Scenario building as scenario building
Jamais Cascio reveals futurism's secret: dungeon-mastering Dungeons and Dragons helps you build futures scenarios. It makes all kinds of sense. The scenario-runner is both situations aggregates and creates a stack of materials, manages the social interactions of participants, deals with eventualities.
Via IM Steven Kaye points out to me that running a game is no guarantor of being a fine futurist. Quite true. Think of the experience as a dojo for futurists, a field for learning, rather than an automatic sign of achievement.
If it's confessions time, I admit that running Call of Cthulhu campaigns is my gaming inspiration. It has the underground nature of D+D, plus madness. And books.
"Think of the experience as a dojo for futurists..."
Love that!
Posted by: Jamais Cascio | April 19, 2008 at 17:10
Kaye has the correct of it: it's good practice, but no guarantee. Your "dojo for futurists" phrasing I find excellent.
Posted by: Steve B | April 19, 2008 at 17:45
Cool! It only makes sense - since D&D and futures scenarios have a common ancestor in RAND-style simulations from the Cold War era.
(Call of Cthulhu was my game for years too.)
Posted by: Rob MacD | April 19, 2008 at 21:42