I noted the existence of the site based on a link on NWVault. Curious, I took a peek, read GNS and Other Matters of Roleplaying....even more curious, peeked around further....and am absolutely boggled by the sheer volume of text and material here.
Perhaps someone can point me in the right direction, posting links to important threads? I'd like to know what you guys are all about.
Heya,
Here's a link that I like: http://www.indie-rpgs.com/forum/index.php?topic=12181.0
You also might wan to check out Ben Lehman's blog. He's done several pieces on GNS theory. You might want to send him a comment or email asking where they all are exactly. But here's the web address: http://benlehman.blogspot.com/
Peace,
-Troy
You'd also do well to check out Vincent Baker's site, anyway (http://www.lumpley.com/toc.php?by=cats) (I've given you a link to the index of topics rather than the main page itself, which is currently full of cute baby pictures).
Oh, and, duh, the other articles (http://www.indie-rpgs.com/articles/) on this site, particularly the ones by Ron Edwards -- "GNS and other matters" is just the beginning, and the articles summarize a lot of the key theory worked out over years of threads.
Hi, Heka.
Welcome to the Forge!
As for what to read, it depends entirely on what you want out of the Forge. And what you want out of your gaming hobby. Are looking to understand why you game the way you do? Then the links Troy & Sydney provided up above are great places to start. Are you designing your own game? Then Indie RPG Design and Publishing (both accessible from the front page) will likely be more relevant for you.
Wow, Heka, your post is a Forgie's dream. We really, really like to tell people what threads to read. Some people would argue that telling people what threads to read is our stock in trade (but those people aren't very nice).
On the possibly faulty assumption that Hekatoncheires is a handle rather than a given name, do you have something more personal we can call you--like Sydney, Paul, Michael or Brendan?
As to what we're all about, that can be hard to find in the threads, exactly. Much of the Forge is devoted to making good games and playing them. Check out Polaris (http://www.tao-games.com/games_polaris.shtml), Dogs in the Vineyard (http://www.lumpley.com/games/dogsources.html), The Mountain Witch (http://www.timfire.com/MountainWitch.html), Sorcerer (http://www.sorcerer-rpg.com/brochure.php/sorcerer-intro.html), Primetime Adventures (http://www.dog-eared-designs.com/games.html) or The Shadow of Yesterday (http://www.anvilwerks.com/?The-Shadow-of-Yesterday)--among many others--to see some extraordinary examples of theory put into practice. (Most of those sites have links back to Forge threads, usually under Actual Play, and their own forums.)
Hi Heka,
If you haven't already, make sure you look at the sticky posts at the top of this forum (site discussion):
Etiquette at The Forge (policy) (http://www.indie-rpgs.com/forum/index.php?topic=1604.0)
On Charitable Reading (http://www.indie-rpgs.com/forum/index.php?topic=13096.0)
The Infamous Five (http://www.indie-rpgs.com/forum/index.php?topic=9782.0)
Charles