What is Collabohedron?

It’s a big word, that I made up.

It mixes the words “collaboration” with “dodecahedron,” the twelve sided die used in Dungeons & Dragons.

’cause, that’s really what dice are in a game; an unbiased collaborator, helping to shape outcomes without any stake in them. Dice aren’t the only tool which can serve in that role, but they are, perhaps, the most obvious example.

In a broader sense, what we’re talking about is systems that give creators something to react to.

Well, they might be a game; a set of rules that provide structure.

Or a small bit of chaos when you have too much structure.

They’re often about questioning our assumptions.

Breaking habits.

Subverting muscle memory.

Disrupting our plans.

Forcing us to ask different questions.

Art is storytelling. And storytelling is problem solving.
Sometimes, we have to create some new problems.

But I digress.

What’s important is that these tools, in whatever form they take, don’t replace the artist. They just nudge them to produce works they might otherwise not have.

Because the cure for blank canvas syndrome is to have something on our canvas.

It’s that idea.

It’s a community, built around that idea.

It’s a set of playful tools, built and shaped by that community, as we explore that idea.

And perhaps most importantly, it’s a desperate cry for help.

I think too much about this stuff, you guys. I need an outlet.