After reading Little Wars (1913) and Floor Games (1912) by H.G. Wells, the key take-away for me was that the play he describes is far more tangible and light-hearted than mine. His descriptions of the “Cities” game and the “Battle of Hook’s Farm” are highly evocative, formed as they are from games played with tangible pieces.

There is something intangible about roleplaying in the theatre of the mind. On the one hand, the imagination is rich and vibrant, allowing a clear vision of an alternate reality. On the other hand, it is temporal and extremely difficult to grasp. It’s all in my head and the power I have to communicate it is limited to the words I choose.

Perhaps there is value in making the intangible imagination more tangible through the use of art, miniatures, models, and other props. Certainly the use of miniatures and maps for battles can bring alive the scene, but there is also the fact that physical things make the imagination more accessible.

When we started out, we used models and miniatures to bring alive the games we played. It wasn’t always very pretty but it was tangible. Perhaps part of the disappointment I feel at the table arises from the limitations I feel when trying to evoke the world I am envisioning.

In the moment of play, it seems to me, there is an opportunity to manipulate the toy and bring it to life with the imagination.

Game on!