Random thoughts, I probably was not meant to think...
Feb 16, 2019 14:17:21 GMT -5
zanshin likes this
Post by industrialchild on Feb 16, 2019 14:17:21 GMT -5
(Found Among the Papers of the Late
Francis Wayland Thurston, of Boston)
“Of such great powers or beings there may be conceivably a survival . . . a survival of a hugely remote period when . . . consciousness was manifested, perhaps, in shapes and forms long since withdrawn before the tide of advancing humanity . . . forms of which poetry and legend alone have caught a flying memory and called them gods, monsters, mythical beings of all sorts and kinds. . . .”—Algernon Blackwood.
"The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents. We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far. The sciences, each straining in its own direction, have hitherto harmed us little; but some day the piecing together of dissociated knowledge will open up such terrifying vistas of reality, and of our frightful position therein, that we shall either go mad from the revelation or flee from the deadly light into the peace and safety of a new dark age."—Howard Phillips Lovecraft.
I've recently began pondering the correlation between different genres of role playing game settings, namely, the ultimate experience players experience when they gather around a table to thrive or die in a world mutually created by everyone involved and "cosmic horror".
It seems to me, that whatever genre of role playing theme one favors, whether it's fantasy, cyberpunk, horror or anything in between; like in any great story, there are antagonists and protagonists. Rulers and those under someone's or something's rule. There is always that feeling in any setting that there is much more than meets the eyes or minds at first glance. Some higher power, that maybe we weren't meant to fully understand.
It's only been just a short few months since I first purchased, learned and enjoyed Ken St. Andre's Tunnels and Trolls. Reading the hardcover copy of the Deluxe Edition from start to finish gave me a great understanding of Trollworld. The belief systems that operate in certain areas, the creatures or people commonly found therein.
I started to ponder recently, how neat it would be to incorporate little seeds of "cosmic horror" into Trollworld, or that matter any roleplaying game in general, to raise mysterious and ominous questions about the world any game takes place in. Do you guys think that this sort of approach could lead to more memorable experiences? Or, do you guys think that "cosmic horror" should be kept inside the walls of only Lovecraftian related games?
I'd love to hear any thoughts or experiences you might have had playing around with concepts such as this in your games.
Francis Wayland Thurston, of Boston)
“Of such great powers or beings there may be conceivably a survival . . . a survival of a hugely remote period when . . . consciousness was manifested, perhaps, in shapes and forms long since withdrawn before the tide of advancing humanity . . . forms of which poetry and legend alone have caught a flying memory and called them gods, monsters, mythical beings of all sorts and kinds. . . .”—Algernon Blackwood.
"The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents. We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far. The sciences, each straining in its own direction, have hitherto harmed us little; but some day the piecing together of dissociated knowledge will open up such terrifying vistas of reality, and of our frightful position therein, that we shall either go mad from the revelation or flee from the deadly light into the peace and safety of a new dark age."—Howard Phillips Lovecraft.
I've recently began pondering the correlation between different genres of role playing game settings, namely, the ultimate experience players experience when they gather around a table to thrive or die in a world mutually created by everyone involved and "cosmic horror".
It seems to me, that whatever genre of role playing theme one favors, whether it's fantasy, cyberpunk, horror or anything in between; like in any great story, there are antagonists and protagonists. Rulers and those under someone's or something's rule. There is always that feeling in any setting that there is much more than meets the eyes or minds at first glance. Some higher power, that maybe we weren't meant to fully understand.
It's only been just a short few months since I first purchased, learned and enjoyed Ken St. Andre's Tunnels and Trolls. Reading the hardcover copy of the Deluxe Edition from start to finish gave me a great understanding of Trollworld. The belief systems that operate in certain areas, the creatures or people commonly found therein.
I started to ponder recently, how neat it would be to incorporate little seeds of "cosmic horror" into Trollworld, or that matter any roleplaying game in general, to raise mysterious and ominous questions about the world any game takes place in. Do you guys think that this sort of approach could lead to more memorable experiences? Or, do you guys think that "cosmic horror" should be kept inside the walls of only Lovecraftian related games?
I'd love to hear any thoughts or experiences you might have had playing around with concepts such as this in your games.
