Character Death and Failure
It is often said (especially in Narrativist circles) that death and failure are not exciting, and should not be regarded as meaningful options or outcomes. In my opinion this is an understandable position, but lacking in nuance. As I've often written, categories are not real, and there are very... (Comments: 18)
CORE Roundtable [video]
Ready for a jargon-filled game design deep dive? In this recent "CORE Roundtable" hosted by LegendsOfTabletop, we go into the weeds of CORE design philosophy, Hybrid Systems, Universal Mechanics, Psychic Content, Experiential Narrativism, Fruitful Voids... (Comments: 2)
Experientialist Play
In talking about CORE and GMing on Twitter, I realized that the word "Experiential" is rarely present in the discourse. I think Narrativism has subclasses in it, and "Experientialism" is one of them. Another word for it might be "Phenomenological GMing" but that's an even tougher mouthful. The... (Comments: 9)
The Difference between Narrative and Story
The words "Narrative" and "Story" are often used interchangeably, but they are not synonymous. A Narrative is a set of event-types and ideas, typically related and selected for thematic purposes but not necessarily sequential nor dramatic. It is open-ended. Narratives involve theme, word... (Comments: 2)