Gold-Encrusted Platinum (or How Much is Too Much)

Sometimes, writers can get overly enamored with their words, They ladle syrup onto a sweet stack in an effort to make it even better, but there is such a thing as sickeningly sweet. In other words, it’s possible to overdo things.

This usually happens more when someone is first out of the gate than later on. We all should, hopefully, grow wiser, more confident, and better able to make judgments and calls on what works and what doesn’t. Often, when one looks outside, one should be looking inside.

It’s essential to carefully examine one’s work oneself and be prepared to harshly criticize and tear apart, rather than gloss over and rationalize. Words are imbued with great power and it’s our responsibility to use them as best we can.

There is a different between a craftsman and a workman. A lot of the difference comes from not just having the technical know-how, but going a bit further and knowing when to walk outside the rules. Of course, you must have a grounding in the rules first (be they grammatical, mechanical, or other) before you can color outside the lines with a deft understanding of exactly what you’re doing.

That’s the key thing. Sometimes, for example, I bust the rules of grammar. Do I know them? Absolutely. However, I love wordplay and know how to twist word order and fragment sentences. For effect. And, I know how to craft sentences of extraordinary length to convey another meaning (or sense) entirely. If I didn’t know the rules, I wouldn’t be able to ply my trade with any degree of consistency. Or clarity.

You pick up our stuff and you have a pretty good idea of what you’re getting. We strive to keep the rules crystal clear and sparingly use ornamentation until we get to the tableau in question. At that point, we present you with the essential informations (and make certain to drench you with untold possibility). We want to be active participants in the creation of the setting with your players. We want to give you the company line, but we want you to mold it as best you see fit. That’s the beauty of traditional roleplaying games, after all. It has always been for me. At the end of the day, tt’s up to you whether you want to gild the lilly.

Until next time, I bid you, dear reader, adieu!