Have you ever noticed that worlds in fantasy fiction are better than the worlds in RPGs? The worlds themselves, I mean. When you read a fantasy novel, the world seems so exotic, so visceral, so *real*. Game worlds seem so flat in comparison. So why are fantasy fiction worlds better?

Culture in fiction worlds are more detailed and better realized. One can speak of ji'e'toh with conviction. We know how to translate est sularus oth mithas, but more importantly, we know what it means. This understanding makes the cultures resonate more deeply with us. We feel them more intensely. Game worlds, in contrast, just feel flat. We are only told only enough to play the game, and the result often feels shallow in comparison. Dozens of splat books exist to help us flesh characters out, but the adventure rarely depends on our knowledge of any culture. We call it flavor, instead of crunch, precisely because it doesn't matter. But when we read fantasy fiction, the flavor is everything; it's all there is. Naturally, it goes deeper and feels realer.

People in fiction worlds are layered and more complicated. How many of us fell in love with Laurana Kanan or Tanis Half-Elven? The reasons we like fictional characters is because of their subtle complexity and the various ways those elements are revealed to us over time. These interests are magnified by the growth we are able to watch over time. The people in fiction worlds seem more believable and real as a result. Game worlds, in contrast, feel populated with stereotypes. Good storytellers may include idiosyncrasies that flavor NPCs with a few traits to spice up an encounter, but far too often, NPCs are a walk-on, bit part. They do their performance and disappear. And once again, the experience just feels shallow compared to reading fiction.

The key device that facilitates the improved culture and personality of fiction is symbolism. Fantasy authors, good ones at least, outline a language as they tell their story. I don't mean a conlang. That's too easy, and one of the primary weaknesses inexperienced fantasy authors make is their rush to emulate Tolkien by making up too many words. The language I mean is the language of symbols. Good fantasy authors introduce a language of symbols to train the reader a particular way and to draw them into the world without the reader realizing why. It allows the author to prepare them for understandings with no advance warning of the trajectory of the story – just like real, lived, life.

The reason fantasy fiction worlds seem so much better than game worlds is because they teach us symbols that the author then employs to weave a believable culture populated with deep, complex characters. Game worlds serve a different purpose, and its users have shorter attention spans and the ever urgent initiative roll dividing narrative momentum. GMs that want to make their game worlds more like fantasy fiction worlds should cultivate a set of symbolic tools that they – as well as the players – can employ to greater effect. Start with a small number but make them matter. Create cultural taglines and factional keywords that NPCs can fixate on. As a player, don't just speak of your holy symbol, learn or make up an actual description of it, and when you cast or channel, make sure everyone else knows what shape it shows. Culture and depth is in the details, and the more symbols you share, the more fantastic your game and game world becomes.

Next time: Why fantasy game worlds are better than fantasy fiction worlds.

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