This is the final article in our series all about improving your games in a way that both your players and an audience can enjoy.
We’ve covered a lot of specific advice over this series, so to close it out, let’s talk about the golden rule of tabletop gaming: the Rule of Cool.
Read all the Beyond the Audience articles!
You’ve likely heard the phrase “Rule of Cool” bandied about. But what does it mean?
Frequently, it refers to allowing your PCs to do awesome things in the game, even if it isn’t supported or conflicts with the rules. The Rule of Cool can be interpreted as a broader GMing philosophy, which champions narrative over rules as written.
In reading the past articles, I’m sure you can see why keeping this rule is an excellent tool for shaping your games. Most people don’t turn on an actual-play podcast to listen for the rules. They tune in to hear a compelling tale.
The Rule of Cool in Play
The Rule of Cool emphasizes that the rules of a game are a frame to hold a fantastic creation. The frame should never pull focus from the piece itself.
Cultivating this kind of storytelling does take practice. When there aren’t specific rules written, it’s easier to say, “No, you can’t climb on top of the dragon’s head and poke its eye out,” than to take a moment and figure out how to make such a wild action work. Great GMs are the ones who don’t say no in a crisis but rather invent new solutions and new systems to support creativity.
So what if you can’t technically use a spell a certain way? If there’s a compelling reason to do so, isn’t a fun solution more interesting? The best gaming moments are those starstruck turns of creativity when dice, imagination, and circumstance align. When such moments happen, a quick way to end them is by making sure every rule is strictly enforced. That’s the general philosophy of introducing cool to your game table.
The Rule of Cool in Life
We can also apply the Rule of Cool to creating and running your show. Our world, and our audiences, change and evolve in a short amount of time. Shows that can roll with the punches will grow and still have legs to stand on two, five, even ten years later.
Writing in stone how your live stream or podcast must be is likely a cap to your longevity. People are constantly changing. If the game you run doesn’t change as well, conflict is inevitable.
It’s the same for a long-running show. To keep your projects running, learn to love the surprises and potential you open yourself up to with the Rule of Cool. Whether that means changing your format, your cast, re-working your branding, or heck, changing the game you play, if you say yes to opportunities that make sense, your meta-narrative will be just as thrilling as your very cool games.
Times and people are turbulent, so staying cool is the path to keep your show on course. If you are that pillar of chill in the center of the chaos, your players and your audience will stay by your side through it all.
In Conclusion
I wanted to end this series on that note. All the topics I’ve covered are important, but it’s crucial to learn how to be a solid center. Behind every successful show and game, the core people keep it anchored. Learn to stay steadfast but don’t grip too tight—just tight enough. If you ever find yourself struggling, remember the Rule of Cool.
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