Dungeon Theory

  Uncertainty Reduction Theory (URT) Ok, I know how incredibly nerdy it is to say something like “this is one of my favorite communication theories. But, I’m writing to D&D, RPG, and theory nerds, so you get me.  Imagine Session Zero. It’s the first time you’ve gotten the entire party together. Or, it’s your first night as a brand new player.  There are So. Many. Questions. Will this go well? Will the players get along? Is the DM good?...or will it be a disappointment? So much uncertainty .  So much need to reduce it. Charles Berger is keenly aware of just what a tight-rope walk (Dexterity Check DC 15) the first meeting of two (let alone six, seven or eight) people can be. According to this sweet theory, we use our communication to learn about our environment (Perception Check) and we use that knowledge to make judgements and meaning (Insight or perhaps Investigation).  Just as in real-life not all uncertainties are created equally. Just like in Session Z...

Expectancy Violation Theory “Into the tavern stumbles a middle-aged woman, her hair a mess. Passing several empty tables, she crashes into a seat not five feet from your party.” While this kind of D&D set-up would surely indicate a NPC worthy of scrutiny, if not conversation, in the real-world, not so much.  People who do not conform to common social conventions are suspicious at best, dangerous at worst. Violate our expectations of what constitutes “normal”, and we’re triggered, in the same way the DM triggered their players with that stumbly woman above.  Judee Burgoon ’s keen on exploring the implications of physical distance. In her theory, we each have Reach. For some, we prefer to extend the invisible space of comfort around us. We’re like the Polearm Master . Others of us ( Assassins in particular), don’t mind people up close (Dagger, Dagger, Dagger). Expectancy Violation Theory (EVT), however, says that we each feel the dialectical tension of our desires for af...

  Coordinated Management of Meaning (CMM) Is communication like a projectile weapon, or better yet, a ranged weapon battle, where one character slings firebolts and arrows at each other? The Transmission Model of communication thinking about the process just like that. Pearce & Cronen would call that a failed save. Nay, they say.  Insead, communication is thought of as a process that we enter into simply by being in the presence of others. It’s a world-building force that helps to tailor our ideas, relationships, and fantasy worlds. It’s rather like Symbolic Interactionism , in this regard. Communication builds worlds...just like your DM does. The language and the socialization with others creates the world around us, both at the game table and not.  We coordinate with others meanings for people, events, and words. We use those definitions to make meaning of our interactions, and thereby manage our social (and internal) lives. Firstly, CMM claims our communication ...

A fantasy-world, constructed together! Symbolic Interaction, is about how D&D players and DMs actually build the fantasy world in which they play.  It’s a perfect representation of George Herbert Mead ’s social construction philosophy.   From the outset, Dungeons and Dragons is about creating a collaborative world. Verbatim from the Player’s Handbook , is “driven by imagination”. For the game to cohere between Dungeonmaster and Player, major elements of that imagination must be shared . It’s key. It’s instrumental to the function of the game at its most basic level. Akin to theatre, drama, and other roleplay games, the collaborative make-believe of D&D is an ideal example of Symbolic Interaction theory.  Crucial to this interpretive theory is its contrast with behaviorist theories. Where behavioral scientists saw causality as stimulus and response (think your knee when the doctor hits it), interactionist theories interpose “interpretation” betwixt stimulus an...