Chaos Theory - I find the entire idea of "sensitive dependence on initial conditions," of tiny, even undetectable changes producing wildly varying end states, and the idea that while each individual change-to-result is unpredictable, the set of all possible paths is intricately patterned, to be both elegant and philosophically very satisfying.
Conspiracy Theory - I love the whole idea of the "alternative why," of plausible explanations for the state of things that are at odds with the conventional wisdom. It's the sociological equivalent of the ideas that are at the root of shows like "connections" and "The Engines of our Ingenuity". Besides, the wackier the rad-righters and theocons become, the more believable the conspiracy theorists get - as someone once said, "Last year's conspiracy theory has become today's plausible explanation."
Worldbuilding - the greatest joy I get from GMing is getting to design a universe for the PCs to explore in. I'm not a great writer of plots; in fact, I tend to throw random plotbunnies at players until they take up the hunt against one, and then let them do most of the writing, with me essentially being reactive. But I can do that because I know the world they're running amok in; I know its places, its people, its cultures, and its geography well enough that I know what the natural reactions would be to the players taking whatever action. And its that design work that I think is my greatest strength as a GM.
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Date: 2006-03-17 09:26 pm (UTC)Conspiracy Theory - I love the whole idea of the "alternative why," of plausible explanations for the state of things that are at odds with the conventional wisdom. It's the sociological equivalent of the ideas that are at the root of shows like "connections" and "The Engines of our Ingenuity". Besides, the wackier the rad-righters and theocons become, the more believable the conspiracy theorists get - as someone once said, "Last year's conspiracy theory has become today's plausible explanation."
Worldbuilding - the greatest joy I get from GMing is getting to design a universe for the PCs to explore in. I'm not a great writer of plots; in fact, I tend to throw random plotbunnies at players until they take up the hunt against one, and then let them do most of the writing, with me essentially being reactive. But I can do that because I know the world they're running amok in; I know its places, its people, its cultures, and its geography well enough that I know what the natural reactions would be to the players taking whatever action. And its that design work that I think is my greatest strength as a GM.