A Wilderness of Mirrors table.

A table of Blood&Honor.

A table of Castle Ravenloft.

A table with a D&D map and minis.

A table of Dresden Files Fudge Dice. Merry Christmas!

A table of Chaos in the Old World.

An example that shows how language is important and that applies to almost any RPG is our need to label a particular element of our playable fiction with an appropriate word. This may refer to a character or a place, but also to an event, an item, a resource, a feeling, anything. Some of these may even have a name, but, if it is too generic, everyone will quickly forget it, making it useless as a label. A stranger can be described as a “silhouette” or a “man”. A place can be labeled as a “tavern” or an “inn”. An object can be referenced as a “book” or a “tome”. Usually, RPGs have a GM who creates these labels which are then picked up by the players. Depending on his choice of words, they will probably be approaching a silhouette rather than attacking it, for example. A GM controls the flow of information and how players react to it by choosing how best to label the important elements of the fiction. Players should be aware of this power and avoid misunderstandings by clarifying what the GM is trying to convey.

A table with tangerine cake and apple sauce.

A table of Glory to Rome!

A table of Dread (with chocolates).