I want to start statting things for all three ICE systems. You may even get some RMFRP stuff in the fanzine!!
I love that I’m able to escape to a world away from the one I have to deal with every day and it’s a time period that I love. I’ve always been drawn to the Medieval time period. I love the knights, weapons, armour, chivalry. I love the magic, the creativity, the excitement of almost living out what’s in my mind.
Probably the single most important thing I love about any RPG is that is gives friends a chance to come together for a fun night of gaming and of laughter. I’ve made new friends, long-term friends because of gaming. I’ve stayed in contact with friends from 20 years ago because of gaming. My family has come together for a session a week for family time. It’s helping my daughter break out of her shell and to help her be a little more comfortable with speaking up and out for herself.
It doesn’t matter which RPG we use, it’s the coming together and the escapism, and even the social-awkwardness-addressing that it offers.
I love the shared reality aspect of RPGs. I GM more than I play, but I love the ability RPGs have to create a different reality and then make that creation ability open to players as well. I love it when players get comfortable and start adding to the reality I’ve framed out for them. I also love the ability RPGs have to let people explore aspects of themselves they might otherwise never go near. Spectre hits this well when he talks about his daughter, and I think RPGs have more therapeutic ability than many outsiders suspect.
But for me the biggest thing is still ability to create a reality and share it with others. It’s different than writing because they also play a role in creating the reality and making it their own.
“Don’t worry I am not about to abandon RM2/RMC for RMFRP…”
Whew. I guess I can put down this torch and pitchfork then 🙂
As for what I love: Spectre said pretty much everything I would have said.