Hi, I’m Than Gibson.
In more than 30 years of storytelling through fantasy roleplaying games, I have never found a greater source of inspiration than the world around me.
Storytellers draw inspiration from the stories they hear, see, or experience. Fiction is rarely created in a vacuum. As Dungeon Masters, the same applies. We often look at a popular show or movie and find something in it that resonates and say to ourselves, "I want to write a Dungeons & Dragons game around that" or "I want to run a tabletop campaign like this." Our modern mythology consists of superheroes, alien worlds, and sword-wielding adventurers. But, those works draw inspiration from the stories that surrounded their authors. The Lord of the Rings is steeped in ancient Norse epics, the Witcher incorporates rural European folktales, and even Star Wars draws inspiration from the legends of samurai and tall tales of the western United States.
Those stories, that mythology, are rooted in a place, a time, and a culture. These are also sources of inspiration that a DM can draw upon - additional arrows in the storytelling quiver. More importantly, they are arrows that fly straighter and strike truer when understood properly. By studying the roots of a story and appreciating the people and place that those roots come from, the final product - that new story, adventure, or campaign - has depth and meaning.
Here, we will explore the origins of fantasy through history, culture, and travel so that DMs, GMs, Storytellers, and Worldbuilders can build on the strong foundations that already exist in our world.
My Approach
I believe that the fundamental building blocks of storytelling and worldbuilding are found in the world around us. Through thoughtful examination of history, art, culture, and traveling to the places where these things are found we can enrich our craft and build better worlds. I will be your guide on this expedition between reality and fantasy.
Respect
In our examination of history and culture, it is vital that we do so with a respectful and humble view. The story of the human species is a complicated filled with things to celebrate and things that must be laid to the side. We will endeavor to do both in a respectful way.
Appreciation
The purpose of our journey of exploration is to adapt and synthesize the things that we admire and appreciate the most about the world around us. Artistic synthesis requires appreciation otherwise is mimicry. As we explore cultures and history, we must first appreciate their uniqueness and avoid appropriation.
