Play_Unsafe.pdf

PLAY UNSAFE

It’s a sum m e r’s d ay and I’m running a gam e in m y b ack gard e n. M y onl y pre paration for th e gam e is scrib b l e d w ord s: “D e coy te am ”, “H ote l ”, “Som e th ing bl ow s up”. A s th e gam e progre sse s, it’s cl e ar th at h al f th e pl aye rs w ant an inve stigative gam e and h al f w ant to sh oot th ings. I h ave no pre pl anne d id e as, so I fol l ow th e ir l e ad , giving th e first group a m yste ry to sol ve , th e se cond a m onste r to h unt. Th e gam e goe s w e l l . Th e pl aye rs say th e y e njoye d th e story, w h ich I inve nte d on th e fl y. Five ye ars ago, I coul d n’t h ave run a gam e th is w ay. I’d h ave pre pare d for h ours b e fore a gam e , arriving w ith sh e ave s of note s, rail road ing pl aye rs th rough m y ad ve nture . Th e n I took an im prov course . Th e sk il l s I l e arnt – inve nting storie s on th e fl y, b e ing spontane ous, pl aying w ith oth e rs – fe d into m y rol e pl aying and m ad e it b e tte r.

Tommaso Galmacci (order #5111745)

Conte nts Introduction

v

Th e Z e n ofgam in g.................................................. vi W h e re d o th e se id e as com e from ?...........................vii Explan ation s .......................................................... vii

Play

1

Play ...........................................................................2 Stop w ork in g............................................................ 3 D on 'tplan ah e ad ......................................................4 H old id e as ligh tly ..................................................... 5 Be ave rage .................................................................6 A borin g e xpe rim e n t.................................................7 Be obvious .................................................................8 A n obvious e xpe rim e n t............................................ 9 Letyour guard d ow n ..............................................10 D on 'tpre te n d .........................................................12 M ovin g forw ard ..................................................... 13 GM in g an ad ve n ture w ith outplan n in g................ 13

Build

15

Build .......................................................................16 Sh ootin g id e as d ow n ...............................................16 Buildin g on id e as ....................................................20 Ye s, A n d ................................................................. 21 Im agin e ife ve ryon e builton e ve ry id e a..................22 Sh ootin g id e as d ow n d e libe rate ly ...........................23 M ovin g forw ard ..................................................... 24 ii


Status

25

Status ..................................................................... 26 Storie s an d status ...................................................26 Status be h aviours ...................................................28 R e ason s to play low status ..................................... 29 R e ason s to play h igh status ....................................29 Status is e m otion al.................................................30 Com ic an d se rious status ....................................... 31 H ow to roleplay re alistic re lation sh ips ...................31 Status in roleplayin g gam e s ...................................32 Type s ofstatus ........................................................33 M ovin g forw ard ..................................................... 34

Te lls torie s

35

Te llstorie s ...............................................................36 Cre ate routin e s an d bre ak th e m ..............................37 Cre ate platform s an d ad d a tilt...............................39 Cre ate a status re lation sh ip an d alte r it................. 41 Cre ate a m yste ry an d solve it................................. 42 D e live r on your prom ise s ....................................... 43 R e in corporate ......................................................... 44 A n um be r guid e lin e ................................................45 Th e trouble w ith trouble.........................................46 A n ord e rin g guid e lin e ............................................47 Tw o good w ays to startstorie s w ith trouble...........49 M orald ilem m as ......................................................50 Ge tto th e action ..................................................... 51 K e e p th e action on stage .......................................... 52 Justify ..................................................................... 53 M ovin g forw ard ..................................................... 54

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W ork toge th e r

55

W ork toge th e r.........................................................56 Give th e oth e r guy a good tim e ...............................57 Lose grace fully ........................................................58 Trust....................................................................... 58 Scre w w ith e ach oth e r.............................................59 Tak e risk s ................................................................ 61 D o th in gs you d on 'tw an tto d o.............................62 D o itagain ..............................................................63 Puton a sh ow .........................................................63 En e rgy .................................................................... 64 Fitin to th e group ................................................... 66

Afte rw ord

68

Glos s ary ofgam e s

69

Th ank s

73

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Introduction In th is b ook , I'l l tak e th e id e as I l e arnt in im provisation, and d e scrib e h ow th e y can m ak e gam e s m ore fun. Th e goalof th is b ook is fun: w h e n I tal k ab out storie s, id e as and th e orie s, re m e m b e r th at e ve ryth ing aim s atm ak ing gam e s fun. To start, in Pl ay, I'l ld iscuss h ow rol e pl aying gam e s ofte n se e m l ik e w ork . If w e w ork l e ss, and pl an l e ss, th e gam e ge ts b e tte r. Th e n, in Buil d , I'l ld e scrib e h ow w e ofte n k il loth e r pl aye rs' id e as. If, inste ad , w e tak e id e as and run w ith th e m , gam e s tak e fl igh t. A fte r th at, in Status , I'l lgive id e as for pl aying your ch aracte r. Using status te ch niq ue s, I'l ld e scrib e h ow to pl ay k ings, se rvants and e ve ryone in b e tw e e n. But th e h e art of th is b ook is Te l l ing Storie s . Eve ry gam e , from a d unge on craw lto a Gre e k e pic, h as a story at its h e art. I'l ltak e storie s apart, anal yse th e ir structure , and d e scrib e h ow to m ak e th e m b e tte r. Final l y, in W ork Toge th e r, I'l ltal k ab out pl aying w ith oth e rs. W h e n you w ork w e l lw ith oth e rs, w h e n you put on a sh ow , w h e n you scre w w ith oth e r pl aye rs, your gam e com e s to l ife . Be fore I start, th ough , l e t's tak e a ste p b ack and l ook at th e th e ory I'l lb e using.

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Th e Z e n ofgam ing W h at d o you w ant from th is b ook ? M any rol e pl aye rs w il lw antth in gs th e y can d o to im prove th e ir gam e . Now , of course , I’l l d e scrib e te ch niq ue s l ik e th is: re incorporating ite m s in storie s; ch anging status; b uil d ing on oth e r pl aye rs’id e as. Th e se te ch niq ue s w il l , I h ope , im prove your gam e . H ow e ve r, te ch niq ue s are onl y h al f th e story. M any of th e id e as in th is b ook are Z e n-l ik e : th e y invol ve d oing l e ss. For e xam pl e: •

“Be m ore b oring!”

•

“D o noth ing!”

•

“Stop trying to b e cl e ve r!”

Pe rh aps you can se e se nse in th e se id e as now : for e xam pl e , if you d o noth ing in a gam e , you’l ll iste n m ore to oth e r pl aye rs. Th rough out th is b ook , I’l le xpl ain b oth th e te ch niq ue and th e Z e n. Pe rh aps one w il lse e m m ore naturalto you: pe rh aps you re l ate b e tte r to th ings you can d o th an m ysticalZ e n l anguage , or vice ve rsa. H ow e ve r, th e tw o w ork b e stw h e n use d toge th e r.

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W h e re do th e s e ide as com e from ? Th e id e as in th is b ook originate from K e ith Joh nstone , an im provisation te ach e r and d ire ctor. M any conce pts com e from h is b ook , Im pro. If you e njoy th is b ook , I h igh l y re com m e nd re ad ing th atb ook afte rw ard s. O th e r id e as com e from h is fol l ow -up b ook , Im pro for Storyte l l e rs. K e ith Joh nstone ’s id e as h ave b e e n d e ve l ope d and e xpand e d b y im provisation te ach e rs w orl d w id e . Th is b ook incl ud e s m any ofth e se e xpand e d id e as.

Explanations In th e e xam pl e s, I re fe r to d iffe re nt type s of gam e s: from b e h e m oth s l ik e D unge ons and D ragons to sm al l pre ss gam e s such as D ogs In Th e Vine yard . If a gam e is unfam il iar, l ook in th e b ack of th e b ook , w h e re al l gam e s are l iste d and e xpl aine d . O fte n, in th e se e xam pl e s, I assum e th at gam e s h ave a GM (Gam e M aste r), w h o runs th e gam e . Som e m od e rn gam e s d o noth ave a GM : h ow e ve r, th e e xam pl e s m ak e se nse ifyou re ad “GM ” as “A noth e r Pl aye r”.

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Play

R oleplayin g gam e s som e tim e s se e m lik e w ork : w e plan ah e ad , w e th in k too m uch . Stop w ork in g an d startplayin g. Th e less you are w ork in g, th e be tte r you play.


Play R ol e pl aying gam e s can ge t too se rious. W e b uy sh e l ve s of th ick b ook s. W e pl an d e tail e d ad ve nture s. W e m e m orise rul e s.

Play

In th is se ction, w e 'l le xpl ore w h at h appe ns w h e n you th row th e se rious stuff aw ay: w h e n you stop trying, stop pl anning and l e tyour guard d ow n. In pl ace of th e se riousne ss, I'l l d e scrib e an e ffortl e ss w ay to pl ay, w h e re you stop trying to b e good b ut, ofte n, you're b ril l iant.

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Stop w ork ing O fte n, w e tre at gam ing l ik e a job . W e stud y rul e b ook s, w e try to gain an ad vantage , w e care m ore ab out e xpe rie nce points th an e njoying ourse l ve s. I re m e m b e r, as a te e nage r, pl aying D unge ons and D ragons. A tfirstitw as fun, b utitb e cam e w ork : in one se ssion, I re m e m b e r ne gotiating for a b usine ss pe rm it. Itw as d ul l . Late r, I carrie d m y w ork e th ic to Vam pire LA R Ps. I stud ie d rul e b ook s, w ork ing out tactics. I m e m orise d l ists ofpow e rs and com b atrul e s. But it’s a gam e . So w ork l e ss. Stop th ink ing. D on’t b e cl e ve r. Th e re are tw o re asons. Firstl y, and m ost ob viousl y, w ork ing h ard is no fun. Se cond l y, if you’re w ork ing h ard , you’re no fun to pl ay w ith . Th e oth e r pl aye rs se e your se riousne ss and re spond to it: your gam e w il lsoon fe e ll ik e a b usine ss m e e ting. Ligh te n up, pl ay around , and you’l lb e m ore fun to h ave around .

Stop w ork ing 3


D on’tplan ah e ad M any rol e pl aye rs pl an ah e ad . Th e y h ave an age nd a for th e ir ch aracte r, w h ich th e y push forw ard , l ittl e by l ittl e. W h e n I pl aye d Vam pire LA R Ps, I’d arrive ate ach gam e w ith an age nd a, w h ich al w ays fe l lapart. Lik e oth e r pl aye rs, I h ad l ong, convol ute d pl ots, w h ich took m onth s to b uil d . Look ing b ack , it w as b oring, b ut fun al w ays se e m e d around th e corne r. Eve n now , I pl an in m y h e ad , al m ost unconsciousl y: w h e n th is h appe ns, I’l ld o th is. Th e n I sit, w aiting for th e th ing to h appe n. Itd oe sn’t. D on’tpl an ah e ad . Th e re are m any re asons notto. Firstl y, it d oe sn ’t w ork . Som e one m igh t say som e th ing th at th row s your pl an out th e w ind ow . A nd th e n, to b e bl unt, you’re scre w e d .

D on'tplan ah e ad

Se cond l y, it’s borin g. Sitting at th e tab l e , push ing your pre -crafte d pl ot is pre d ictab l e : you k now e xactl y w h at w il lh appe n. If you d on’t pl an, you’l ld iscove r th ings you d id n’te xpe ct. Th ird l y, th e stuff you m ak e up on th e fly is be tte r. W h e n you inve nt on th e spot, w e se e th e e xcite m e nt on your face , h e ar th e urge ncy of your voice . W h e n you pl an, th ate xcite m e ntisn’tth e re . Now , not pl anning ah e ad is scary. W ith out a pl an, you l ose control . A nyth ing coul d h appe n.

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H old ide as ligh tly I e njoy re se arch ing for gam e s. I re ad H P Love craft storie s to inspire Cth ul h u gam e s; I re se arch Z e ppe l ins for pul p gam e s; I pore ove r Victorian m aps of Lond on for d e te ctive gam e s. Th is re se arch provok e s id e as. I w ant a ch ase , l ik e th e one in Th e M ountains O f M ad ne ss! I w ant to fl ya Z e ppe l in! I w ant to sailup th e Th am e s!

al ong th e Th am e s. It w oul d b e a m istak e to pl an for th is: insisting our ch aracte rs se arch th e Th am e s, insisting w e go to Lond on. H ow e ve r, if w e ’re se arch ing Lond on, we m igh t go to a tave rn ne ar th e Th am e s. W e m igh t se arch , in th e Th am e s, for a b od y, using a b oat.

H old ide as ligh tly

K e e p your id e as vague . “Sail ing al ong th e But isn’t th is pl anning Th am e s” is unspe cific, ah e ad ?Sh oul d I stop? ad aptab l e to m any storie s. “Se e ing th e m urd e re r Le t’s tak e a ste p b ack . O f th rough a te l e scope ” is course , it’s fun to re se arch m ore d ifficul t to b ring into for gam e s. O f course , it’s a gam e . “A m otorcycl e inte re sting to im agine ch ase th rough th e th ings to h appe n in gam e s. H igh l and s of Scotl and ” is unl ik e l y to h appe n But k e e p th e se id e as at th e w ith outrail road ing. b ack of your m ind . D on’t pl an for th e m to h appe n. D o th ink of th ings you’d D rop an id e a if it w oul d n’t l ik e to h appe n in gam e s. w ork . But, if you se e th e H ol d th e id e a l igh tl y: d on’t ch ance to m ak e it h appe n, force it, d on’t push for it se iz e it. and , if it’s not h appe ning, d rop it. But, if it m ak e s For e xam pl e, l e t’s say I’d se nse , tak e it. l ik e m y d e te ctive to sail

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But th at’s th e fun. If you re act instantl y, if you h ave no pre conce ive d id e as, if you d on’t th ink into th e future , you’l lh ave a b e tte r gam e . You’l lb e m ore fun to pl ay w ith , too.

Be ave rage D on’ttry to b e good atgam e s. D on’ttry to pl ay w e ll. W h e ne ve r I try to b e good , I’m b ad . I’ve give n spe e ch e s in Vam pire LA R Ps, straining to b e e nte rtaining: I ne ve r w as. I ope ne d a H e roQ ue st gam e w ith an in-ch aracte r m onol ogue , trying to b e funny: I w asn’t. Now , I’ve b e e n e nte rtaining and b ril l iant at th e tab l e: b ut ne ve r w h e n I’m trying to b e e nte rtaining and b ril l iant. It d oe sn’t h appe n b e cause I try: it h appe ns w h e n I justpl ay. W e ’ve al lpl aye d w ith pe opl e w h o try to b e funny or try to sh ock . It d oe sn’t w ork . W h e n you’re trying to b e good , you’re b ad . Th e h ard e r you try, th e m ore you fail .

Be ave rage

Inste ad , b e ave rage . Be b oring. Be d ul l . Parad oxical l y, w h e n you try to b e b oring, you’re inte re sting to w atch . W h e n you try to b e ave rage , th at’s w h e n you’re good . In

th e ir b ook

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M axim um

Pe rform ance , Laure nce

M oorh ouse and Le onard Gross inte rvie w e d ath l e te s w h o h ad b rok e n w orl d re cord s. None of th e se ath l e te s h ad trie d to b e good . W h en inte rvie w e d , th e y’d say th ings l ik e : “I d id n’tfe e lw e l lth at d ay...I d on’tre m e m b e r any particul ar m om e nt d uring th e e ve nt. Ital l se e m e d so e asy. A tth e finish , th e w ay th e crow d w as ch e e ring tol d m e I’d d one w e l l , b utI h ad th e fe e l ing th atifI h ad onl y trie d a l ittl e h ard e r I coul d h ave d one m uch b e tte r.”

O n an Inte rne t forum , I ask e d pe opl e to te l la b oring story. M any re sponse s, far from b oring, w e re fascinatingl y d e tail e d . H e re is an e xce rpt from a story b y Jarod Scott: I yaw n , look outsid e an d se e th at it's still d ark . Th e re 's n ot m uch to se e , but I gaz e casually at th e groun d th at fully surroun d s th e tave rn . I coun t to a th ousan d , an d it is stilld ark . M aybe h ours from n ow , th e sun w ill rise an d th at w illm e an on ly five m ore d ays be fore th e soup of th e d ay is m utton ste w . Ye ste rd ay w as ch ick e n broth , w h ich is alrigh t. O h , but th at m e an s it w illbe five d ays till m utton ste w . I try coun tin g to tw o th ousan d th is tim e , an d roll se ve ral d ice to se e h ow far I ge t. Th irty-se ve n . So I start coun tin g from th e re be fore ch e ck in g outsid e again . Stilld ark . I look back in sid e . Th e re 's a couple w h ore s d oz in g at a corn e r table. I d on 't care to spe n d m y m on e y.

A boring e xpe rim e nt

If you’re striving to scal e th e h e igh ts of Aw e som e , w e d on’t se e Aw e som e : w e se e you trying. Stop trying, aim to b e ave rage , and you’l le njoy yourse l f m ore .

A boring e xpe rim e nt

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Be obvious If, w h il e gam ing, you can’t b e cl e ve r or try h ard , w h at can you d o?Th e answ e r is: b e ob vious. D o th e ob vious th ing: th e th ing th at ob viousl y h appe ns ne xt in th e story; th e th ing th at you th ink e ve ryone e xpe cts to h appe n. Parad oxical l y, th at ob vious th ing m ay, to e ve ryone e l se , se e m originaland b ril l iant. For e xam pl e : in a gam e of Lacuna, a te am of age nts w as inve stigating a h ospital , w h e re pe opl e h ad b e e n d isappe aring. O ne pl aye r sugge ste d th e re sh oul d be a w ard w h e re form e r age nts paid to h ave th e ir face s re scul pte d . Th e id e a w as ob vious to h im : to m e , and to e ve ryone e l se , itw as b ril l iant. A noth e r e xam pl e . I re m e m b e r running a sce ne , in a Vam pire LA R P, in w h ich som e one h ad re ce ive d l e tte rs, w ritte n in b l ood . A pl aye r ask e d to e xam ine th e pape r.

Be obvious

A n ob vious id e a occurre d to m e . If th e ink w as b l ood , th e pape r sh oul d b e sk in: parch m e nt, m ad e of h um an sk in. W h e n I said th is, pe opl e w e re sh ock e d , as if I’d said som e th ing b ril l iant. I h ad n’t. I’d just said w h at, to m e , w as ob vious. Natural l y, not e ve ry “ob vious” th ing you say w il lb e b ril l iant. O fte n, w h at you th ink is an ob vious ne xt ste p in th e story w il l , ind e e d , b e an ob vious ste p in th e story.

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An obvious e xpe rim e nt I poste d th e fol l ow ing story on an Inte rne tforum . A th ie f m ove s across th e rooftops, k e e pin g to th e sh ad ow s. H e cre e ps to a w in d ow , re ach e s th rough an d ope n s it. H e se e s a w om an an d , be h in d h e r, som e th in g sh in in g on a d e sk .

• Sh e turns, h ol d ing th e sh ining ob je ct. It’s a k nife . “Th at w as th e noisie st B& E I’ve e ve r h e ard .” • Th e th ie f d ash e s into h id ing w atch ing th e w om an continue to ge t re ad y for a m agnifice nt b al lor som e such .

Th e n I ask e d :

An obvious e xpe rim e nt

Constrastingl y, m ost 1. W h at d o you natural l y answ e rs to 3 w e re e xpe ct w il lh appe n ne xt ove rb l ow n, cl e ve r id e as. in th e story? • From th e w aist d ow n, 2. W h at w oul d you l ik e to h e r b od y consists of a h appe n ne xt? d oz e n w rith ing te ntacl e s tippe d w ith 3. W h at is th e cool e st, te n-inch se rrate d cl e ve re st th ing you can spik e s, w h ich te ar h im th ink up to h appe n l im b from l im b . H e ne xt? l augh s h yste rical l y th e w h ol e tim e . Al l answ e rs to 1 and 2 w e re , in d iffe re nt w ays, • Be h ind th e d e sk , a natural e xte nsions of th e grand iose ch air sw ive l s story. Som e se e m e d to face th e w om e n. Bil l b ril l iant. Cl inton d raw s on h is cigar. K l axons b l are and • I w ant th e w om an to b e orange l igh ts fl ash . A b e autiful and to countd ow n com m e nce s. e m b race th e m an. H is b ath rob e fal l s to th e fl oor.

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Th at’s fine . W h e n you re spond ob viousl y, 9 0% of th e tim e , you’l lcarry th e story forw ard natural l y. If you'd trie d to b e cl e ve r, 9 0% of th e tim e , you'd h ave th row n th e story off course . A nd , w h e n you're ob vious, one tim e in te n, you’l lb e b ril l iant. Try to b e b ril l iantand you’l lfail . Be ob vious and , ofte n, you’l lb e b ril l iant.

Le tyour guard dow n


W e w e re pl aying Prim e tim e A d ve nture s, portraying an 18th Ce ntury ve rsion of th e A -Te am . I pl aye d “Th e M ask ”, a ve rsion ofth e A -Te am 's ch arm e r, “Th e Face ”. Now , d o you re m e m b e r h ow ch e e sy th e rom ance s w e re in Eigh tie s sh ow s? A nd h ow e xpl icit? Th e re w as al w ays a l ove inte re st, al w ays a rom ance and usual l y se xualinnue nd o. I re m e m b e r w atch ing an A utom an e pisod e , in w h ich A utom an w as ch atting up tw o b e autifulw om e n, in a cl ub . Th e w om e n ask e d w h ich of th e m h e pre fe rre d . H e appe are d to ne gotiate a th re e som e (”It d oe sn’t se e m fair to d e prive e ith e r of you”), b e fore b e ing cal l e d aw ay to sol ve crim e s. I w ante d Th e M ask to b e a h om age to th e se rom ance s. So I d e scrib e d h im fl irting h is w ay into castl e s, past b e autifulfe m al e guard s; ch atting up gang m e m b e rs; fl irting w ith h is torture rs, w h o w e re tw ins.

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Th e n I b e cam e uncom fortab l e . W as I, w ith out k now ing it, re ve al ing a se xualfantasy? W oul d th e oth e r pl aye rs th ink I w as a pe rve rt? W as I, accid e ntal l y, giving aw ay som e th ing ab outm yse l f?So I stoppe d . I ce nsor m yse l f sim il arl y in D ogs In Th e Vine yard . Som e tim e s, it’d b e in ch aracte r to, say, sh oot a w om an carrying a d e m on b ab y. But w h at w oul d pe opl e th ink ? Th at I w as pl aying out a fantasy of viol e nce against w om e n? W h e n rol e pl aying, w e ofte n pl ay safe . W e d on’t w ant to give anyth ing aw ay ab outourse l ve s. You se e th is at conve ntions. Pl aye rs w ant th e GM to l e ad th e m th rough an ad ve nture . Th e y sit q uie tl y, not w anting to d o anyth ing, in case th e y d o som e th ing w rong. A nd , ye t, pl ay is m ore inte re sting w h e n w e l e t our guard d ow n.

Sim il arl y, in Lacuna gam e s, I've starte d using m anage m e nt-spe ak : "W e 've h ad som e com m e nts ab out your pe rform ance ". Th is l anguage se ts m y te e th on e d ge : so, w h e n I say it, th e re 's an e l e ctricity in th e air. W h e n you l e t your guard d ow n, e ve n if just a l ittl e, you b ring th e gam e cl ose r to h om e . Try it. It ad d s an e d ge to your gam e .


In a re ce nt Cth ul h u gam e , m y ch aracte r fl irte d w ith a girlof h igh e r cl ass. For m e , th at's cl ose to th e b one and , h e nce , m ad e th e gam e m ore poignant.

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D on'tpre te nd Som e tim e s w e pre te nd to l e t our guard d ow n, b ut d on’t. In h orror gam e s, w e com fortab l y d e scrib e d e m ons b ursting out of ch e sts, w om e n rippe d apart, scre am ing d e ath s. Th e re ’s a se nse of tab oo-b re ak ing, b ut, re al l y, w e ’re tre ad ing a w e l l -w orn path . Th e gam e d oe sn’t scare anyone , b e cause e ve ryone ’s pl aying safe . Sim il arl y, m any sm al l -pre ss gam e s h and l e “se rious” issue s th ataffe ctno-one . Pl aye rs d e scrib e suicid e s, sl ave -b e atings and w ar: th e y sh oot pre gnant w om e n in D ogs In Th e Vine yard or torture m inions in M y Life W ith M aste r. But e ve ryone stays in th e ir com fortz one . Pl aye rs b re ak socialtab oos: b utnotth e ir ow n tab oos.

D on'tpre te nd

Pe rsonal l y, I narrate sh ooting pre gnant w om e n and fe e lnoth ing. But I ne ve r narrate m y ch aracte r’s fath e r into rol e pl aying gam e s: b e cause I d on’t w ant to pl ay a ch aracte r w h ose fath e r suffe rs. It’s too cl ose to th e b one . So I k e e p m y guard up, e ve n as I foolm yse l f I’m b e ing ch al l e nge d . M any pl aye rs d o th e sam e : k id th e m se l ve s th e y’re d igging d e e p, w h e re as, actual l y, th e y’re sk im m ing th e surface . If you l e tyour guard d ow n, d o itfor re al . D on't"tack l e issue s", d on't w al l ow in gore . Ch oose som e th ing th at push e s your b uttons and putitin your gam e .

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M oving forw ard In th is se ction, w e 've e xpe rim e nte d w ith not pl anning ah e ad . But if w e d on't pl an ah e ad , w h at d o w e d o, m om e nt to m om e nt, in th e gam e ? Th e answ e r is: w e b uil d on oth e r pl aye rs' id e as.

GM ing an adve nture w ith outplanning pl aye rs ch ase th e m urd e re r to a train station, h ol d th e final confrontation on th e roof of a m oving train inste ad . H ow e ve r, if you se e th e ch ance , use your id e a.

Th e answ e r is ye s: it’s possib l e and ve ry re w ard ing. Particul ar se ctions of th is b ook w il l Th e n, re ad th e l ate r se ction h el p w ith th is. “Im agine e ve ryone b uil t on e ve ry id e a”. W ith no Firstl y, re re ad th e sid e b ar pl anning, you’l l b uil d on “H ol d id e as l igh tl y”. H ave your pl aye rs’ id e as to vague id e as of th ings for constructa story. th e gam e : a ch ase th rough se w e rs, w are h ouse s of Final l y, re ad th e e ntire fil ing cab ine ts, a ch apte r “Te l lStorie s”. Th e confrontation atop a w ate r narrative trick s in th is tow e r. H ol d th e se id e as se ction w il l h el p you l igh tl y, ab and oning th e m if inve nt th e pl ot as you go th e story goe s e l se w h e re : if al ong.

GM ing an adve nture w ith outplanning

Can th e GM , too, avoid pl anning ah e ad : e ve n running an ad ve nture w ith no pl anning?

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Build

W e ofte n sh oototh e r playe rs’id e as d ow n . In ste ad , build on th e m .


Build O fte n, gam e s go now h e re , b e cause w e w ork against e ach oth e r. You w ant to tal k your w ay past th e guard , b ut I attack h im . By k il l ing e ach oth e r's id e as, w e spoil gam e s, w ith outm e aning to d o so. In th is ch apte r, I'l ld e scrib e re asons w h y w e sh oot d ow n id e as uninte ntional l y, e ve n unconsciousl y. Th e n I'l l d iscuss h ow to pl ay coope rative l y inste ad , b y b uil d ing on e ach oth e r's id e as. Final l y, w e 'l lse e w h e re e ve ryth ing I've d iscusse d so far h as b e e n l e ad ing: a utopian w ay to pl ay, w h e re no-one pl ans, no-one w ork s and e ve ryone 's id e as re ach fruition.

Sh ooting ide as dow n

Sh ooting ide as dow n In gam e s, w h e th e r w e m e an to or not, w e ofte n sh oot oth e rs’id e as d ow n: Pl aye r: GM :

“I se arch for anoth e r e ntrance !” “No, th e re ’s onl y th e m ain d oor.”

Pl aye r 1: Pl aye r 2:

“I force you to k ne e lin frontofm e !” “I b re ak fre e and stand up.”

GM : Pl aye r:

“Sh e m ove s tow ard s you se d uctive l y.” “I push h e r aw ay.”

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It’s h ard to d e fine “sh ooting id e as d ow n” e xactl y, b ut you’l lk now itw h e n you se e it. It’s ab out: • Saying an im pl icit“No”. • Ne gating w h atw as justsaid . • Stopping th e action from ad vancing. Ge ne ral l y, it m ak e s th ings d ul l , ye t w e stil ld o it. W h y? H e re are som e possib l e re asons.

1. W e sh ootid e as d ow n in life If som e one insul ts us, in re all ife , w e d on’t ch al l e nge th e m to a d ue l . Th is avoid s troub l e , stopping th e action b e fore itstarts: Strange r: Me:

“You’re a path e tic w orm !” “Look , cal m d ow n.”

Strange r: Me:

“I’m going to k il lyou!” [W al k s aw ay q uick l y]

Strange r: Ch aracte r:

“You’re a path e tic w orm !” “A l augh ab l e insul t. I ch al l e nge you to a d ue lofh onour!”

Strange r: Ch aracte r:

“I’m going to k il lyou!” “You'l lb e d e ad b e fore you re ach th atgun.”

Figh t th e urge to b e safe . W h e n an id e a com e s al ong th atw il lm ak e troub l e , b uil d on it.


Th at is, w e sh oot th e id e a d ow n, to k e e p us safe . But safe is b oring. In gam e s, w e w anttroub l e.

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2. I h ave a plan If w e ’ve pl anne d ah e ad , w e ofte n k il l id e as th at inte rfe re w ith our pl an. Gam e M aste rs are notorious for th is. Th e y pl an an ad ve nture , th e n sh oot d ow n any id e a th at d oe sn’t corre spond w ith th e irs: GM : Pl aye r: GM : Pl aye r: GM : Pl aye r: GM :

“In frontofyou is a d oor, w ith a rid d l e painte d ab ove it.” “I l ook for oth e r e ntrance s.” “No, justth e d oor.” “O K . I’m going to try and ch arm a guard to l e tus in.” “Th e y d on’tspe ak your l anguage .” “W e go b ack to tow n.” “Buttow n is tw o d ays aw ay and you m ust e nte r th e castl e tonigh t!”

H ow e ve r, pl aye rs sh oot e ach oth e r's id e as d ow n, too. Le t’s im agine I w antto ste ala je w e lste al th il y:


Me:

“I cre e p into th e tave rn, stick ing to th e sh ad ow s.” O th e r pl aye r: “I k nock on th e tave rn d oor, l oud l y.” Me: “I stop you! I grab your h and and pul lyou into th e sh ad ow s.”

H e re , th e oth e r pl aye r sh ot m y id e a d ow n, th e n I sh ot d ow n h is: h e nce , noth ing e nd s up h appe ning.

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3. O ur guard is up W e ofte n sh oot d ow n id e as uncom fortab l e are as: GM : Pl aye r:

th at tak e

us

into

“Sh e m ove s se d uctive l y tow ard s you.” “I b ack aw ay.”

If I k isse d th e girl , I m igh t re ve alsom e th ing ab out m yse l f: pe opl e m igh t th ink I sl e e p around or I m igh t h ave to d e scrib e se x. It’s safe r to ste p aw ay. O f course , it can b e good to k il l id e as w e ’re not com fortab l e w ith . If I d on’t l ik e se xual conte nt in gam e s, I sh oul d k il lid e as th atinvol ve se x. Th e prob l e m com e s w h e n w e k il lid e as, instinctive l y, b utw ond e r w h y our gam e is d ul l .

4. I d on ’tw an tto look bad

Pl aye r 1: Pl aye r 2: Pl aye r 1: Pl aye r 2:

“I fl ing m anure atyou!” “Itm isse s!” “I force you to your k ne e s!” “I ge tup.”

W h ate ve r our re ason for sh ooting id e as d ow n, it k il l s th e action. It k e e ps us safe : and safe is d ul l . If w e b uil d on id e as, th ings b e com e m ore e xciting.


In l ife , w e ofte n avoid th ings th at w oul d m ak e us l ook b ad . Th is l e ad s us to instinctive l y sh oot d ow n th e se id e as in gam e s:

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Building on ide as W h e n you b uil d on an id e a, you acce pt it and tak e th e action forw ard . Pl aye r: GM :

“I se arch for anoth e r e ntrance ” “O K ! Th e re ’s a sm al ltrapd oor b e ne ath th e ram parts.”

Pl aye r 1: Pl aye r 2:

“I force you to k ne e lin frontofm e .” “I b e g for forgive ne ss.”

GM : Pl aye r:

“Sh e m ove s tow ard s you se d uctive l y.” “I run m y finge rs th rough h e r h air.”

You can b uil d on an id e a b y confl icting w ith it, provid ing you carry th e action forw ard : Pl aye r 1: Pl aye r 2:

“I force you to k ne e lin frontofm e .” “I ge tup and force you againstth e w al l !”

Building on ide as

You can al so b uil d on an id e a b y tak ing it in an une xpe cte d d ire ction: Pl aye r 1: Pl aye r 2:

“Sh e m ove s tow ard s you se d uctive l y.” “I run h e r th rough w ith m y sw ord .”

D oe s th is se e m e asy? W e l l , it is, and it isn’t, and th e n it is again. To e xpl ain… 1. It’s e asy to und e rstand th e te ch niq ue . 2. But using th e te ch niq ue consiste ntl y ch ange s th e w ay you pl ay, w h ich is h ard .

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3. A nd ge tting your m e ntalb l ock s out of th e w ay, so you can use th e te ch niq ue , is h ard . 4. But, w h e n you ge t use d to it, b uil d ing on id e as is so l ittl e e ffort, so pl e asurab l e and so good for th e story, th atitm ak e s pl ay e asie r. A nd th is is w h e re e ve ryth ing - not b e ing cl e ve r, not pl anning ah e ad , b uil d ing on id e as, b e ing ob vious com e s toge th e r. It prod uce s an e xciting, unpre d ictab l e, spur-of-th e -m om e ntw ay to pl ay.

Ye s , And... W h e n you b uil d on an Try pl aying w ith e ve ryone id e a, you say an im pl icit saying "Ye s, A nd ...". "Ye s, A nd ..." to th e id e a. If Pl aye r 1: "Sh e m ove s w e m ak e ite xpl icit: Pl aye r 1: "Sh e m ove s tow ard s you se d uctive l y." Pl aye r 2: "Ye s! A nd I run h e r th rough w ith m y sw ord ."

tow ard s you se d uctive l y." Pl aye r 2: "Ye s! A nd I run h e r th rough w ith m y sw ord ." Pl aye r 1: "Ye s! A nd sh e d ie s on th e fl oor." Pl aye r 2: "Ye s! A nd h e r fath e r figh ts m e ."

a

story

Ye s , And...

Try saying "Ye s, A nd ...", in re sponse to oth e r pe opl e 's l b uil d id e as, b e fore you've You'l d e cid e d h ow to re spond to w ith oute ffort. th e m . You m ay find th at, as you say it, you'l lre al ise h ow to re spond .

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Im agine ife ve ryone builton e ve ry ide a Im agine th at, for a w h ol e gam e , you d id noth ing b ut b uil d on oth e r pe opl e ’s id e as. In fact, im agine e ve ryone at th e tab l e pl aye d l ik e th is: acce pting id e as and m oving th e m forw ard . W h at w oul d h appe n?

Im agine e ve ryone builton e ve ry ide a

Firstl y, you couldn ’t plan ah e ad . Eve ryth ing you d id w oul d b e b ase d on som e one e l se ’s id e as: th e re ’d b e no ch ance to pl an. So, as th e GM , you coul d n’t pl an an ad ve nture . You’d re act to th e pl aye rs, b uil d ing th e ad ve nture on w h at th e y gave you. But if w e ’re b uil d ing on e ach oth e r’s id e as, w h e re d o th e id e as start?Is th e re , in fact, anyth ing to b uil d on? Th e answ e r l ie s in be in g obvious. If I re act to som e th ing in an ob vious w ay, m y ob vious w il l , ofte n, se e m l ik e a b ril l iant id e a. Th e n, oth e r pl aye rs can b uil d on th at id e a. For e xam pl e , ifI say: • “I k ne e lin frontofyou.” A nd you say som e th ing th at, to you, se e m s ob vious: • “I k ick you in th e ch e st! You spraw latm y fe e t!”

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Th e n, to m e , th at’s an id e a Sh ooting ide as dow n I can re actto:

de libe rate ly

• “I b e g for m e rcy!” A nd you can re actto th at:

Som e tim e s, sh ooting id e as d ow n can ad d to a story, b y ad d ing te nsion:

• “R e al l y? W h at w il l GM : you give m e for m y Pl aye r: m e rcy?”

So, w ith th is, e ve ryth ing com e s toge th e r: b uil d ing on id e as, b e ing ob vious, not pl anning, l e tting your guard d ow n. You can pl ay an e ntire gam e l ik e th is. You onl y re act, ne ve r initiate : and ye t your re action se e m s l ik e a b ril l iantinitiation.

GM :

H e re , w h e n e arl ie r id e as are sh ot d ow n, we und e rstand a l ate r id e a w il lsucce e d . K il l ing id e as can sim ul ate del usion surre al ity: Pl aye r: GM : Pl aye r: GM :

al so or

I ope n th e d oor. Your h and passe s th rough th e h and l e. I ask th e b arm an w h at’s h appe ning. Th e re isn’ta b arm an. Pe rh aps th e re ne ve r w as.

A gain, th is b uil d s te nsion, l ate r to b e re sol ve d .

Sh ooting ide as dow n de libe rate ly

To pl ay l ik e th is, your guard m ust be d ow n : if you’re se l f-ce nsoring, you can’t re act im m e d iate l y. Al so, you w il l find th at your guard com e s d ow n: b e cause you’re b e ing ob vious, you’re re ve al ing som e th ing ab outyourse l f.

GM : Pl aye r: GM : Pl aye r:

You’re trappe d in a prison ce l l . I cal lth e guard . No-one com e s. Il ook atth e w al l s. Th e y’re sh e e r stone . I use th e m agic I sw ore I’d ne ve r use . R igh t…

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M oving forw ard In th e l ast tw o ch apte rs, w e 've d e ve l ope d a utopian, m om e nt-to-m om e ntw ay to pl ay. W il lyou pl ay al lyour gam e s l ik e th is, al lth e tim e ? Not com pl e te l y. You'l lprob ab l y stil lpl an, a l ittl e ; use your cl e ve r id e as, a l ittl e ;stud y rul e s, a l ittl e. So k e e p th e parts of your pl ay you l ik e ; ab and on th e one s you d on't; and use th e parts of th is ne w pl ay styl e th atappe alto you. In th e ne xt se ction, w e focus on pl aying ch aracte rs, using th e pow e rfulte ch niq ue s ofstatus.

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Status

A tth e ir h e art, storie s are aboutstatus. Play w ith status an d letit d rive your gam e .


Status In th is ch apte r, I'l ld e scrib e h ow status te ch niq ue s can b ring your ch aracte rs to l ife . I'l le xpl ain h ow to pl ay h igh status - k ings, h e roe s, god s - and l ow status - se rvants, b e ggars, fool s. I'l ll ist trick s you can use , at th e gam ing tab l e , to raise and l ow e r your status. I'l lconsid e r th e d iffe re nt sorts of status in rol e pl aying gam e s. Al ongsid e al lth at, I'l ll ist re asons to pl ay h igh and l ow status; I'l l d e scrib e h ow to use status to prod uce natural , re al istic re l ationsh ips; and I'l l outl ine h ow status d rive s d iffe re ntsorts ofstorie s.

Storie s and Status

Storie s and s tatus

Al lstorie s, in som e w ay, are ab outstatus. Tak e K ing Le ar: a pow e rful K ing sl id e s, sl ow l y, tow ard s im pote nce . O r Cind e re l l a: a rags-to-rich e s story. O r Gre at Expe ctations: a b oy is e l e vate d to h igh socie ty and , grad ual l y, w atch e s e ve ryth ing crum b l e around h im . Status ch ange s are storyte l l ing gol d . Tak e any l ow status ch aracte r: • Ste ph anie is a m il k m aid from a poor fam il y

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Th e n e l e vate h e r to h igh status: ... O ne d ay, a m yste rious strange r te l l s h e r sh e is a prince ss. Instantl y, you h ave a story: one sim il ar to Cind e re l l a or H arry Potte r. Sim il arl y, tak e a h igh -status ch aracte r: • Lord Ste fan rul e s th e province ofGol d fie l ds A nd b ring h im l ow : ... untilh e l ose s itin a card gam e . A gain, you h ave a story. Th e b e st rol e pl aying gam e s use status for you. D unge ons and D ragons is ab out h e roe s, rising in pow e r and w e al th . Vam pire h as Prince s and Se ne sch al s jock e ying for position. Th e sm al l -pre ss gam e Th e Sh ab A l -H iri R oach is b ase d on status, w h ich it cal l s R e putation: e ve ry sce ne e nd s in a figh t ove r status.

Storie s and s tatus

But you can use status in any gam e . You can inve nt k ings or und e rd ogs and d e l ib e rate l y ch ange th e ir status. Pl aye rs can b oost oth e r ch aracte rs' status or d e stroy it. GM s can pl ay h igh -status NPCs and l e t th e PCs b ring th e m crash ing to e arth .

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Status be h aviours To b e h igh status - to pl ay a k ing or a god - try d oing th e se th ings atth e gam ing tab l e: • H ol d e ye contact • K e e p stil l , e spe cial l y your h e ad • Tak e up l ots ofspace • Rel ax • Im agine you are tal l • Spe ak d ire ctl y, as th ough you d o not e xpe ct to b e inte rrupte d • Say th ings to im pl y th at you are b e tte r (in som e w ay) th an th e pe rson you are tal k ing to

Status be h aviours

Sim il arl y, to pl ay l ow status - a se rvant or a fool- try th e fol l ow ing: • Bre ak e ye contact d ow nw ard s, th e n l ook b ack im m e d iate l y • Tw itch and m ak e e spe cial l y your h e ad

unne ce ssary

• Touch your h e ad and h air • Tak e up as l ittl e space as possib l e

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m ove m e nts,

Re as ons to play low s tatus 1. Low status ch aracte rs are , ge ne ral l y, m ore l ik e ab l e th an h igh status one s: th ink of R 2D 2 com pare d to C3PO ; Passe partout com pare d to Ph il e as Fogg; Cind e re l l a com pare d to th e Ugl y Siste rs. W e ad m ire k ings, b ut l ik e th e ir se rvants m ore . 2. Th e story ne e d s you. If e ve ryone ’s h igh status, it’s b oring. Be sid e s, if you rise to h igh -status l ate r, th at’l l m ak e a supe rb story.

Re as ons to play h igh s tatus 1. H igh status ch aracte rs are b e tte r ad m ire d th an l ow status one s. W e w on’t l ik e you, b ut w e ’l lre spe ctyou. 2. Th e story ne e d s you. W h e n you are b rough t l ow , e ve ryone w il l e njoy it. R e al ise you’re se tting yourse l f up for a fal land e njoy it. Pl ay a b ul l y; pl ay a k ing; pl ay a h ate -figure . You’l lge tyour d ue .

4. You’re not your ch aracte r. Snive l l ing, grove l l ing and d ying ignom iniousl y are fun w h e n it’s not re al l y you d oing it.

4. You’re not your ch aracte r. W h e n you give ord e rs to your frie nd across th e tab l e, it’s not re al l y you d oing it.

Re as ons to play...

3. R e m e m b e r you ne e d n’t b e nasty: you can b e h appy in your h igh 3. R e m e m b e r you ne e d n’t status. Th ink of Bil l b e m ise rab l e : you can Cl inton, Tom Cruise or b e h appy in your l ow Tony Bl air: you can b e status. Be a re taine r ch arm ing b ut h igh whol ove s to se rve or a status. W e ’l l stil l be se rvant w h o can’t l ive gl ad , th ough , w h e n w ith outh is m aste r. you’re b rough td ow n.

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• Be ne rvous • Spe ak h e sitantl y, as th ough you e xpe ct to b e inte rrupte d • Say th ings to im pl y th at you are infe rior, in som e w ay, to th e pe rson you are tal k ing to Th e re is a syne rgy b e tw e e n th e se . If you h ol d your h e ad stil lw h il e spe ak ing, you m ay find you stand straigh te r and spe ak m ore d ire ctl y. Expe rim e nt w ith status b e h aviour in re all ife , b ut b e care ful . I once w e nt to a b ar and pl aye d h igh status. W h e n ord e ring m y d rink , I spok e d ire ctl y and cl e arl y, as th ough giving th e b arm an an ord e r. H e jum pe d to ge tth e gl ass: b utl ook e d angry for th e re stofth e nigh t.

Status is e m otional

Status is e m otional Status b e h aviour is e m otional . Som e pe opl e h ate pl aying h igh status;som e h ate l ow status. If you try ch anging your status b e h aviour, you m ay find th atyou: 1. H ate it. 2. Can't. 3. Th ink you've h ave n't.

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ch ange d

your status, b ut you

Com e dy, trage dy and s e rious s torie s

Re alis tic re lations h ips

W e can d e scrib e th e sam e status sh ifts com ical l y or se riousl y. W h e n a K ing is b rough t l ow , th at can b e com ic or tragic.

Try k e e ping your status sl igh tl y ab ove or b e l ow som e one e l se : b e sl igh tl y supe rior or infe rior. Ch ange , fre q ue ntl y, so th at you go from sl igh tl y supe rior to sl igh tl y infe rior and b ack again.

Com e d y ofte n use s q uick status sh ifts: th e K ing fal l s in m ud ; th e tram p d re sse s as a k ing.

Th is prod uce s natural , l ife l ik e re l ationsh ips.

Trage d y ofte n use s sl ow status sh ifts: K ing Le ar sl ow l yl ose s h is m ind .

Com ic, s e rious , re alis tic

Se rious storie s, th at are n’t trage d ie s, al so use sl ow status sh ifts: Cind e re l l a is el e vate d sl ow l y to gre atne ss; Pip, in Gre at Expe ctations, is sl ow l y raise d to h igh status and sl ow l y b rough t b ack d ow n.

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Pe rsonal l y, I can't b e h igh status for l ong, w ith out b e com ing e m b arrasse d and apol oge tic. Eq ual l y, you m igh t h ate som e one using status b e h aviour on you. I d e te st pe opl e acting h igh -status to m e : I w orry ab out it, for d ays, and fantasise ab out putting th e m in th e ir pl ace .

Status in roleplaying gam e s

Status in roleplaying gam e s

In gam e s, w e ofte n w ant to b e pow e rful , h e roic, to conq ue r e ve ryth ing in our path : th at is, to b e h igh status. Th at w as m y e xpe rie nce of D unge ons and D ragons. Eve ryone w ante d to b e a h e ro: a figh ting m ach ine or pow e rfulw iz ard . Pe rsonal l y, I pl aye d th ie ve s, b ut th at w as h igh status, too: I w ante d to b e sne ak y and pe rform fe ats no-one e l se coul d. Late r, I pl aye d Vam pire LA R Ps, and h igh status b e cam e a prob l e m . A gain, e ve ryone w ante d to b e pow e rfulb ut, th is tim e , th e y com pe te d for pow e r: onl y one coul d b e Prince . Status ch ange s cause d upse t: w h e n a Prince w as ove rth row n, th e pl aye r w as m ortifie d . Th e re w e re te ars w h e n ch aracte rs d ie d . Th is m ad e gam e s d ul l . Pl aye rs cl ung to th e ir status je al ousl y, afraid to d o anyth ing e xtraord inary, for fe ar ofre trib ution.

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Type s ofs tatus Th e re is Give n Status : status th at oth e r pe opl e give you. If you're k ing, you are h igh status b e cause e ve ryone e l se tre ats you w ith re spe ct. Th e re is Be h aviour Status : th e status w ith w h ich you act. You can b e h ave l ik e a k ing, e ve n th ough you're not. D isconne cts b e tw e e n th e se type s of status can b e d e e pl y affe cting or com ic. A m ad k ing, w h o soil s h im se l f, h as h igh Give n Status (h e 's stil lk ing) b ut l ow Be h aviour Status. A b e ggar (l ow Give n Status) w ith affe cte d airs (h igh Be h aviour Status) is a com ic figure . Note th e syne rgy b e tw e e n th e tw o. A k ing, b e h aving l ow status, w il lb e d e pose d . A b e ggar, b e h aving ab ove h is station, risk s b e ing push e d into th e gutte r. Th e n, in rol e pl aying gam e s, th e re is Pl aye r Status and Ch aracte r Status . A pl aye r w h om e ve ryone ad m ire s (h igh status) m igh t pl ay a b e ggar (l ow status). A noth e r pl aye r m igh t ne rvousl y (l ow status) d e scrib e h is pal ad in sm iting non-b e l ie ve rs (h igh status).

Final l y, th e re is Gam e Status : status grante d b y th e gam e rul e s. A figh te r w ith h igh Stre ngth h as a form of h igh status. A ch aracte r w h ose H it Points fal lb e l ow z e ro h as th e ul tim ate form ofl ow status: sh e is d e ad .

Type s ofs tatus

A gain, note th e conne ction. A pl aye r of h igh status w il l , ofte n, pl ay th e l e ad e r of th e party. A l ow -status pl aye r, w h o find s it h ard to inte rrupt, w il l h ave d ifficul ty pl aying a h igh -status ch aracte r.

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M oving forw ard W e 've b e gun to tal k ab out storie s. Le t's d ive in, now , and e xpl ore h ow storie s can pow e r your gam e .

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Te lls torie s

R oleplayin g gam e s are aboutstorie s. Th is is h ow to te llth e m .


Te llStorie s Ne ve r und e re stim ate h ow im portant storie s are in rol e pl aying. W h e n you're pl aying a gam e , you're te l l ing a story. Eve n in th e m ost b asic d unge on craw l , th e re 's a story: you start in an inn, w h e re a m yste rious strange r invite s you to e xpl ore a d unge on. You sl ash your w ay th rough th e d unge on. Final l y, you m e e t a h uge cre ature , w h ich you k il l , and tak e its tre asure . Th at structure is a story and is im portant. If th e ad ve nture h ad no structure - if you found tre asure at th e d unge on e ntrance , k il l e d an orc, th e n sud d e nl y found a tunne lth at l e d to safe ty - it w oul d m ak e no se nse . H e re , "story" ne e d n't m e an a fairytal e . It ne e d n't m e an d ram a and te ars. It just m e ans th at, from th e start of th e gam e to th e e nd , e ve ryth ing fits toge th e r.

Te lls torie s

In th is ch apte r, I'l ld e scrib e trick s to te l lstorie s: to start th e m , e nd th e m and m ak e th e m spark l e . M any of th e se trick s ove rl ap, b ut th e y're b e st consid e re d se parate l y.

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Cre ate routine s and bre ak th e m H e re 's a sim pl e , e ffe ctive trick to starta story. Cre ate a routine . • W e are d rink ing in a tave rn. • W e are h unting in th e w il d e rne ss. • I am m e nd ing m y arm our. Th e n d o som e th ing to b re ak th atroutine . • W e are d rink ing in a tave rn... ... w h e n a m yste rious strange r approach e s us. W e are h unting in th e w il d e rne ss... ... w h e n w e h e ar a roar l oud e r th an w e h ave e ve r h e ard b e fore . • I am m e nd ing m y arm our... ... w h e n I notice it d oe s not b e nd w h e n I h it it w ith th e h am m e r. Th e re are se ve ralw ays to b re ak any give n routine . • W e are d rink ing in a tave rn: ... w h e n a m yste rious strange r approach e s us. ... w h e n an arrow th ud s into th e w al lne ar us.

Cre ate routine s and bre ak th e m

•

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... w h e n w e sm e l lsm ok e . You'l lintuitive l y se nse w h e n th e routine ne e d s to b e b rok e n. W h e n you fe e lsom e th ing ne e d s to h appe n, b re ak th e routine . W h e n you b re ak th e routine , you can cre ate a ne w routine . You can th e n b re ak th at. By continuing, you can te l la story: • W e are h unting in th e w il d e rne ss... ... w h e n w e h e ar a roar l oud e r th an w e h ave e ve r h e ard b e fore . • W e go tow ard s th e roar...

Cre ate routine s and bre ak th e m

... b uta m yste rious force is h ol d ing us b ack . • W e are trying to find a w ay round th e m yste rious force ... ... w h e n a w itch d octor approach e s us. • W e are tal k ing to th e w itch d octor... ... w h e n sh e b e gins to transform into som e th ing el se . A nd , w ith th atsim pl e trick , w e 've b e gun a story.

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Cre ate platform s and add a tilt W h e n you cre ate a pl atform , you starta sce ne in a w ay th atisn'tinstantl y d ram atic. For e xam pl e: Pl aye r 1: GM :

Pl aye r 1:

"I sitd ow n. 'Eve ning, D ave .'" "Th e b arm an l ook s atyou. H e fl ick s h is e ye s to a tank ard ofal e h e 'd poure d as you cam e in. 'You'l lb e w anting th at.'" "'Ye ah ,' I say, d rink ing it. 'Q uie tin h e re , isn'tit?'"

and so on. W h e n you ad d a til t, you introd uce th e d ram a. "I d raw m y sw ord and aim th e pointath is th roat. 'It's too q uie t, D ave . W h ath ave you d one w ith e ve ryb od y?'"

H e re , th e pl atform is as im portant as th e til t: th at is, th e cal m pre ce d ing th e d ram a is as im portant as th e d ram a itse l f. D uring th e pl atform , w e ad d col our, w e ge t to k now th e ch aracte rs. W h e n th e til t com e s, th e d ram atic force is gre ate r. M ost pe opl e instinctive l y re al ise th e im portance of a cal m b e fore th e storm . For e xam pl e , fe w gam e s of D ogs In Th e Vine yard startw ith instantd ram a: GM :

"A s you rid e into A sh Brid ge , a w om an ye l l s 'Th e y're trying to k il lm y b ab y!'"

Cre ate platform s and add a tilt

Pl aye r 1:

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Inste ad , w e b e gin w ith pl atform -b uil d ing: GM : Pl aye r: GM : Pl aye r: GM :

It's an col d autum n d ay and you rid e into A sh Brid ge . Th e tow n se e m s d e se rte d . I te th e r m y h orse at...can w e say th e re 's a w el lin th e ce ntre oftow n? Sure . I te th e r m y h orse atth e w e l l . I h e ad tow ard s th e inn. O K , th e re 's a tiny h oste l ry across th e w ay. A s you w al k in, th e b ark e e p straigh te ns up.

Cre ate platform s and add a tilt

...and so on. A l lth e non-d ram atic d e tail s ad d to th e story. A s w ith b re ak ing routine s, you w il linstinctive l y k now w h e n th e til t sh oul d com e . A fte r b uil d ing a pl atform for a w h il e , you'l l re al ise th at som e th ing ne e d s to h appe n. Th at's th e tim e for a til t.

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Cre ate a s tatus re lations h ip and alte r it H e re 's anoth e r w ay of th ink ing ab out pl atform s and til ts. W h e n you b uil d a pl atform , you e stab l ish a status re l ationsh ip b e tw e e n tw o ch aracte rs. W h e n you til t, you ch ange th e status re l ationsh ip.

Eve ryth ing e l se ab out pl atform s stil lappl ie s. You m ust give th e status re l ationsh ip tim e to b uil d . You'l l instinctive l y k now w h e n to al te r th e status re l ationsh ip. For ful le ffe ct, k e e p b oth id e as of pl atform s and til ts in m ind .

Cre ate a s tatus re lations h ip and alte r it

For e xam pl e : at th e b e ginning of th e sce ne , you b ul l y th e b arte nd e r for inform ation, e stab l ish ing yourse l f as h igh e r status th an h im . H al fw ay th rough , th e b arte nd e r prod uce s a sh otgun, raising h is status and l ow e ring yours.

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Cre ate a m ys te ry and s olve it In your storie s, cre ate m yste rie s, th e n sol ve th e m . Til ts are good for cre ating m yste rie s. H e re are som e m yste ry-cre ating til ts: • "You re al ise th e b e e r is poisone d !" (W h o poisone d it?) • "Th e b arte nd e r says 'I k now w h o k il l e d your b roth e r, b utit'l lcostyou.'" (W h o k il l e d h im ?) • "Be h ind th e b ar is a trapd oor!" (W h e re d oe s it l e ad ?)

Cre ate a m ys te ry and s olve it

For com parison, try tak ing th e m yste ry out. • "You re al ise th e b arte nd e r h as poisone d your b e e r, to b ring you to justice !" • "Th e b arte nd e r says 'I k il l e d your b roth e r, b e cause h e w as sl e e ping w ith m y w ife .'" • "Be h ind th e b ar is a trapd oor m ark e d 'To th e se w e rs'" Th e y're stil ltil ts, b ut th e y're w e ak e r: th e m yste ry h as gone and , w ith it, te nsion and anticipation.

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D e live r on your prom is e s A nton Ch e k h ovw as q uote d as saying: "Ifyou say in th e firstch apte r th atth e re is a rifl e h anging on th e w al l , in th e se cond or th ird ch apte r it ab sol ute l y m ustgo off. Ifit's notgoing to b e fire d , it sh oul d n'tb e h anging th e re ."

In gam e s, w e prom ise th ings, w h e th e r w e m e an to or not. For e xam pl e: • "Th e tre asure is guard e d b y a m igh ty ogre ." ... prom ise s a figh tw ith th e ogre . • "No-one h as e ve r e scape d from th atprison." ... prom ise s th e pl aye rs w il lb e im prisone d and atte m ptto e scape . • "Th e re is m yste rious m agic b re w ing."

W h e n prom ise s are ful fil l e d , it's satisfying; w h e n th e y're l e ftunful fil l e d , it's d issatisfying. Th e d ifficul ty, h e re , is th at you can accid e ntal l y prom ise som e th ing. A s a GM , if you d e scrib e a prison from w h ich no-one h as e ve r e scape d , you've prom ise d an e scape atte m pt. O nce prom ise d , you m ustd e l ive r. M ak e prom ise s in your gam e s and k e e p th e m . Be aw are of w h at you prom ise accid e ntal l y, and k e e p th ose prom ise s too.

D e live r on your prom is e s

... prom ise s w e 'l lse e itin action.

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Re incorporate W h e n you re incorporate , you b ring b ack som e th ing from e arl ie r in th e story. A l th ough th e trick is sim pl e, it's m agical : it cre ate s th e il l usion of structure , giving th e e ffe ct th at you'd pl anne d th is al l al ong. R e incorporation b rings storie s, or part of a story, to an e nd . For e xam pl e: • Your fath e r give s you a sm al lsil ve r k e y as you l e ave h om e ... Late r, it ope ns th e ch e st afte r you k il l th e d ragon. • A m yste rious ol d m an give s you a scrol l . ... Late r, th e m agicald oor ope ns w h e n you re ad it. • Your aunt w ave s to you in th e fie l d s, w aving h e r k nitting.

Re incorporate

... Late r, sh e 's tak e n h ostage . ... Late r stil l , sh e use s h e r k nitting ne e d l e to unpick h e r rope s. Note th at th e re 's no forw ard pl anning h e re . W h e n you d e cid e d your fath e r gave you a sil ve r k e y, you h ad n't im agine d it m igh t ope n a ch e st. Th at d e cision cam e l ate r. If th e re h ad n't b e e n a ch e st, pe rh aps th e k e y w oul d h ave ope ne d a d oor.

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A num be r guide line You sh oul d usual l y re incorporate once , tw ice or m any tim e s. R e incorporating once is sim pl e: you introd uce som e th ing e arl y in th e story; it re appe ars tow ard s th e e nd . • Th e ol d m an give s you a m yste rious scrol l , w h ich you cannotre ad . • But, as th e d ragon b e ars d ow n on you, you sud d e nl y und e rstand it.

Be yond th re e , you m ust incorporate m any tim e s, to d e ve l op a th e m e . Th e final tim e , itch ange s. • Th e ol d m an give s you a m yste rious scrol l , w h ich you cannotre ad . • Th at nigh t, you l ook at th e scrol l , b ut cannot re ad it. • You sh ow it to th e sh opk e e pe r, who cannotre ad it.

• You sh ow it k nigh t, w h o R e incorporating tw ice use s re ad it. th e R ul e of Th re e . Som e th ing h appe ns; it h appe ns again; b ut th e • Eve n th e sage , h il l s, cannotre ad th ird tim e , itch ange s.

• Be fore you e nte r th e cave , you l ook again, b utstil lcannotre ad it. • But, as th e d ragon b e ars d ow n on you, you sud d e nl y und e rstand it.

in th e it.

• But, as th e d ragon b e ars d ow n on you, you sud d e nl y und e rstand it.

A num be r guide line

• Th e ol d m an give s you a m yste rious scrol l , w h ich you cannotre ad .

to th e cannot

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Im portantl y, th e ite m you re incorporate w il lofte n b e part of th e pl atform . Th is is an im portant re ason to b uil d pl atform s: th e m ore d e tail s in th e pl atform , th e m ore opportunitie s th e re are to re incorporate . Try re incorporating d iffe re nt th ings: ob je cts, pe opl e, l ocations. Som e tim e s, re incorporation H e re 's an e xam pl e:

m ay

se e m

nonse nse .

... A s th e d ragon b e ars d ow n on you, you prod uce a l ittl e sil ve r k e y, and inse rt it into a k e yh ol e in its l e g. A s you turn, itfal l s, d e ad .

Th e trouble w ith trouble

H ow e ve r, you'l lb e surprise d h ow far you can push it. Th ings th at, at first sigh t, se e m une xpe cte d , ofte n m ak e surprising se nse w h e n you say th e m : ... A s th e d ragon b e ars d ow n on you, you prod uce a l ittl e sil ve r k e y, and inse rt it into a d usty k e yh ol e in th e fl oor. A trapd oor ope ns, se nd ing th e d ragon pl um m e tting into th e d e pth s ofth e m ountain.

Th e trouble w ith trouble M any pe opl e m istak e "troub l e " for pl ot. If you're th e GM , "troub l e " m e ans th row ing nasty stuff at th e pl aye rs:

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An orde ring guide line As a guid e l ine : re incorporate th ings in th e re ve rse ord e r th e y w e re introd uce d .

Butth is is b e tte r: 1. W h e n you l e ave h om e , your fath e r give s you a sil ve r k e y.

For e xam pl e , th is story... 1. W h e n you l e ave h om e , your fath e r give s you a sil ve r k e y. 2. Th e m an in th e tave rn w arns you not to l ook at th e d ragon. 3. Th e re are m yste rious w ord s w ritte n on th e city w al l . 4. Th e sil ve r k e y ope ns th e d ragon's l air.

6. Th e m yste rious w ord s ope n th e ch e st th e d ragon guard e d . ...is O K .

3. Th e re are m yste rious w ord s w ritte n on th e city w al l . 4. Th e m yste rious w ord s ope n th e d ragon's l air. 5. You d on't l ook at th e d ragon as you k il lit. 6. Th e sil ve r k e y ope ns th e ch e st th e d ragon guard e d .

An orde ring guide line

5. You d on't l ook at th e d ragon as you k il lit.

2. Th e m an in th e tave rn w arns you not to l ook at th e d ragon.

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• A b om b goe s off! • Sw ord sm e n b urstin! • Sh e pul l s a gun! Tw o particul ar m istak e s th atGM s m ak e are : • O pe ning a story w ith starting w ith a figh t.

troub l e : for e xam pl e,

• A d d ing too m uch troub l e : afte r th e sw ord figh t, th e re 's an e xpl osion, th e n a d ragon attack s!

Th e trouble w ith trouble

R e m e m b e r pl atform s and til ts: h e re , th e troub l e corre spond s to a til t. But you ne e d a pl atform b e fore th e til t: th at is, you ne e d cal m , non-d ram atic storyte l l ing b e fore th e d ram a. W ith out th at pl atform , th e story fe e l s l igh tw e igh t: you w on't care ab out th e ch aracte rs or w h at's h appe ning. Al so, th e re w il lb e noth ing to re incorporate , to e nd th e story. Note th at m e ntalattitud e pl ays a part. R e l axe d GM s h appil y l e t th e cal m ne ss pl ay out, introd ucing troub l e w h e n itse e m s natural . A nxious GM s, ne rvous th at th e gam e isn't w ork ing, w ant action. Th e y cre ate troub l e . Th e n, w h e n th e story fail s, b e cause th e y ad d e d too m uch troub l e , th e y ad d m ore troub l e . A noth e r sw ord figh t! Fire b al l s! A nd th ings go from b ad to w orse .

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Tw o good w ays ofs tarting s torie s w ith trouble H e re are tw o e xce ptions to th e rul e : d on't start a story w ith troub l e.

1.Th e Jam e s Bond w ay

2. O nl y afte rw ard s w oul d th e re b e a m urd e r: a til t. Th e inve stigation w oul d occupy th e ne xt partofth e b ook .

M any Jam e s Bond m ovie s start w ith action b e fore th e cre d its: sk i-ing, e xpl osions, gunfire , stunts.

3. Final l y, in th e "th ird act", th e m urd e re r w oul d be re ve al ed.

We can use th is in rol e pl aying gam e s. Start a gam e w ith a figh t b ut, afte rw ard s, re al ise th at th e story m uststart.

2.Th e Body On Page One British m urd e r m yste rie s, such as A gath a Ch ristie 's, containe d th re e "acts". 1. In th e first th ird of th e b ook , th e ch aracte rs and se tting w e re introd uce d (th e pl atform ).

M od e rn storie s, h ow e ve r, b e gin w ith a m urd e r. Th is "Bod y on Page O ne " is not troub l e . It is a trick : d e spite th e il l usion of action, th is first m urd e r is use d to introd uce th e se tting and ch aracte rs. Th is is a pl atform . Late r, th e re w il l b e anoth e r m urd e r, and th atis th e til t. A gain, w e can use th is in rol e pl aying gam e s. Be gin th e gam e w ith "action": a pub b raw l , a gre at b attl e. Be aw are th at th is action is an il l usion and th at, d uring it, you m ust introd uce th e ch aracte rs and b uil d your pl atform .

Jam e s Bond and Th e Body On Page One

Th e aud ie nce k now s th at th e story h asn't starte d ye t. Th e y k now th at, afte r th e cre d its, th e story starts, w ith a pe riod of cal m storyte l l ing (Bond e nte rs M 's office and th e m ission is e xpl aine d ).

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M oraldilem m as M orald il e m m as ad d spice . H e re 's a sim pl e prob l em , inte re sting in itse l f: • Th e d ragon attack s you. Ifw e ch ange itto: • Ignoring you, th e d ragon attack s th e oth e r party m e m b e rs. Be h ind it, you se e gol d , e nough for you to re tire . W e ad d th e d il e m m a: w il lyou h e l p your col l e ague s or tak e th e tre asure ? O f course , not e ve ryth ing ne e d b e a m orald il e m m a. W e ne e d n'tch ange sim pl e prob l e m s: • Th e ch asm is four foot w id e , b ut you m igh t jum p it.

M oraldilem m as

By forcing in a m orald il e m m a: • Th e ch asm is four foot w id e , b ut you m igh t jum p it, if you coul d forge t th e m e m ory of your m oth e r saying "You'l lne ve r succe e d in anyth ing, son." M orald il e m m as ad d spice : as w ith any spice , use in m od e ration.

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Ge tto th e action Som e tim e s it's ob vious w h e re a gam e is going. • W e 're going to k il lth e usurpe r! • W e 're ab outto d iscove r th e tre asure ! • W e 're going to uncove r th e m urd e re r! But it se e m s too soon. Pe rh aps th e gam e se ssion l asts tw o m ore h ours, so w e d on't w ant to e nd th e story. O r pe rh aps w e 've just starte d th e task and fe e lit sh oul d b e h ard e r. So w e stal l . W e putob stacl e s in th e w ay. ... Th e usurpe r isn't in th e room w e th ough t, b ut m il e s aw ay! ... Th e tre asure is w orth l e ss, b ut th e re 's a m ap to th e re altre asure ! ... Th e ph oto sh ow s th e m urd e re r, b ut th e face is bl urre d !

But stal l ing is d ul l . It d e l ays th e story, inve nting ob stacl e s for th e ir ow n sak e . W e try to cl e ar th e ob stacl e , w ith l ittl e e nth usiasm .

Ge tto th e action

GM s, of course , are particul arl y notorious for stal l ing l ik e th is.

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Inste ad , d o th e th ing th at you th ink is h appe ning too e arl y: ... W e k il lth e usurpe r! ... W e d iscove r th e tre asure ! ... W e uncove r th e m urd e re r! Th e n, d e cid e w h ath appe ns ne xt: ... W e b e com e th e ne w rul e rs ofth e k ingd om . ... Th e tre asure w as stol e n and th e ow ne r w ants it b ack . ... W e m ustcapture th e m urd e re r. A nd continue th e story.

K e e p th e action ons tage

K e e p th e action ons tage Ne ve r d e scrib e action from a d istance : • You're in th e court, w h e n a m e sse nge r b rings ne w s ofa gre atb attl e! W h e n you can b ring th e action cl ose r: • You're in th e m id stofa gre atb attl e!

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Jus tify Try b ringing som e th ing une xpl aine d into th e story, trusting you'l ljustify itl ate r. W h il e pl aying Lacuna, a pl aye r d e cid e d a M r Ph yl acte ry w as invol ve d in a m yste ry. W e d id n't k now w h o M r Ph yl acte ry w as, b ut truste d h e w oul d be introd uce d , l ate r. In th e fol l ow ing gam e , w e e xpl ore d a h ospital , and d e cid e d th e m anage r w as M r Ph yl acte ry. Sim il arl y, w h il e pl aying Pol aris, I re fe rre d to m y ch aracte r's Starl igh t H am m e r. W e 'd ne ve r m e ntione d th is b e fore , b ut truste d it w oul d b e e xpl aine d l ate r, pe rh aps in a fl ash b ack . Itw as. Try using an e m otion at anoth e r ch aracte r - b e angry, b e scare d - and trust you'l ljustify it l ate r. A s you pl ay th e e m otion, you'l l re al ise h ow to justify it: for e xam pl e , as you pl ay angry, you'l lre al ise w h y you're angry. Note th e ove rl ap w ith cre ating m yste rie s. By cre ating som e th ing to b e justifie d , you im pl icitl y cre ate th e m yste ry "W h at's th is th ing?". W h e n you justify, you sol ve th atm yste ry.

Jus tify

Al so, note th e se nse of m isch ie f. Effe ctive l y, you are th row ing som e th ing on th e tab l e and saying: "D e al w ith th is!". You're scre w ing w ith th e oth e r pl aye rs, just al ittl e . W e 'l lcom e b ack to th is se nse of m isch ie f in th e finalch apte r.

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M oving forw ard In th is se ction, I've d e scrib e d m any trick s to te l l storie s. D uring a gam e , you w on't re m e m b e r th e m al l . Ind e e d , you w oul d n't w ant to: it's b e tte r to use one trick e ffe ctive l y th an al latonce . K e e p al lth e se trick s at th e b ack of your m ind . Use e ach w h e n itse e m s righ t.

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W ork toge th e r

Th e w ay you play w ith oth e rs w illm ak e or bre ak your gam e .


W ork Toge th e r In th is finalse ction, I'l ltal k ab out w ork ing w ith oth e r pl aye rs. W h at m ak e s you fun to pl ay w ith ? H ow can you w ork toge th e r to m ak e th e gam e b e tte r? Firstl y, I'l l d e scrib e th e positive sid e : giving oth e r pl aye rs a good tim e , trusting, l osing grace ful l y. But th e n I'l le xpl ore th e d ark e r sid e : m e ssing w ith oth e r pl aye rs, tak ing risk s, d oing th ings you find d ifficul t. Provid ing you've got th e positive sid e , too, th e se e d gie r te ch niq ue s w il lspice up your gam e .

W ork Toge th e r

Final l y, I'l ld iscuss th e th e atricalsid e of gam ing, w h ich ofte n ge ts ove rl ook e d : pl aying w ith e ne rgy, putting on a sh ow .

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Give th e oth e r guy a good tim e O fte n, w e try to m ak e gam e s fun for ourse l ve s. Inste ad , conce ntrate on m ak ing gam e s fun for som e one e l se . W ork out w h at th e guy opposite e njoys, th e n give itto h im . Try th is as a GM . If a pl aye r tak e s e ve ry gun h e can carry, give h im th ings to sh oot. If som e one q ue stions suspe cts, give h e r m yste rie s to sol ve . Try itas a pl aye r. If th e pe rson opposite is l ook ing for a m urd e re r, assist h im . If som e one is h unting out conspiracie s, conspire againsth e r.

D on't b e afraid to ask . A t th e start of gam e s, ask "W h at d o you w ant in th is gam e ?". In th e m id d l e , try "H ow 's it going for you?". A nd afte rw ard s, "H ow d id you find th at?". Al lth is, of course , is re l ate d to our e arl ie r conce pt of Buil d ing O n Id e as. H ow e ve r, b uil d ing on id e as is ab outth e story: th is is ab outth e pe opl e.

Give th e oth e r guy a good tim e

A nd l ook for socialcue s. If som e one 's e ye s l igh t up b e fore com b at, th row m onste rs at h im . But l ook for ne gative s: if a pl aye r l ook s uninte re ste d w h e n you starta figh t, d rop it.

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Los e grace fully W h e n you l ose , l ose e nth usiastical l y: re l ish figh ts, b e ing caugh t, b e ing b e rate d .

l osing

Th e n, w h e n you d ie , e njoy it. D ie gl oriousl y. Narrate your d e ath sce ne . Losing grace ful l y is, pe rh aps, th e m ost im portant trick you can l e arn. If you can sm il e as you d ie ignom iniousl y, you'l le njoy e ve ryth ing e l se .

Trus t

Los e grace fully.Trus t.

Trust th e oth e r pl aye rs. Trust th e y’re good ; trust th e y l ik e you;trustth e y’re l ook ing outfor you. Force yourse l f to trust th e m e ve n if you can ’t. Force yourse l f to l ik e th e m , e ve n if you d on ’t. Trust th e y’re good , e ve n ifth e y’re bad . Trusting oth e r pl aye rs isn't ab out w h e th e r you ge nuine l y trust th e m : it's ab out m ak ing pl ay b e tte r. If you’re m istrustful , you’l l pl ay care ful l y and conse rvative l y. Inste ad , force yourse l f to trust, and you’l ltak e risk s. You'l lal w ays find som e th ing you l ik e /trust/appre ciate ab out anoth e r pl aye r. Find th ose th ings, re m ind yourse l fofth e m , and you'l lpl ay b e tte r toge th e r.

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D uring a re ce ntgam e , th e gam e r opposite irritate d m e . H e w as l oud , forth righ t and insiste d on pl aying a particul ar ch aracte r. I force d m yse l f to trust h im , re m ind ing m yse l f of th ings I appre ciate d : h is id e as w e re good ; h e l iste ne d ; h e w asn’ta w al l fl ow e r. D uring th e gam e , I w ante d to e ave sd rop on h im , b ut w asn’tsure w h e th e r h e ’d l ik e it. I ask e d , nice l y. H e said ye s. Th e sce ne w as supe rb . A fte r th e gam e , I stil ld id n’t l ik e h im . But, b e cause I'd force d m yse l fto trust, th e gam e h ad gone b e tte r.

Scre w w ith e ach oth e r So far, I've d e scrib e d pl aying w ith ope rative . H e re 's th e d ark e r sid e .

oth e rs as co-

R e ce ntl y, I pl aye d R une q ue st, and w asn't e njoying it. A n h our in, a d ragon fl e w tow ard s us, re ad y for a figh t. Se ve ral tim e s, I rol l e d to attack and m isse d . Bore d , I d e cid e d to m isb e h ave . "I w ave m y arm s and sh out," I te l lth e GM . "I w antitto

Scre w w ith e ach oth e r

D on't pl ay nice l y. M isb e h ave . Scre w w ith th e GM and oth e r pl aye rs. D o th is nice l y, b ut d o it. W h e n you're w el l -b e h ave d , you're conve ntional : w h e n you b re ak th e rul e s, you im prove th e gam e .

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fl y at m e ." H e l ook s surprise d , so I ch e ck : "Is th at O K ? I d on'tw antto m e ss up th e gam e ." "Sure ." h e says, and th e d ragon fl ie s at m e , w h ich pl e ase s th ose pl aye rs w h o w e re avoid ing th e figh t. W e rol land , m iracul ousl y b ut w ond e rful l y, I k nock th e d ragon unconscious. Itpl ough s into th e sand . Scre w w ith oth e r pl aye rs, too, and l e t th e m scre w w ith you. In a d ul lVam pire LA R P, tw o oth e r pl aye rs approach e d m e . Th e y w e re pl aying M orm ons and atte m pte d to conve rtm e . For h al f an h our, th e y scre w e d w ith m y ch aracte r's h e ad , se nd ing h im m ad . Pl aying th at m ad ch aracte r w as m uch m ore fun.

Scre w it, let's ...

Try m isb e h aving in gam e s. It's fun to m isb e h ave and fun to b e m e sse d w ith . If you're saying "Scre w it, l e t's...", atl e astonce pe r gam e , you're d oing itrigh t.

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Tak e ris k s O fte n, w e pl ay care ful l y, afraid to fail . W e sit q uie tl y, afraid to tak e risk s in case w e "pl ay w rong". W h e n I b e gan pl aying Vam pire LA R Ps, I w as intim id ate d b y e xpe rie nce d pl aye rs in th e ir fl ow ing costum e s. I w as w arne d th at ol d e r pl aye rs e xpl oite d ne w one s. I w as e ncourage d to pl ay anoth e r pl aye r's se rvant, to "l e arn th e gam e ", b ut w h e n I d id , nob od y tal k e d to m e . W h e n I stoppe d b e ing cautious, th e gam e b e cam e e xciting. I pl aye d risk il y. I ch arge d into b attl e. I insul te d oth e rs. It w as fun and , to m y surprise , th e e xpe rie nce d pl aye rs d id n'tk il lm e . Try th is in your gam e s. D on't h ol d b ack : ch arge forw ard and corre ct m istak e s l ate r. Trust oth e rs to corre ct you if you go w rong. Pl ay gam e s untilth e y b re ak . D o th ings, d e l ib e rate l y, th at m igh t b e m istak e s, b utm igh tb e fun. A s th e GM , e ncourage pl aye rs to m ak e m istak e s. Be a safe ty ne t: w h e n th e y tak e risk s and fail ,l e tth e m putit righ t. By saving th e m w h e n th e y fail , you'l le ncourage th e m to tak e risk s.

Tak e ris k s 61


D o th ings you don'tw antto do If you find som e th ing d ifficul t, d o it untilit's not. If som e th ing scare s you, d o it untilit d oe sn't. If a gam e b ore s you, pl ay it, and m ak e itw ork for you. Th e re is a gam e cal l e d Bacch anal , ab out se x and d e b auch e ry, w h ich I am afraid to pl ay. I'm too ne rvous to sugge st pl aying it, too appre h e nsive to run it. W h e n I m e ntion itto oth e rs, th e y l ook ne rvous too. Be cause it scare s m e , I sh oul d pl ay it. Pl aying gam e s th at scare you push e s your b ound arie s. Pl aying gam e s th at b ore you m ak e s you d iscove r ne w w ays to pl ay.

D o th ings you don'tw antto do

Try d oing th is at gam e s conve ntions. Pl ay gam e s you'd usual l y avoid and m ak e th e m fun. I re ce ntl y pl aye d Trave l l e r at a conve ntion. I'd ne ve r pl aye d Trave l l e r and im agine d it b oring. Inste ad , it w as gl oriousl y ol d -fash ione d : I fe l tl ik e a te e nage r, pl aying a space m an w ith a l ase r pistol . For th re e h ours, I conspire d against oth e r pl aye rs, e njoying e ve ry m om e nt. R e al ise th e th ings you avoid , and d o th e m . If you d isl ik e se xuald e scriptions, d e scrib e se xualacts. If you find com b at ch aracte rs b oring, pl ay one , and m ak e it w ork for you.

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D o itagain If a m usician stoppe d , m id -song, and starte d again, sh e 'd b e th ough t incom pe te nt. In rol e pl aying gam e s, h ow e ve r, w e can ch ange th ings w e d on't l ik e : "H aving my l e g b rok e n is d ul l . Can m y arm b e b rok e n inste ad ?". Ifa sce ne isn'tw ork ing, w e can stop it. Use th is. If a sce ne is b oring, k il lit. If a sce ne w ork s b ad l y, re startitor ch ange it. I pl aye d D iana: W arrior Prince ss w ith M arcus R ow l and , th e auth or. H e narrate d a d re am se q ue nce : th e n re al ise d it w asn't w ork ing. "I th ink I've m ad e a m istak e h e re ," h e said , "Can w e go b ack ?". W e d id .

Puton a s h ow

W h e n I run Lacuna, I k e e p a gl ass on th e tab l e. W h en pl aye rs e arn Static (w h ich m e ans d ange r), I d rop in a gl ass b e ad , w h ich rings as it h its th e gl ass. Som e tim e s, I'l lh ol d a b e ad ove r th e gl ass, th re ate ningl y, w h il e tal k ing to a pl aye r. Som e tim e s, I'l lcountth e b e ad s, and say "Ne arl y".

D o itagain.Puton a s h ow .

W h e n Iain M cA l l iste r runs Stitch , it's a pe rform ance . Th e tab l e 's ce ntre pie ce is th e cl ock , w h ich ne ve r stops running. H e points at it, using h is d ram atic voice : "O nce th atcl ock starts, itd oe sn'tstop, for any re ason".

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K e ary Birch , w h o runs Cal lof Cth ul h u gam e s, sits pl aye rs at a tab l e , w h il e h e stal k s around th e m . In one gam e , h e d e scrib e d a sub -h um an cre ature , staring and w h ining. H e continue d w h ining, staring at us, untilw e w e re th orough l y d isturb e d . W e m iss m uch b y not putting on a sh ow . O fte n, gam ing is a se d e ntary activity, pl aye rs and GM h unch e d ove r th e tab l e. Inste ad , m ak e gam e s a pe rform ance : use your voice , use your b od y, use props. D o th is e spe cial l y as th e GM : use th e pow e r re l ationsh ip w ith th e pl aye rs to m e ss w ith th e m . Th e y're in your h and s. Ente rtain th e m .

Ene rgy

Ene rgy

A t a conve ntion gam e , th e pl aye rs arrive d q uie tl y. Th e y sat d ow n, said h e l l o, l ook e d suspicious. I ask e d w h at th e y w ante d from th e gam e and got no answ e r: one justsaid "I w antto pl ay!". Th e gam e ne ve r took off. Earl ie r in th e d ay, I'd m ad e th e sam e e rror. I'd unw il l ingl y joine d a R une q ue st gam e , afte r th e gam e I'd re giste re d for w as ove rsub scrib e d . I sat d ow n, annoye d , and h ope d oth e rs w oul d e nte rtain m e . Th e y d id n't. Le t's b e b l unt: your job , as a pl aye r, is to pl ay w ith

64


e ne rgy. If you're uninspire d , if you sit d ow n tire d , if you e xpe ct oth e rs to e nte rtain you: you're not d oing your job . If a singe r sang une nth usiastical l y, sh e 'd b e out of th e b and ; if an actor w as unconvincing b e cause "h e w as tire d ", h e 'd b e sack e d . Sim il arl y, rol e pl aying is a cre ative e nd e avour: if you d o it h al f-h e arte d l y, it d oe sn'tw ork . Ene rgy is ab out al e rtne ss, l iste ning, re acting, focussing, b e ing on th e b al l . Sportsm e n d e scrib e it as b e ing "in th e z one ". You can pl ay q uie tl y, and inte nse l y, w ith e ne rgy. You can say noth ing and d o it w ith e ne rgy: you'l lb e l iste ning and re acting. D on't m istak e b e ing l oud for e ne rgy. If you're trying to b e ce ntre ofatte ntion, you're d oing itw rong. H ow d o you pl ay w ith e ne rgy? Ste ala trick from actors and sportsm e n: to pre pare yourse l f, w arm up. W ork out w h at ge ts you in th e m ood to pl ay. For e xam pl e , h e re 's w h atge ts m e focusse d : • Notd rink ing al coh ol(untilafte r th e gam e ). • Not h aving too m uch h ype ractive gam e ).

coffe e

(unl e ss

it's

a

• W al k ing around . • Fl ick ing th rough th e gam e te xt.

W arm up

• Sitting q uie tl y for a fe w m inute s, pre fe rab l y in th e sun.

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• Ensuring I h ave e ve ryth ing I ne e d . • Ge tting e nough sl e e p or, if I can't, ge tting up e arl y e nough to b e aw ak e for th e gam e . • H aving b re ak fastb e fore a m orning gam e . • Avoid ing stod gy l unch e s, e spe cial l y ch ips. W h e n I GM conve ntion gam e s, I tak e th is se riousl y. A n h our b e fore th e gam e , I w and e r off al one and re ad m y gam e te xt. I avoid d rink ing and e atw e l l . W h e n pl aying casual l y, of course , I'm l e ss punctil ious: th e re 's l ittl e tim e afte r w ork to pre pare . H ow e ve r, I w al k to th e gam e , to re l ax, and d o a crossw ord to forge tab outw ork . Eve ryone is d iffe re nt. You k now w h at to d o to ge t yourse l fin th e m ood to pl ay. D o it.

Fitinto th e group

Fitinto th e group Each of th e fol l ow ing id e as h ave fol l ow e rs, w h o th ink itis th e "righ t" w ay to pl ay: • Th e GM sh oul d run th e ad ve nture . • W h e n th e GM runs pl aye rs ad ve nture , th at's rail road ing.

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th rough

"h is"

• Pl aye r-ve rsus-pl aye r gam e s are fun. • Pl aye rs w h o act against oth e r pl aye rs annoying.

are

• Ifth e GM re ad s pre -pre pare d te xt, it's b oring. • W h e n th e GM re ad s pre -pre pare d te xt, it se ts th e tone . • Gam e s sh oul d tack l e se rious issue s • Gam e s are for fun! K e e p se rious issue s outsid e ! • Be ing l oud is good ! Itm e ans you're e nth usiastic! • Be ing l oud is inconsid e rate to pe opl e around you. W h e n pl aying w ith an unk now n group, ne ve r assum e th e y agre e w ith your "corre ct" w ay to pl ay. W h e n introd ucing id e as th at m ay b e controve rsial , tre ad care ful l y. W h e n narrating se xualacts into th e gam e , for e xam pl e , w atch for socialcue s: if pe opl e l ook unsym path e tic, d rop it. M ost im portantl y, tal k to oth e r pl aye rs. A sk w h e th e r som e th ing is acce ptab l e : "Can I k il lyour ch aracte r's w ife ?";"I w antto stop you, is th atO K ?".

As k

Ne ve r assum e your id e as ab out gam ing are corre ct. Th is, of course , appl ie s to al lth e id e as in th is b ook . Enjoy th e m , b ut introd uce th e m care ful l y, and tal k w ith your group ab outth e m .

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Afte rw ord A nd th at's th e e nd . W il lyou use al lth e id e as from th is b ook in your gam ing? Pe rh aps not al l . You'l luse th ose you l ik e fre q ue ntl y, oth e rs occasional l y and , pe rh aps, som e not atal l . But, of course , you sh oul d n't try to use al lth e se id e as at once . If you're conce ntrating on using e ve ry te ch niq ue , you'l lb e w ork ing too h ard to h ave fun. Inste ad , k e e p th e conte nts of th is b ook in th e b ack of your m ind . H ol d th e id e as l igh tl y. W h e n you se e an opportunity to use a te ch niq ue , use it, b ut d on't force it. Use e ach id e a w h e n itse e m s naturalin your gam e .

Enjoy your gam e s

You'l ll ik e som e te ch niq ue s in th is b ook m ore th an oth e rs. Use your favourite te ch niq ue s: b ut, al so, use th e one s you find d ifficul t or uninte re sting. If you l ik e d th e Te l lStorie s se ction, b ut not th e Status se ction, th e n try th e te ch niq ue s from th e Status se ction. M ak e th e m w ork for you. Ge t in touch and te l lm e h ow th e se id e as w ork in your gam e s. M y e m ailis grah am @th ie ve softim e .com . You can al so visit m e, on th e w e b, at w w w .th ie ve softim e .com . I l ook forw ard to h e aring from you. Th ank you for re ad ing. Enjoy your gam e s.

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Glos s ary ofGam e s H e re are d e scriptions of th e gam e s I've use d in th e e xam pl e s. Th e y're l iste d in th e ord e r I d iscove re d th e gam e s.

D un ge on s an d D ragon s Now pub l ish e d b y W iz ard s O fTh e Coast h ttp://w w w .w iz ard s.com /d nd

Th e gam e I pl aye d th rough m y te e nage ye ars, w h e n it w as cal l e d A d vance d D unge ons and D ragons. A cl assic fantasy ad ve nture gam e .

CallofCth ulhu Ch aosium , Inc h ttp://w w w .ch aosium .com /

A n inve stigative h orror gam e , b ase d on th e w ork s of H P Love craft. I ow ne d it as a te e nage r b ut h ard l y pl aye d it. Now , I find it th e m ost re l iab l y fun gam e to pl ay at conve ntions.

Vam pire : Th e M asque rad e , M in d 's Eye Th e atre

In m y l ate tw e ntie s, I pl aye d th e l ive -action ve rsion of Vam pire , cal l e d M ind 's Eye Th e atre . Th rough out th e

Th e Gam e s

W h ite W ol f h ttp://w w w .w h ite -w ol f.com /

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b ook , I've re fe rre d to itas th e "Vam pire LA R P". Vam pire h as now b e e n re w ritte n as Vam pire : Th e R e q uie m . Th e re is al so a ne w M ind 's Eye Th e atre ve rsion.

M y Life W ith M aste r b y PaulCz e ge , H al fM e m e Pre ss h ttp://w w w .h al fm e m e .com /

In m y th irtie s, I d iscove re d sm al l -pre ss gam e s. Th is w as th e first I d iscove re d and one of th e b e st. You pl ay th e m inions ofan e vilM aste r. Fun and d isturb ing.

D ogs In Th e Vin e yard b y D . Vince ntBak e r, l um pl e y gam e s h ttp://w w w .l um pl e y.com /

Th e oth e r gre at sm al l -pre ss gam e . You're a gunm an, roam ing an al te rnative W il d W e st, d e l ive ring God 's jud ge m e nt.

H e roQ ue st

Th e gam e s

Pub l ish e d b y Issarie s, Inc h ttp://w w w .gl oranth a.com /

A sm al l -pre ss fantasy gam e b y R ob in D . Law s.

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Bacch an al b y PaulCz e ge , H al fM e m e Pre ss h ttp://w w w .h al fm e m e .com /

A gam e ab out d runk e nne ss, se x and d e b auch e ry, w h ich scare s m e .

Th e Sh ab A l-H iri R oach b y Jason M orningstar, Bul l y Pul pitGam e s h ttp://w w w .b ul l ypul pitgam e s.com /

A n od d , and w ond e rful , gam e , ab out acad e m ia, h orror and an ancie nt te l e path ic inse ct god . A t its h e art, it's a gam e ab outpow e r, w h ich I h igh l y re com m e nd .

Lacun a PartI: Th e Cre ation ofth e M yste ry an d th e Girlfrom Blue City By Jare d Sore nson, M e m e nto M ori Th e atrick s h ttp://w w w .m e m e nto-m ori.com /

A re ce nt d iscove ry and a w ond e rful sci-fi gam e . M yste ry A ge nts d e sce nd into a m yste rious m ind w orl d to h untsub ve rsive s.

Prim e tim e A d ve n ture s

A sm al l -pre ss gam e ab out te l e vision d ram a: your group cre ate s th e ir ow n TVsh ow .

Th e gam e s

b y M attW il son, D og-Eare d D e signs h ttp://w w w .d og-e are d -d e signs.com /

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Trave ller O riginal l y pub l ish e d b y Gam e s D e signe r's W ork sh op, now d iffe re ntve rsions pub l ish e d b y d iffe re ntpub l ish e rs

A cl assic scie nce -fiction gam e , w h ich I d id n't d iscove r untilm y th irtie s, w h e n I pl aye d itata conve ntion.

D ian a: W arrior Prin ce ss b y M arcus R ow l and h ttp://w w w .h e l iograph .com /d iana/

M arcus R ow l and 's b iz arre and w ond e rful gam e , w h ich im agine s th e Tw e ntie th Ce ntury se e n th rough th e e ye s ofh istorical l y inaccurate d ram a.

Stitch b y Iain M cA l l iste r (in d e ve l opm e nt) h ttp://w w w .giantb rain.co.uk /

A tim e -trave l gam e , pl aye d against th e Curre ntl y in d e ve l opm e ntand l ook ing good .

cl ock .

R un e que st

Th e gam e s

O riginal l y pub l ish e d b y Ch aosium

A noth e r fantasy rol e pl aying gam e . w h ich I've pl aye d once .

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Th ank s Too m any pe opl e assiste d w ith th is b ook to re m e m b e r accurate l y, as I w il lnow d e m onstrate . Th e gre ate st th ank s go to K e ith Joh nstone , w h o inve nte d th is styl e of im provisation, and R on Ed w ard s, w h o starte d th e ind ie gam e th ing. W ith out th e form e r, th is b ook coul d n't h ave b e e n w ritte n; w ith outth e l atte r, itw oul d n'th ave b e e n pub l ish e d . Th ank you to Bay A re a Th e atre sports and Th e Spontane ity Sh op (Tom Sal insk y and D e b orah France s W h ite ) w h o taugh tm e im provisation. Th ank you to e ve ryone w h o re ad th rough th e te xt and sugge ste d im prove m e nts: Gre gor H utton, A nd re w K e nrick , Ste ve "Im m e rse d " D e m pse y, Sim on "Te d ious" R oge rs, M e gue y Bak e r, A l e x Frad e ra, D avid W al m sl ey and Jason M orningstar. A l th ough I use d onl y h al f your corre ctions, I appre ciate d th e m al l . Th ank you to Je ff Z ah ari, Sim on Carrye r and Ian (Isb o) for corre cting th e gl ossary ofgam e s.

Th ank you to th e w e b site s Story Gam e s (w w w .story-

Th ank you

Th ank you, al so, to e ve ryone w h o com m e nte d on m y journal w ith sugge stions: Em il y Care , Joh nn Four, w iz ofice , M arc M ajch e r, M att M ach e l l , Se th Be n-Ez ra, Fl e isch , Cl aire Bick e l l , jm ac, Be n Joh nson, Pe r Fisch e r, wml , Sam i, Ge orgios, PaulTe vis, jz n, PaulCz e ge , Fang Langford , Brand R ob ins and e ve ryone w h o poste d to ad ve rtise casino site s, incl ud ing, appare ntl y, Bil lNigh y.

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gam e s.com ), K nife Figh t (w w w .i-w oul d -k nife -figh t-am an.com ) and Col l e ctive End e avour (w w w .col l e ctive e nd e avour.com ), w h e re I h ash e d outid e as. Particul ar th ank s to th ose w h o com m e nte d on th e th re ad "Bore m e ", e spe cial l y Jarod Scott for al l ow ing m e to use h is q uote . Th ank you to th e poste rs on th e th re ad "W h at h appe ns ne xt?", e spe cial l y th ose w h o gave m e pe rm ission to use th e ir q uote s: PaulCz e ge , R afae l , W arre n, M atth ijs. Particul ar th ank s to Paul , for q ual ifying h is pe rm ission w ith "unl e ss m y re sponse m ak e s m e l ook stupid , som e h ow ". Itd id n't. Th ank s and apol ogie s to Ste ve n and K T ("Cal lM e Curl y"), w h om I trie d to contact for pe rm ission, b ut coul d n't find . I've use d th e q uote s anyw ay, b e cause th e y w e re gre at. D o ge tin touch ifth at's annoying.

And goodnigh t

Th ank you to e ve ryone w h o h e l pe d m e w ith th e introd uction, w h e n I w as stuck : Justin D . Jacob son, PaulCz e ge , D avid D onach ie , Th or H anse n and Jam e y Crook . Th ank s to Lul u, th rough w h om th is b ook is pub l ish e d , and th e m ak e rs ofScrib us and GIM P. Th ank you al so to Basiland Til l y, our cats, for h e l ping b y w al k ing ove r m y note s as I w as trying to re ad th e m . Particul ar th ank s to Liz for h e r patie nce and , w h e n th at ran out, for not h itting m e ove r th e h e ad w ith th e sk il l e t.

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Play_Unsafe.pdf

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