The Gardens At Winterthur
If you are not part of the conflict between Apolcolothoth and DuPont, then you will most assuredly enjoy the grand and wonderful gardens and estate of Winterthur. I urge you to visit.
Author: Sam Wilson
Pomfret House, First Report
Original Fiction: Whatever noble mien Pomfret House once bore was long effaced by time and the foul reputation of its previous owner.
Bang!
I doubt I could get a thousand tons of uranium ore without attracting a bit of unwanted attention. In fact, it’s probably best I don’t disclose too much”
West Virginia, Mountain Mama
So much is happening right now that it’s hard to pay attention to any one particular thing, particularly my implausible escapades.
To the Place I Belong
By this point, I am afraid that the absurdity of all this had become too much to bear.
Country Roads, Take Me Home
If you choose to rely upon Google, Verizon, and/or Samsung products as an aid to road navigation, do yourself a favor and verify the route using traditional methods.
Interlude: Where Are All The Good Submarine Movies?
There are no Air Force movies, nor will there ever be.
Social Science and Fiction Part 8: War, Peace, and Betwixt
What battles are you likely to fight? Orc assaults will likely rely on superior infantry numbers, Gnoll infestations will be guerilla-style salt-the-earth raids, Illithid conflicts will be psy-op 4GW affairs, and if you have a dragon problem, you can kiss those thatched roof cottages goodbye (pace Trogdor). Will your bog-standard infantry/archery/cavalry mix be suited to defend the kingdom against these sorts of threats?
Social Science and Fiction Part 7: Fissiparous Eschatology
Escalation of stakes is part of the appeal of doomsday end-game modules, but I have a hunch there’s more to it than the natural progression from local to regional to national to global threats. I suspect that apocalyptic stories draw from some dark universal well abiding in the human heart. Or maybe it’s that engine from Event Horizon. Maybe that engine from Event Horizon is the darkness that dwells within the human heart.
Social Science and Fiction Part 6: It’s Time For Some Game Theory
Something interesting happens in most high fantasy and science fiction settings. Capital-F Faith in an absentee God who may or may not exist is absent. In Dungeons and Dragons, the gods exist. If you want proof, watch a paladin lay on hands. Science fiction settings can be a little looser with divine intervention tropes, but a sufficiently advanced AI is a reasonable substitute for a supernatural entity, and for ordinary NPC plebes, even modest mutant, cybernetic, or technological abilities are sufficiently advanced to provide a reasonable stand-in.
Social Science and Fiction Part 5: Of The Supernatural Limits Of Ambition
What stops demigod-tier player characters from dominating your entire fictional world? How limiting are information and principal-agent problems in your universe?
Social Science and Fiction Part 4: Of Constitutions
Having trouble finding the soul of your fictional society? Have you considered their fundamental rule-making process? Why not take a little time to suss the foundations of your make-believe culture by drafting their constitution? You might find that specific laws, mores, and cultural habits are easier to develop when you have a framework for decision-making and conflict resolution.
Social Science and Fiction Part 3: Politics at the Gaming Table
Many Americans consider it boorish to bring up politics or religion outside of sanctioned times and places. One simply does not talk politics at the dinner table. It won’t do.
But the gaming table is not the dinner table. Ideally, you play games with friends. Or if your close friends don’t share your hobbies, then at least your regular group is acquainted well enough that political differences of opinion are unimportant enough to keep you from playing together. Or if that isn’t the case, then at the very least you all retain enough courtesy to stow your partisan inclinations while the game is underway.
Social Science and Fiction Part 2: Heritability
Traits are carried in the genes. Use this simple observation to your advantage.
Social Science and Fiction: Interlude
Last time, I promised you I would write a bit about microfoundations. I will not be doing that today. I apologize for breaking my promise, but it is to my great sorrow that I must digress. Instead of the planned topic, I will revisit motivation. More specifically, I will revisit my own motivation for the campaign I am running right now.
Social Science and Fiction Part 1: Why Bother?
You can create reasonably immersive, fairly convincing setting by remembering a simple five-letter acronym.
MERPS: Social, Political, Economic, Religious, and Military.
From tiny little subsistence bands to mighty intergalactic empires, from sword-and-sorcery barbarian epics to swashbuckling adventure on the high seas, these five dimensions allow you to cover every major aspect required to create conflict and a memorable story.
Social Science and Fiction Part 0: Invitation
Have you ever built a world? If you are so inclined, let’s explore some principles for world generation using insights from economics, political science, sociology, and anthropology.
