Older than Old School
Character creation in Atlantean Exodus using the Perennial RPG system is “older-than-old-school”.
But how can this be?
Category Archives: Gurdjieffism
Gurdjieff and Games: How D&D Has Changed
In Beelzebub’s Tales, in the chapter on Art, Gurdjieff wrote about an ancient form of art called “mysteries”, devised to transmit important knowledge to succeeding generations of initiates. This art, we are told, degenerated into what is now merely theater performed by actors, conveying mostly entertainment and little knowledge.
In his Third Series, Gurdjieff wrote that ancient literature was written and read for the purpose of perfecting one’s reason, and this, we are told, also degenerated into mostly entertainment with little meaning transmitted to the reader.
There is a striking parallel to how Dungeons & Dragons began and how it is today. Recently there has been much heated discussion about what is changing and has changed in the hobby.
So what has changed since D&D made its appearance almost fifty years ago?
Tips on Reading Beelzebub’s Tales
Maybe you have tried reading Beelzebub’s Tales to His Grandson before, but put it down without finishing. Maybe you have always wanted to read it but you found it intimidating. Maybe the name alone made you question whether this was the sort of book you should be reading.
Whatever the reasons, here are some tips to help you conquer this ‘weighty and bulky tome’.
Gurdjieff, Death, and Immortality: Two Papers
In early 2020, I had been considering attending the All & Everything conference, since it was to be held in Salem, Massachusetts, not far from where I live. But then circumstances caused the in-person conference to be cancelled and instead, the conference would be held online. This was less interesting to me, so I did not attend.
Still, I had an interest in what was to be presented at the conference. And in researching what papers were to be submitted to the conference, I came across a paper by Jan Jarvis and later a rebuttal to her paper by Rafael Lefort Jr.
The papers were particularly interesting to me in that they presented Gurdjieff’s ideas on death and immortality, the rebuttal more accurately than the original paper, in my opinion.
The Jarvis 2020 paper is titled Role of Abstract Ideals in the Creation of the Kesdjan.
The Lefort Jr rebuttal is titled Esoteric Christianity vs. Secular Humanism in Esoteric Clothing: A Rebuttal to ‘Role of Abstract Ideals in the Creation of the Kesdjan’.
The original paper was presented at a conference in 2020 and recently, the Q&A for the conference was published. It is evident however from the Q&A that her assertions were hardly challenged at all.
If you’re interested in the topics of death and immortality as presented by Gurdjieff, I recommend reading the rebuttal—it touches on all of the points of the original paper and is more thoroughly researched on the topics presented. To date, I have seen no counter paper to refute the Lefort Jr rebuttal.
Lovecraft and Gurdjieff: Part 2: Gods
Conception of a Supreme Deity: AZATHOTH
Readers familiar with the weird tales of H.P. Lovecraft know that his fictional representation of the universe is not a godless one. At first, one might think the author’s fiction is contrary to his personal belief in atheism, as expressed in his letters. But it is not. Rather, he conveys his representation of an impersonal and indifferent universe of mindless and blind forces through his fictional deities.
Lovecraft’s universe contains a whole pantheon of alien gods with strange names and agendas foreign and sometimes malevolent towards the insignificant humans of the planet Earth. And at the center of this pantheon is AZATHOTH, the blind idiot god who mindlessly sloughs off creation. This is Lovecraft’s caricature of an ultimate deity, his own conception of God.
“[O]utside the ordered universe [is] that amorphous blight of nethermost confusion which blasphemes and bubbles at the center of all infinity—the boundless daemon sultan Azathoth, whose name no lips dare speak aloud, and who gnaws hungrily in inconceivable, unlighted chambers beyond time and space amidst the muffled, maddening beating of vile drums and the thin monotonous whine of accursed flutes.” – Dreamquest of Unknown Kadath
“… ancient legends of Ultimate Chaos, at whose center sprawls the blind idiot god Azathoth, Lord of All Things, encircled by his flopping horde of mindless and amorphous dancers, and lulled by the thin monotonous piping of a demoniac flute held in nameless paws.” – The Haunter of the Dark
Gurdjieff and Games, Part 5: Roleplaying Games, Alignment, and Villains
Alignment
There are a variety of game mechanics used in roleplaying games to represent the characters’ morals and attitudes. These are often called “alignment”. Dungeons & Dragons has the “Lawful-Chaotic” dimension and often the “Good-Evil” dimension of alignment. Storyteller games use some form of “Humanity-Monster” dimension. Palladium has its Principled, Scrupulous, Unprincipled, Anarchist, Miscreant, Aberrant, and Diabolic alignments.
Since the PCs usually take on the roles of individual heroes and adventurers, PC alignments tend to be away from the “evil”, “monstrous”, or “miscreant” and more towards the “good” and “human”. Though there are exceptions, by and large most PCs tend to be good or at worst neutral.
The game master, meanwhile, plays the balance of the characters in the world across the wide spectrum of alignments. It’s like one PC is Frodo, another is Sam, and the game master is Sauron, Gandalf, Gollum, Saruman, the orcs, the ents, the elves, and so on, good guys and bad guys alike.
In Gurdjieff’s writings, in terms of “alignment”, humans have subjective morality and objective morality. Subjective morality is acquired from external factors of upbringing, parents, teachers, siblings, and peers. Since it is acquired, it has a very local or tribal character. To give an extreme example, it would be immoral for a member of the Korowai tribe of Papua New Guinea to not engage in ritual cannibalism. Whereas a typical Westerner views cannibalism as immoral. Both are doing what they believe is “good”.
Objective morality is different. It is not acquired, and as such, is universal.
Gurdjieff and Games, Part 4: Roleplaying Games
The Keep on the Borderlands, Erol Otus, 1979
The Role of Roleplaying Games
Roleplaying games occupy a unique place in contemporary culture. They appear to be a relatively new invention that developed from the miniature wargaming hobby. War games are simulation-type games where each player controls a faction of military units, usually represented by miniature figurines. The player-controlled units are brought into conflict in a particular historical or non-historical setting, represented on the tabletop by a map. Typically in war games, one player acts as the referee, while the other players control the military units that enter into conflict with each other. Each player uses tactics and strategy in order to win.
Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, both experienced miniature war gamers, are considered the modern fathers of roleplaying games, the most well-known being Dungeons & Dragons, and it is from their innovations that the new hobby sprung.
Lovecraft and Gurdjieff, Part 1: Authors and Influences
I’ve had a fondness for H.P. Lovecraft since I was thirteen, when I first read a handful of his weird tales from a Del Ray paperback I bought off a drug store bookrack back in 1984. But even before I read anything he wrote, I had stumbled across his influence two years before.
Reading Gurdjieff: Enlarged Print Edition of Beelzebub’s Tales
Why a new edition of Beelzebub’s Tales?
Most editions of Beelzebub’s Tales to His Grandson have been long out of print. Others were mass-produced on non-acid-free paper and are aging poorly. Still another edition drastically altered the original text. And most are set in very small type.
The Solis Scriptorium Enlarged Print Edition of Beelzebub’s Tales to His Grandson is printed on-demand to ensure that Mr. Gurdjieff’s magnum opus remains in circulation. The books are printed on acid-free paper for longevity. The original text of the 1950 edition has been retained with the exception of widely accepted errata. And this edition is set in enlarged print.
Why enlarged print?
The enlarged print edition was designed to assist readers with visual impairment, and for easier reading in general.
Reading Gurdjieff: On Verification
“If you have not by nature a critical mind, your staying here is useless.” – Study House aphorism
“I ask you to believe nothing that you cannot verify for yourself.” – Views from the Real World, p. 78
Verification is a foundational idea in Mr. Gurdjieff’s teaching: to believe nothing that you cannot verify for yourself. It is important to note that he does not say to disbelieve everything that you cannot verify, because disbelief is merely belief in a negative. That which we have not yet verified is neither believed nor disbelieved but should remain categorized as unverified.
Yet… we very often believe (or disbelieve) without verifying. Why?