RPGaDay 2025 #9 Inspire

Inspiration is always very difficult for me. In spite of the fact that I do things for fun that are considered very imaginative, I don't have the same experiences that other people seem to. I've often heard that people enjoy reading because they get to imagine the story in their heads. I love reading and stories, but I don't imagine the stories. I simply read and enjoy them. I enjoy science fiction and mysteries because the narratives offer logic and challenge. From what I've read, it's something called "aphantasia" that seems to describe some of my experience.

When I get an idea, it often starts as a piece of logic. "If NORAD really were able to track Santa, what would happen if Santa was prevented from completing his annual rounds?" I recently backed Sine Nomine's Ashes Without Number Kickstarter, so as I've been spitballing a setting for it, my logic has come from "What would a post-apocalyptic version of my hometown look like?" That's been an interesting exercise.

It's another reason that random generators are great for me. Without inspiration of my own, a random generator gives me a starting point and interesting juxtapositions to try to make sense of.

It may not be anyone else's idea of creativity, but it works for me.