the dm vs the writer: mystery

[marycatelli]

 It's a lot easier to be mysterious about the world when writing.

Superpowers with ambiguous origins that may or may not fit in the normal metaorigin.  A monster whose powers are vague -- or whose type is vague.  ("Trolls" covered a lot more ground in the folklore than in the fantasy genre.)

Part of that is that there is more time to relish the numinous, the uncanny, the mysterious in writing.  Part is that the story telling doesn't require strict definitions so you can roll the dice.  

Part, of course, is that your characters can stumble on the right thing to do.  It may appear as a deus ex machina, but it can be disguised, especially if they reflect on their luck.

Comments

[madfilkentist]

Good world-building includes things that aren't fully explained. It gives a sense that things aren't happening on a set, but rather there's a whole world out beyond the events of the story.

[marycatelli]

Which is important