I don’t know, but today’s blog post may be very similar to The YouTube video. Then again maybe not.

What I do know is that space is very important. This is a hobby that is built upon imagination. It’s not a passive spectator sport. At least in my experience a large amount of the phenomenon occurs within our own heads. But unlike daydreaming its not private. We share some of the products of our imagination with each other. The fiction that emerges before our very eyes is a mixture of our own imaginings and the elements inserted by the other players at the table.

That said, if we were all able to project what we imagine things to look like so that the other players can see them, we would find that we are all imagining something slightly different. This isn’t necessarily a problem as long as we all agree upon certain key or salient points. After all, it is possible that we may be having an experience stepping into the shoes of our own individual character, or of the nonplayer characters we may be running, and so of course we would see things differently.

However, this can only happen if we leave each other space. Space to fill in the gaps with our imagination. Spaces in our descriptions and narrations. By presenting just enough detail in the right places, and letting each other color in between the lines with our own imaginations.

Likewise, it’s important to leave each other space as the game goes on. It’s natural at first to feel as if we must fill in all of the available space as a game master. This is something we learn to let go of over time. But just like the spaces between the notes are just as important as the notes themselves in music, leaving pauses when we speak to allow others to talk, to act, to jump in and play! This is just as crucial to the RPG experience.

By allowing each other space we set the stage for amazing things to happen. After all, isn’t that what we are here for?