i disagree because rpgs are a mixture of wargaming with cooperative theater, in varying doses. writing a book doesn’t make me understand the world better. understanding is what allows me to write a book. what practice play of RPGs give you is a better ability to write. that’s the boundaries of RPGs as a mental exercise. nobody is gonna sell scam books on logic because they play RPGs a lot, they’ll do it because they are good at being grifters.
besides. RPGs are also a historical product. the understanding that you gain from playing a campaign is the understanding that the authors had. see the TSR moral and ethics code.
don’t tell them this but they could have looked for sparse vegetation and dug in the sand nearby and waited for water to trickle in but the bullshit they pulled off was very cool