A Slow Circle

Why do we teach history? This question may seem obvious but in light of recent scaling back of history and humanities programs  it bears consideration. Others have answered this question more deeply but I will provide a few reasons of my own before discussing how roleplaying fits in.  History helps us understand where we came from and why things are the way are now. These origin stories help give context to our understanding of modern life. The origin of history is basically just memory and stories. History teaches cause and effect , or at least provides data on correlations. We can look at how all sort of historical events have panned out over time and use that information to help inform our decisions about the future. History as an academic subject stems from this 'leadership training' approach.  History trains us to decide what is true and what is important . Every historian, student or even reader of history must make decisions about what to include or exclude an...

     I have long been fascinated with the idea of domain play and games in which players can make an impact on the world, not simply act as the main characters in a movie. What happens when the movie is over? How will the characters be remembered when they are gone? Who will remember them? As a GM I hope to provide the players with an experience in meaning making that allows them to build a legacy.     In order to have a game in which it is possible for players to affect history greater detail and care are required in worldbuilding. For players to feel the weight of their actions and receive a feeling of true accomplishment, the world needs to exist in as tangible a sense as possible. This kind of a game requires not only detail, but verisimilitude and objective systems. Players need to know that their actions will succeed or fail based on the objective rules of the imagined world rather than the whims of an idle god (or GM).     I have for several yea...

Peasants threshing wheat in breeches and tunics (from the  Maciejowski Bible) https://www.medievalists.net/2018/06/underwear-in-the-middle-ages/ I was inspired for this post reading  A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry on Clothes: How Did They Make It?  . Brett Devereaux goes into depth in a four-part series on how fabrics were made and who made them. For anyone interested in realistic worldbuilding or history more generally, the blog is invaluable.                                                                                       https://www.publicecology.de/journal/good-old-linen Given that most RPG clothing conversation consists of either a series of uniforms (priestly robes, noble finery) or purely as a determinant of armor cla...