tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4353391426294254427.post1959801854202957814..comments2024-03-25T22:48:31.750-04:00Comments on Dreams in the Lich House: The Aristotelian Traps of Game CreationJohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18031181424520125213noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4353391426294254427.post-39830844025962227852012-09-22T11:46:55.689-04:002012-09-22T11:46:55.689-04:00Absolutely - I'm definitely thinking along tho...Absolutely - I'm definitely thinking along those lines as well - thanks!Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18031181424520125213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4353391426294254427.post-42395531274091794112012-09-22T05:24:47.820-04:002012-09-22T05:24:47.820-04:00Just looking over my 1e MM this morning - words li...Just looking over my 1e MM this morning - words like 'spirit' never appear. Even Sylphs and Nymphs are 'women who inhabit airy/beautiful places'. It really brought home to me just how weird 'Gygaxian Naturalism' is. I've really moved away from it a lot in the last few years - I'm running Yggsburgh, a very Gygaxian setting, but with a sort of mysterious underlay of the Spirit World lurking on the fringes. For instance, in this world Trolls are actually the offspring of Swamp Hags, and both are more 'spirit' than 'species'...Simonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01173759805310975320noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4353391426294254427.post-30381638056257705122012-09-20T05:24:14.035-04:002012-09-20T05:24:14.035-04:00Very intense emotions, deep injustices and stuff c...Very intense emotions, deep injustices and stuff could also bring stuff from the other side over to "ours". You can get some pretty cool themes into the game that way.<br /><br />Also, the Forest/Mountain is a mysterious place, inhabited by spirits and apparitions. Instead of grappling with freezing temperatures and stuff in terms of modern physics and physiology, you can go back to a more animistic worldview and have the characters struggle against Caradhras, just like the Fellowship did.newsalorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12407247452119657221noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4353391426294254427.post-11807634978799446812012-09-19T14:17:01.411-04:002012-09-19T14:17:01.411-04:00Yep, the inclination is to build bestiaries, accou...Yep, the inclination is to build bestiaries, account for Gygaxian Naturalism - things like percent in lair, and what kind of other critters co-habitate. It's difficult to make systems and not do a degree of classification and explanation!Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18031181424520125213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4353391426294254427.post-78469712182432511002012-09-19T07:35:10.563-04:002012-09-19T07:35:10.563-04:00To be fair concerning J-horror and like, the peopl...To be fair concerning J-horror and like, the people behind the scenes (DMs) may know much more about what is going on than the viewers (Players). I think you hit on that in your post and it highlights the different styles between the stock Western medieval settings/milieus and the Eastern settings. Keeping the wonder and curiosity in a game is one of the most difficult and yet important aspects of running any game. JasperAKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16890051828893516478noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4353391426294254427.post-20453535695452208012012-09-19T07:18:27.644-04:002012-09-19T07:18:27.644-04:00somewhere around the second edition of Werewolf: t...somewhere around the second edition of Werewolf: the Apocalypse, White Wolf was also producing some Asian Vampire stuff that you might find useful. Very flavorful spirit world and all that.<br /><br />I never thought of a lot of our little genres tropes coming from Aristotle. Interesting observation!Doctor Checkmatehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03143754884881860130noreply@blogger.com