Inter-Party Conflict: Nothing Tastes So Sweet!

Roleplaying games are about exploring new depths and emotions, as we have covered on several occasions now; what hasn’t yet been addressed however, is the notion of exploring different moralities. The easiest way to enforce this exploration, is with a box.

A “box”? I hear you ask.

Please, let me explain. In my own ongoing campaign (which meets every Tuesday night to game, and met last night, and thus was the reason I did not post) is set in the 41^st Millennium, in the Warhammer 40k setting. For those of you in the know, this is Dark Heresy. In this, my players take the role of Inquisitorial Throne Agents who are tasked with, at the moment, expunging a Feral Ork Weird Boy infestation of the planet Ganf Magna before it attracts an Ork Waaagh into the sector. To do this, they must enlist the forces of the local Planetary Defence Force (PDF), who are currently bogged down in a civil war with a Sanguinary Death Cult lead by a fanatic called Garviel Tharn.

So the party decides to attack the Death Cult to stop the civil war to enlist the aid of the PDF, but inside they are welcomed as heroes of the God Emperor (one of their number is an Adepta Sororitas) and Garviel shows them the source of his power, a reliquary holding a skull fragment from the “Red Angel”. After some thought on this matter, it is exposed that this is actually a highly heretical artifact holding remains of the World Eaters Traitor Legion Primarch, Angron. However, the fanatic leader believes he is doing the work of the God Emperor and causing this civil war to remove a corrupt planetary governor who is a monster to his people.

Enter the party conflict. Naturally the Adepta wants to burn everything to the ground, and half the party sides with her, and (surprisingly) the Psyker wants to settle the situation diplomatically, and attempt to settle a cease fire and then remove the artifact from the planet into Inquisitorial hands.

You would think this would be settled quickly. You would be wrong.

The Joys of Inter-Party Conflict

Inter-Party Conflict enables a GM to literally sit back and plan mid game. This makes it the perfect tool for when you are short of prep-time. Think up a reason why the party might disagree, and then throw it at them, then, whilst they argue, you can plan the next few steps based on what they seem to be leaning towards.

Further, this conflict gives the players a true sense that they affect the world. The outcome of their debate could literally spell doom for thousands (if not millions).

I hope to talk to you again soon,

Ben Scerri

Why Conlang?

The subject of Conlanging is an important one to me; it got me originally interested in my main field of study – Linguistics, it got me further entrenched in fantasy world design – ever a good thing, and it attached me to some of the greatest authors of all time – thus flourishing and inspiring my writing. In many ways, my life as it is today is because of Conlanging (for I would not have the same connections with the people in my life without my love of language which stemmed from this hobby).

As such, when I was thinking on what to write to you all about today, I came upon the topic “Why Conlang?” – or to put it more thoroughly, “What is Conlanging, and why is it worthwhile?”

What is Conlanging?

Conlanging is the art of making a Conlang, and a Conlang is at its most basic a Constructed Language. What this means is that it is a full language invented from the ordinary set of rules that govern and exist in all of the worlds languages. In this way, you make a unique brainchild, a language that possibly only you will ever see, read, speak or hear that you can use for no other purpose than to exercise your brain and to explore fun and fiddly functions of language not native in your own language.

Have a nominative-accusative native language? Try making a ergative-absolutive language. Have an isolating language? Try polysynthetic. This experimentation is in my opinion the best way to learn about other languages and Linguistics as a whole.

For a more in depth look of what a Conlang is and how to go about beginning the long and rewarding journey to make one, go here.

So why should I do it?

Well why not? At its most basic, there is nothing stopping you from making a Conlang. Anyone can do it, given enough time. And it doesn’t even need to be an exhaustive amount of time. Most Conlangs are created by people who spend maybe an hour a week on it. Maybe less. That language moves forward at the pace you want it to until it reaches the level you want it to reach. A language is never complete until you say it is.

Freedom is not the only reason behind the “why” of making a Conlang. Conlangs can give you a plethora of material to work from when it comes to writing fiction (as nothing speaks more to the emotions, motivations and mindsets of character more than their native tongue, not to mention conflict when other languages are encountered). Consider this: a language without gender in their nouns, and therefore likely gender equality, coming across a highly categorical language which has a noun gender which encompasses both “female” and “dishonourable” traits. Imagine the conflict that will cause when the female diplomat of the group attempts to speak with the foreigners!

Any writer out there should be salivating with the potential for conflict that language evokes, and if you’re not, then you just might need to watch a bit more Star Trek.

I hope to talk to you again soon,

Ben Scerri

Breaking Tropes – Part 2 – Horror

(Forgiveness is required for my lack of posts over the last few days – the ever present doom of keeping an academic and social face is pressing down on my creative side – which is never a good thing.)

Last article I talked about the breaking of tropes in the Fantasy Genre, which can be seen here. For this second article, however, I shall be discussing Horror tropes. I want to make this very clear early on: I am no master of Horror, and am ever trying to reach the high tones I talk about. However, even though I myself cannot hit the target, I know what it is, so that is what I present for you here.

The Standard

When you talk about horror, you talk about the works of Edgar Allan Poe, H.P. Lovecraft, Clive Barker, and Stephen King, and you talk about, especially in the case of Lovecraft, the supernatural. Specifically the fantastic supernatural. The supernatural is by far the most used (and rightly celebrated) trope in horror fiction, because it nicely blends the unknown and uncanny into one reusable archetype. But, unless you happen to be as genius as Poe, King, Barker or Lovecraft, then you might just fall short of hitting that same high note.

So, what can be done?

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein whilst being a brilliant early Sci-Fi and very early Steampunk novel, is also one of the greatest incarnations of the mundane uncanny. The mundane uncanny is far easier to achieve than the fantastic supernatural, and is perhaps less scary but more unnerving. Consider Frankenstein, a man who searches for perfection (and ultimately immortality) who winds up creating a very obvious monster but is unable to see it until it is too late. Then consider that the monster turns out to be a far more human character than Frankenstein who hunts him!

This questioning of morality and questioning of ‘who is the real monster’ is your greatest weapon. Make the villain seem more accessible, and the victims seem ‘worthy´ of their fates, at least to the reader. The story may not be able to scare your reader whilst they read, but a good book will leave them with afterthoughts about what truly just happened, and where they stand on this issue.

That being said, don’t craft a story of such moral twisting horror that you create an army of homicidal psychopaths as your loyal fan-base. But make sure your story is open to discussion about who was the true antagonist.

As a more recent example of this question in fiction, we can look at Showtime’s Dexter (I have never read Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay, the book from which the show was created, so I have to go on the series instead). Dexter is a serial killer with a dark passenger which urges him to cut people up (but not ordinary people, just serial killers), all the while working alongside his adoptive sister, Debra (who on several occasions is unknowingly investigating Dexter’s handiwork) in the police department. Fuelled by a code given to him by his adoptive cop father, Dexter attempts to clean up the streets of Miami. Off the top, this sounds like a fair protagonist – a vigilante who wants nothing more than death for those who disserve it, right? But then the show delves into Dexter’s morality, and his sanity. This is a man who would kill scores of people were he so inclined, and then only reason he doesn’t is an ever fleeting memory of his adoptive father. Most episodes are followed with great online discussions about whether Dexter was right or wrong in his actions, as well as a divide between those who barrack for Dexter, and those who want to see Debra finally catch him and have his secret revealed.

Neither of the above examples use supernatural elements in their horror, but both evoke images of mankind at its worst, and leave people unsure as to who they are.

I hope to talk to you again soon,

Ben Scerri

(Note: For tips on how to run a Horror Campaign in an RPG, go to the following link.)

Breaking Tropes – Part 1 – Fantasy

Over the next few articles I will be discussing the breaking of tropes within genres and all of the areas of interest on this blog. For this first article, I shall be discussing Fantasy tropes. The second part of this series, which deals with Horror, can be seen here.

The Standard

When you talk about fantasy, you talk about the works of J.R.R. Tolkein, C.S. Lewis and Robert E. Howard (and to a lesser extent J.K. Rowling, and David Gemmel). One thing that all of these writers did (very heavily in some cases) was draw on the real world. They made the mundane fantastic. This is a very common standpoint for fantasy, and can be argued to be the common ancestor of all fantasy storytelling (even going as far back as the earliest human religions). Turning our world into something it is not, where people not unlike us can experience fantastic adventures and other worldly powers. That is the dream evoked by fantasy literature, but in our long years of exposure to this, we have become largely bemused by it.

Sure, we will still be thrilled by the greats (and possibly bored stiff by the Biblical listing is names in Tolkein’s works) but anything new that surfaces must break this standard to be accepted. Elves, Dwarves, Orcs, and Trolls are all stock standard fantasy. A reader should be surprised and excited when they read about a fantastic creature, but now most readers are surprised if a book lacks one of these archetypes. That is simply the wrong way to go about the genre, at least, in my opinion.

The New Frontier

Writers such as Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman have, in my opinion, created a new frontier for fantasy where they’ve made the fantastic mundane. Essentially, they have otherworldly heroes (or mundane heroes) thrown into mundane (or fantastic but accepted) situations. Instead of having a humble Hobbit overwhelmed by the scale of the world beyond his home, you have boys born as unwitting princes who travel to their true (and fantastic) homes and finding themselves fitting in better than they did in the mundane world. In this way, the Harry Potter series lies on the border between the two: Harry is bewildered by the new magical world before him, and still ends up in trouble when introduced to new concepts, but finds himself in a seat of power and comfort at Hogwarts where none such existed in the mundane ‘Muggle’ world.

Another stand to take on this system is one of new ideas: new mythological creatures (or perhaps no mythological creatures, or creatures that work differently), new approaches to magic (or, again, perhaps no magic what-so-ever) or simply new cultures given a fantasy treatment. I know I for one would love to read a story about Inuit/Saxons who live in a world with a massive distinction between insane magicians and transfiguring humans, and then everyone else (who maintains their power despite this). But, I guess I’ll just have to finish writing that before I can read it myself *wink*.

(Note, I am sorry for my cryptic tendencies, and please note, I am not really as arrogant as I might have seemed in the above. I was simply dropping in basic information about my ongoing writing project Vengr.)

So what can I do to seem fresh?

The easiest way to seem fresh is to plan. Plan and read. Then read, and read more, and when you’ve finished reading, you should try reading. Get as much information as you can, and then go back and plan again. What did everyone else do? What seemed interesting and exciting? More importantly why did it seem exciting? Jot a few notes down about what was done and why it was enjoyable (or why not) and ten begin brainstorming.

What can you do that hasn’t been done before that fits the moulds of Interesting that you read? Pass these ideas to your friends and see if they’d be interested in reading such a story. But make sure to ask your most brutally honest friends! Nothing is worse than getting ‘yessed’ at and finding out you’ve made a Narnia clone.

I hope to talk to you again soon,

Ben Scerri

Conlanging for Fiction – Part 2 – In Creative Writing

Making constructed languages for your fictional settings is a great way to add depth to the world. Today I am going to talk about their use in Creative Writing.

 

A novel (or piece of creative writing), unlike a Roleplaying game, is completely controlled in context by the author, but still needs to be received. This is the major problem with Conlangs in creative writing. Often those who read your books will be unfamiliar with the concept of Conlangs, or will be viewing your story from their native languages standpoint. This crossing of wires can cause problems.

 

Firstly, there is the problem of comprehension. Many people will simply not understand what is happening, and you will find that confusion will bloom in your readers. This could be because you are too liberal with words from your Conlangs, or you do not introduce them in an approachable manner. My advice on this point would be that you should have the main characters’ speech only ever written in English (or equivalent) but this is merely translation from what is really being spoken. The only time you should pepper your text with words from your Conlang is in nouns and phrases that don’t exist in your language (e.g. ‘gaitru’ – meaning ‘forest watchtower’ from my novel/creative writing/story/thing, Vengr). These additions add enough fluff as to inspire your readers, but do not bog them down in lines of foreign text. (It is also advisable to add a short lexicon or glossary of the words you use from your Conlangs at the back of your book.)

 

(Please note that if you have several cultures in your world, it can be interesting to put a few phrases in from a non-central language – especially if the main characters do not know this language. But do this sparingly).

 

The next problem faced is one of misinformation. Native languages will always corrupt our thoughts when approaching a new language. Consider J.R.R. Tolkein’s Quenya, with its hard <c> (forming /k/). Who hasn’t heard someone say “Seleborn” when “Keleborn” is correct? You must make sure you use simplistic orthography. No outlandish symbols or outlandish rules… As a general rule, you should keep non-plumonics out of your main Conlang/s, but they can feature in the more alien ones (see note above). Just make sure you represent them well!

 

The last problem is one of effort. Let’s face it, not everyone who sits down to read a fantasy novel wants a lecture on language – especially not a fictional language. I advise adding in the aforementioned glossary, but making sure that it is unnecessary to read the book. Everything should be explained in enough detail during the story to make sense, without readers having to flip back and forth. It is advisable to have someone read over your work and then see if they come across concepts they didn’t understand. If they did, explain it better in the text.

 

I hope to talk to you again soon,

 

Ben Scerri

Conlanging for Fiction – Part 1 – In RPGs

Making constructed languages for your fictional settings is a great way to add depth to the world. Today I am going to talk about their use in RPGs.

 

 RPGs, whilst being a narrative experience, are collaborative. This means, everything you (as a GM) put in, your players must choose to face it. Even in a highly railroaded campaign, a GM cannot force his players to experience the fluff text. As such, your players will need to be on board, or you will need to be conservative (otherwise you’ll waste a lot of time).

 

 However, despite this, there is still something those of you with a Linguistic bent can do to satisfy both urges simultaneously. Create a Naming Language.

 

 Naming Languages are perfect for RPGs and stories alike, as they enable a uniform approach to naming (of towns/places and of peoples) which can actually alleviate some of the stress for a GM (I.e. write up a list of traits and adjectives in your Naming Language, and when your players come across an NPC you haven’t named, glue a few together, and you have a name that is original, insightful (to their character), and fluffy to the game world; same goes with place names!).

 

 Of course, another method to use is language puzzles. Make a very basic grammar for your language, maybe a few roots, a word order, etc. Make it basically a complicated cipher of your players’ native tongue, and then make a prop which is a “Field Guide to X” where X is the name of the ‘Ancient Language’ you’ve just created. Then, when your players stumble into the ancient ruins, they have this field guide that they can use to decipher the inscriptions. But don’t make it too easy on them! If you have a ‘modern’ Naming Language, attempt to add in some sound changes, which aren’t included in the Field Guide, so that the players have to think hard on what those missing syllables mean. Just a thought.

 

 I hope to talk to you again soon,

 

 Ben Scerri

Emotion in Gaming – Part 4 – Players Feeling Feelings

This is Part 4 of a Series on Emotion in Gaming. You can see the rest of this series here:

• Emotion in Gaming – Part 1 – Group Consensus
  
• Emotion in Gaming – Part 2 – External Influences
• Emotion in Gaming – Part 3 –Internal Machinations

 The conjuration of emotion in gaming is not solely the domain of the GM. Far from it in fact. As I said in the first post of this series, a GM can do naught unless the players are on board. As such, here are a few tips for players to use to help their GM make a more meaningful play experience.

First of all, you need to be open minded. Forget that you’re playing a game. Forget that you’re not in an imaginary world. Forget the faces of your fellow players and GM. Forget that you even have physical senses. If you can sense the world you are gaming in through your mind’s eye, you are already above and beyond the majority of gamers.

Once this is done (in part or wholly) you can move onto the next step. Try to feel for the NPCs. Try to put yourself in their shoes. Think not of what they are doing but why they are doing it. If your GM is worth his salt, then he will have motivations for all his important (and therefore emotionally worthy) NPCs.

If you can get a feel for why they are doing what they are doing, you can assess whether this conflicts with, or agrees with your goals. Therefore, they may be one of four things: conflicting motivations and conflicting methods (outright enemies), conflicting motivations and agreeable methods (respectable enemies/opponents), agreeable motivations and conflicting methods (uneasy allies/’ends justify the means’), or agreeable motivations and agreeable methods (allies).

If you can place an NPC in one of these categories, you have the foundations for an emotional response. Will you hate them with all your being? Will you respect them but work against them? Will you help them but attempt to guide them to the right path? Or oppose them on principal? Or will you grow a friendship with them on common grounds?

Of course, this is only one method of growing emotional connections, and such things like love are a lot harder to emulate (and require a lot more work from both parties), but a very rewarding gaming experience can be made from such effort. Nothing is quite as memorable as a loved one who you are in conflict due to one or more of the above points in opposition.

I hope to talk to you again soon,

Ben Scerri

Emotion in Gaming – Part 3 – Internal Machinations

This is Part 3 of a Series on Emotion in Gaming. You can see the rest of this series here:

• Emotion in Gaming – Part 1 – Group Consensus
  
• Emotion in Gaming – Part 2 – External Influences
• Emotion in Gaming – Part 4 –Players Feeling Feelings

Most GMs have a basic knowledge of how to describe a scene. But to describe emotion is something else.

I will never pretend to have a full grasp on this, so if you are looking for a full account, you will be left wanting by this post. What I can give you however, is some tips I have picked up that will help you in evoking a few select emotions.

Fear

One of two of our strongest emotions, and probably the most difficult to create. Fear can be used to motivate your players when nothing else can. Generally to create fear, you need to first have the ability for loss, and therefore something for the players to lose.

Fear can be created by threatening to take away, or completely removing something that the players have become attached to and/or depend on. Their favourite sword (Fighter), their magical abilities (Mage), their house and home (Nobles), their reputation (Rogue) and so on. This is at its base, a selfish thing, so you will need to observe where your players place their faith.

Or you could use some of the emotions below to evoke connections with NPCs – but we will get to that in a second.

Whilst separation is a good method of evoking fear, another is the Unknown and the Uncanny. The Unknown is that which utterly confuses us, and places us in an alien situation (think Chaos/the Warp in Warhammer). This method is useful, but if overdone, it will be largely ignored whilst your players look for the easiest way to turn things back to normal. The Uncanny, however, is truly disturbing. Take something the players know to be a fact, and change it. Suddenly, and seemingly inexplicably change it. Perhaps their ally the whole time who has proved his innocence starts acting erratically and wont explain why. Perhaps the city starts rounding up magical types who disappear and are never seen again. Perhaps the sun doesn’t rise one day. The Uncanny is where things that should play out as normal do not, and that is where the fear comes from.

Obviously you could combine all three methods mentioned, like so: One day, the sun fails to rise. Suddenly, all magic users seem unable to use their powers, and as the day progresses, the five senses of everyone in the city begin to cross over (the smell colours, hear smells, see tastes and taste sounds).

Love

Love is the other of the two powerful emotions humans have. Love can be used to anchor the PCs to the world, and give them motivation to save it (or to do whatever your campaign entails). Generally to create love, you have to have willing PCs.

Start off by making NPCs (who you know they will be involved with for a while to come) likability. Have them help the PCs out in ways they wouldn’t expect. Have them have some love connections to the world (which are put in dangers and therefore create fear in them). If you make your NPCs emotional, you might be able to get a sympathetic response from your players.

This is by far the most difficult thing to pull off as a GM. Make sure you talk to your players before hand to ensure they are willing to give it a try.

That is all for now. I might make a Part 3.5 should other tips come to light.

I hope to talk to you again soon,

Ben Scerri

Emotion in Gaming – Part 2 – External Influences

This is Part 2 of a Series on Emotion in Gaming. You can see the rest of this series here:

• Emotion in Gaming – Part 1 – Group Consensus
  
• Emotion in Gaming – Part 3 –Internal Machinations
• Emotion in Gaming – Part 4 –Players Feeling Feelings

The most effective way to influence your players and the game world they are in, is through external forces; I.e. forces not contained within the game world. Humans have 5 senses which we perceive the world through (well, technically somewhere near 21, but for this we will focus on the main well-known 5) but are only able to experience a roleplaying game through their imagination (not one of the 5) right? Wrong.

By invoking stimuli for the 5 senses you draw your players from the physical-world to the imagined. The sword hilt the clasp at when they face the mighty dragon is felt. The scent of cherry blossoms when they meet their future paramour for the first time is smelt. The warming curry they eat when they travel to the exotic East is tasted. The haunting creaks of the forlorn house are heard. And the beast that waits within is seen.

The idea of using outside stimuli in games is not revolutionary, but it is under appreciated, and under explored. Please note however that all of these techniques are labour intensive, and might cost the GM some money, so it is advisable that you, as the GM, consult with your players and see if they are willing to share the costs with you.

Sight

First off is the easiest sense to trick; Sight. We can all paint miniatures (to a certain extent), or draw pictures, or even Google them to represent the people, places and things that the players encounter, but it is the truly great GM who crafts and enacts.

Consider making a costume (or wearing some props) and roleplaying as an NPC in those specifics. Even a single pipe, or a hat, or mask can evoke great emotion from people. These don’t have to be expensive items either, as any party or costume shot should stock cheap props like this.

The next step, however, is filming yourself. This technique only works in situations where the players would view the NPC as a recording (so Sci-Fi and Modern mainly, but Fantasy is also possible (astral projections, hololithic charms, etc)). Basically you done your costume ahead of time (make sure to disguise the room you are in – darkening the backdrop is a cheap and mysterious method of doing this) and film yourself speaking in the NPC’s accent. Then, hook the video up to a computer or TV screen when you are in game, and play it back for your players. If you have any competency with it, you could use video editing software to add effects.

Furthermore, you could make props to hand out to the players, leading us to:

Touch

Touch is just as easy, if not, easier. In this you only need to build the props, not act.

Toy guns can be spray painted and touched up to look like Sci-Fi or modern weapons, toy swords can be purchased, or made easily out of wood, etc.

This is both the most expensive, and yet the most immediately rewarding method. You are able to give your players something to hold and be fascinated by. And literally anything can do. It is even possible to find props and craft adventures around them: old keys, simple 3D puzzles, treasure (stones, coins, statues, jewellery, etc), parchment (made from tea or coffee stained paper), can all be the spring board for an adventure.

Sound

Sound is an often touched on subject. Background music in games. I won’t go into it because of this, as there are plenty of articles on Gnome Stew (see link bar) or a quick search of RPG.net (again, link bar) will render plenty of results.

Smell

“You never forget a smell” is a common phrase, and it is very true. If you can procure an array of incense (and no one in your group is allergic, or asthmatic) then you have one of the greatest tools for NPC identification and immersion.

Perhaps there is a princess who always wears the same perfume, or a monster which gives off a very unlikely scent?

Incense can be expensive, so use it sparingly. Also make sure to take breaks during your games so as to air the room out (otherwise it can get very husky and the concentrated smell can cause headaches). Playing with a window open is a good idea.

Taste

Taste. My favourite.

I love to cook. I love to eat. I love to drink.

Nothing evokes emotion in me (or, to a much larger extent, humanity as a whole) quite like food and drink, and the element of flavour. In this way, you can bring your players into the world you create.

Cook your players a setting appropriate meal (historical recipes are everywhere on the internet, and a quick Google search will come up with many) and serve a drink that fits as well. Are your players the humble guests of a Count (who happens to be a vampire)? If so, serve red meat, medium-rare and a glass of red wine. Are they in a seedy tavern? A stew and some sourdough will do wonders! And don’t forget the mead or ale to wash it down.

For setting specific ideas, in Dark Heresy, you could serve coffee and call it ReCaf, alcohol and call it amansec, and digestive biscuits and call them bone-starch rations.

Let your imagination run wild, and cook your players something evocative!

I hope to talk to you again soon,

Ben Scerri

Emotion in Gaming – Part 1 – Group Consensus

This is Part 1 of a Series on Emotion in Gaming. You can see the rest of this series here:

• Emotion in Gaming – Part 2 – External Influences
• Emotion in Gaming – Part 3 –Internal Machinations
• Emotion in Gaming – Part 4 –Players Feeling Feelings

As I stated in my introduction, I believe emotions to be the biggest factors in our lives. Emotions guide our thoughts, motivate us, and can alter our minds in truly illogical patterns: love can make some turn away from another to protect them, but the other party winds up getting hurt even greater than they would have, mutual hatred can breed friendship, and vice versa, etc.

This then reveals that the most meaningful games we play must touch on our emotions and evoke some kind of response. But what that response is, exactly, will differ wildly from group to group.

Evoking bad emotions for enjoyment is not a new concept. Horror and Romantic media has been doing it since the outset. The Greek Tragedy/Comedy is the basis of all modern storytelling and yet half of that coin leaves the audience feeling sad. Yet people sometimes choose to experience these forms of media so it is clear that people seek out these emotions in their entertainment.

But there is nothing worse than watching a sad movie when you do not want to be sad or a comedy when you want nothing more than to cry. Emotional media should fit your target emotion. Same goes for RPGs.

GMs must talk to their players about what sorts of emotions they would like to explore during their campaigns and games. Further, a GM should be able to pick up on the moods of his or her players. Whilst a degree in psychology would drastically help, it is not required, but a level of empathy is. If something seems to go too far, or the players seem to be actively not enjoying themselves, then make sure you as the GM have some opposing emotional curve balls to throw at them.

It is also important to talk about taboos. What can the game touch on? What is forbidden? This is very important, as everyone has experiences outside of the game, and particularly harsh ones can encroach on the mind when certain imagery is evoked during a game. Was someone the players know hurt in a particular way? Were they hurt? If you mention a situation that is similar (make sure it is only similar and not actually based off of said event!) will it be to real and confronting?

These are important issues to address at the outset of a campaign.

Make sure you talk to your players and discover what they want emotionally from your game, and what you can and can’t do to evoke said emotions.

I hope to talk to you again soon,

Ben Scerri

Salutatio!

Greetings,

My name is Ben Scerri (or Psy, my internet handle) and I am a linguist, writer and, most importantly, a Game Master. Why do I say most importantly? Because that gives me the most joy‒and our lives are made up of our emotions‒and that which effects our emotions and moods the strongest is our most important aspect.

This blog is about my three aspects, and how they influence my life and the lives of those around me. I provide this information for you so as to maybe affect your lives. This will not just be a recount of my days however (and such things will rarely factor into this blog) but rather a series of articles, reviews and snippets reflecting physical-world issues and events that influence our real selves.

I think a general discussion on philosophy is in order here: It is already accepted that Writing is art, but I need to make a few more distinctions. Gaming is art. Language is art. Therefore, those who participate in them creatively are artists. This does not mean being a Writer, a GM (or developer) or a Linguist. This just means expressing oneself through one or more of these mediums, even if it is passively (reading a book, listening to poetry, watching/reading an Actual Play recount, etc).

I have every respect for the schools of art that are readily accepted, and all I ask is equal respect in turn.^[1]

In my life I strive to combine my three aspects: I make Conlangs^[2] for the stories I write and the cultures experienced in my RPGs, I make detailed and expressive dialogues for the NPCs in my games, and I bring literary and emotional aspects to my Conlangs and physical-world languages.

As such, I hope I am able to shed some light on the way I do things to either enrich your endeavours, or to perhaps show you how you can branch the gaps between your aspects to achieve whatever you wish to in your creative endeavours.

I hope to talk to you again soon,

Ben Scerri

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¹ Go to the following link to find out more information about Video Games as an art form, and you might just see more clearly how even Table Top RPGs are art.

² A ‘Conlang’ or Constructed Language is a language created for use by its creator. These are not nonsense languages, but fully formed grammars. Look the term up on Google or go to Zompist.com for more information.