Absolute sod all about the practical mechanics of the games. Nothing about using words, nothing about scripting, nothing about what to put in a self-made module or in which order.

There are techniques for professional writers. You can get books like How To Write Romantic Fiction / Thrillers / Murder Mystery. How To Write A Hollywood Script. Write A Blockbuster.

I have rarely seen articles like this for gamers. No doubt game publishers have written guidelines for writers and writers have developed their own techniques. If you know of any, in print or on a websight, please let me know. The only fanzine I know of that dealt with RPGs in a literate, narrative viewpoint is the classic imazine (pronounced "I'm-a-zine"). Its editor Paul Mason is now in Japan and has started publishing it again on the internet.

And yet, RPGs are made entirely of words. OK, you have figures, floor plans, maps, pictures, sound effects even. But the basic tool of RPGs are words, for GMs and players, and anything you can do to improve your handling of words will improve your gaming.

So here is some stuff about wordplay. Please, read on.

Firstly, get yourself a Thesaurus. Originally created by Peter Roget more than a century ago, it an essential reference book, as vital as a dictionary. Try to find an old edition, since a modern edition will have too few old words and too many modern words. And you want it for the words you don't yet know. Yes, you have a PC since you are reading this on the Internet, and no doubt you have a word processor or DT Publisher and that has a spell-checker and Thesaurus. But please try to get a book. You can find cheap editions everywhere.

Read your Thesaurus. Browse through it and read the blocks of words. Consider the groupings; Form, Amorphism, Symmetry, Distortion, Angularity, Curvature and so on. Let the play of words flow into your game play.

When you are writing an adventure, or reading a module, use the Thesaurus to provide alternatives, new words will produce new ideas. Build on those ideas, or simply generate incidents from simple mixtures of words.

The players are travelling down a road. They find a rope lying on the ground. But what if it wasn't a rope? What if they find a chain? A broken chain, what did it hold? Prisoners, an animal? Or what if it was a giant chain, with rings the size of bracelets? Or a chain of glass? Who would make a glass chain and then lose it? Or a ceremonial chain of office? They take it to the next town and try to sell it, only to discover it was stolen from the Mayor and they're arrested as thieves.

I look up chain in my Thesaurus and I find anchor. Ok, they find a chain and on the end they find an anchor. A ship's anchor in a country lane? Maybe from a sky-ship, a balloon. Maybe from a naval ship, maybe they follow the chain to find a ship, crashed in the woods. How did it get there? A tornado, or a magic spell transported it? Is there anybody aboard? Cargo, a treasure map? A bunch of sailors from another land, wanting to get home? A Captain with the promise of reward for your help? Look up captain... For Captain, read skipper, leader, dictator, prince, duke, admiral, judge. A ship commanded by a Judge? A floating law court?

Secondly, start writing your own lists of words. This thought lead me to write STAGEFIGHT, about using locations to generate stories. But sticking here for a moment, at the back of the old AD&D DM's guide are various appendices, including tables for generating dungeons, conjured animals etc. Lists, lists of words, food, jewellery, furniture, sounds. I don't know if the books still have those lists, but take time to build up your own pages, with blocks of similar, related words, your own RPG-style Thesaurus. Do not just copy the Thesaurus. By making your own lists, your will work the words through your mind and consider the possible meanings.

Enough of the preaching already. Here is a small example from my lists;

ICE - Snowfield, Avalanche, Glacier, Ice Wall, Icicle, Iceberg, Body In Ice, Mammoth

or;

BUILDING - Earthworks, Building Site, Scaffold, Winch, Crane, Sling, Chairlift, Rope, Chain, Tripod, Wheel, Treadmill, Lever, Pivot, Seesaw, Scales, Ducking Stool

Shaft, Pit, Mine, Slag Heap, Quarry, Excavation, Digging, Rubbish Tip, Spoil

and so on.

It does take a while to make your own lists, re-write and redesign them. But this is the material of your gaming. If you learn a few new words, new ways of describing, new places, new objects, new reasons, you will expand your playing environment.

Which is what you want, right?

Now I have considered what should go into a module... HOW TO WRITE A MODULE