Friday, November 03, 2006

Editorial: Ten Years

Where do you want the state of RPGs to be in ten years? And what are you doing to try to make that happen?

I want to see books getting smaller, as more of the fluff and specifics become things that emerge during play. I want to see RPG design becoming more of a matter of planting seeds, rather than writing treatise.

I want to see people seriously using multiple contradictory theories of RPGs, not because of social pressure, but because that genuinely helps them play and design better.

I want truly distributed RPGs, deeply serious ones, and even ones that don't appear as RPGs at all.

I want RPG theory to develop a solid enough foundation that it is borrowed by theatrical theory, literary theory, and maybe even social sciences to help developments there.

And this site is one way I am trying to get us there.
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2 comments:

  1. vbwyrde4/11/06 21:09

    Sounds like a plan, man. I'm heading in that direction too. What I envision is computer aided simplified systems that make Gamesmastering technically easier, which I think will open the door to lots of new gamesmasters who otherwise look at the current complexity and shy off. I'm guessing there's a crowd of genius world weavers out there who would gravitate toward a system that makes Gamesmastering easier. Much, much easier. As for what I'm doing to get there? Well, I'm working on that system, and programming the interfaces at this point. I'm shooting for a Jan 1, 2007 target date, but so far it's going well, so it might be sooner. When I've got something to show for it, I'll send up a smoke signal.

    :)
    vbwyrde

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  2. Anonymous11/11/06 22:39

    I want to see RPGs get popularized through reaching out to a true mass market of non-gamers while still delving deeper into theory and different subject matter.

    I want people to reach for an RPG to play with their friends as easily as they reach for a deck of cards to play bridge with now.

    I want to see grandparents bond with their children and their children's children through RPGs.

    What am I doing to help? Well I will try to share the knowledge I have gained in making computer games for a mass market to help game designers work together and reach out to those millions of "non-gamers" out there.

    Thanks for this editorial and this blog!

    Chris B.
    Caesar_X@yahoo.com

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