Creative Compentencies

I was a little worried today.  I've been struggling to come up with a good topic for the ole' blog.  I wasn't feeling creative.  The well was a dry so to speak, and then I had an ah ha moment.  I decided to discuss creativity.  Some people say you're either born creative, or your not.  I disagree.  I think creativity is a skill and just like any other skill it can be developed.

A couple of years ago I read an article in Scientific American Mind about creativity.  It was titled, "Let Your Creativity Soar".  If you can find a copy I urge you to give it a read.  It discusses creative competencies you can develop, and will in turn help you be more creative.

The competencies, or proficiencies, it discusses are as follows, capturing, challenging, broadening, and surrounding.

Capturing:  Preserving new ideas as the occur to you and doing so without judging them.*

To accomplish this you always should have a small notebook, and a writing implement with you.  You could also use a small voice recorder, or in some cases your camera.  You never know when a great, new idea for your next game session is going to occur to you, and if you don't write it down, you might not remember it later.  Come on now!  Everyone knows this happens to them at some point or another.Remember don't judge the idea either.  Record the idea first, and evaluate later.

Leonardo da Vinci was a habitual record keeper.  His notebooks comprise about 13,000 pages of drawings and notes.

I usually keep a word processor window open when I'm working on the computer, so if I think of something I can switch over, and record it.  If you do this, don't get complacent like I did.  Back up your work, not once, but twice.  I believe three times is best.  And to be really safe, one copy should be off site.

Challenging:  This is giving yourself tough problems to solve. In tough situations, multiple behaviors compete with one another, and their interconnections create new behaviors and ideas.*

This came up tonight when I couldn't think up a blog topic.  Because I challenged myself at the beginning of December to write a post every single day of the month I knew I had to challenge myself to write the post.  So I just started writing, and then came up with the idea for this post.

An interesting thing to note is that, although Leonardo da Vinci was a great painter only about 15 of his paintings survive.  This is due in part because he was always experimenting with new techniques, sometimes with disastrous results.  If this isn't challenging yourself I don't know what is.

Broadening:  The more diverse your knowledge, the more interesting the interconnections - so you can boost creativity by learning interesting new things.*  Remember diversified knowledge can be very synergistic.

If your main hobby is gaming, maybe it's in one particular genre or style.  If you primarily play fantasy RPGs, then maybe you should try some science fiction role playing.  Even better yet, try something completely different.  Head down to the local science museum, ( don't forget your notebook or even your camera! ) and just enjoy browsing the exhibits.  You never now when looking at something will spark an idea.  I like to think this how the idea for the movie "Night At The Museum" came about.  I can imagine the writer thinking, "Hhhmmm... wouldn't it be cool if everything came to life at night, here at the museum?"

Leonardo da Vinci is a great example of "broadening" one's self.  Some consider him the archetype of the Renaissance Man.  He had an interest in many arts and sciences, and could be considered the most diversely talented man to ever have lived.

Surrounding:  The more interesting and diverse the things and people around you are, the more interesting your ideas become.*

I'm something of a habitual collector.  I'm not quite a hoarder, but I have to be careful.  My shelves have lots of weird nick knacks on them.  One in particular is a toy crocodile with it's jaws open.  In the jaws I placed a rubber eyeball.  Heh... it makes me laugh every time I look at it, and you never know, one day it might spark an idea.

Yeah, da Vinci did this also.

A few more things about developing your creativity.  One, do not fear rejection, and don't let criticism stop you from expressing your ideas.  Also, do not fear the blank page, or blank computer screen as the case may be...  This was advice given to me by an artist at a convention years ago, and it's really good advice.  Mistakes aren't the end of the world.  Learn from them, and move on.

I give a workshop at a local con about publishing/creating mini-comics.  Whoever wants to draw a page is welcome to create.  At the start I always give the the one rule, and that is that there are no rules in this workshop.  Draw the way you want to draw.  This should be the same with the gaming hobby.  You want to write a module, who says it has to be in a dungeon, or castle, cave, sewer, or whatever?  Break the rules.  Make your adventure in a giant tree house, or in an Escher style dungeon.  Hhhhhmmm... that may have been done before.  Well, you get the idea.

One of the things I do is not limit myself to just the geeky forms of entertainment.  I read all kinds of books, and watch all kinds of movies.  Yes, I really enjoy science fiction, fantasy, and horror, but there are a lot of great movies and books you could enjoy.  If you haven't read the book, or watched the movie of "To Kill A Mockingbird"  I highly recommend both.  Will it help with your gaming?  Either as a player, game master, or designer?  Who knows?  You might be surprised.

*Scientific American Mind, June/July 2008. "Let Your Creativity Soar", Pp 24-31

Creativity, the Blogosphere, and You

I was reading a blog entry on JoetheLawyers blog, JoetheLawyer's Wonderous Imaginings , about how he felt he didn't contribute to the gaming community in the form of anything creative.  Here's my reponse:

I think amost everyone who writes in the blogosphere of gaming has something to contribute, and believe it or not, sometimes the most mundane thing can create a creative spark in someone. So just because you're not creating a new monster, magic item, or NPC every week doesn't mean you're not "in the game."

As far as being creative, whether it's fiction, making stuff up, art, whatever, the best piece of advice I ever received was, "Do not fear the blank page." Or blinking curser in this case.

There's a lot of great advice online about being creative, and yes it is a skill that can be developed. Yes, some people come to it naturally, but you can get more creative. It's truly a worthwhile skill to develop. Just keep at it. Remember to write the ideas down as the come to you, no matter where you are. If you don't, you will forget. A small, cheap notebook is all you need, nothing fancy. I found the more I pay for a notebook the less likely I will use it! ( Like the Moleskines. )

I look forward to seeing what you come up with!

Zanazaz ( Is thinking I need to copy this for my blog post tonight... )

Okay, so I'm being lazy, and using this as a post, but I feel it has merit, and that ANYONE can be creative if they just try.  Get out from in front of the television, or in some cases the computer, and create.  Sometimes being a little creative will snowball into more creativity, and it becomes easier over time to be creative.

Word Verification NPC, A Creativity Exercise

Word Verification NPC, this idea came to me after I posted a comment to someone's blog, and because I have such lousy bandwidth, it takes a little while for the word verification gump to pop up. In that short time, I was wondering if it might give me a good idea for a NPC name. I thought... naw, probably not...

Well, the word that popped up was ovadimp. Hhhmmm... a little weird, but I like weird; especially in the right setting, but then I guess it wouldn't be weird? I could work with it. In fact, this became a creativity exercise, and a chance to roll some dice. ( As well as write a blog post... )

I've been working on a Mutant Futures module/scenario for conventions.  Mutant Futures is a retro-clone of Gamma World that is published by Goblinoid Games.  So I envisioned Ovadimp as a mutated Duck-billed Platypus . Then the creative floodgates opened up. Of course, if I create Ovadimp using the Mutant Future rules, and randomly generate his mutations, there's no telling what he might end up looking like. His eyes might be on the end of long stalks and he could be covered in exploding warts! Well, okay no exploding warts mutations in MF, but he might just turn out odd. However, I decided to give randomness a shot anyway. Here is the result...

Ovadimp ( A Mutated Duck-billed Platypus ) Alignment: Neutral

First I rolled his characteristics: 8 Strength, 10 dexterity, 10 Constitution, 9 Intelligence, 8 Willpower, 8 Charisma. I rolled straight 3d6 in the order that the characteristics appear in the rulebook. I also went ahead and gave him a Neutral alignment.

Poor Ovadimp. He's so average. Next, on to the mutations!

Ovadimp is a mutated animal, so he gets one free natural weapon. I decide on claws, and roll a d8 for the amount of damage the claws can inflict, he ends being able to do 1d6 of damage with his claws. I know that the platypus has a venomous spur on it's hind feet, but Ovadimp doesn't have those. I decided it was a free mutation, since it doesn't help or hurt him, not to have them.  I don't think it actually helps real platypuses either.  However, other mutated platypuses might have them.

Next, I rolled for the number of mutations, and had a bit of luck. ( I think... ) Ovadimp has 4 physical mutations, and 4 mental mutations.

The first one rolled was Natural Armor, I rolled another d6 to determine if it was moderate or extreme. Ovadimp ended up with Moderate Natural Armor, which gives him a natural AC of 6. This actually makes some sense, because a platypus has fur.  So Ovadimp has extra thick fur.  The next wasn't a beneficial mutation, but wasn't that bad. Ovadimp has a Pituitary Deformation, which is unnatural aging. Can anyone really tell how old a platypus is anyway? He also ended up with a Sensory Deficiency, so I rolled and ended up with deafness. It was 50/50 either blindness or deafness.  The last roll was for an Increased Physical Attribute! I roll once again to determine which attribute, and get Strength. It gives Ovadimp an extra +3d6 damage in hand to hand combat. You do not want Ovadimp to use his claws on you!  He would do a total of 4d6 in hand to hand combat damage using his claws.  Not bad...

Next up, mental mutations. The first was Metaconcert, here is it's description straight from the rulebook.

Metaconcert
This ability allows the mutant to link its mind with other mutants of a similar type or those who have the same mental mutation. These include those with the Metaconcert mutation, or other mental mutations that facilitate control between the minds of two beings. The mutant may combine his WIL with the WIL of other mutants for conducting a mental attack, or some other joint

Eh, guess it might be handy. Unfortunately, the next mutation was Weak Will. Poor Ovadimp's Willpower gets reduced to 3. That's not going to help much with Metaconcert. His next one was Density Alteration ( Others ).  Cool, sort of, doesn't help him much, and he doesn't have many friends due to the last mutation he rolls up. The next one was Force Screen, which allows him to take an extra +5d6 hit points worth of damage once a day. Finally, Ovadimp gets a break. He ends up with a Vampiric Field, with a 33' foot radius. It would have had a 38' radius, but his Weak Will nixed that... Ovadimp can absorb 2d4 hit points a round from all creatures within the radius, which goes into a separate pool of hit points. Very handy, but since he is Neutral and mainly looks after himself, others don't like to hang around him, especially considering his Vampiric Field!  Not even his own kind.  Anyway, these extra hit points disappear after 24 hours.  So with his Force Screen, and Vampiric Field he might be a tough platypus, but with a Weak Will, Ovadimp is probably easy to boss around.  Oh well...

That's not how I really envisioned Ovadimp, but as a player I think I could work with this. For the scenario I'm writing he's going to be different. My original concept for Ovadimp, included the fact that he had a techno-fetish, and coveted gadgets. So if I create him for the scenario he will have mutations beneficial to figuring out technology. I've already decided that in my Mutant Futures campaign there is a whole race of mutated Platypuses. Unfortunately, they are hunted because of their protective fur, and the eggs are tasty too!

I also want to make a fantasy version of Ovadimp, and a few other genres. I even found a mini! It's produced by Reaper Miniatures, and even though it seems a bit pricey; it goes on the list. Too bad they don't have a post-apocolyptic platypod, perhaps one with a plasma rifle?  And a few photon grenades...

Ovadimp the Mighty Wizard!

A Reaper Mini sculpted by Jason Wiebe.

Of course this miniature wouldn't really work that well with MF, but it's cool for a wizardly Ovadimp! This was fun. I haven't rolled up a character in a long time. The next creative exercise is Security Phrase Adventure Hook!  Which will be coming... soooooooooooooon! So, until next time, keep rolling those dice!

A Rainy Sunday...

It was a rainy Sunday so I spent most of the afternoon, and evening wandering the world wide web in search of gaming blogs. I was also on the hunt for a freeware mapping program. I finally found a site that wasn't "corrupted" or something, and downloaded Dungeon Crafter 3. I experimented with it a short time, and like it so far. Not really great for anything but floor plans, but I'm happy with what it can do. I know the program has been out a couple of years but it's new to me. I also found Dungeonforge, but it's downloading as I write this ( I'm multi-tasking ), and probably will play around with it tomorrow. I also plan on comparing the two for a review; a Dungeon Crafter 3 versus Dungeonforge article.

Speaking of maps, I was looking through a storage box for something, and I found an old map I had made as a prop for my Rolemaster campaign. I drew the map on parchment paper; then I aged it a bit, crumpled it, and even scorched the edges a bit with a lighter.  I then later photocopied it so I could make notes about what was in the dungeon, and be able to give the map to the players.  ( I thought it would save time mapping.  They wanted very accurate maps... )

Here is the map:

It looks like part of the northwest corner is missing!  I apparently tore it off, or the years of getting packed and repacked haven't been kind to the map.  I may make another copy, then age and distress it even more.  Perhaps add some odd markings, runes or something.  Maybe a blood spot or two...

It's not that big, and not all that impressive, but it was an effective prop for the players, and made my life a little easier.  Once I start gaming again, I plan on using more props.

A word on creativity...

If you get the chance check out the blog,  A Hamsterish Hoard of Dungeons and Dragons  , the blogger in one of their many great posts describes different kinds of unusual metals. I thought they were very original, and while I may never use those in a campaign; I may eventually create some of my own odd and unusual substances for a campaign.  Here is the description of one of the metals...

Pashken: Dull, almost pewter grey in colour, this metal is strong enough to be made into weaponry but is not recommended for armour. It is riddled through with a strange absorbent quality to its substance; a pashken sword, for example, will absorb as much as a flask of any fluid applied to it. Impact will cause the fluid to be expelled.

Imagine a dagger made from Pashken.  It could be dipped in venom, poison, or maybe even acid, and as long as it was handled carefully the next blow would deliver not only a nasty wound, but also quite a surprise!


This is one of the reasons I have started to peruse the many blogs, and websites about role-playing games. Reading what all these different GMs create is very synergistic. It really helps to jump start my creativity.  If you ever feel yourself in a creative slump it helps to see what other people are doing.

Memories

While I was searching for whatever I was searching for ( I have already forgetten! ); I found a blast from the past.  The convention program book from Origins 84!  I'm surprised I still had it, and flipped through it.  It was mainly advertisments, with a few interesting things which I may write about later.  Now, if I can just find my Crown Royal bag of dice...

Origins was a national gaming convention, and at one point apparently, an international gaming convention.  Now I believe it is called Origins Game Fair, and mainly held in Columbus, Ohio.  About the only thing I remember about this convention is that I forgot to mail in the early registration packet for me and a friend.  UGH!  When I told him about my mistake on the first day of the convention he was, to put it mildly, a little ticked off.  At least he was until we saw the line for early registration.  It was much longer than the line for people buying their ticket that day.  We were lucky, we speed through the line, and was in the convention so much faster than anyone who had pre-registered.  And if I recall correctly we got to play in all the games we wanted to.  One worry was that the slots may have filled up, but that wasn't the case.  Bwahahahahahaha!  I was soooooooo lucky...

Time for me to sign off for now.  Keep on gaming!