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<blockquote data-quote="Umbran" data-source="post: 7652942" data-attributes="member: 177">What do i think?&nbsp; I think, &quot;Arrrrgggghhhh!&quot;&nbsp; But then, I think, &quot;Arrrrgggghhhh!&quot; whenever I notice math and science terms being denied their strength and origin.&nbsp; I don't at all mind the analogy, but to early on outright deny the math and make it not an analogy but more like fact... Grrr.&nbsp; Did you see that thread we had about whether movies should explain the science?&nbsp; Same issues arise here.&nbsp; For me, the piece would have been stronger if you'd said, &quot;In math, they have this concept of a fractal, and here's an analogy to gaming...&quot;Sorry.&nbsp; You asked <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile&nbsp; &nbsp; :)"&nbsp; data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />That being said, the analogy does have some merit.&nbsp; If the mechanics for resolving large-scale things (like the acts of countries, and the resolution of entire wars) is similar to the mechanics for small-scale things (like tactical combat), it can help your players from bogging down in rules that they don't use often.&nbsp; You get to say, &quot;It is just like X...&quot;You hit the point squarely, in that fractal design is not so much repeated as nested.&nbsp; What happens on the planetary scale resembles what happens on the scale of nations, what happens on the scale of cities, and so on down.&nbsp; In a true mathematical fractal, this goes on *forever* - there is a never a scale in which the pattern or theme doesn't show up.And that's a way this can apply out of the mechanical arena, but in campaign design - repeated themes.&nbsp; The conflicts the PCs have resemble the conflicts that happen to the town of their home base, and those resemble the troubles of the nation they are in.&nbsp; This could come in the form of an organization - the BBEG is a necromancer, and he uses necromancers as lieutenants, and they use necromancers as minions.&nbsp; Or, it could be in the form of dramatic themes, like &quot;corruption&quot; or &quot;avarice&quot; or &quot;pride&quot; or &quot;no good deed goes unpunished&quot; or what have you.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Umbran, post: 7652942, member: 177"] What do i think? I think, "Arrrrgggghhhh!" But then, I think, "Arrrrgggghhhh!" whenever I notice math and science terms being denied their strength and origin. I don't at all mind the analogy, but to early on outright deny the math and make it not an analogy but more like fact... Grrr. Did you see that thread we had about whether movies should explain the science? Same issues arise here. For me, the piece would have been stronger if you'd said, "In math, they have this concept of a fractal, and here's an analogy to gaming..." Sorry. You asked :) That being said, the analogy does have some merit. If the mechanics for resolving large-scale things (like the acts of countries, and the resolution of entire wars) is similar to the mechanics for small-scale things (like tactical combat), it can help your players from bogging down in rules that they don't use often. You get to say, "It is just like X..." You hit the point squarely, in that fractal design is not so much repeated as nested. What happens on the planetary scale resembles what happens on the scale of nations, what happens on the scale of cities, and so on down. In a true mathematical fractal, this goes on *forever* - there is a never a scale in which the pattern or theme doesn't show up. And that's a way this can apply out of the mechanical arena, but in campaign design - repeated themes. The conflicts the PCs have resemble the conflicts that happen to the town of their home base, and those resemble the troubles of the nation they are in. This could come in the form of an organization - the BBEG is a necromancer, and he uses necromancers as lieutenants, and they use necromancers as minions. Or, it could be in the form of dramatic themes, like "corruption" or "avarice" or "pride" or "no good deed goes unpunished" or what have you. [/QUOTE]

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