This is a floating head illusion the wife and I made this year for Halloween. The head says a number of different things including a few “boo scare” moments. The below video is just a short sample.
There are a few nuances that could be improved, but overall we are very pleased with the results. Most of you XDM’s know how to do a version of this via your XDM book. For the insider details on how to add the visual effects, as well as tips on how to enhance the illusion overall- look for a secret post in the next week or two.
Today we learn about an old and fundamental law in the XDM world. You can find many elements of this law in the XDM book- including practical ways of invoking the law into your games. Here we will simply quantify it and express its importance in every game you will ever run, and every story you will ever tell.
It is known as “The Law of Questions”.
At the heart of one of the most important magic books ever written is this idea: “Thought provoked attention is INTEREST.” Those words were typed by Dariel Fitzkee- And he is dead on. Get your audience asking themselves logical questions about what is happening and why. Their search for answers will lead them to more questions. And down a path they will go. From one question to the next… sometimes getting answers sometimes only finding more questions. Sometimes leaving questions unanswered and letting the imagination fill the void. Each question they ask will invest them further into your story. The more they are invested in it, the more they will be interested in it.
To take this principle a little further let us learn from another Fitzkee adage: “The most interesting thing in the world to people, are people.” So while you should have questions regarding objects and places, the most important questions you can have your spectators ask are about characters. Their motivations, their history, their relationships, their nature and so on.
We mention in the book how good the show “Lost” can be at revelation and truth concealment. To better understand this we can watch J.J. Abrams himself talking (unknowingly) about the Law of Questions in a lecture known as “The Mystery Box”.
Again, to learn more on this idea and practical ways to explore “The Law of Questions” look to your XDM book.
Just a quick tip. If you have never used a Hand Flasher (aka- Funken Ring) before they can be an easy, safe and inexpensive way to add some sparks to your game. What you get is a small metal box that fits into the palm of your hand. The box contains a flint wheel and a set of gears. You wind it up, and anytime you want a burst of sparks- push the small button on the side. A quick shower of sparks will shoot out of small shaft from between your fingers. One way to get some more mileage out of this is to first color your Hand Flasher black with a marker. Also, completely remove the ring that’s attached to the gizmo. Once it’s ready, wind it up and place it into your pocket or wherever might be hidden and handy.
Now when you need the sparks reach for the device and clip it with your middle, ring, and pinky fingers. This leaves your index finger free to point and (when needed) your thumb free to press the button. Take care that you don’t expose the gimmick. Now touch with your index finger whatever you want to appear to flash. Once the sparks have flown you need to REACT. You have a ton of misdirection to now ditch the device… either in your lap (if you are seated) or back to the pocket from whence it came.
Now what’s this good for?
Let’s say you are using a whiteboard (or whatever your favorite way to show the lay of the adventure may be) the group goes into the room and springs a trap… SPARKS!
You could be acting out a NPC wizard reading from a spell book- and then…. SPARKS!
You could point at the nat-20 you just rolled… whoot- SPARKS!
You could be in an elevator with a group of strangers talking about how you hate riding in these things and then you go to press the button and… well you get the idea.
NOTE! These are still sparks and from sparks can come fire so as always we XDM grand masters take the stance of denying any and all credit for YOUR actions with such things. Including getting the crap kicked out of you from that one guy in the elevator who didn’t think that your prank was so funny. DO THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK!
One basic XDM concept is Practical Custom Remodeling (PCR). PCR’s basic concept is that instead of building something from the ground up, you start by taking something that already exists and ‘remodel’ it into something that fits your game or story world. If you want to build a custom car for a movie, for example, you can design and build it from the ground up but it is MUCH easier to take the chassis of a 1975 Chrysler, mount a modern engine and drive train from another Chrysler and then fit a custom body to it.
This is true also in terms of social systems in your world setting. Say you need an Order of Knighthood for your local collection of armored warriors. Now you COULD sit down and spend days trying to come up with their rules, codes of conduct, ranks, etc. … and you MIGHT come up with something that ALMOST works… but it is much faster, easier and ultimately more functional to simply research a few orders of knighthood that actually existed in our world, strip their rules, codes of conduct and ranks and ‘remodel’ them to custom fit your world. Furthermore, your new, shiny ‘Order of Knighthood’ will have the unseen foundational feel of ‘functional and true’ because the complex forces that shape the original order of knighthood are already built into the rules, codes of conduct and ranks which you just ripped off — read ‘borrowed’ — to make your own order of knighthood. That tremendous work has already been done for you by history … just stick your cool body on the old chassis and it WORKS.
PCR can also be used in terms of maps and locations. Castle Ravenloft was designed based on research into Bavarian castles like Schloss Neuschwanstein and Burg Eltz … which is why that castle feels so real. The streets of downtown Florence, Italy were purposefully designed as a crooked maze to foil invading armies … unless you have a player who grew up in downtown Florence why not completely rip off that map for a city in your game? Or any of the great European walled cities like Lucca, Italy. For that matter, a leisurely visit to Google Earth can take you to some fascinating terrain and coastlines which (interestingly enough) if you just rotate it a little somehow magically become completely unrecognizable, new and mystically otherworldly.
PCR requires research and, of course, work in the customizing … but the results are stunningly functional and built upon solid, working foundations. Welcome to chop shop custom design … XDM style.
Two of the concepts that came up during the Gencon presentation were the ideas of Optimum Gaming and Synergistic Gaming … both concepts were closely tied and gleaned from discovered from early Sanskrit XDM texts only recently unearthed in our basement archives.
Optimum Gaming was like the scene from ‘A Beautiful Mind’ where John Nash makes his discovery by starting with “if we all go for the blonde…” The basic principle there was that the best result was what was best for the individual AND the group. This might be requantified for XDM by saying ‘the optmum game is the game with the best results for each of the players AND the game itself.’ This would prevent the XDM from being a tyrant because his interest is outside himself … it is centered in the experience of the game.
The second concept was tied to it: Synergistic Gaming which will be dealt with in a separate post.
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