What is the Essence of Tabletop RPGs?

An Aristotelian Theory of RPG Design

Today at Arbiter of Worlds, I present my Aristotelian theory of tabletop RPG game design. This will doubtless be controversial because it’s highly prescriptivist and essentialist. And also because I refer to certain types of gamers as bitches… Um, enjoy!

If you enjoyed last week’s sneak preview of the ACKS II cover, this week I’m pleased to share a revised version with the game title and logo. My gratitude to the Discordians who offered their feedback and suggestions.

Despite the distractions of YouTube and Twitter, work continues to progress nicely on the upcoming ACKS Imperial Imprint (ACKS II), which is being re-designed to make full use of the techniques for agency-focused sandbox gaming that I describe in Arbiter of Worlds. My hope is that if you’re a GM who has found my blog or YT channel useful, you’re going to find ACKS II to be your taste. ACKS II will be crowdfunding this summer, with sneak previews on my Patreon including complete drafts for King-tier and above.

That’s all for now — Don’t forget to subscribe to the YouTube channel, then head over to the links below for others ways to get involved in my recently-declared Simulationist culture movement. If you’re already a fan, be kind and spread the word!

• Autarch Discord with the smartest, nicest gamers around

• ACKS Patreon with sneak previews of ACKS II every month

• Ascendant Patreon with a new character and story hook every month

• Autarch Facebook page with news and updates about our projects

• Autarch Twitter channel with brief comments and witty quirks

• Ascendant Comics Facebook page with sneak previews of the upcoming comics

• Ascendant Comics Instagram page with tons of art and cosplay

• Ascendant Comics Twitter channel with short messages and quirky wit

• ACKS Forums with discussion for the game

• Ascendant Forums with FAQ and Errata for the game

Thanks for reading Arbiter of Worlds!