Setting the Table

Heya,

So let’s talk about how this blog and how I plan to use it. The title of it “Socratic Design” gives away some of the premise. One of my favorite websites, dictionary.com, defines the Socratic Method as: “A pedagogical technique in which a teacher does not give information directly but instead asks a series of questions, with the result that the student comes either to the desired knowledge by answering the questions or to a deeper awareness of the limits of knowledge.”

I don’t presume to call myself a teacher when it comes to RPGs, but I do believe the method may have some uses for RPG design. It’s my hope that through questioning our preconceptions, our theories, our own designs, and the old way of doing things, we will come to a greater understanding of how to design better games.

Each post I make will be centered around a question or series of questions. Sometimes I’ll provide what I think might be an answer. Sometimes I won’t. And just because I submit an answer does not mean that the discussion is over. Far from it. The discussion has just begun!

Also from time to time, I may use this as a sounding board for my own designs. Obviously that will entail questions, many questions. But it will give us a few games to talk about and see how this whole Socratic Method of Design will work.

The first few posts I make will be rehashes of stuff I posted on The Forge. That will help build a foundation for all of us to work from. Don’t know when that will come, tho. I will be happily married to the beautiful Miss Rebecca Scott in three days in Kona, Hawaii. So until then, take care of each other :)

Peace,

-Troy