Casting Shadows

If it is possible to have a perfect year for RPGaDay to be run, I imagine 2020 is that year – the year of perfect vision. Hopefully, our hindsight will be as accurate as our day to day sight, and they will conspire to improve our insight and foresight as well.

Dare to dream!

Some Background

Each year for the past few I have enjoyed collaborating with the Autocratik blog on his idea for a month-long celebration of all that we love about roleplaying games. Each year, the event grows and changes a little bit, and each year brings all sorts of surprises as responses come in from all over the globe in different languages, in different forms, and about different games.

Last year we shifted from providing full questions to single-word prompts. We did this for several reasons, not the least of which was to make it easier for people to participate in ways not dependent on text. While the typical response might be a blog post or tweet, the form of the response is not one of the few rules of #RPGaDay. You could submit a sketch, a dance, a photograph, or whatever other form of expression you are inspired to produce. In addition, we wanted a way to connect with gamers in a way that brought out the joys that they see in a way which could be interpreted even more widely and openly than the question format was able to do. The final big innovation of last year was to open things up to a more non-linear response style where participants could devise their own means of navigating the hex map design of the infographic. While most of us chose to respond in calendar order as we went through RPGaDay’s chosen month of August, some people shared a lot of fun meanderings through the hexes.

#RPGaDay2020

This year those changes are staying in place and are being joined not only by an alternate high-contrast version of the infographic and not only by alternate lists and suggestions for the prompts, but by a functional map in a classic style that can hopefully put a smile on a few faces, and help others chart a course through the prompts that works best for them. Keep your eyes peeled for the infographic map version’s release a little closer to August.

As July is upon us, it is time to put the infographic out there for people to start thinking about and beginning whatever preparations their form of response will require for August. While many of us take this on as part of an improvisational daily meditation on the hobby, others with vlogs, blogs, and podcasts, and those whose voice is not rooted in the spoken or written word need the time to get things in motion and keep things in motion for a month of daily responses.

Translations

Each year, some fantastic volunteers offer their services to present the prompts in their native languages so that more and more people from more and more places can get involved. As I type, translations into French, German, and Spanish have already been begun. If you have contributed before or speak a language that has not yet been made available, please contact us through the RPGaDay facebook page or send me a direct message via Twitter. A page of the prompts in pure text format with all of the available translations will be made available here and on the Autocratik blog as they come in, with credit to the translators, for all to use.

You said something about rules?

There are not many rules for an event like this, but there are some. This is an event about sharing our joy in gaming so the first rule is to be positive and share the things that you enjoy – not the things that you wish were different. There are many things wrong with many aspects of the industry side of gaming and with how people can treat each other in the social side of gaming. Voicing our thoughts about those is a year-long process. #RPGaDay is a month where we choose to remember and share the good things, for ourselves and for the newcomers.

The second rule is to tag all of your posts with the hashtag #RPGaDay2020 so that others can follow along as our responses appear through the month of August. A big part of sharing is that others are involved. The hashtag allows people we do not know, have never and perhaps will never meet, to get their ideas in front of your eyes and allows yours to appear before theirs. Like in the past, with a simple hashtag we can start a tidal wave of positive messages about items of gaming large and small, from different perspectives inside it and send it all around the world in an instant.

The third rule of #RPGaDay is to take note of the responses that others make. If you like something someone posts, share it. Leave a comment or give a signal of support. It is hard to post 31 days in a row if it feels like no one is looking. One of the most common complaints in gaming is that there is ‘no one to play with’ and that can coincide with the sense that there is ‘no one to talk to about the games that you like.’ That is a terrible feeling, and a simple like, or share can reveal that we are not as alone as we might think.

Participation

To participate, grab the infographic in whichever version you prefer (standard, contrast, map, text-only) and follow your inspiration with the prompt. Release your responses daily through the month of August and tag them with #RPGaDay2020.

Stay tuned~