from the essay: "The Pool did not begin the independent play-and-design revolution any more than the Forge itself did. But it was the linchpin upon which dialogue at the Forge underwent a profound change, breaking techniques out of game-specific packages, which itself spurred design, play, and commerce into a quantum leap of content and reflection." "Without The Pool, no Universalis, no Donjon, no Wyrd, no Dust Devils, no later-stage InSpectres, no Violence Future, no Dead Meat, no Otherkind, no The World The Flesh & The Devil, and no Legends of Alyria. And without those, no Trollbabe and no My Life with Master, and without those, no Shadow of Yesterday, no Dogs in the Vineyard, no Nine Worlds, and no Primetime Adventures." user comment: An essay about a touchstone of indie game design, written by a well-known indie game designer.