World of Orenda

Author notes

“Lapsus Memoriae”

oachambers

on June 5, 2007

So after the Monty Haul allure was gone from D&D, what was left? People.

When done well, D&D can be a laboratory for interpersonal relationships and character development. Unlike life, you get to pick what you want to be. Tired of eating spaghetti-os in front of the TV and being ignored by girls because you’re a bagger in the supermarket? What if you were a big strong warrior with a sword? How would you act then? Would you be noble and protect the weak? Would you push people around like you get pushed around every day? Or try being a wise wizard, or a crafty thief. Who would you be then?

Now let’s stick you in a group of people you may or may not know in real life. Let’s give you some problems to solve that are totally unlike bagging groceries. How do you work with those other people? Are you a leader, a follower, or a troublemaker? How do you solve those problems? Do you think them through, or do you charge in and bust some heads? It’s your call.

It’s also about growth. How will your relationships with your comrades change over time? Do they deepen and become more trusting, or are they stagnant? Add to this a mechanic to describe actual character growth. You might be a potato farmer with a sword today, but someday you’ll be rich and famous. What choices will you make along the way? Will you be someone else, or will you still be a potato farmer?
It’s a game, with rules and goals, but by definition it’s also about interpersonal relationships. That’s what interests me about D&D now, and about writing in general for that matter. Next time, an inspiration from fiction in this vein.
-Allan