Rep System GMing 1: Overview

Most advice on how to practically apply neuroscience is bull manure.

LinkedIn is full of applied neuroscience articles that state the painfully obvious.

“You can’t use all parts of the brain all at once. Increasing activity in one area often diverts resources from other parts of the brain. There’s the amygdala, which processes information relating to threats. Then there’s the prefrontal cortex, responsible for rational insights and self control. So if you want your employees to be smart, don’t threaten them with knives in the workplace!”

Gee, thanks. Neuroscience adds nothing to the discussion there. Common sense - and the law - got you to the same answer.

Other applied neuroscience advice is wrong. It’s plain wrong. Of course it is - we don’t know much about the brain.

We can look at it and measure which lobes light up and what waves it gives off. We can talk about neurotransmitters and the shape of neurons.

That tells us nothing about how brains work.

So a lot of neuroscience-inspired advice is the equivalent of realising a CPU turns electricity into computations, so increasing the voltage will lead to faster calculations.

That’s my preface to this new workshop on how neuroscience can help you be a better Game Master.

If you’re cynical, good. Since most advice in this space is obvious or wrong, you’re right to be.

However…

Generalisations have exceptions. You can’t say the entire field of neuroscience has nothing of value to offer – no unique insights.

I have something that’s been bubbling away at the back of my mind. I’ve tried it out a few times and it’s worked.

This isn’t something I invented, since I’m not doing original research on the brain over here. I’ve come across this and applied it in a few interesting ways.

Still, this will be new for most of you. I’m not going to talk about dopamine or delta waves here. This is something different.

This advice is concrete. Once you hear it and think about it for a while, you’ll see what I’m saying is obviously true. In fact, for some of you, it might be too obvious. Of course the brain works the way I’m about to describe!

Even so, I’ve rarely heard anyone talk about how to exploit this useful feature.

I’m going to offer some definitely simple, possibly easy strategies here. Some of these, you’ll already do. Others will be new to you.

Are you great at thinking on your feet and handling the flood of information coming from your table?

Can you keep track of sequences and processes – everything from plot threads to combat initiative?

Are the lore, rules and details of your world always on the tip of your mind, even if you haven’t thought about them for half a dozen sessions?

If you answered no to any of those, you’re about to learn something cool.

Strap your brain in. This is going to get interesting.