The future now
story games study play
So I'm back writing again, when expected to just taper off into silence, another project supposedly whimpering before it even generates income.
I first encountered story gaming with the fantasy roleplaying game of Dungeons and dragons, in my early teens. Ever since, I play solo by studying available given content, rather than through rare, costly premium purchases. DriveThruRPG is still my biggest current go-to for this.
That's right, I don't fit the stereotype of sit at a table full of papers and books and dice (or nowadays, just mobile devices), surrounded by a few people and we talk and talk for hours. Rather, I write out the best bits of the imaginative experience
Here I want to highlight what attracts me to Valent games and their pay-what-you-want (even download for free first!) Sufficiently advanced futuristic game system, as well as its optional Chronotech supplement.
Besides the usual science-fictional technology, I'm drawn to more unusual Metatech, influencing how people behave, e.g. politics at its simplest; Cognitech, how living things think, e.g. logic, maths, programming at its most basic; and Stringtech, the use of power around us, e.g. atomic energy for a start.
With the addition of time manipulation, Chronotech at its most essential is learning from past history, and shaping for predicted futures.
Of the Civilisations presented, I most prefer the Gaia harmonies of worlds, which with their pro-active interactions and thoughtful planning, lend well to intrinsic and enhanced Chronotech.
Professions I would play and analyse would involve media and research metatech, to begin in chronotech as analyst, then synthesist, fluctuator, and calmer, while overall maintaining good kismet (destiny) in my character's work.
I like to project my real tendencies and constraints into what I study-game. Therefore my future persona is only starter in other areas of biotech, nanotech, and stringtech.
What's the point of sharing my inner creative thoughts in summary like this, when chances are you have no interest or easy understanding of it? Well, if I don't try, then there's no hope of even drawing any interaction at all!