‘We are sorry to hear you are not entirely satisfied with your ‘Earthworld RPG’ experience. Earthworld inc always strives to provide an engaging and bewitching user experience. Please be patient as a major update is just around the corner. New discoveries will be ‘introduced’, opening up fresh areas of exploration. A new ‘psi’ character class will be trialled, with enhanced data privileges, enabling a new, never seen before, higher dimension of character interaction.’

— Earthworld admin

I’m still open about this business at hand. ie What is this thing, we have found ourselves in?

Trap, test, incubator, nursery for fledgelings? Gurdjeff would have it that we are a ‘sticking plaster’. A temporary expedient to facilitate a ‘greater’ process?

Most likely, as in any RPG, the main thrust is the interactions of the players and the web of meaning they can create. The ‘back drop’ is just that. If the player wants to look more closely at it the GM can always come up with a bit more spiel; Eventually though a large disembodied hand may appear pointing out the ‘right’ direction. “There’s nothing of profit to see here. Go there if you want the story to progress!”

I’m not one of the most sociable souls though, I prefer a close knit handful of fellow travellers rather than feeling “stretched, like butter scraped over too much bread.”

I’m still intrigued by how it all works though. The seamless experience seems like a trick. All gaps are filled and all rough, discordant edges are smoothed. The ‘physical’ body appears to do this. It puts on the show and keeps us partitioned so we can ‘enjoy’ it.