This is a short PDF document by Nathan Rockwood. The document is available here: DriveThruRPG link.
The questions referred to in the title are philosophical or ethical questions that can be used as inspiration for role-playing games. They’re big enough that they have no definitive answers – some people may think they’ve found the correct answer, but their answer will depend on their beliefs and experiences.
Some examples:
- What does it mean to be human?
- What is the highest virtue to strive for?
- What can change a person’s very nature?
- Why do we keep secrets?
(These examples are selected from a list of 50 questions in a table in the document.)
The PDF discusses ways these questions can be raised in a character’s backstory. The questions can also inspire challenges in the game. But the author emphasises that it’s best if the game doesn’t attempt to show that one point of view is correct. Instead, it’s the attempt to engage with the question that’s important.
The document isn’t specifically aimed at players of solo games, but I thought it could be a useful resource for creating strong “narrative trajectories” as described by the Solo Game Master’s Guide. When you’re looking for inspiration in a solo game, thinking about different ways to pose these questions could provide some useful ideas.
Related posts
If you’re wondering what I mean by “Solo Gaming”, see my introductory post for this category: About the “Solo Gaming” category