On the Map
In the Southern stretches of the Known Lands lies the freeholds of deep drifting and aggressive houseruling. Here otherwise static games are played dynamically, whether by periodic changes by a one player authority or by the subtle, even unconscious, revision of the game by implicit agreement among the players. In either case, these freeholds are where games are customized and adapted to suit the players.
Further South is the Caldera of Universalis, a game where you can as easily purchase new mechanics as introduce a character or a conflict. This "meta"-game is a simple game which builds in complexity as it is played. Genres, rule gimmicks, characters, and other details are created as part of a simple balance of limited resources - you can change almost anything, but you can't affect everything.
On the edge of the map is the domain of the Game Explorers, groups of player-designers who take the dynamics of houseruling to a new level. Here they seek to discover a new RPG in the process of playing it, refining and discussing, breaking and rebuilding. Again the game changes and revises, but like most of the mapped Southern territory it eventually achieves a fixed form.
Rumored Lands
But the South isn't restricted to a journey of change, leading to a single destination. Not all games are become fixed in this way, so it makes sense that there are RPGs which also do not. One such rumored place is the Fluxx: the RPG, inspired by the card game of ever changing rules and goals. Such a RPG descendant would be dynamic and unpredictable, but no doubt in a longer time frame.
Another place, as yet unmapped, is Détente a game inspired by the claim that D&D teaches people real magic - except extended to all games and sports. Thus the edifice of professional sports and gaming are an Illuminati fought by an uneasy alliance of amateur gamers and athletes, the Détente. And the magic underneath is that the mechanics of your chosen game are a resource of their own, game becomes a currency.
Hazards on the Way
The chief danger with traveling South is that as the game changes and transforms in front of you, the rate of this change can be very problematic. If the rate is too quick, then players will start feeling overwhelmed, and the game will take on a chaotic or even random feel. Change should be guided towards a purpose or in easily understandable pieces, rather than changing too many things at once.
On the other hand, change should be too small and too subtle. People tend to form habits and procedures for doing things. While subtlety can be effective at times, being too subtle may mean most players won't register your change at all - even in how they play. And if that happens, the change simply won't take. Change always means a cost, so make sure that the cost is paid for something significant enough to be worth it.
Sheer Speculation
The South has been less explored than many directions, but it is still possible to consider what possibilities might be found there. You might find a RPG that plays a mirror dance with the players, reacting and retreating as it is pushed, and engaging when the player withdraws. Such a game could serve as a reflective experience for the players.
Along a similar vein, imagine a RPG which is crafted, like a work of art or a portrait, where the final outcome is not so much the fictional events or the experience, but a new game, that suggests and reveals the inner dynamics and personalities of the players. These final games could even be traded, as objects of creativity themselves.
Next Month: Territories: The East
