Dawn of Worlds

Gamers are an enigmatic sort. As such, gamers frequently find it necessary to adapt to peculiar behaviors in order to more readily seek out the like minded. Irregular sleep patterns are a particularly prevalent oddity. At Pax we spent a lot of time awake. But after the convention center closed at 2AM we were left with Dawn of Worlds. 

Dawn of Worlds isn't so much a "game" as it is a highly entertaining RPG tool. There is no GM because every participant fulfills the role of a god, taking turns to shape the world. DoW presents rules that cover a rather impressive breadth of possibility within a relatively condensed space. The PDF is twelve pages long, a length particularly well suited to newcomers or one-shot pickup RPG nights. This is possible due to the game's adherence to both simplicity and open-ended interpretation. I plan to use DoW with my players so that we can communally build a game world together. I've played DoW several times and it gets more entertaining with each attempt.

The game depends on a communal idea forging process. While it is possible to create nearly anything you can imagine, said creation is subject to the whims of every other god at the table. In other words, it's not a good idea to grow too attached to your ideas. Someone else is likely to adapt or utterly warp whatever you have wrought. The game can be played subtly or overtly. Corrupting a rival's faction, raining fire from the sky, or sending a glorious and terrifying avatar to war are all possibilities well within the game's parameters. Playing God has never been so much fun. 

- J.B. Geany

P.S.

* Thank you to Josh who found this phenomenal game tool in the first place. 

P.P.S.

** Thank you to Tycho for offering a bipedal amphibian race for our game at Pax.