It's the little things

How do you create a city? How do you create a world? Something that, ultimately, will take on a life of its own for players & readers alike?

It's truly the little things that make all the difference.

A good example: KTDARPG's current city meeting. Hundreds of kids crowded into a city hall building, and the concept of "freedom"--their personal freedoms--is on the line. As each player contributes to the scenario & it continues to grow, the scene taking place is becoming something incredibly visual.

As the meeting starts, there's a lot--and I mean a LOT--of conversation. By itself, dialogue can get boring as hell no matter how heated the debate. The scene only really starts coming to life when the details start to kick in. A window is broken. Someone takes off a coat because the room is getting warm. Someone else lights a cigarette, passes a flask, laughs. The kids are cold & hungry, so food is provided. Then there's one passage about how the room smells.

Sight, sound, taste, touch, smell...

As important as characters & dialogue are to a role-playing game, when you start to engage the reader's senses--when they can SEE the scene--you know you got something good. -Chyna

Photo source: copyright Cloud-9 "The Tribe"