Wish Factories and Role-playing

[Shostak]

The subject of wish factories--a methodical approach to mass-producing wishes by extracting them from demons--comes up from time to time. Here's an example of how if one approaches the issue from a role-playing perspective, the very idea of a wish factory is ridiculous. At the heart of this is the difference between game mechanics supporting role-playing and the reverse. Having a game group that values playing a character as though they have real fears and motivations is such a treat!