"Giving up The Narrative" Collaboration and Ownership in RPG Play Spaces

One of the gentlemen who own and run the local gaming club I attend asked me last week to do a little presentation about my DM'ing style this weekend. At The Historic Haven here in Frederick, Maryland the club owners are really into using data-driven analysis of the discord forum and use of the physical space to drive good decisions for the members. So every so often they have a "DM Conclave" which I have been invited to in the past but avoided because when I'm not going out of my way to play games with pals there at the club, I jealously guard my free-time to spend with my family.

I had to do it a little extemporaneously because of personal circumstances, and I don't know if it was well-received or not. My take was essentially, share more than what you usually do in the crating of game narratives. Let the players have a good time with it. Rulings not rules. Reflective listening. "Yes, and..." the old chestnut from improv comedy. Don't inflict your tedious novel on players, and don't let them inflict their precious backstory on you and the others. What your character is is what comes in playtime. I tend to solicit meaning and world-building stuff from players in real time so that we can build our world together.

Of 10 or 15 participants (I guess I was doing the talking), only one or two people asked about the HOWs and WHYs of the thing. I heard a lady say "well neither of these talks are anything I'm interested in".

The question I can recall from the gentleman was "I guess I'm afraid of failing a little bit so I don't improv more and I have to take a lot of time to prep. How do you know if it's working properly?" Well, the answer in that case is to ask the players if their having fun, if it's not clear from the context. Laughing and enjoying each other's company is the reason I play. But it's clear everybody has their own game. System mastery, competition, adversarial approaches. I have not interest in dominating or subjecting anyone who would sit down at our table. And since it's "DCC" at the bottom, if you bring a 5th edition character, I can with some confidence convert your PC on the fly to fit into our open-table, rules-light, freewheeling adventures.

I'm trying to understand my reaction to their reaction, which was kind of dead-eyed and insolent. Seemed like a lot of the participants really like hours of dice-rolling combat, which ugh. Hey man, or ma'am, whatever you're into. Most mooks and grunts are one-hit wonders for us. Why would I want to go around a table rolling dice for an hour or more for one encounter?

Anyways, be well. In other hobby spaces I am playing a lot of skirmish/regiment games these days. Turnip 28. I'm learning "Muskets and Tomahawks 2.0" so that's fun. 3d printers are sort of on hold. Trying some new painting techniques - acrylic nail transfer gizmo and also slap-chop with a makeup sponge. Lots of Genshin Impact (not good for my brain, really, but still a gorgeous game). 

Digital Art Practice

 So every winter, my brain goes haywire trying to get relief from the awful cold.

I picked up a legit copy of Clip Studio Paint (I think it's like 55$) and it's been good for a couple of hours of experimentation, but I figure the way I'mma get better is with some practice and some idea theft.

I picked out a couple of my favorite B&W artists from my childhood and the comic/ttrpg field.

I got:

Russ Nicholson - probably the bloke responsible for my interest in this whole thing. His pictures in the Fiend Folio set my mind on craycray fire. My dad took me to the book store, and the hip dude recommended I get the PHB but I insisted after browsing through it that the Fiend Folio was my choice.

Jim Woodring

Arthur Gammell (from Scary Stories to Tell in The Dark)

Junji Ito

This guy whose identity I don't know, called Johnny Childish who did a bunch of strips in Thrasher comics in the late 80's

Obviously Crumb and the indie comics things. The Milk and Cheese guy. Concrete.

For color, and figures, Betty and Veronica. Barry Windsor Smith. Uhhhhhhh... so much art out there. I'm spitballing, here.

For watercolor stuff, probably Brian Froud and Arthur Rackham. Anyways I'll let you know how it goes. Right now I'm breaking from line work with the Wacom pen I have and then maybe some downstrokes and some stippling for tonight. The first project is going to be grotty brickwork surfaces WITHOUT the fancy tools that Clip Studio offers, and then a couple of dungeon pictures WITH the fancy tools it has.

We'll see. Wish me luck. My brain is awash in dungeons, tonight.

Here's the first night of practice: I only give it away as a measure of commitment to the project.

The original inspiration by Russ - just going for the bricks, tonight

Quick sketch plus a bunch of free gross brushes. The timelapse video is kinda fun