HOW TO DESTROY THE PHANTOMS OF PHENOMENA

Or,

Which fantasy rpg can carry me to the dreamworld? PART II

It is difficult for me to try to expound this second and final part of my post (the first part can be found here). I think it will end up being a collection of scattered thoughts and feelings, but anyhow I feel I have to conclude it.

I wrote that the boundaries and limits of the fantasy experience we are about to have when we sit at a table ready for playing depends partly on the rule-system we will be using, hence they are set up in advance. Afterwards I wrote that much as the kind of sensory experience we may have rely on and depends on the scientist who put our brain in the vat, in the same way the kind of imaginative experience we may have depends upon the fantasy rule-system we choose to adopt.

Certain subtle feelings and “cerebral joys” are not possible under specific fantasy rule-systems,because they simply cannot convey them. This was the main point of my first post, to try to highlight what I feel is a truth after having perused many old-school fantasy systems of the past.

So, I have no doubts about which fantasy game to use when I want to play a specific kind of adventure: I already know if I had better use Rolemaster or Chivalry or Sorcery or The Complete Warlock, for instance.

It follows from my previous reasoning that I regard different fantasy role-playing games as being endowed with different degrees of “illusory power”, meaning with that term the intrinsic potency of each of them to push the boundaries of reality far and far away.

Sure, all this becomes meaningless when you take into account the propensities of players and the creative, untainted sincere inspiration of a dungeon master to tell a wonderful story which is really pulsating in his heart; in that case success is almost certainly guaranteed, regardless of the system used and the facilities with which one may surround himself in order to reach the climax of a story.

But originally any rule system carries within it a different seed- and as I see it, this seed will decide (to a large extent) the otherwordly outcome of the adventure.

This is also why I have always been for the multiple choices offered by the OSR market: the existence of such diverse fantasy rpgs of the past is the most important aspect of all the OSR movement. We do have different gates to cross, and these gates do not lead to the same dreamland.

If a fantasy game is not able to carry my mind to the dreamworld then it is to no avail, and in a sense a game might even hamper this possibility.

THE ILLUSION FORMULA

Illusion obtains IF the total amount of disbelief (TAD) is above 78.

TAD is the result of the interactions of three main factors:

• Players' capacity for imagination
• Game master's storytelling ability
• Fantasy rule-system used and its mechanics

In all the other cases (that is, whereas a value under 78 is the result of the above formula, we end up with a pleasurable or even a remarkable experience at our game table, nonetheless this experience does not turn into the illusion we are seeking).

NOTES: The Illusion formula takes into account two main aspects: inner and outer aspects.

Inner aspect revolves around the detail and flavour conveyed by the rule-system used, outer aspects encompasses all that pertains to the contribution brought by participation of players, namely their personal ability of immersion in a fictional reality plus the storytelling skills of the Game master.

Firstly, you have to divide these two factors:

PLAYERS' CAPACITY FOR IMAGINATION

FANTASY RULE-SYSTEM USED

The result of the above division is then multiplied times the GAME MASTER'S “STORYTELLING ABILITY”. The number thus obtained is the illusory factor which is then compared to a scale ranging from 3 (incredibly poor) up to 105 (Grand Illusion).

To calculate the illusory factor, keep in mind the following:

- Players' capacity of imagination score ranges from a minimum of 10 (poor) to a maximum of 30 (superb).

• Depending on which fantasy rule-system you will use, the divisor is going to range from a minimum of 3 (poor fantasy system) to a maximum of 1 (great fantasy system, deep in scope, detailed and inspiring).
• Finally, the Game master's storytelling ability can range from a minimum of 1 (poor, unexperienced) to a maximum of 3.5 (superb).

As bizarre as it may sound, this is tantamount to an humble attempt to catch a glimpse of what happens when several layers of dull reality fade away whenever we immerse ourselves into the realm of imagination.

The formula above is not precise in any way, it cannot be; but the idea behind it bears some truth to me- though I cannot control or grasp the spiritual power which enfolds whilst telling an adventure and that surrounds me and my players alike, nonetheless I have the faculty of deciding which game is going to be used to reach my purpose.