Somewhere, I heard a term of "Colonialist mindset game", which meant to highlight how in most games (both video and tabletop) we usually visit a location, loot it and scrap it of its resources, and then move onto the next location. In the same context there was a term of "Gardening mindset", where you're meant to tend to the same place, nourish and improve it, get to know it better, become kinda "intimate" with it. And I've always been interested in this "garden" style of play ever since.
I think it's a great idea to try and tap into this notion of "reusing" the same material, but in such a way that would provide more depth, more understanding, and, most importantly, more care for places that we visit in our games.
Because, at the end of the day, it's easier now than ever to generate a large number of locations and characters, but it's actually the depth and the connection that provides meaning and emotion to the interaction.
Do you know any more context on this "gardening mindset" vs. "colonialist mindset"? I'd like to read more about it and unfortunately those two terms only yield homesteading results on the old internet search.
I tried for this by trying a "garden" style campaign, ironically in a colony setting. The players were vikings that founded a colony to escape the ravages of a war their hometown was being dragged into against their will. They find this mysterious island and explore it - originally for treasure. But then they come home with some loot (which pays the levy the king asked for of their clansmen) and the idea to settle this island is born.
They not only visit the island again, it all constantly returns to their homebase - which itself keeps evolving and growing. When the players ended up allying with the orcs I had put into the north as an enemy for the settlement, my mind was blown (and my plans for an epic "defend the settlement" battle scrapped instantly). But this built relationships and places they could refer back to and gave them stakes of importance. In the end, still a lot of exploring and regular stuff took place, but since the homebase was theirs, it changed the vibe. Had I been better with NPCs, it would have been even more awesome. :)
Regarding your mentioning of ADOM - "Moonring" (free Ultima-Rogue-like) generates all its dungeons, it's quite impressive actually. It's a great game, rather unique.
Revisiting a place... I did this with the original 5e starter set once. I had experienced it as player, and then I put it into a campaign as an illusionary world the players were banished into. A side aspect was that one of the players was the original DM that had run the Lost Mine for us the first time. I explained to her as the player that she can use any knowledge she has about the adventure to her advantage that comes to her as a sort of past life knowledge.
The look on the faces of the players when I handed them new lv 1 character sheets alone was worth it! But it was also a lesson in how much people forget in the end and how tricky it is to act on knowledge. Also, their main goal was not beating the adventure, but figuring out the illusion and for her to spot clear deviations. (An inspiration I took from "The Sense of the Sleight-of-Hand Man: A Dreamlands Campaign for Call of Cthulhu" which I ran with limited success - still a treasure trove of a different CoC experience.)
Ah yes, one more thing comes to mind, a Lamentations of the Flame Princess adventure: "Thulian Echoes". You visit the dungeon multiple times, taking part in various expeditions with people from different times, and the progress you make in the past is a part of you clearing the dungeon at some point.
Another good variation on that is "Red Eye of Azathoth" for Call of Cthulhu. In this the whole group reincarnates. You're bound to die, pretty much, in each time period, but progressing farther in each separate episode has benefits for unraveling the overall mystery and helps you break this cycle of death and rebirth. While you do not revisit any physical location you kind of revisit the theme across multiple episodes and that also has an interesting impact.
Whatever RPG I'm running, I try incredibly hard to create campaigns that require revisiting a lot of the previous POIs and interacting with familiar NPCs. Even while the PCs must explore and investigate new areas and meet new NPCs, I prefer to GM in this manner. The mixture of new and known seem to make for a better narrative and player experience.
The only time this has not been the case was when I was a Keeper running Call of Cthulhu. Then, investigators tend to be keen on burning everything to the ground to save their Sanity and get away from whatever Mythos entity that was trying to suck it out of them. The only exception to this would be my good friend's scenario (The Legacy of Lombard House by Lee Wade). Perhaps because it was a campaign and not a one-shot the players preserved most of the locations. 😂
Somewhere, I heard a term of "Colonialist mindset game", which meant to highlight how in most games (both video and tabletop) we usually visit a location, loot it and scrap it of its resources, and then move onto the next location. In the same context there was a term of "Gardening mindset", where you're meant to tend to the same place, nourish and improve it, get to know it better, become kinda "intimate" with it. And I've always been interested in this "garden" style of play ever since.
I think it's a great idea to try and tap into this notion of "reusing" the same material, but in such a way that would provide more depth, more understanding, and, most importantly, more care for places that we visit in our games.
Because, at the end of the day, it's easier now than ever to generate a large number of locations and characters, but it's actually the depth and the connection that provides meaning and emotion to the interaction.
Do you know any more context on this "gardening mindset" vs. "colonialist mindset"? I'd like to read more about it and unfortunately those two terms only yield homesteading results on the old internet search.
Took me a little to remember where it was from.
There was a talk by Max Kreminski "Gardening as a Mode of Play", it's available on Roguelike Celebration YT channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvlZinAvpwg
I tried for this by trying a "garden" style campaign, ironically in a colony setting. The players were vikings that founded a colony to escape the ravages of a war their hometown was being dragged into against their will. They find this mysterious island and explore it - originally for treasure. But then they come home with some loot (which pays the levy the king asked for of their clansmen) and the idea to settle this island is born.
They not only visit the island again, it all constantly returns to their homebase - which itself keeps evolving and growing. When the players ended up allying with the orcs I had put into the north as an enemy for the settlement, my mind was blown (and my plans for an epic "defend the settlement" battle scrapped instantly). But this built relationships and places they could refer back to and gave them stakes of importance. In the end, still a lot of exploring and regular stuff took place, but since the homebase was theirs, it changed the vibe. Had I been better with NPCs, it would have been even more awesome. :)
Regarding your mentioning of ADOM - "Moonring" (free Ultima-Rogue-like) generates all its dungeons, it's quite impressive actually. It's a great game, rather unique.
Revisiting a place... I did this with the original 5e starter set once. I had experienced it as player, and then I put it into a campaign as an illusionary world the players were banished into. A side aspect was that one of the players was the original DM that had run the Lost Mine for us the first time. I explained to her as the player that she can use any knowledge she has about the adventure to her advantage that comes to her as a sort of past life knowledge.
The look on the faces of the players when I handed them new lv 1 character sheets alone was worth it! But it was also a lesson in how much people forget in the end and how tricky it is to act on knowledge. Also, their main goal was not beating the adventure, but figuring out the illusion and for her to spot clear deviations. (An inspiration I took from "The Sense of the Sleight-of-Hand Man: A Dreamlands Campaign for Call of Cthulhu" which I ran with limited success - still a treasure trove of a different CoC experience.)
Ah yes, one more thing comes to mind, a Lamentations of the Flame Princess adventure: "Thulian Echoes". You visit the dungeon multiple times, taking part in various expeditions with people from different times, and the progress you make in the past is a part of you clearing the dungeon at some point.
Another good variation on that is "Red Eye of Azathoth" for Call of Cthulhu. In this the whole group reincarnates. You're bound to die, pretty much, in each time period, but progressing farther in each separate episode has benefits for unraveling the overall mystery and helps you break this cycle of death and rebirth. While you do not revisit any physical location you kind of revisit the theme across multiple episodes and that also has an interesting impact.
Whatever RPG I'm running, I try incredibly hard to create campaigns that require revisiting a lot of the previous POIs and interacting with familiar NPCs. Even while the PCs must explore and investigate new areas and meet new NPCs, I prefer to GM in this manner. The mixture of new and known seem to make for a better narrative and player experience.
The only time this has not been the case was when I was a Keeper running Call of Cthulhu. Then, investigators tend to be keen on burning everything to the ground to save their Sanity and get away from whatever Mythos entity that was trying to suck it out of them. The only exception to this would be my good friend's scenario (The Legacy of Lombard House by Lee Wade). Perhaps because it was a campaign and not a one-shot the players preserved most of the locations. 😂