EDITORIAL: Innovation Versus the Merry-Go-Round of the Mind

I have heard rumblings and, dare I say, didacticism, from some that claim that RPG design from the many companies now publishing compatible material should not be about innovation, that it in some way instead equates to a moment which appears to them to be frozen in time.  I will say this in response to those who actually believe this and promote it as truth:  It is the MOST patently absurd idea I have ever heard.

If we had thought that way prior to D&D's publication, the MOST INNOVATIVE GAME in the history of games would have never been published.  That D&D set a standard to be overcome is a matter of historical fact.  The very day that people form companies and cease being amateurs by accepting money for their products they approach the realm of professionals.  There is no differentiating; one cannot slide this way or that by whim nor escape their separate truths while embracing either.  In rising above the amateur state one must embrace a professional acumen that is always being propelled to the forefront and through which you take a hard look at yourself, your philosophies and your ways and means.  If indeed much of what brands itself as emulating the past stands out and proclaims itself as new, then I say:  prove it.  Prove it like the fans turned amateurs turned professionals did to make something innovative, who strived to continue improving upon that innovation, and who continue to do so today.  Embrace professionalism and the future of imagination as the originators of the game did or stop accepting money and remain amateurs--it is not a two-way street of convenience.  It's earned, just as E. Gary Gygax and David Arneson earned it.

To true creators, innovators and those individuals with plans of making careers out of their writing and design like I have done, please follow this advice as a saviour-path to it: Flee!  Run as fast as you can from such abhorrent thoughts and suggestions that your creative paths are best suited to the past.  Separate yourselves from those who do not know or do not care and those who say they do even though in your heart you feel otherwise.  Upon the singular plain of your own creative spirit will you find the true expressions of your soul and mind and not in the endless circling caravan of regurgitated thought or upon a merry-go-round of the mind.  Divorce yourself from the group; for at that time you will have the complete freedom to express yourself; in that hour will come your best work; and in that serene moment you will arrive at your truth.

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"Being involved in the RPG industry as long as you have, surely you’ve collected bits of wisdom and knowledge along the way. Is there any advice you could give to budding game designers?

"RJK:  Seriously: Throw out everything you think you know, including the rules. Challenge established norms, redefine what imagination and creativity “really” are, ignore the jealous and the pundits (re: critics), push past the mundane and open up possibilities, don’t close them, no matter how absurd someone says you are, or how off base they say you appear to be. With that, follow the words of my oft-quoted author, Orson Scott Card: “How can we experience the literature of the strange if we stay in well mapped lands?”-- my advice from one of the many interviews I've given.

"If we all think alike, if we all become uniform and bland, we shrivel up and die, and the great process shudders to an end. Uniformity is death, in economics or in biology. Diversity within communication and cooperation is life. Everything your forebears, your ancestors, everything you have ever done, will have been for naught, if we ignore these basic bacterial lessons." Autopoiesis and the Grand Scheme, Greg Bear

"Most of the time I look at my work as an ocean of missed opportunities...My lack of talent & knowledge bedevils me no end... But I realized a long time ago that my art is a race I run alone..."  Michael Bair

Up on A Tree Stump™ #5: Creative Exceptionalism & Asking "Why"?

Up on a Tree Stump™
(or) All I Know about D&D™ I Learned From Life


©2010 Robert J. Kuntz

"The root cause of any problem is the key to a lasting solution." -- Taiichi Ohno, pioneer of the Toyota Production System in the 1950s. Link to full article.

I have the greatest respect for SF/Fantasy writers and their past and future involvement in the craft. It is indeed they along with the historians and other great artists and authors who have given us by adaptation Role Playing Games, for without their ideas, their time devoted to such imaginative and enlightening subject matter, none of it would exist, there would not have been an RPG, or at least not as we now know it. These authors made leaps in exposing new ideas and in challenging stereotypes in all fields of knowledge and social context, and often with a critical eye brought us profound concepts and new ways of seeing the world through the focused lens of their stories.

The majority of good literature has stood upon a spacious ground of perceptive social critique and in this case SF/Fantasy, in the main, has been no different. By transference, then, we can rightly assume that RPG designs that in whole or part emulate speculative fiction have at least that same range of possible articulation. Even though we can choose to separate an RPG from speculative fiction to the point where it becomes a mere vehicle of entertainment amid flourishes of creative addition by its author (in this case, the game designer and/or GM), there is no denying that pushing the bar of its application can expose ranges that contribute to honoring its fullest potential just as any piece of fiction can.

Thus the creation of more challenging forms of design that reach beyond tired and over-tested varieties indeed marks solidly the reason "why" they are conceived of and then produced to begin with, as these literally go hand in hand with the progressive ideal of design. But it also makes for a unique challenge to take fiction and games and weave them together into a unique tapestry that makes not only sense to the designer but to the players of such scenarios or games. And every great designer, and for that matter, great player, loves a challenge.

We have noted a plethora of titles and themes from past and present authors of speculative fiction, so we know that "whys" in our cousin-market can vary tremendously and often do. Such diversity not only promotes a wider range of interesting product but introduces a wider range of readers while expanding these boundaries. In essence it feeds the industry with new blood through fresh approaches which in turn furthers continued sustainability of creative exchange. That is then good for the industry that such writers or designers are deeply involved in.

However, what is important to some may not be so for others. This re-poses the "Why" in a different light, for a truly intransigent creator looks to outdo past designs to make his or her mark. They are the ones who will ultimately, in many cases, deserve the accolades of informed fans and valued critics. Unfortunately, most beginning writers and designers often fail to realize that ongoing homework is needed to succeed in such markets. Homework can here be roughly defined as necessary planning but takes into effect an ongoing challenge he or she envelopes themselves in. This includes innovative story, plot and character development; and in the case of RPG scenarios this will include what might be unique among its parts and how these do or do not compare to previous designs. In either case, creating unique inroads may require more planning and/or reading past examples or primary texts depending upon the proposed story's/scenario's specifics and depth.

To successfully pursue a career in speculative fiction or with any of its related by-products attaching to the RPG industry, writers should not cast their works in a mould that will more often be viewed as mere imitation. Indeed the challenge for those intransigent few who see such investments as a continued test of their creative metal is to continue outdoing themselves and others, and by correspondence greatly influencing all of what they value.

The Lake Geneva Tactical Studies Association as a group had a no holds barred approach to design. We were all very opinionated--I argued with EGG over points that I fet strongly about. I was in fact looking for "Whys". His previous tutoring of me when I was age 13 finally found purchase around age 16 in exactly the entire realm as he had projected it, which was to be unique, not just to follow his example only. EGG was a strong supporter of investigating possibilities and absracting "what ifs" from anything before him. Given that mindset we were as a whole disposed to sliding this way or that on issues of creative departure but more often found ourselves in agreement through such exchanges. Don Kaye, his childhood friend and co-founder of TSR Rules, summarized his perspective on this differently but with the same open respect for EGG: "Rob, I argue with him not so much because I think he's wrong, but just to keep him honest."

This working idea of open discourse which always fed creative rumination and critical departures from the norm or "fashionable" worked itself into D&D's play-test and design, as I've noted elsewhere, and became a very important notation for me when considering how this now relates to the whole idea of design and thereby learned artistc processes of that time. In consideration of this ongoing impact, I feel that designers should look as hard at their sources for inspiration as many like myself have done: EGG was a prolific writer, inspired game designer, trenchant humorist, avid and informed critic, amateur artist, animated story teller, superlative editor, and the list goes on. But above all EGG was an outspoken individual, and that added continuous depth of expression to his designs. There was no middle ground as he always attempted to go beyond what was being presented. When faced with design hurdles he was not shy (that word does not figure into his make-up at all) to call upon the LGTSA members to discuss options, or to play-test an idea. When faced with creative challenges (as in his Alexander he Great board game) he advanced innovative system design. Throughout all of his creative phases his voice was heard and his opinions were felt loud and clear and were for the most part respected (except by certain fragile and sensitive egos); and he was highly regarded as a designer who pushed the limits of design.

Part of the reason why this played out so was in fact due to a non-competetive arrangement between us. We were not competing with one another but in fact contesting to see who could contribute to making whatever design was before us better. In essence no one then had any time to be offended or put off by all of the flurry of debate and criticisms and play-tests and the holistic parts that were constantly being interchanged. This wasn't outwardly about ego, though of course ego is vested in design at some level, but most certainly about creation and the creative ideal. As Dave Hickey points out in my recent video post, creators, especially truly unique ones, should be allowed to express their opinions in open discourse without somebody being offended. Creativity is about reaching outwards and beyond and that is done at a sustainable level which is as unique as the artist doing so.

When we were refining D&D through play-test--in fact when we play-tested and developed all games then--we were in DEEP and open discourse. Creativity and transformation cannot occur between others in closed discourse and every artist knows this. On the personal level I have always noted that strongly creative people have equally strong opinions. It is intrinsically part of their natures, or else they could not separate from a community standard and choose their own unique paths for expression. And if anyone believes that true creativity can aspire and grow and implant itself on one's doorstep and in their hearts, otherwise, they are mistaken. D&D separated from the wargames community and formed a totally new game concept and game type; and while doing so, it was at first ridiculed, misunderstood and often vilified. But its adherents stuck with it and proved that creative exceptionalism is the rule, not sameness.   What made RPG possible were select designers and play-testers who became responsible for the unlimited possibilities of human expression in a game where people, not standards, had recourse. In comparison, one cannot look at an artistic product because of this, and as Hickey noted in that video, again, and not see the artist or his kin. And in doing so, I might add, you cannot look at the best of these either without seeing, if only in some degree removed, what inspired that art, design, or writing.

Co-equal with that, certain art can be imitated, but artists cannot be. There will always be distinctions in this by their very acts, natures and beings; and more importantly, the fire of individual creation is not found in "grouping principles" but in standing away from said group and building one's own fire. Gary Gygax was, and still is, the prime example of outspoken individualism in our industry, and so too those whom he encouraged along such paths. It is a fundamental truth that an artist must have absolute freedom to be uniquely creative. This sometimes requires the interjections of others, but in the end, it most certainly requires that a true creator take his or her hammer and smash home the nail of self expression. Otherwise designers and writers adopt another's truth and with that lose their individual creativity and trim their capacity. And the latter in no way embraces what we--prior to and during the years of TSR--promoted while upon the unending search for creative exceptionalism.