Oblique Strategies

[Chaot]

Heard of this? Peter Schmidt and Brian Eno created these cards to help in the creative process whenever you come across a problem that confounds you. They're meditational. Schmidt originally called the cards, The Thoughts Behind The Thoughts. Sometimes I'll draw one as use it as a mantra for today. For example, my day today is 'What Else Is This Like?'. So, today I'm focused on making connections between two seemingly unrelated things.

Which, in part, is why I'm posting here. It occurs to me that Oblique Strategies might be useful in running a game as a meta structure for the GM. Draw a card two hours before a session and internalize the phrase. Whenever there is an in game decision to make, reflect on the oblique strategy and let it influence your choice.

These sorts of meta structures are fun to use. It reminds me of an old post I read on some board about a person's Buffy game. The took an album that they liked and decided that the game would have as many sessions as there were tracks on the album. Each session's theme would coincide with the album track name. It seemed like a really cool way to organize a campaign. I'm thinking of The Wall right now. That would be 26 sessions. I can just imagine how the session would play out for Run Like Hell, followed up by Waiting For The Worms.

Like many things these days, Oblique Strategies has been digitized and can be found here.

https://www.oblique-strategies.com

If you are interested and more tactile you can also buy the cards at Eno's shop, but they are pricy.

https://www.enoshop.co.uk/product/oblique-strategies.html

[Ian Absentia]

I've found that, the more I look, the more I find that Eno is connected to everything I like.  Often by far fewer than seven degrees of separation.

Given what we've become accustomed to shelling out for RPG books these days, the cards themselves are a reasonable investment.

!i!

[Edit:  I just tried the digital version.  I got...

Go outside.
Shut the door.

"Shut the door" is a homophone to "Je t'adore" meaning "I love you," which I find especially poetic in contrast to the command to leave.  Thank you once again, Brian!]

Edited May 9, 2023 by Ian Absentia
No AI necessary to play!

[Greg]

I always like to explore new ways to inspire creativity. Thanks for the post.

I like the example of the album, too. A great example of "creative limitation." Or, as Orson Welles wrote, "The enemy of art is the absence of limitations." 

For those who don't want to click the link, here are some examples:

• Don’t be frightened to display your talents.
• Take away as much mystery as possible. What is left?
• What would your closest friend do?

Maybe we could create a list of more RPG-centric prompts? I am no Brian Eno, but for adventure prep, maybe:

• Show. Don't tell.
• What does it sound like?
• Is it fun?

 

[Ian Absentia]

6 hours ago, Greg said:

Maybe we could create a list of more RPG-centric prompts?

I think the real promise of Schmidt and Eno's Oblique Strategies is that they're functionally evocative regardless of the medium.

Imagine music as a series of disconnected events.

Okay, that seems rather specific to a particular medium.  But using music as a metaphor, we might view plot structure (literary or RPG) in this light, like Burroughs' cut-up technique.  Don't be afraid to get a little art on your clothes.

!i!

[Jeff]

8 hours ago, Chaot said:

Heard of this? Peter Schmidt and Brian Eno created these cards to help in the creative process whenever you come across a problem that confounds you. They're meditational. Schmidt originally called the cards, The Thoughts Behind The Thoughts. Sometimes I'll draw one as use it as a mantra for today. For example, my day today is 'What Else Is This Like?'. So, today I'm focused on making connections between two seemingly unrelated things.

Which, in part, is why I'm posting here. It occurs to me that Oblique Strategies might be useful in running a game as a meta structure for the GM. Draw a card two hours before a session and internalize the phrase. Whenever there is an in game decision to make, reflect on the oblique strategy and let it influence your choice.

These sorts of meta structures are fun to use. It reminds me of an old post I read on some board about a person's Buffy game. The took an album that they liked and decided that the game would have as many sessions as there were tracks on the album. Each session's theme would coincide with the album track name. It seemed like a really cool way to organize a campaign. I'm thinking of The Wall right now. That would be 26 sessions. I can just imagine how the session would play out for Run Like Hell, followed up by Waiting For The Worms.

Like many things these days, Oblique Strategies has been digitized and can be found here.

https://www.oblique-strategies.com

If you are interested and more tactile you can also buy the cards at Eno's shop, but they are pricy.

https://www.enoshop.co.uk/product/oblique-strategies.html

I use them all the time.

[Greg]

56 minutes ago, Ian Absentia said:

I think the real promise of Schmidt and Eno's Oblique Strategies is that they're functionally evocative regardless of the medium.

Imagine music as a series of disconnected events.

Okay, that seems rather specific to a particular medium.  But using music as a metaphor, we might view plot structure (literary or RPG) in this light, like Burroughs' cut-up technique.  Don't be afraid to get a little art on your clothes.

!i!

Sure. But (a) this is an RPG discussion site, so no foul in riffing on them for a particular purpose and (b) I'd argue that mine aren't too bad no matter the medium.

[Ian Absentia]

Well, sure.  If you need to be right.

!i!

[Chaot]

8 hours ago, Greg said:

 

• Don’t be frightened to display your talents.
• Take away as much mystery as possible. What is left?
• What would your closest friend do?

 

I think these three are actually pretty apt.

2 hours ago, Ian Absentia said:

I think the real promise of Schmidt and Eno's Oblique Strategies is that they're functionally evocative regardless of the medium.

I agree. Ironically, sometimes I get inspiration by rejecting the strategy too. If I read something that is too off field I question why I feel that way. Usually some other solution or idea will arise in response. So, by not doing its job, the card does its job. Zen, dude.

[Greg]

14 hours ago, Ian Absentia said:

Well, sure.  If you need to be right.

!i!

Just trying to engage in the conversation.

[Chaot]

Ha! I was thinking about what Greg said and started looking around to see if anyone had adapted Oblique Strategies to include rpg language.

What I discovered was that our own @smiorgan mentioned them in conjunction with rpgs on his blog.

http://www.departmentv.net/2015/08/three-different-decks/

[Perry Holley]

Heh.  Back in the late 90's through the 'aughts, "Honor Thy Error As A Hidden Intention" was my sigfile for my emails and on a couple of forum message boards.