Inspiration II

To understand what makes for great entertainment it pays, I think, to study all forms of entertainment and ask, "What is it about this that I love?", and then try to see how to apply it to whatever it is you do. In my case it's my concept of my world and how to play it.

Check out Quicksilver Messenger Service entertaining a crowd with 'Mona' in this
Great live moment from 1969.

Then when you come back to earth, consider - what made this such a great performance? What is that the audience enjoyed about it?

My impression: Great Music (skill/talent), Great Story (lyrics/meaning), Great Spirit (energy/inspiration).

Applying this to RPG Design may seem a bit of a stretch, yet I think it is worth striving for. But of course, nothing is as easy as it seems until you 'get it' and as any Zen Gamesmaster will tell you; to achieve Mastery you must find your center without striving to find it, and know yourself without striving to know. Tune in, Turn On, Fly Over.

In the future, as the tools come together, simplify, and advance, that new art form may be Role Playing Games, though not necessarily in the form we are used to thus far. Well, naturally, Gamesmastering is all about creativity at the core. And the deeper one delves and opens the mind to the myriad of possibilities, the more excitement is generated, and from there one can drink at the well spring of the spirit and find inspiration.

Best wishes this New Year.