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Indirectly, yes. The feeling of trust makes players comfortable enough to take risks and be proactive. Because they are proactive, they interact more with NPCs, and that interaction is one of the core ways I make the world feel alive. But to be clear, making the world feel alive is just one...

I have addressed this several times in several ways.

For historians or futurists, that may be a major concern when evaluating long-term trends. But for tabletop roleplaying, the only jury we need to satisfy is the players, and the standard of good enough will suffice.

Yes, but keep in mind that chaotic systems are still bounded by their circumstances. I may not be able to predict exactly where a droplet of water will go once it hits the back of my hand, but I do know it will follow some path along the surface of my hand. That is how we can leverage chaos...

Upthread, we talked about different assumptions. This: Embodies a distinct philosophical tradition. We do not have to get into the details, but the short version is that I do not share the assumptions of that tradition regarding objectivity. The fact that this is one of your beliefs is OK...

I’m posting the above for context. My question is: what does this actually look like in play? Suppose I’m standing over the group running a Blades in the Dark campaign, what does “deliberately get their first trauma” look like at the table? I want to make sure I understand this, because to me...

Sounds good. While I prefer my Living World sandbox campaigns, if the situation calls for it, I adopt different techniques to better suit the circumstances. And a monthly campaign is one of those circumstances. For example, because of safety and logistical needs, adventures for boffer LARPs...

As I stated before, there are basically three levels of outcomes: the most likely, the probable, and the possible. This becomes apparent to anyone who works with “what-if” scenarios on a regular basis, such as in weather forecasting. Forecasters must assess the current situation, evaluate...

A point of clarification: a setting can embody a genre, or more accurately, evoke a specific feel. Take Middle-earth, for example. When I run a campaign using Adventures in Middle-earth, my goal is to create an experience where the players feel like they’ve visited Middle-earth as their...

Technically that is true, but like the weather, no two starting points are ever the same with the players. Appreciate the compliment. So you know your experience mirrors mine. So is it fair to say....

What I do in my campaigns, structuring the world to respond to the players' choices, updating NPC agendas, tracking regional dynamics, mixing in die rolls and judgment calls, isn’t just about realism or immersion. It’s about creating a chaotic system in the technical sense. I didn’t bring this...

I’ve done something close to a controlled experiment in this hobby. I wrote two sandbox adventures, Scourge of the Demon Wolf and Deceits of the Russet Lord, and ran each of them repeatedly, nearly three dozen times combined, across the United States with different groups of players. Every run...

I’ve been reflecting on your recent reply. Looking at it again, I see a familiar pattern: You open with a framing that subtly misrepresents my point. You follow it with a personal anecdote, watching my video, reading my posts, and use that to suggest there's no real difference between our...

There is no such thing as "referee's logic." Just bear with me. What we each have is our own way of reasoning about how we roleplay or adjudicate. As a result, we each have our own process that we go through. I described mine. You have yours. In the course of the discussion on this thread, I...

I would like to see an example of play like I posted. I tried searching, but all I came up with were videos that may or may not have a relevant example. And no I am not going to try to listen to them as I am partially deaf and it was hard enough with my own. In addition I can't find any official...

Sort of. For the Want of a Nail by Sobel is written as a history book mostly focused on economics. But certainly Turtledove's and Stirling's work are more dramatic history than regorus alt history. But on the Alt History forum, it is a completely different story.

Thanks for the reply. But I think you’re conflating internal logic with rationality. I’m not claiming people (or NPCs) make optimal or logical decisions, just that their behavior still follows from causes: past choices, emotions, goals, constraints, etc. That’s the kind of logic I’m using...

I’d argue that the real world follows internal logic; we don’t always see it in real time. So-called “Black Swan” events appear implausible only because we overlooked or dismissed relevant factors. Once those are known, the chain of events often makes sense in hindsight. While there are often...