Monday, August 6, 2018

#RPGaDAY2018 - DAY 6: How can players make the world seem real?


Day Six of #RPGaDAY2018 and it's a bit of a cryptic one. Starting off the week of HOWs, the question is "How can players make the world seem real?"

My advice is to have a totem, to check to see if you're in the real world. Also, keep an eye open for Déjà Vu, as that means they've changed something in your simulation.

Seriously though, I think it comes with time. The first couple of sessions you're bound to be finding your feet - this is probably why I really like licensed RPGs. You immediately know what you're dealing with when it comes to a familiar property. If you're in a random fantasy you can say "You're in a bar" and need to know what country, what the politics are like, what species are in the bar, etc. However, if you're playing Star Wars and say "You're in a bar on Coruscant" you can immediately picture what it looks like thanks to knowing the universe...

Otherwise, as I said, it comes with time. The players and GM will gradually build the world over time - filling in details, adding cool NPCs, and making the place feel more real over time.

It's like Dom Cobb was explaining in Inception...

Inception... But you knew that. Of course you've seen Inception...
It's a cycle of Creation and Perception. You create your world, perceive it, and create upon that perception. You'll gradually build a cool setting filled with awesome characters, locations and events that'll feel fully immersive as the games progress.

Hope that answers that one!

Until tomorrow! Stay Multi-classy!


1 comment:

Batjutsu said...

Great point about the power of licensed RPGs & IP :-)