Following on from the earlier posts about my new GURPS Space game universe, I wanted to pause and think a little bit more about Methodology. Sitting alongside the World and the Rules of a game, this latter element is often invisible to gamers because they simply assume that it’s the same as using the Rules.

Methodology speaks to how we will run our games. Because I want to embrace and develop my skills with improvisational GMing, I’m going to begin with a loose framework – the aforementioned ‘sandbox’ – and seek to fill it through a creative process that puts a premium on what gets revealed at the gaming table through the interactions I have with the players. In other words, what we discover through play is of prime value.

That being said, I am not a fan of working without a plan. In my own play, I prefer the conceit that the World of the game exists “out there” and it is the GM who acts as the doorway into that secondary reality. This means that elements of the Universe, such as people and places, exist prior to play. Thus, I will begin by laying out an initial sector star map and populating it with worlds. I intend to leave considerable “white space” around the edges so that details can be revealed through play.

Tied to this method is the idea that I will be preparing between sessions and adding to the canvas of the game Universe. Thus, as the players penetrate the physical landscape of map they will discover what lies “out there”. I’ll be aiming to operate just a little ahead of them to sketch in people, places, things, and situations for them to discover. To help me with decision-making, I’m going to lean into the pre-existent nature of things by using some tools from solo play.

Sometimes I have a cool idea for something to add to the game. Often, those ideas seem to naturally fit with the already established facts of the World. Sometimes, however, something sounds cool but I experience uncertainty about the wisdom of adding it to the game. Uncertainty triggers anxiety for me so, over the past year or so, I’ve discovered that utilising the Mythic GM Emulator Deck helps me overcome decision paralysis. In short, I ask a Yes/No question, set the odds, and draw a card.

On top of this, I’ve found that building and utilising encounter tables has helped me to emulate a sense of a living World in which unexpected events arise. In this SF universe, I intend to provide tools such as these to handle stuff like animal encounters, space travel events, and even potential patron offers. These tools provide me with some emergent surprise at the table and enrich my experience as the GM. One of the approaches I’ll be taking to enrich the setting will be to Tiny Prep quick ideas and then see which stuff turns out to be part of the game’s worlds.

The last and perhaps most important part of my methodology will be to provide the basis for heightened in-character roleplaying – that is, imagining oneself in the role of the character and acting as-if you are really that person within the game universe. While I personally might hope for a high-degree of Rules opacity, a technique I know to enhance this experience, most players are more comfortable with a regular relationship with the Rules. I just want to bear in mind that should a group seek to try that approach, I want to be able to provide it so this means minimising the Rules load in play.

Game on!