What is the "Secret Technique" To Creativity in TTRPGs?

Being creative in tabletop roleplaying games feels sprinting through a maze. You go down one path, looking for a cool game, creative, gamemaster, or project and get lost looking for your next big thing. This could be you choosing an artist to commission for your next project. It could be a TTRPG collective trying to decide how to market their next game and how they should go about doing market research. The more questions you ask, the more pathways that reveal themselves.

These questions, however, culminate into a secret technique! A technique that would kickstart you through your creative hump. It might help you get through your ever-growing list of games or process your current clientele. This technique is also applicable to your material conditions at whatever economic, personal, and social space you might be in! The secret technique is:

Nothing.

There is no secret technique. There is not one secret technique that achieves all your goals. It is both unrealistic and individualistic. Thus, I will be discussing my issues with the concept of a “secret technique” and how it is a fallacy. I will be using my personal struggle with a number of solo rpgs like Koriko to more traditional TTRPGs like GURPS 4E to frame the fallacy. I hope I can give you and your community actionable steps that rely less on rugged individualism and idealism and on bringing you closer to completing your favorite project. Also, you might learn a thing or two about some RPGs that I adore even if they are a struggle to play.  

The ‘Problem’ with a Secret Technique

I call this the “secret technique” fallacy or the “secret technique” problem. This is where something difficult, usually a technique, a skill, a problem, or creative process is given this superfluous enigmatic answer to all your given problems. The solution, ie the “secret technique”, is given overemphasis. It is played to be something only a select few individuals have access to. For instance, this is a very common tactic/phrasing used in SEO especially for blog writing. For instance, if you search in your given browser “secret technique Google”, you may get article titles like:

• Top 26 Advanced Google Search Tips, Tricks and Techniques
• https://www.ericspellmann.com/how-to-use-googles-10-secret-search-hacks/
• Google secret technique - YouTube
• 70 Google Search Tips, Tricks and Hacks in 2025 - Technastic

These listicle videos and articles (some likely written by Generative AI), tell you the clue/key to mastering google search results is hidden within their article. Is it really? No because it wouldn’t be a secret if it is publicly available information. This logic applies for anything and everything that is given this enigmatic idealistic coverage. It is fundamentally set dressing rather than substance.

However, I do not have an issue with people marketing their product, idea, or issue. We all need and should market ourselves to the given audiences we want to reach out to. For example, if you are selling a product like a book or movie, using the term “secret technique” is fine to hook in an audience. Also, many games or shows use the term to make a powerful move or in game technique seem elusive and powerful; it is used to suspense. Naruto has a set of secret/hidden techniques that are fueled by the power system (Chakra).

Furthermore, from a business perspective, global markets benefit from marketing and advertising in this technological age. For instance, Research and Markets puts out a comprehensive report of global marketing’s revenue. They state, “The global market for Digital Advertising and Marketing was valued at US$535.2 Billion in 2023 and is projected to reach US$1.1 Trillion by 2030”. This trend can be seen in industries like entertainment and fintech which spend extraordinarily high on advertising and marketing costs. Thus, advertising and marketing are vital to any project, and I would not discourage anyone from using tactics responsibly to reel interested players and audiences in.

Unfortunately, when we apply the term “secret technique” or paint advice as “one rule to work for everything”, we forgo that most problems are not usually solved by secrets grandiose advice. It comes down to an issue of expectation vs reality. One would expect that a secret technique will give you awe inspiring insight that was hidden by a vault. In reality, the “technique” is something that you happened to find when you needed it the most or through circumstances partially inside or outside of your control. This, I think, is especially an issue with how some might approach tabletop roleplaying games.

Origins of Play

I learned to approach TTRPGs from the format of learning the rules fully. This approach came when I first started playing Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition. I hated being unfamiliar with the rules and how the game worked. That unknown is so awkward. It is like sitting in a classroom or workspace and everyone focuses their attention on you suddenly. You feel obligated to speak up due to peer pressure. This feeling is even more anxious because you don’t have any confident answer. To avoid that in my tables, I tried to learn anything and everything about 5E in my earlier gaming experience.

This mentality shifted as I became more comfortable playing and running games. I realized that you do not need to be entirely comprehensive in a rule system to have fun and engaging game. I use three internal points to determine if a game is going successfully regardless if it is a paid game on Start Playing or discord servers like Titterpig Academy. Those three points are:

• Everyone at the table is being heard and playing together to reach that game’s goal! The goal will differ with groups but if we all are having fun and everyone says and shows they are satisfied, that is a great indication.
• It feels safe to play out their characters and speak up for themselves. RPGs can cover a range of topics with varying levels of sensitivity. Whether it is topics like electoral politics or what it means to be human, if everyone can speak up for themselves and no one is hurt, that is a boon.
• The responsibility of the table is to be spread evenly as needed. Whether the game has a facilitator or has two players, making sure the administrative tasks are dispersed evenly is key.

Many of my games went smoothly as I played more and various games. I became more holistic and eventually went into different games looking to explore various TTRPGs and their design. However, that mentality of needing to understand every rule lingered in the depths of my mind.

Koriko, GURPS and the Not-So-Secret Technique

At first, the problem was unnoticeable in games like Koriko. Koriko by Jack Harrison and art by Deb JJ Lee is a solo rpg that is about a young adult witch who explores an unfamiliar city called Koriko. Using each chapter’s prompts and a combination of a tarot deck, a stack of dice, and a journal, you tell this witch’s story of exploration, loss, and joy as they experience Koriko. I love this game because its prompts lead you to ask deep introspective questions about what life transitions, growing up, and loss look like. Are those experiences bittersweet? Are they tender, soft, and warm? There is no singular answer because like our lives, experiences are not black or white. Moving away can be both mirthful and disappointing. Meeting friends can be joyous and tragic. That alongside its beautiful art and poppy warm pinks, oranges, and other seasonal colors makes for a delightful journalling experience.

Despite that, I never actually completed the game. I could not wrap my mind around twists, and moments mechanics. I understood why these mechanics existed. It was to complicate your witch’s story and show the highs lows and banality of growing up and maturing in a new city. But nevertheless, it was a struggle. I re-read the chapter multiple times throughout the week. Unfortunately, it did not help. Nevertheless, I remained determined. As I dug and dug deeper into this hole, I was reminded of GURPS 4E.

I, once, was super interested in playing GURPS 4E due to its in-depth character creation. GURPS 4E is fascinating due to the game’s flexibility to cater to any genre of game with any sets of mechanics. Whether you wrangle dinosaurs, play furries in a space drama, or are in a horror game, GURPS 4E has everything you want. In fact, I found the game at a time when I was super new to games outside of DnD 5^th Edition. I really wanted a game that could help with that transition.

Unfortunately, my struggle with Koriko’s rules were like GURPS 4E. I was hyper focused on the rules and believing their was a technique to better understand. I looked for endless “cheat sheets” to understand the core mechanics. I watched Chris Norman’s tutorial on Introduction to GURPS Fourth Edition and several other creatives. I turned to GURPS Lite but I still felt unsure on what character to make with my GM and how to determine resolutions. I scrolled through Reddit, for specific questions and I still felt disillusioned. The worst part is that unlike Koriko which I got to play due to it being a solo rpg, with GURPS Fourth Edition, I never got the chance.

I was so stuck on finding some secret technique. I was digging essentially a hole looking for rumors of gold. These rumors emerged from my own insecurity performing and enjoying the table. It didn’t matter that in games like Koriko, the only player was me. It does not matter that GURPS Fourth Edition is a monolith of a game, and it is not likely that anyone knows every rule by heart. The enemy I was facing was myself and I couldn’t get out of my own way.

Forgo Secrets, Embrace Community and Change

Fortunately, this tale is not a bitter one. While I may not fully comprehend each of these respective games, that does not mean my time was wasted. Simply because I did not play the game fully does not mean there is no fun or engagement to be had.

In fact, Koriko was phenomenal. I felt like I was spiraling into a whole new world. Its prompts, especially in Volume 3’s Arrival section, are awe-inspiring. They reminded me how much fun a new beginning can be. For instance, the twists like “alone in a crowd” hit me hard. I was teleported back to my first day at a convention like Momocon. I did not know anyone at the convention. I was a small person in a huge crowd. Despite that, Koriko connected with me even as I wrote. That intimate moment is worth cherishing even if all the puzzle pieces did not fit. I learned to get out of my own head and that it is okay to exist in the unknown.

It is vital to exist healthily with some level of uncertainty, especially creatively. You are not going to know how your work is perceived. You are not sure what issues will come when you begin creating. Unexpected incidents are common especially within TTRPGs. Whether it is an unexpected TPK, Players calling out, or a last-minute commission or project, flexibility and being okay with uncertainty is good.

In those moments, we should turn to others. In this case of my GURPS escapades, I got better at researching about a game’s community. I got interested in GURPS as a community. I was reminded to be active in community with people even when it is difficult. Will it always lead you down to the answer you want? No, but if you isolate yourself and rely only some amorphous “secret technique” you will be answered with an unhealthy amount of uncertainty. One that stagnates you and leaves you vulnerable.

TTRPGs are hard. Learning the rules, discussing them, finding jobs in the industry, dealing with whatever drama is going on and just scheduling people is insane. But in that process, you can learn from this and grow close to others in your social network. You can find yourself in a way that a secret technique might not give you.

I know it is scary. Growing and changing is scary. But like Koriko, the people, places, and choices we make form who we are. If you want to become someone better, no more secrets. No more secret techniques or idealistic thinking.  It is time to face your dice, pen, paper and friends with optimistic uncertainty. It will be hard, but we will make it out of this mind maze, together.