tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33296742990801696312024-03-13T12:55:33.857-07:00Ginger GoatGinger Goat publishes games designed by Josh Jordan and other contributors. We are committed to telling stories that are genuine, moving, and a little silly.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09369247015861872302noreply@blogger.comBlogger115125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3329674299080169631.post-38292529394696884742016-11-27T08:15:00.000-08:002016-11-27T08:15:49.814-08:00Four Stages of Post-Playtest Game Editing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2nJ3-xDBPs0/WDsBJHWdlTI/AAAAAAAAdno/nN-5bsufhHUFz4MPvRmsDtEkzjNFF4OJQCLcB/s1600/dqweaohsavc-olu-eletu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2nJ3-xDBPs0/WDsBJHWdlTI/AAAAAAAAdno/nN-5bsufhHUFz4MPvRmsDtEkzjNFF4OJQCLcB/s320/dqweaohsavc-olu-eletu.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13.696px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13.696px;">You have a game. It works when you are there to explain it. You've playtested it. And you've incorporated that playtest feedback to make your game work even better. Your game is cooler than it's ever been. That's it, right? Now you just need to cut and paste all your notes into one file and.send it off to your buddy who does layout, eh?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13.696px;">Wait. Not so fast.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13.696px;">Your game.may be better than ever, but outside of a convention, people aren't buying your game. They are buying your game documents. They are paying for your instructions on how to reproduce your awesome game. That means you need another editing process. You need to develop your game text into the best set of instructions you can produce. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13.696px;">In other words, before layout there is a post-playtest game editing process in which you develop the text itself to make sure that it is helpful for players wanting to learn your game AND, if possible, fun to read. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13.696px;">That's a tall order. Where should you start?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13.696px;">I admit that I treat post-playtest game editing like the final process I use when writing a sermon. I picture this editing process as four stages, and when I edit, I try to complete all four. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13.696px;">(But each editing pass can accomplish at most one and a half of these stages. That means that, ideally, I'm going through each post-playtest game three or four times.)</span><br />
<div dir="auto" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13.696px;">
These categories are in series. You can't reach a new one until you've finished te previous.</div>
<h3 style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13.696px;">
1. Clear</h3>
<div dir="auto" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13.696px;">
Does the text make sense? Are each of the sections labeled and in an order that helps the reader? Is anything missing? Does anything need to be defined, repeated, or put into a visual aide like a table or flowchart?</div>
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<br /></div>
<h3 style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13.696px;">
2. Playable</h3>
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Do players know how to set up and start the game? Does each kind of player or facilitator have clear instructions for their role? Do we know when to stop and what to do when we are finishing the game? Is the order of play well-regulated? Do I always know when I am supposed to act AND what I can choose to do next?</div>
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<br /></div>
<h3 style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13.696px;">
3. Emotionally Engaging (Fun, broadly defined)</h3>
<div dir="auto" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13.696px;">
Is the game built to evoke a certain emotion or does it emulate a certain genre of storytelling? What are players supposed to feel or act like during the game? Has the tone of the game been made so clear, explicitly or implicitly, that players know when they have accidentally violated the tone of the game? If the game has a strategy for best play, is it obvious?</div>
<h3 style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13.696px;">
<br />4. Cleverly Written (Strong Narrative Voice)</h3>
<div dir="auto" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13.696px;">
Does the narrator have a recognizable personality? Is the style of writing consistent? Have I eliminated distracting or mood-killing elements from the text? Will the reader be pleasantly surprised by the writing itself?</div>
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<br /></div>
<div dir="auto" style="font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13.696px;">
I hope this is of some value to you in your post playtest editing process. You are free to use your own methods. The above categories are descriptive of my approach, not prescriptive for yours.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09369247015861872302noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3329674299080169631.post-44395339890026813412016-08-12T18:07:00.000-07:002016-08-12T18:07:52.505-07:00Daddy versus the Medical Bills<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>The best way to help is by donating to <a href="http://paypal.me/joshtjordan">Paypal.</a></b></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This is my son Sam. He is five years old. He's a great kid. He and I need your help.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Jatb8XjTw5E/V65vudawlPI/AAAAAAAAZ7Y/tUWxRPKz3g8SdAD58UwpvD0mC7SE4WLdACLcB/s1600/20160727_192001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Jatb8XjTw5E/V65vudawlPI/AAAAAAAAZ7Y/tUWxRPKz3g8SdAD58UwpvD0mC7SE4WLdACLcB/s320/20160727_192001.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
A few weeks ago, he had breathing-related medical emergency. We rushed him to the ER and he spent five days in hospital. </div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xuGE8LQ9yqc/V65vmcZxAVI/AAAAAAAAZ7U/pcL5-zsGd2Yq3RLHjzTbOuY0RdsGrPqdQCLcB/s1600/20160715_120535.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xuGE8LQ9yqc/V65vmcZxAVI/AAAAAAAAZ7U/pcL5-zsGd2Yq3RLHjzTbOuY0RdsGrPqdQCLcB/s320/20160715_120535.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
He's feeling much better. Thank God. But I, his daddy, have a big problem. The medical bills from those days in the hospital are big. Like "drain your savings and then keep going" big. On top of that, <i>because I had set certain bills to be paid automatically</i>, I have accidentally spent much more than I can afford on these bills.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Long story short, our family needs financial help to cover necessities like groceries and daycare for the next two to three weeks until my wife and I get our next paychecks. We have accidentally overpaid our medical bills early, so <b>we need at least $1,200 to help us survive until the end of the month.</b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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We are working with the hospital to pay the remaining bills a little at a time. We are talking to extended family to help cover expenses where they can. We're budgeting our expenses carefully and only spending what we absolutely have to.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
But my family needs help as a result of our one-time emergency medical debt. If you can, please help.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The best way to help is to donate to <a href="https://paypal.me/joshtjordan">Paypal</a>. The second best way to help is to share a link to this article on social media. The third best way to help would be to buy some of my games. See the links on the side of this page. Keep in mind that I only get a percentage of the profits from these games. It helps, but not as much as Paypal.</div>
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<br /></div>
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In the end, do whatever you are comfortable with. If you can help, you have my deepest thanks. And Sam thanks you, too.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>The best way to help is by donating to <a href="http://paypal.me/joshtjordan">Paypal.</a></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09369247015861872302noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3329674299080169631.post-75299859692948203322016-05-31T07:12:00.003-07:002016-05-31T07:12:45.373-07:00A Tip for Finding New Character Names<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TFOarFmYfLQ/V02aqTifzVI/AAAAAAAAWo4/IMGZyGyIFJkgNAo34wU7_cqKpojv9OWhgCLcB/s1600/think.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TFOarFmYfLQ/V02aqTifzVI/AAAAAAAAWo4/IMGZyGyIFJkgNAo34wU7_cqKpojv9OWhgCLcB/s320/think.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
If you are looking for plausible but odd names for your characters, just check your spam filter. It's full of fake names.</div>
<div>
Here are a few from mine:</div>
<div>
Millicent Ramirez</div>
<div>
Bruno Christensen</div>
<div>
Adolfo Petersen</div>
<div>
Ernest Malone</div>
<div>
Ronda Livingston</div>
<div>
Cesar Byrd</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Now tell me that Cesar Byrd isn't an awesome character name!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Your spam filter is also a good place to find business names, but I wouldn't use those names for any of your commercial projects, in case the original owners take offense. But for your personal rpg group or for non-commercial fanfic, go ahead and use Defender X or Shadowfall Productions or whatever strange business names you find in <i>your</i> spam filter.</div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09369247015861872302noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3329674299080169631.post-70471168898456136532016-04-08T12:07:00.002-07:002016-04-08T12:07:33.843-07:00Run! Fire!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_ayJD74O0iE/Vwf-jJZAmZI/AAAAAAAAUaA/Zxl-0o3QLWcmJVvLNW5ZoeYnaz5pYaj9A/s1600/runfire.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_ayJD74O0iE/Vwf-jJZAmZI/AAAAAAAAUaA/Zxl-0o3QLWcmJVvLNW5ZoeYnaz5pYaj9A/s400/runfire.jpeg" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<br />
I just put these rules together. Feedback welcome. Feel free to tell me that they are confusing or broken.<br />
<br />
<h2>
Run! Fire!</h2>
A card game for 3 players. 15-20 minutes.<br />
In this game, you play three ranchers trying to escape a huge grass fire. Will you help put the fire out? Will you panic and run? Who will survive?<br />
<h3>
Setup</h3>
3 players<br />
Deal each player 3 each of Fire and Run. <i>(Use red cards for Fire and black cards for Run)</i><br />
Make a central deck of 2 Fire and 2 Run<br />
Each player starts with 10 coins<br />
<br />
<h3>
Play</h3>
Every player plays one card of their choice face down into a pile in the center. The tallest player is dealer this round. The dealer draws one card from the central deck, shows it to all the players, and puts it face down in the pile. Each player then bets.<br />
<br />
To bet, lay down a card from your hand face up. Place at least one coin on that card. <i>(Betting represents your decision whether to help extinguish the fire or run and try to save yourself. If you play a face up Fire card, you are trying to fight the fire. The more coins you place on it, the more committed you are to extinguishing the fire. If you place a face up Run card, you are trying to save yourself by escaping the fire.)</i><br />
<br />
After each player bets, the dealer shuffles the pile of face down cards. He plays one card in the middle of the table face up. He then places the rest of the cards on the top of the central deck. If this card matches the face up card a player has bet, that player is a winner this round. Everyone else loses. The winners split all the coins that have been bet. If the coins cannot be split evenly, give the extras to the dealer, even if the dealer lost this round. Place the face up card that you bet with back in your hand.<br />
<br />
The player to the tallest player’s left is the new dealer. Players play another card of their choice face down in the middle of the table. The dealer takes one card from the top of the central deck, shows it face up to all the players, then shuffles it facedown into the facedown pile. Then everyone bets. <i>(If you have coins left, you must bet at least one during each round.) </i>Then the dealer plays one card from the facedown pile face up. Players who match that card with their bet card win. Split the coins among the winners, then place the card you bet with back in your hand.<br />
<br />
The position of dealer then rotates one more time, so each player has had the chance to deal once. Play another round just like before.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Scoring</h3>
Now, each player shows their remaining cards face up, and everyone calculates their score. Any player with more than 10 points lives. That means you escape the fire and win the game.<br />
<br />
<h4>
Run!</h4>
Look at all the players' cards. If more than half are Run cards, the ranchers were not able to work together and put out the fire. (<i>Those who lived are the folks who ran away. Those who died are those who tried to extinguish the fire.)</i> Run cards are worth 2 points. Fire cards are worth 0 points. Coins are worth 1 point.<br />
<br />
<h4>
Fire!</h4>
Look at all the players' cards. If more than half are Fire cards, the ranchers were able to put out the fire. <i>(Those who lived worked together bravely to extinguish the fire. Those who died were the ranchers who panicked, made a wrong turn, and got caught by the fire.)</i> Run cards are worth 0 point. Fire Cards are worth 2 points. Coins are worth 1 point. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09369247015861872302noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3329674299080169631.post-29378996244024343042016-04-06T09:56:00.002-07:002016-04-06T09:56:31.603-07:007 Ways to Reuse Abandoned Games<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yBDNUkBmb84/VwUlTfmePLI/AAAAAAAAUUc/3msEA9qhv4c3a7uUJzlv8jRWnfaMm015w/s1600/pripyat-1060263_1920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yBDNUkBmb84/VwUlTfmePLI/AAAAAAAAUUc/3msEA9qhv4c3a7uUJzlv8jRWnfaMm015w/s400/pripyat-1060263_1920.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
What do you do with abandoned tabletop games? Think of card, board, or roleplaying games that you own that you no longer play. Maybe the rules don't interest you anymore. Maybe they interest you, but you no longer have someone to play with. They are missing pieces. They are too expensive. For whatever reason, you have abandoned the games you used to play. But is there a way you can still use them?<br />
Let's talk about a few ways to repurpose those games so that you can still get some use out of them, or at least have fun with their components. Now, I don't know what kinds of games you have lying around, so I've decided to phrase these ideas as questions. We're relying on your creativity to figure out how they apply to your specific situation.<br />
<br />
1. Physical Components: Can you use the art, cards or board pieces in another game? Maybe the art would make a good inspiration for another rpg. The board pieces could be replacements for another game.<br />
<br />
2. Rules Hack: Can you change the rules to skip the part of the game that doesn't work for you? There's no game police telling you that you have to play a whole game of <i>Monopoly</i>. You can skip to the end, if you like.<br />
<br />
3. Spiritual Sequel: Can you write your own game that uses this game as inspiration? Our hobby has a long tradition of fantasy heartbreakers, that are essentially someone's attempt to use D&D as inspiration for a new game. Though not all of these are great, some of them are. Can you make a "heartbreaker" based off of a card or board game you abandoned?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zSJWyftBU_o/VwU_A27OT4I/AAAAAAAAUUs/IjCOuxf85usyf-7jVcL-46aY0cTjtD9Lw/s1600/board-761586_1920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zSJWyftBU_o/VwU_A27OT4I/AAAAAAAAUUs/IjCOuxf85usyf-7jVcL-46aY0cTjtD9Lw/s320/board-761586_1920.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
4. Swap: Can you trade this game away to one of your friends for another game? This may feel like cheating. You aren't hacking the game. You are literally reusing it by giving it to someone who wants to play it. In return, they probably have a game that you've never tried that they are willing to give you.<br />
<br />
5. Update: Are there alternate rules for this game available on the Internet? Playing with revised or updated rules may help renew your passion for the game. Are there errata that have been breaking the game? Nerfing those can make a world of difference.<br />
<br />
6. Doing It Wrong: The French poet Paul Valery wrote "That which has always been accepted by everyone, everywhere, is almost certain to be false." What can you do to break this game, to use it incorrectly, or to play it backwards? How can you make a new game by using the old game wrong?<br />
<br />
7. Steps: What section of the original gameplay was the most fun? What did you love to <i>do in the game</i>? How can you borrow just that part of the gameplay and do it in a different game?<br />
<br />
Here are seven ways to squeeze a little more fun out of tabletop games you've abandoned. But I'm sure there are more methods. What other ways can you think of to reuse, repurpose, or recycle tabletop games that you used to love? Send your tips or examples to gingergoatpress@gmail.com<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09369247015861872302noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3329674299080169631.post-41414908024778135672016-03-23T06:13:00.002-07:002016-03-23T06:13:59.662-07:00Armed<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: black; color: orange; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Here's a subsystem you can add to non-combat
larps with 10 or fewer players. Although it seems like it just adds combat to
the game, what it really does is play with the idea of consent and bullying by
adding the threat of player elimination to the atmosphere of the game. In other
words, it changes the mood of the game and the negotiations between players by
adding a subtext of potential violence.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: black; color: orange; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<h3 style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: black; color: orange; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">You need:</span></span></h3>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: black; color: orange; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">A larp that doesn't already involve combat or
player elimination</span><span style="font-size: small;">10 or fewer players, preferably 3-6.</span><span style="font-size: small;">Toy weapons, enough for half of the players. I
prefer toy guns that make noise when fired.</span><span style="font-size: small;">1 coin</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: black; color: orange; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<h3 style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: black; color: orange; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Setup:</span></span></h3>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: black; color: orange; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Starting here, read these rules aloud to the
other players. Read all of this section and the following section, How to Play. </span><span style="font-size: small;">Before playing, players take turns flipping
the coin. Start with the oldest or tallest player. On a heads, you get one of
the weapons. When you run out of weapons to hand out or when everyone has
flipped the coin once, move on to playing the game.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: black; color: orange; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<h3 style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: black; color: orange; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">How to Play:</span></span></h3>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="background-color: black; color: orange; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Play the game as normal. However, at anytime
after the first ten minutes of play, any character with a weapon may attack
another character. To attack, aim your weapon at the other player and announce
that you are attacking. Other players around you should pause and watch what
you are doing. You now flip the coin. On heads, you hit. On tails, you
miss. </span><span style="font-size: small;">If you hit, flip the coin again. On tails, you
injure the character. This has no mechanical affect, but the player of the
injured character will probably assign some affect to his character in the
story. On heads, you kill the character. That character is no longer part of
the larp. That player should sit out the rest of the game. (This may break some
games. Feel free to adjust the rules on the fly.)</span><span style="font-size: small;">Play of the game then resumes as normal. After
you have used your weapon, you must wait at least 10 minutes before you use it
again. If you ever miss twice against the same person, give that player your
weapon. Their character has disarmed your character. If a character is ever injured
twice, that character is dead.</span></span></div>
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<!--StartFragment-->
<!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09369247015861872302noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3329674299080169631.post-25522726689197788792016-03-22T05:52:00.000-07:002016-03-22T05:52:01.946-07:00Last Week to Kickstart Singularity<span style="color: orange; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: black; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">We've got one week to go and just over $1,000 left to raise in order to reach our goal for Singularity. If you haven't heard yet, this is a live action game for 4-6 people. It's a scifi version of a dating show like the Bachelor. Interested? <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1080999837/singularity-2">Then back it today!</a></span></span><br />
<span style="color: orange; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: black; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">I just got word that Caitlynn Belle will finish her final design changes on the game in the next two weeks and that Thomas Novosel has started working on a style guide for the layout. That means that we are on track for a tight turn around. If we reach our funding goal of $3,000, we should have pdfs for people by June. (Maybe earlier. Cross your fingers.) Depending on how smoothly things go at the printer, backers should have physical copies in their hands by August.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: orange; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: black; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">Keep an eye out for another announcement today or tomorrow that contains images of one of the character sheets for the game. It should give you a good idea of Thomas' plans for the layout of the book.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: orange; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: black; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px;">If we meet our goal, it will be Ginger Goat's fourth physically printed book, after Heroine, Girls Elsewhere, and Dangers Untold. As with all our games, Singularity is feminist, pro-diversity, and narratively driven. If you liked our other work, I'm sure you will like this one, too.</span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09369247015861872302noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3329674299080169631.post-41161220066930307542016-02-14T08:29:00.000-08:002016-02-14T08:29:05.525-08:00#Transhumanselfie<span style="color: orange;">Do you have a futuristic or robot costume? Not from a licensed show? Are you willing to post your #transhumanselfie for me?</span><br />
<span style="color: orange;">Ginger Goat </span><span style="color: orange;">wants them for a Kickstarter video for our transhuman dating show.</span><br />
<span style="color: orange;">All body types, genders, etc. are wanted. No nudity for this one, please. Your bods are beautiful but I want to make a kid-friendly video.</span><br />
<span style="color: orange;">If we use your selfie in the Kickstarter video AND the project funds, I will send you a pdf copy of the game (or an extra pdf copy, if you also back the game.)</span><br />
<span style="color: orange;">To enter, all you have to do is post your #transhumanselfie on Twitter or G+ where I can see it, then make sure I have a way to contact you. If you're not sure I know how to get in touch with you, you can always email us at gingergoatpress@gmail.com.</span><br />
<span style="color: orange;">What kind of costumes are we looking for? Aliens, robots, cyborgs, futuristic humans, anything you can imagine! Don't worry about what's in the background of the photo.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09369247015861872302noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3329674299080169631.post-58719302699174598162016-02-12T06:42:00.004-08:002016-02-12T06:52:20.709-08:00Animal Professionals of Place Place Number: A Solo Writing Game<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Mh22FB19iJo/Vr3tEuJ64SI/AAAAAAAAShw/AFXAUgXuVsc/s1600/Write.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Mh22FB19iJo/Vr3tEuJ64SI/AAAAAAAAShw/AFXAUgXuVsc/s320/Write.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="color: #404040; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: orange; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16.5455px;">I had a game idea for Ole Peder Giæver's #3nano16 <a href="https://norwegianstyle.wordpress.com/2016/02/02/3nano16/%EF%BB%BF">game design challenge</a> as I was falling asleep last night. </span></span><br />
<h2>
<span style="color: #404040; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: orange; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16.5455px;">Animal Professionals of Place Place Number</span></span></h2>
<span style="color: #404040; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: orange; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16.5455px;"><i>APoPPN</i> is a one player writing game that takes the form of writing a formal playtest feedback letter about a game that doesn't exist.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #404040; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: orange; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16.5455px;">1. Write a letter to a GM or game designer. Choose someone whose work inspires you and who knows you at least by name.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #404040; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: orange; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16.5455px;">2. Thank them for the chance to playtest their latest game. Give it a name in the form of [Animal] [Professionals ] of [Place] [Place] [Number], eg "Squirrel Jugglers of Star Moon 5."</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #404040; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: orange; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16.5455px;">3. Tell them about something that you liked about the game. Compare it to a game or movie that you love. If possible, describe an interaction between characters in your playthrough of the game. Name the characters after people you work with or go to school with. Last names only! Name the players after gamers you know.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #404040; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: orange; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16.5455px;">4. Tell them what confused you about the game. Quote a rule from their game that doesn't seem to fit. (Use a sentence from page 42 of the book closest to you as this rule quote. You can quote it exactly or use this real book as inspiration for your rules quote.)</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #404040; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: orange; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16.5455px;">5 Thank them again for the chance to playtest their game. Give them a genuine compliment about their (real) previous game designs or GMing.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #404040; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: orange; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16.5455px;">6. Sign your letter with the name they know you by</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #404040; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: orange; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16.5455px;">7. Mail, email, or post your letter online where the intended recipient will see it.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #404040; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: orange; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16.5455px;">8. (Optional) Include a link to the text of this game, so they don't think you're completely bonkers.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #404040; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: orange; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16.5455px;">This game is copyright Josh Jordan and is released under Creative Commons Attribution. You may repost these rules wherever you like.</span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09369247015861872302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3329674299080169631.post-6236759141666146052015-12-06T17:48:00.003-08:002015-12-06T17:52:29.789-08:00Five MonstersNeed a few mood-setting monsters for your game or your story? Feel free to use these. Each is a common monster tweaked into something a bit more ominous.<br />
<h3>
<br />The Skeleton</h3>
<div>
The animated bones of a cowardly soldier, usually wearing the armor or uniform of his former station. The Skeleton only attacks when it has the element of surprise. It moves slowly but quietly and it likes to attack from behind. When faced with well-prepared fighters, the Skeleton flees to the nearest woods and waits until the next night to attack again.</div>
<h3>
<br />The Gelatin</h3>
<div>
A waxy, off-white puddle that drags itself across the ground, digesting any human or animal matter it touches. The Gelatin shows a rudimentary intelligence and is a careful hunter. It lures prey by giving off the smell of cooked meat and by mimicking the sound of wounded baby animals. It most often sounds like a crying human child.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_IkCvGUB0aY/VmTj3EGXWlI/AAAAAAAAQ38/5UKJRswy7pg/s1600/7598824054_1e5ac2098c_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_IkCvGUB0aY/VmTj3EGXWlI/AAAAAAAAQ38/5UKJRswy7pg/s320/7598824054_1e5ac2098c_o.jpg" width="194" /></a></div>
<h3>
<br />The Well of Sin</h3>
<div>
This well is cursed. There is some debate whether it is itself intelligent or not. However, rumor of its curse has traveled far; many fools make pilgrimages to drink from its depths. Anyone who drinks from the Well of Sin is said to receive the thing they desire most by the end of the day. However, this wish-come-true comes at a terrible price, for upon sunrise of the next day, the drinker becomes possessed by a demon for the next three days. These possessor demons vary, but they tend to wild murder sprees, theft, and near-constant libelous speech.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h3>
The Wellington</h3>
<div>
This Venom-like possessor entity covers the body of its host with a black rubbery film over the course of a few hours. Any body part covered by the black film is under control of the Wellington's alien intelligence. Its motives are unclear, but all who survive its possession describe the experience as a series of nightmares about owls, fences, and dried river beds. After a few hours of total coverage, the Wellington abandons its now unconscious host and returns to its dormant state, a pair of rain boots.<br />
<h3>
<br />The Velveteen</h3>
This beast appears in the form of a well-worn stuffed animal. It appears to feed off the suffering of families with young children. It abhors violence, however. The Velveteen's only method of attack is to cause despair in adult men and to directly or indirectly encourage them to abandon the family.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Photo by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69125796@N00/">Starmanseries</a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09369247015861872302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3329674299080169631.post-50560260493195548402015-09-21T10:44:00.001-07:002015-09-21T10:44:34.686-07:00OSR Game: Motley<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vTuzvLM6MKo/VgA8ICEalJI/AAAAAAAAOqY/fyYIsuaTR_c/s1600/15256971329_c3ab28b991_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vTuzvLM6MKo/VgA8ICEalJI/AAAAAAAAOqY/fyYIsuaTR_c/s320/15256971329_c3ab28b991_o.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><br /></span></span>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: inherit;">I had an idea for an OSR game
last night, but I suspect some people would really hate it. It might hit that
terrible sweet spot of too mechanical for indie fans and too non-violent for
old school fans. For now, I'm calling the game Motley.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: inherit;">Imagine a fairly typical dungeon
crawl system where hit points represent not just how alive something is, but
how able to fight it is. So a specially trained character could reduce hit
points with a joke or a distracting magic trick.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: inherit;">Now imagine that in the Equipment
section, next to the weapons table and armor table, there are tables for
comedy, friendship, and distraction. A character with the right proficiency can
use exotic friendship techniques to convince monsters not to fight.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: inherit;">Depending on your setting, you
may scrap traditional weapons completely, or you may use them alongside these
non-violent techniques. Perhaps your elf dual wields fart jokes and a rapier.
Perhaps your dwarf uses long-stemmed roses as a ranged friendship attack and an
axe as melee combat attack. Perhaps your orc is a firespinner, who can awe
someone right before kicking them in the shins.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: inherit;">I imagine that this system would
deserve its own classes, like jester, performer, and bon vivant. Each would
grant certain proficiencies and special abilities. I might have to
retroactively write fighter, wizard, thief, and cleric classes just to clarify
what abilities they have.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: inherit;">Would monsters use combat or
would they try to use these abilities, too? Is the dragon trying to kill you or
befriend you? What happen if it succeeds? What happens if it befriends half the
party? All of these issues would have to be worked out. My default would be to
have most monsters trying to harm the PCs, at least until the GM figures out
how to run comedy monsters, etc.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: inherit;">What do you think? Do you hate
this idea? I'm particularly interested in hearing from OSR fans on this one.
What do I need to add for the game to work?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #f1c232; font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/quinnanya/">Image by Quinn Dombrowski,Creative Commons</a></span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09369247015861872302noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3329674299080169631.post-20007403609606068212015-08-19T10:50:00.000-07:002015-08-19T10:50:21.604-07:00Anti-Villain: A Call for Short Story Pitches<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-v4bm0jb0Y8s/VdS7oQao0cI/AAAAAAAAONw/jFbDFOacAqo/s1600/AntiVillain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-v4bm0jb0Y8s/VdS7oQao0cI/AAAAAAAAONw/jFbDFOacAqo/s320/AntiVillain.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Hey authors! Anyone interested in writing a short story for a paid anthology about anti-villains?<br />
<br />
I'm a little tired of anti-heroes. The other day, I asked myself "What would an anti-villain be? Does he do the right thing for the wrong reason? Is an anti-villain the opposite of a villain? Or the opposite of an anti-hero?"<br />
I don't know the answer, but I'd like to find out. So I've decided to assemble an anthology of short stories from a diverse group of authors, each trying to answer these questions. I plan to Kickstart this anthology and sell electronic copies. Depending on the Kickstarter, I will probably sell physical copies as well.<br />
Right now, I want to hear story pitches from as many authors as possible. Define the term "anti-villain" however you like for your story. Maybe an anti-villain is the bad guy you don't want to see captured. Or the antagonist that you like better than the hero. You decide. (And just to be clear, the term itself doesn't have to appear in your story.)<br />
<b>If you are interested, please <a href="mailto:gingergoatpress@gmail.com">email me</a> a short (<8 page) sample of your work and a one paragraph pitch of your story for the anthology.</b> Also, please feel free to introduce yourself. Even if we end up not working together on this project, I look forward to meeting any authors interested in this sort of story.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Job Details</h3>
<br />
<ul>
<li>Stories can be any type of modern or future genre fiction, including but not limited to SF, horror, superhero, supernatural, weird, supernatural religious, paranormal romance, etc.</li>
<li>Pitch emails should include a short sample of your fiction, a pitch for your story in this anthology, and an introduction of yourself as a human person.</li>
<li>I pay a minimum of $.05/word. I plan to pay $.10/word for shorter stories. (I'm willing to negotiate paying you royalties instead, if I'm already familiar with your work and you prefer that method of payment.)</li>
<li>Since I want to Kickstart this fiction anthology, I plan to pay two or three authors for stories to show during the Kickstarter. Other authors would start writing their stories after we fund. No one should start writing their story until they have a contract and I've given them the go ahead. I don't want anyone to write for me until I already have money for them in hand. </li>
<li>Each story should be 800 to 2500 words. There may be one or two stories that are longer than this.</li>
<li>There will be at least seven stories. Depending on how well the Kickstarter does, there may be as many as fifteen.</li>
<li><b>I will accept pitches until August 31st.</b> Pre-Kickstarter authors will probably begin writing in October. Post-Kickstarter authors will begin writing in January 2016 <i>at the earliest</i>.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
A few things I can tell you about Ginger Goat<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>We publish rpgs, larps, and fiction, both <a href="http://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse/pub/5523/Ginger-Goat">electronically</a> and <a href="http://www.indiepressrevolution.com/xcart/manufacturers.php?manufacturerid=229">in print.</a></li>
<li>We're a small press.</li>
<li>We love diversity. I (Josh) love stories written about someone who doesn't look like me by someone who doesn't look like me that still share something about humanity.</li>
<li>We like to buy first publication rights, not exclusive rights. We pay on completion, not publication. We like both new and experienced writers.</li>
<li>Josh T. Jordan, the owner of Ginger Goat, is a game designer, editor, story addict, sometime-preacher, and high school English teacher. He's been told that he's nice to work with.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
Please submit a story idea, even if your imposter syndrome is telling you not to. Some of my favorite work is by first-time writers. Just email me at gingergoatpress@gmail.com. It can't hurt to try!<br />
<br />
Also, feel free to share this call for pitches with any group of writers you want, especially writers who come from an underrepresented race, gender, faith, or other group.<br />
<br />
Sincerely,<br />
Josh T. Jordan<br />
Ginger Goat<br />
<br />
Photo by <a href="https://m.flickr.com/#/photos/keoni101/5567505716/in/search_QM_q_IS_Mysterious">Keoni Cabral</a>. Used by permission.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09369247015861872302noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3329674299080169631.post-46661701520459167832015-08-14T10:36:00.002-07:002015-08-14T10:36:58.159-07:00The Five Seals of InfoSec<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: black; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-u0SmF10jkv4/Vc4kQNn62ZI/AAAAAAAAOKE/MWG8zYvwLeE/s320/16467022408_42d4395ee6_o.jpg" width="320" /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Here's a weird idea that I don't have time to turn into a
game. Feel free to hack it, if you like.<br />
Information Security, or InfoSec, is too important to be entrusted to normal
people. That's why NATO and Warsaw Pact nations began to train mages to protect
our nations' secrets.<br />
There are now several overlapping schools of InfoSec datamancy throughout the
world. The most successful are in the US, Germany, <span style="background-color: #444444; color: #444444;">China, Russia</span>, and <span style="background-color: #444444; color: #444444;">India</span>.
Rumors persist of schools in Brazil and Israel, but if the other governments
are aware of schools in those countries, they aren't talking.<br />
How does InfoSec magic work? There are various incantations and techniques for
protecting <span style="background-color: #444444; color: #444444;">government secrets</span>. However, the five most common techniques are
called the Seals of InfoSec. Each seal represents an entire branch of
datamancy. Not all schools teach all five seals. Some schools are much better
at one or two of the seals than the rest. But all datamancers are at least
aware of the five seals. There are spells and curses outside of the five seals,
but these rogue spells are the exception rather than the rule.<br />
<br />
<b>The Five Seals</b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Seal of Obscurity<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Seal of Tedium<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Seal of Banality<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Seal of Encryption<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Seal of Monitoring<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Obscurity</i> spells make information hard to see or
hard to find. This is the most common seal. All schools teach some obscurity
spells.<br />
<i>Tedium</i> spells make the information time consuming to read or
understand. Imagine an entire book with the words "Fat,"
Tuesday," and "Bingo" placed randomly between the actual words
of the text. This would not make the actual words hard to find, but it would
make them take more time to read.<br />
<i>Banality</i> spells make the information so boring or mundane in
appearance that it is difficult for an untrained person to focus on the
information long enough to finish consuming it. (Banality spells were
originally created in <span style="background-color: #444444; color: #444444;">the US</span> as an answer the <span style="background-color: #444444; color: #444444;">Russian</span> creation of Tedium
spells. Now, most InfoSec schools teach both techniques, sometimes in
combination.)<br />
<i>Encryption</i> spells alter the information so that it looks like
random noise unless you have the code to unlock it. The observer can see the
information, but can't make heads or tails of it without the proper training.
This is the only school of datamancy that actually involves computers as spell
components. Other seals may allow you to cast spells on information INSIDE a computer,
but encryption spells are often cast BY MEANS OF a computer.<br />
<i>Monitoring</i> spells do not conceal the information, but they allow
the caster to observe anyone who attempts to interact with the information.
This defense is less like a barbed wire fence and more like a security camera.
Specialists in monitoring spells often carry guns and stay hidden in a room
near the information they are protecting.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
How does datamancy work? What does this magic look like? I
can't tell you. What's the difference between magic and technology?
Unfortunately, that's a secret, too. The best I can say is that this sort of
magic should either strike your players as cool or you shouldn't use it in your
game. And if you want to see the guy who inspired me to write even this much on
the subject, I recommend <a href="http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/144355/Encryptopedia">Sam Chupp's</a> <span style="background-color: #444444; color: #444444;">Encryptopedia</span>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Image by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/blondinrikard/16467022408/in/photolist-r68N4s-6Je4oS-5xUUck-5uJZeK-8kh2we-8XTTDF-94dP6i-5penDA-rGar9z-676EQ5-dPcqJ1-rHFE-pPYaQD-dXB57C-fojH5f-aWhtER-8kkdNW-8kkdCQ-8kh2fv-8kkdSS-842EQM-9inhv4-wAcX7-nVQc6a-qRDjNX-q6xRWG-oj3GvF-HBXnq-4KcxFC-8WiMnd-dH4Kzp-me2ww6-82sj8t-i4HYuG-84RqVt-7BMRnu-5CSwe1-fw1Rjs-fw1RjQ-fw1Rkh-fvLzar-4XaYom-dXB59J-h8rQ5R-anuzzR-5FTym5-9KeEk6-fJssqg-6Je5cd-fEKF4m">Blondinrikard Fröberg</a>. Used by permission.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09369247015861872302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3329674299080169631.post-89007383245561733992015-07-06T13:03:00.000-07:002015-07-06T13:03:02.008-07:00Draft of Scene MechanicsI'm re-writing scene mechanics for a game I'm working on. I've reached that stage where I need someone else to tell me whether they are comprehensible. Assume by this point that you already know about your character, his attributes, his weaknesses, and his goals. You already know who is playing as your Thorn and you know where your token is on the Wheel. Can you follow these steps?<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Scene Order<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->1.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Active Player <i>chooses which 1 to 3 other PCs</i> will be in the scene. He may not
choose the PC of the player who controls his Thorn (character flaw or internal
struggle.)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->2.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Active Player <i>chooses whether to focus on active character’s Need</i> (external,
measurable goal) <i>or Thorn</i>. If he
chooses Need, he describes the location of the scene.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->3.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->The player controlling the active character’s
Thorn (NOT the active player) <i>describes the
location</i> of the scene if the Active Player hasn’t already. The Thorn Player
then <i>introduces Stakes to the scene</i>
by describing: an internal conflict that the active character is wrestling with
OR how other players’ characters in the scene are interfering with the active
character’s Need.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->4.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->All the players in the scene <i>describe what their characters are doing</i>.
The Thorn Player stands in for any non-player characters and <i>narrates the active character’s internal
doubts</i>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
Remember that the position of your token on
the Wheel determines restrictions for your character’s outward behavior. For
example, whether or not you are the active player, if your character is in a
scene and your token is in Distraction on the Wheel, your character cannot
outwardly acknowledge any of his own weaknesses or problems.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->5.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->When the active character attempts any action
governed by one of the four Personas (attributes), the Active Player <i>rolls dice equal to that Persona.</i> If a
player has 0 in that Persona, he fails. If he rolls any fives or sixes, the
Stakes resolve in his favor. If the highest number on any die is a four, he
achieves a partial success. Otherwise, he fails. The Thorn Player <i>narrates the results</i> and the scene ends.
The Active Player then <i>rolls all his dice
to determine his new position</i> on the Wheel.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->6.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->The player to the left <i>becomes the Active Player.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09369247015861872302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3329674299080169631.post-43814864833366808992015-06-23T17:11:00.000-07:002015-06-23T17:11:06.298-07:00Play by Stuart Brown, M.D.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uxLj7UwtZDc/VYnxXAXNb4I/AAAAAAAANaQ/xUQS6iw-RjQ/s1600/615XNslHnnL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uxLj7UwtZDc/VYnxXAXNb4I/AAAAAAAANaQ/xUQS6iw-RjQ/s320/615XNslHnnL.jpg" width="208" /></a></div>
I've started reading <i>Play</i> by Stuart Brown, M.D., and a lot of what he has to say resonates with my experience as a roleplayer and storyteller. I've skimmed through the book and started reading the beginning in detail, so I'm only giving my first impression here.<br />
In his attempt to define play, he hedges a bit, because play is experiential. A description of play must take into account that what is fun and relaxing for me might be repellent to you. Some people play cards for a living and garden for fun. Some people garden for a living and play cards for fun. Their experience of the details of play will be different, even though the benefits they draw from it are similar. I'm reminded here of the <a href="http://brilliantgameologists.com/">Brilliant Gameologists</a> complaining about people who use the word "fun" in game reviews. They point out that this is worthless as a descriptor, because the only thing it tells the reader is that the reviewer enjoyed the game.<br />
Brown does give a few definitions of play, including this list of criteria:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Apparently purposeless (done for its own sake)</li>
<li>Voluntary</li>
<li>Inherent attraction [By which he means the activity is fun for the participants]</li>
<li>Freedom from time</li>
<li>Diminished consciousness of self</li>
<li>Improvisational potential</li>
<li>Continuation desire [by which he means all participants want it to continue]</li>
</ul>
<div>
I think that this definition contains in it a checklist for healthy, positive roleplaying games. If we design games that encourage all of these criteria for all participants, everyone at the table will probably have a good time. What that sort of design looks like is worth thinking about.</div>
<div>
A couple of medical observations Brown makes about play, in no particular order, are:</div>
<div>
Based on interviews with Texas inmates, a childhood without a lot of opportunities for play is as good an indicator of adult behavior problems as any other factor.</div>
<div>
In animals (and presumably humans) one benefit of play behavior is that it helps the individual practice responding to surprise while in a low-stakes environment. Given how often animals will need to respond to high-risk surprises in order to survive, practicing and developing this skill does have survival value. However, this benefit is not, in Brown's view, the primary benefit of play for humans. That benefit has to do with social interaction and with mental health.</div>
<div>
According to Brown, the opposite of play is not work. It is depression. Quitting your normal play activity is a frequent sign of depression. And in some cases, play can serve as one treatment for depression.</div>
<div>
Again, all of these are just my initial take on the book. As a game designer and storyteller, I think that the nature of play is worth examining. I often think about the nature of story. I design toward particular kinds of narrative. But my design assumes that you share an enjoyment of certain play activities with me. Perhaps I should examine that assumption. Or at the very least, perhaps I should use Brown's criteria of play to help ensure that everyone else is having fun, too.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09369247015861872302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3329674299080169631.post-43787559280974355632015-05-27T12:52:00.000-07:002015-05-28T06:06:15.825-07:00Dangers Untold Quickstart Materials<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-I4P6OuUx2TU/VWYfb8VHZII/AAAAAAAANIM/Gu4oEjFyPKE/s1600/Dangers%2BElsewhere%2BCover.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-I4P6OuUx2TU/VWYfb8VHZII/AAAAAAAANIM/Gu4oEjFyPKE/s320/Dangers%2BElsewhere%2BCover.png" width="244" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
There are only a few more extras that I need to put in the mail for <i>Dangers Untold</i> backers. I expect to put all those things in the mail by the end of June. There's also a setting based on the biblical book of Esther that I need to finish writing. That should be done in June, too.<br />
<div>
Meanwhile, I've collected all of the pre-generated settings and characters that Avonelle Wing and Ruth Tillman helped put together. This collection contains fourteen different settings, each of which has eight characters and some notes on how to run the setting. I've decided to call this collection, <i>Dangers Elsewhere</i>. <i>Dangers Elsewhere</i> isn't available for sale yet. Right now, only Kickstarter backers have their hands on the whole book. But I've decided to make a preview version available to the general public.</div>
<div>
<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6fgydwlRq0dc29wbmtEVHdmdUk/view?usp=sharing">Here it is.</a> This pdf contains the first eleven pages of <i>Dangers Elsewhere</i>, which includes the first two settings. The first, "I Dream in Song," is a Faerie music conservatory. The second, "Uplifted Whales in Alaska," is a futuristic, First Peoples/Native setting in which humans and sentient whales work together on the Alaskan coast. Feel free to share this preview with anyone you like.<br />
<br />
Update: I originally described "I Dream in Song" as having Arabic and Welsh influences. I've removed that part of the description at the request of the author, who doesn't want to sound appropriative of other cultures. Though my initial idea for the setting was inspired by Arabic and Welsh stories, she doesn't feel she did the cultural homework to justify claiming those influences for the final product. I think she's right. I apologize for my mistake.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09369247015861872302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3329674299080169631.post-38657226790370311492015-05-20T15:00:00.000-07:002015-05-20T16:13:53.442-07:00Borders and Bonds<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9QLkeRiVh70/VVOKYZ7fvCI/AAAAAAAAM6U/pwHkLiSYvnI/s1600/15105215317_b350fa127e_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9QLkeRiVh70/VVOKYZ7fvCI/AAAAAAAAM6U/pwHkLiSYvnI/s320/15105215317_b350fa127e_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<h2>
<span style="text-align: center;">Borders and Bonds</span></h2>
<h3>
A modification of Lines and Veils</h3>
<div>
As I understand it, Ron Edwards originated the terms "Lines" and "Veils" in his book <i>Sex & Sorcery</i>. Lines and veils are limits on the topics of conversation and of narration in your game. Lines are hard limits, subjects that no player will mention at the table. Veils are occasional limits. Players ask for a veil whenever the narration or conversation is making them uncomfortable. All of the players then skip past or replace that part of the story with something that everyone is comfortable with. </div>
<div>
Mo Holkar explains <a href="http://blog.ukg.co.uk/anonymous-lines-veils/">Lines and Veils clearly here.</a> He goes one step further and suggests that players should have the opportunity to set lines and veils anonymously before they even sit down at the table. I think that Lines and Veils are a good tool for setting social boundaries at the table, and I like the idea of giving players the opportunity to add them anonymously. However, I I don't think there's anything sacrosanct about the terms themselves. There's any number of ways we could frame these social boundaries between players. </div>
<div>
Borders and Bonds are a different method of setting up those boundaries. I offer them as a replacement for lines and veils at your table. Roughly speaking, Borders replace Lines, and Bonds replace Veils. They are different enough that this is not exactly true, but if you are used to Lines and Veils, it shouldn't be hard for you to make the switch for some of your games.<br />
Before I explain Borders and Bonds, I ask that you remember, whatever system of social boundaries you use at your table, to make sure that other players are comfortable. <b>No rule system replaces your duty as a fellow player to pay attention to how your friends seem to be feeling.</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sM1AJtRyi7E/VVOKYcv0ZjI/AAAAAAAAM6Q/-Q8s8ptDP3M/s1600/10354948465_8cc73136a6_o%2B(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sM1AJtRyi7E/VVOKYcv0ZjI/AAAAAAAAM6Q/-Q8s8ptDP3M/s320/10354948465_8cc73136a6_o%2B(1).jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<h3>
Borders</h3>
<div>
Borders are areas of conversation that your group decides never to bring up. In story terms, anything behind a border may exist somewhere in your story world, but it will never come up in the story you tell at the table. For example, if your Star Wars group puts a Border around child violence, you are free to imagine that child violence happens in the Star Wars universe, but all the players agree that description and discussion of child violence are outside the scope of our story. Events, subjects, tropes, or characters that your group has put a border around may happen somewhere in this universe, but they happen before, after, or completely away from the notice of our narration.<br />
Like a Line, a Border excludes content that makes one or more players uncomfortable. Unlike a Line, a Border specifically restricts the speech and behavior of the player, not the content of the story per se. Players are free to imagine that the restricted material happens in the fictional universe of the story. Players are free to use shared universes or pre-existing fictional settings or game books that include the restricted material. They are only restricted from mentioning it at this table on this particular day with these players.<br />
A Line may be a restriction on the story. A Border is a restriction on the speech of a player.<br />
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<h3>
Bonds</h3>
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A Bond is your connection to a specific story element you do not want to be in danger. For example, if you have a bond with children, you like having children in the story, but you don't want child endangerment to be part of the story. If you have a bond with your character's magic sword, none of the other people at the table will threaten to steal, break, or nerf your magic sword. You can bond with ideas, too. A bond with romance means that characters may have romantic relationships, but those relationships will not be used as a source of conflict.</div>
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Bonds are points of trust that will not be broken during your story. These things are fragile and valuable to the players, so the conflict in the story shouldn't put them at stake or at risk.<br />
You can bond to people, objects, or ideas. You can bond to something specific, like your father's magic hat, or something general, like all children.<br />
Do not bond something simply because it is a cool aspect of your character or her relationships. As Caitlynn Belle reminded me recently, great stories can happen when something important to your character is threatened. There are great Batman stories about Robin or Batgirl or the Batcave being threatened. There are great Batman stories about Bruce Wayne's identity being threatened. These things are not Bonded. On the other hand, I would argue that Alfred and Wayne Manor are usually Bonded. They are rarely threatened. They are part of Batman's safety net as a character.<br />
If there's some element or relationship that you don't want threatened very often or that you want other characters to treat carefully, don't use a Bond. Just explain that this element is important to you, and you want them to, as Caitlynn says, "Tread carefully."<br />
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<h3>
How to use Borders and Bonds</h3>
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Give each player the opportunity to privately and anonymously write down Borders or Bonds on pieces of paper before the game. If possible, give them the chance to do so even before they sit down at the table. Players may need to ask you to break your anonymity if they do not understand what you have written down, but they will first make a good faith effort to figure it out.<br />
(As Stephanie Bryant pointed out to me, if a player wants her Bond or Border to remain anonymous, it helps to write a couple of sentences to explain yourself. Saying "A Border around child violence" may cause your fellow players to ask clarifying questions. Violence caused by children? Violence affecting children? What about child PCs, who may become violent later? Spelling out "A Border around using children as collateral damage during fight scenes and against all kinds of child predators" is much more likely to guide the other players to restrain themselves the way you need them to. And writing this all down while you are still anonymous will help you to remain anonymous.)<br />
Once you are at the table, as part of the conversation at the beginning of the game, give players the opportunity to mention that they want certain subjects to be Bordered off or "out of bounds." Also give them the opportunity to list relationships, ideas, or equipment that they feel a Bond toward. Listing Bonds works naturally as part of the character creation process. Setting up Borders works more smoothly as part of the game setup.<br />
Players should feel free to add Borders or Bonds during the game itself, especially of the story takes an unexpected turn. If your group uses the X card, you may not need to spell out new Borders or Bonds in mid-session. If you don't use the X card, I suggest you practice calling for a new Border or Bond in the middle of the game, so that other players feel more comfortable doing so if the story goes in a direction that bothers them.<br />
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<h3>
Summary</h3>
As cooperative storytellers, we are still discovering elegant and effective ways to care for each other during play. One critical way to care for other players at our tables is by restricting the content of our stories to avoid triggering past trauma or stepping on each others preferences. By all means, use Lines and Veils at your table, if that is what works for your group tonight. By all means, use an X card, if that is the most effective tool for your players' comfort. But consider adding Borders and Bonds to your tool belt. It has the advantage of including both an exclusionary rule, Bordering things out of the story, and an inclusionary rule, leave the Bonded things safely in the story.<br />
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Cheers,<br />
Josh T. Jordan</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Photos by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/keremtapani/">Kerem Tapani Gültekin</a>, released under a Creative Commons license.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09369247015861872302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3329674299080169631.post-22556892228709522512015-05-01T12:39:00.003-07:002015-05-01T12:44:58.855-07:00Innovative RPG Mechanics Challenge<b style="background-color: black; color: #bf9000;"><span style="font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">1. Grab a blank character sheet from an existing game. (Choose a character sheet that's pretty, from a game you like, or both.)</span></b><br />
<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #bf9000;"><b><span style="font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">2. Grab a blank piece of paper.</span><br style="font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;" /><span style="font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">3. Without using any of the same stats, terms, mechanics, or background information as the original character sheet, make a new character sheet for a new, non-existent game with the same genre and themes as the existing game. </span><br style="font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;" /><span style="font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">4. Tear up the first character sheet and throw it away.</span><br style="font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;" /><span style="font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">5. (Optional) In 500 words or less, describe how the game that uses this new character sheet would work. If the original game used dice, this new game uses different-sized dice or no dice at all.</span><br style="font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;" /><span style="font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">6. (Optional) Fill out your character sheet.</span><br style="font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;" /><br style="font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;" /><span style="font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">If you want to participate in this challenge, go right ahead. You may want to use the hashtag </span><a class="ot-hashtag aaTEdf" href="https://plus.google.com/s/%23MechanicsChallenge" rel="nofollow" style="cursor: pointer; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-decoration: none;">#MechanicsChallenge</a><span style="font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">. Feel free to email me at gingergoatpress@gmail.com if you want to show me what you came up with. Or reach out on Twitter or Google+.</span><br style="font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;" /><span style="font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">( </span><a class="ot-hashtag aaTEdf" href="https://plus.google.com/s/%23MechanicsChallenge" rel="nofollow" style="cursor: pointer; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-decoration: none;">#MechanicsChallenge</a><span style="font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"> is inspired by </span><span class="proflinkWrapper" style="font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"><span class="proflinkPrefix" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.218s; transition: color 0.218s;">+</span><a class="proflink aaTEdf" href="https://plus.google.com/102653333914811527237" oid="102653333914811527237" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.218s; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none; transition: color 0.218s;">Andy Hauge</a></span><span style="font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">'s recent blog post about the need for mechanical innovation in rpgs, which you can read here: </span><a class="ot-anchor aaTEdf" dir="ltr" href="http://ludicrusgaming.blogspot.com/2015/04/game-stories-why-rpgs-need-game.html" jslog="10929; track:click" rel="nofollow" style="cursor: pointer; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://ludicrusgaming.blogspot.com/2015/04/game-stories-why-rpgs-need-game.html</a><span style="font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"> )</span></b></span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09369247015861872302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3329674299080169631.post-73890069745029431292015-03-04T13:01:00.003-08:002015-03-04T13:01:34.522-08:00Hypnosis and Story - Interview with Caitlynn Belle<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.5pt;"><span style="color: #f1c232;">Caitlynn Belle is a
transgendered hypnotist, “mind reader,” and community organizer for larp and
indie gaming in Savannah, Georgia. She graciously agreed to let me interview
her about her upcoming show, especially about how she connects hypnosis and
storytelling.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.5pt;">Josh Jordan:<br />
I understand that you have an upcoming show that includes hypnosis. Where will
you be giving it?<br />
And the subject of the presentation is finding drama in hypnosis? What<br />
does that mean?</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.5pt;">Caitlynn
Belle:</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.5pt;"><br />
I'm performing in my hometown of Savannah, GA, at a place called the Guild
Hall, which is like a creative hang-out spot / performance venue. The show is
called “Rainbow,” and runs about two hours, during which I'll be hypnotizing
some people, as well as doing what looks a lot like mind reading, but really
isn't.<br />
The main theme of the show is all the little quirks of our brain: how it
operates, all its strangeness. Part of that is an experiment in hypnosis, which
is already quite strange, but dealing with a particular set of events carried
out in the 40s and 50s that I try to recreate on stage with a random audience
member.<br />
As visually interesting as the show may be, there has to be a dramatic element
to it, some sort of narrative. You've probably seen a hypnotist on TV doing his
thing, and while it may be impressive or curious to watch, there's almost
certainly no sense of cohesive narrative or character arc. Which, you know
that's not really why they're there – it's just sort of a, Wow, look at this
thing, isn't it neat? I'm much more interested in how we can use that skill to
involve unprepared people and make them actors in a kind of “freeform story,”
and to use their real talents and personality as the basis for a dramatic
character.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.5pt;">J:<br />Let's back up a step for a moment, if you don't mind. What would you<br />
say are the fundamentals of hypnosis?</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.5pt;">C:</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.5pt;"><br />
Hypnosis relies a lot on rapport and how you present yourself. You've got to be
able to connect with people, to be able to improvise, and to be clear and direct
with your words. There's no time or space for mis-communication. You also need
to inspire trust (and of course actually be trustworthy) when you're fiddling
with people psychologically. It's 99% communication, though, so you really need
to be able to hold peoples' attention and be comfortable doing so.<br />
What typically happens during a hypnosis session (and of course this will vary
depending on what you want to achieve) is that you and your subject come to an
agreement on what's going to go down, then you'll begin some imagination
exercises and relaxation techniques, then you'll start to introduce them to the
mechanics of what you're going to do and what hypnosis will be like. Then you
can finally take the plunge and go under, do whatever it is you are planning to
do, then bring them back out of it safely.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.5pt;">J:<br />
So when we see hypnosis on a TV show or a movie, are they giving us a<br />
fair idea of what it looks like?</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.5pt;">C:</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.5pt;"><br />
You get a more dramatic version of it, the same way action movies blow the
action way over the top. It's an involved process. You can't just go up to
someone and snap your fingers and make them your puppet: what you see in movies
and TV are the exciting bits, edited together.<br />
In reality, there's a lot of trust and conversation, some warm-ups and
imagination exercises, and a build-up to the main action. There's many
different forms of hypnosis, and they all carry their particulars. When you're
performing hypnosis – at least in an entertainment setting – you learn to find
out who will make a good subject, how to approach them and what to do to get
them integrated with the whole thing. Rarely is there a single thing that works
for everyone. In a show, however, you don't have the luxury of spending a lot
of time getting to know a crowd of people, so you have to come up with a plan
of attack that will work against most people, then just weed out certain
subjects.<br />
But I'd say it's totally fair, because no one wants to see the boring bits,
just like with most activities. The basic idea is there: I as a hypnotist get
you as a volunteer to do something strange or curious. That's what people want
to see.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.5pt;">J:<br />Getting back to your presentation, how can we find drama in hypnosis?</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.5pt;">C:</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.5pt;"><br />
There's a random person you pull from the audience, and there's a script you're
following. You try to apply the person to the script and, if you've done it
right, they should follow along and the script goes according to plan. Or maybe
they'll deviate terribly, if you don't script too tightly – maybe they surprise
you. There's a sense of vulnerability, where you are agreeing to be “mind
controlled” and made to do something special in front of everyone. First: will
it work? Is this a thing that can even happen? Second: if I can make you do
whatever I want or say whatever I want (which is a little exaggerated, but for
purpose of discussion), what will come of it? What will you actually reveal
about yourself? What will you learn from this? It's almost like The Truman
Show, where there is a big script going on around you, but ultimately you're
creating your own content and this can go off in all kinds of wild directions.<br />
It's very tightly wound around you as a character. I think it's exciting that,
if I got two different people on stage and had them tell a story, we'd get two
wildly different things. It's a special thing, this connection between us and
the impromptu show our volunteer is putting on. It's something we won't see
again, and it's something the next night's audience won't see, either. It's
like a documentary played out on stage.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[endif]--></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.5pt;">J:<br />
Is there a standard format for a hypnosis routine? How do you develop<br />
a routine and how can you turn it into something with a narrative to<br />
it?</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.5pt;">C:</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: #f1c232; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.5pt;">There's as many different ways to approach it as there are people doing it.
When I do my routines, I'm looking to convey some sort of story. There's a
philosophy about magicians that suggests they make for terrible dramatic
characters. A magician is a god-like entity: he snaps his fingers and a card
appears at the top of the deck. He waves his hand and a coin appears. He
touches a glass bottle and it begins to bend. It's all quite visually exciting,
but it's damned boring from a narrative perspective: this character has no
flaws, has no chance of failure, and can just will things to be how he wants.
There is no fight, no conflict.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: #f1c232; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.5pt;">So, when I'm trying to add a narrative to what I do, I try to show the process.
I try to show that this isn't me waving a magic wand and everything is perfect:
I want you to see that it's a skill and that we're trying to accomplish
something together. You get to see what might not work, what doesn't work, and
what excels beyond our imagining. There's a real journey there.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black; color: #f1c232; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.5pt;">I look at what I want to convey, and then I figure out what I can do to make
that visual. In my current show, one routine is talking about the prefrontal
lobotomies of the 1940s and 50s, and how gruesome they were. It's a really
fascinating subject, what they considered to be just a regular office
procedure. They'd take what was basically an ice pick and slide it past your
eye socket and then root around in there, doing what they did. So there's a lot
of bits about controlling the body, altering what your body is capable of, as
well as authority – someone in a lab coat dictating what you should be doing,
what state your mind is in, what will happen to you, and so on.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.5pt;">
When I've got an idea, I start just adding as much as I can to demonstrate what
I'm talking about, and it's really interactive theater: people who come on
stage are a part of the narrative. They're playing a very controlled part, but
they are a part of it. I look for what conveys the central theme of the
routine, edit and refine, then I go grab my favorite test subjects and run
through the routine forever and ever until I think I've made it as brief and
to-the-point as possible.<br />
As far as what I want to tell, really I'm just looking for what interests me.
The lobotomy thing is one. There's another thing I'm working on that, very
ambitiously, tries to make the volunteer believe they are in some sort of
enchanted, otherworldly kingdom, and give them a series of choices and seeing
how they choose to interact with this new world, something born of me wondering
just what trends exist in human behavior in this day and age, and will someone surprise
you with what they think is right.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.5pt;">J:<br />
What's a technique that other kinds of storytellers can borrow from<br />
dramatic hypnotists?</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.5pt;">C:</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.5pt;"><br />
You can do so much with suggestion. You can imply and infer things, you can put
that notion of something happening into someone else's head, and let them make
it strong. Say I put some coins out on a table, and have someone pick one up,
then cause them to believe the coin is white hot and burning their hand,
leading up to them actually feeling it – what will that imply about the other
coins on the table? What will that imply about metal, or your touch? What can
you communicate without communicating it? If you can put the audience in the
story, make them a part of it, and have them fill in the blanks, you've
increased investment and made a stronger narrative. It's no longer a thing
you're saying to people, and now a thing we're living in, touching and feeling
and breathing.<br />
There's a sense of being involved in the story that I just adore. I can't do a
hypnosis routine without the audience. They have to physically be part of
it, they can't just sit and be a watchful crowd. There needs to be movement,
action, decision – it's like a very dangerous improv, in a way.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.5pt;">J:<br />
Is there anything you'd like to plug?</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: black;"><span style="color: #f1c232;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.5pt;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.5pt;">C:</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.5pt;"><br />
My show in July! If anyone's near Savannah, GA, please stop by, it'll be super
great. You can find out more information as the date approaches at my website, </span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://caitlynnbelle.com/"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.5pt;">caitlynnbelle.com</span></a></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.5pt;"><br />
I also run Savannah Story Games, which meets twice a month to play and shine
light on the indie gaming scene. Again, if you're in the area, look us up
at </span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://savannahstorygames.com/"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.5pt;">savannahstorygames.com</span></a></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09369247015861872302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3329674299080169631.post-58653076551889515782015-02-18T09:44:00.000-08:002015-02-18T09:46:03.028-08:00Looking for Guest ExpertsWe're looking for guest experts to write brief essays on five subjects. I'm designing a pair of games that can be played together or separately. The games are called <i>Mask</i> and <i>Crown.</i> As I'm designing Mask and Crown, I think I'm going to include appendices on five subjects that are touched upon, but not fully explored in the two games. The five subjects are:<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Embodiment of a character</li>
<li>Long-form, non-comedic improv</li>
<li>Mask work in improv</li>
<li>Narrating internal character conflicts</li>
<li>Historical (or historical fictional) succession conflicts.</li>
</ol>
<br />
<!--EndFragment--><br />
Are you a gamer or other kind of storyteller who has experience with one of these subjects? Would you be interested in writing 1,000-2,000 words introducing it to gamers? If so, get in touch with me by emailing gingergoatpress@gmail.com. We pay $.05/word on completion of work. We encourage applicants of all genders, ethnicities, and origins.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09369247015861872302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3329674299080169631.post-44988702374574026342014-12-16T18:33:00.000-08:002014-12-16T18:33:07.995-08:00Announcing Three New DesignersGinger Goat is pleased to announce that we have hired three new freelance designers to help us with our current projects. Dymphna Coy, Ruth Tillman, and Avonelle Wing each bring amazing storytelling ability and game design skill to our little company, and we're honored to work with them.<br />
<br />
Dymphna is co-designing a game with Josh T. Jordan that we haven't announced yet. We can say that it is a one-shot game about a funeral set in a Conan-esque world.<br />
<br />
Ruth and Avonelle are teaming up to help me design supplements for <i>Dangers Untold</i>. I'm behind on fulfilling some of the perks for Kickstarter backers of <i>DU</i>, and these talented designers are currently in the process of saving my bacon. The supplements they design will be available to backers first, but will eventually be available for sale to all fans of Shoshana Kessock's beginner-friendly larp.<br />
<br />
These three designers each did an outstanding job during our recent open call, and I (Josh) am personally thrilled to be able to work with each of them. I know that they will help us help <i>you</i> to tell the honest, sweet, heartbreaking, funny, diverse stories that we all love so much.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09369247015861872302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3329674299080169631.post-17717490905417198182014-12-03T06:57:00.000-08:002014-12-03T06:57:41.869-08:00Inspiration for Plot Driven Games<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LixSKsu2z1I/VH8kqQn1AII/AAAAAAAAJuo/6qzUVgEcE0M/s1600/20_master_plots_ronald_b_tobias_medium.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LixSKsu2z1I/VH8kqQn1AII/AAAAAAAAJuo/6qzUVgEcE0M/s1600/20_master_plots_ronald_b_tobias_medium.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
<br />
If you're looking for inspiration for designing an original story game, I suggest this book, <a href="http://www.writersdigest.com/writing-articles/by-writing-goal/write-first-chapter-get-started/20-master-plots">20 Master Plots and How to Build Them</a>. It's designed as a handbook for fiction writers, and it includes descriptions and writer's checklists for 20 different plots, like romance, exploration, and "wretched excess."<br />
Most rpgs follow the exploration plotline or one or two of the others. If you are the sort of story game designer who can write rules at the plot level rather than the character level, you could use one of the other 18 plots as the basis of your game.<br />
That's not to say I dislike character driven, actor-stance games. Just to say that I think there's room on the market for more plot driven, writer-stance and director-stance games.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09369247015861872302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3329674299080169631.post-40684405780013967002014-11-23T20:43:00.000-08:002014-11-23T20:43:50.780-08:00Seeking New Game DesignerThis morning I mentioned on Google Plus and Twitter that Ginger Goat is looking for a new designer to work on two paid projects.<br />
Here is some additional information about the projects and how to apply.<br />
<br />
The first project involves around two to three hours of work and pays on completion. I will pay $40 or one third the commission I receive on the finished game, whichever is more.<br />
<br />
The second project requires roughly ten hours of work and I will pay $140.<br />
<br />
To apply, write to gingergoatpress@gmail.com with your answer to the following two questions:<br />
1. You are writing a romance game set in a Conan-esque low, dark fantasy. Briefly describe an odd love triangle you would design for the pregenerated characters.<br />
<br />
2. What is one theme or element you would like to sneak into all the games you design?<br />
<br />
Here is the original Google Plus post in case you missed it.<br />
<br />
Ginger Goat is actively seeking one or two young or new game designers to help with a couple story game projects.<br />
<br />
Requirements:<br />
You like story games and/or freeform<br />
You are unpublished or have published less than three games.<br />
You are willing to be paid.<br />
<br />
Projects:<br />
Both projects involve designing descriptions for PC background and relationships. These are sort of like oracles or relationship maps.<br />
Both projects will be paid and you will receive credit for your work.<br />
One is a one-shot sword and sorcery game.<br />
The other involves Dangers Untold.<br />
<br />
I hope it goes without saying that Ginger Goat encourages people from a diversity of backgrounds to apply.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09369247015861872302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3329674299080169631.post-82170143862188777572014-11-15T11:57:00.002-08:002014-11-15T12:02:57.627-08:00Making Instructions Memorable<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wg62K952b3E/U0wSZ8FQWnI/AAAAAAAAHWo/u_voTF-K7eg/s1600/file6551262382184.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: white;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wg62K952b3E/U0wSZ8FQWnI/AAAAAAAAHWo/u_voTF-K7eg/s1600/file6551262382184.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">Game designers all know that you should edit until you have a game that works as you intend and until the instructions are clear. But most game designers stop there. I suggest you also edit until your rules are easy to remember. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: white;">I would argue that for most games, your players should not have to look at the game text after the first five minutes of the game. You should write rules so that players don't need to constantly look through the book. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: white;">Sure, there are games that are exceptions to this. Some players revel in referencing 500-page tomes during play. But since most of my audience are story gamers and free form players, I challenge you to structure your rules so they are memorable enough that your book is rarely needed in play.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: white;">How can we do that? It turns out that there has been a lot of research in the field of education on how to teach people in a way they can remember. Here are six tips for making your content more memorable:</span><br />
<span style="color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<h3>
<span style="color: white;">
Primacy</span></h3>
<div>
<span style="color: white;">People remember the text at the beginning of a section better than anywhere else. The most important rules should be placed here. The things that players need to use the most often should also be here.</span><br />
<span style="color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<h3>
<span style="color: white;">
Emotion</span></h3>
<span style="color: white;">When you have strong feelings about a subject, your memory about that subject also tends to be stronger. One way to use this is to include examples of play where players are having fun playing your game or who are frustrated that they are confused. Give the reader someone to empathize with, and they will be able to remember the rules better.</span><br />
<span style="color: white;"><br /></span>
<h3>
<span style="color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Novelty</span></h3>
<div>
<span style="color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Your brain tends to notice anything that is new or strange. If you have an important rule buried in the middle of less important stuff, figure out a new or strange way to highlight it visually. You need to give the reader clues about any new information that you want them to focus on.</span><br />
<span style="color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<h3>
<span style="color: white;">
Association</span></h3>
<div>
<span style="color: white;">If the connection between sections makes sense, or if the sections relate to things that the reader already know, the memory is stronger. The easier it is for the reader to see connections, the deeper the memory tends to be. Make sure the sections of your game text are arranged in a way that makes sense to the reader.</span><br />
<span style="color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<h3>
<span style="color: white;">
Meaning</span></h3>
<div>
<span style="color: white;">Facts out of context are difficult to remember, but if the reader has a reason to care about a subject, it is much easier to remember. In other words, if we know why we should remember something and we agree that it is important, it is much easier to remember. Whenever you have given your reader a complicated rule or a long section of text, make sure you include an explanation as to why this text is important. Why have you included ten pages of grappling rules? Why should the reader care?</span><br />
<span style="color: white;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<h3>
<span style="color: white;">
Recency</span></h3>
<div>
<span style="color: white;">People remember the text at the very end of a section almost as well as they remember the beginning. The second-most important information should go here.</span><br />
<span style="color: white;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
<h3>
<span style="color: white;">
Bonus Tip: Break It Up!</span></h3>
<div>
<span style="color: white;">Because people remember beginnings and endings so well, you can sometimes trick people into remembering more by breaking up large sections into smaller sub-sections. Breaking things up creates more beginnings and endings. This doesn't sound like it would work, but it does.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09369247015861872302noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3329674299080169631.post-16784500121879053082014-11-10T14:28:00.000-08:002014-11-10T14:28:43.581-08:00Surreal Heroine<div style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Xe7EpSVrF0M/VGEwGLT-W_I/AAAAAAAAJXg/kfeUZzsIJkU/s1600/14%2B-%2B1" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Xe7EpSVrF0M/VGEwGLT-W_I/AAAAAAAAJXg/kfeUZzsIJkU/s1600/14%2B-%2B1" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><div style="text-align: left;">
Here is a setting hack for <i>Heroine</i> or <i>Dangers Untold</i>, in case you want to tell a more surreal story.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Themes</h3>
</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><div style="text-align: left;">
The easiest way for a Narrator to add a sense of surrealism to the story is by Challenging the Heroine and Companions in ways that match thematically with the story you're trying to tell. In Heroine, Themes are inspirational tools for the Narrator. Whenever you are trying to figure out what sort of problems to throw at the other players, choose one of the themes and build a Challenge that reflects it. To make a surreal story, full of surreal Challenges replace some or all of the default Themes, Fear, Confusion, and Selfishness with the following:</div>
</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><div style="text-align: left;">
<i>Fluidity</i> – places, people, and objects around you move and change shape. They may also change size. There is not always a clear path between two places, even if they are next to each other.</div>
</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><div style="text-align: left;">
<i>Perplexity</i> – Some events around you are frustratingly hard to understand. If you continue to try to figure out certain things, you will become more and more frustrated.</div>
</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><div style="text-align: left;">
<i>Causality</i> – your choices, and the choices of other thinking beings have serious, lasting consequences. When someone acts, things happen. These things can help or harm you.</div>
</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Be Successful</h3>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The easiest way for the Heroine to add some surreal elements to the story is by describing her successes in a more thematic way. In a surreal game, when you use the move Be Successful in to overcome a Challenge, describe your success using one of the following:</div>
</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><div style="text-align: left;">
<i>Step through the Wall</i> - You move to a new location, even if there was no obvious door</div>
</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><div style="text-align: left;">
<i>Meet the Dragon</i> - Someone new and strange appears. This new creature draws everyone's attention for a moment</div>
</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><div style="text-align: left;">
<i>Juggle the Walls</i> - Something bizarre happens, and it benefits you or makes you look awesome. You may briefly describe what happens.</div>
</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
Don't Be Human</h3>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Companion players have the most flexible role in the game. You do not really need any special rules in order to fit in well with a surreal story. Just take your cues from the Heroine's introduction scene and, if you want, wait to see what locations the Narrator uses for the first chapter or two. You can use these locations as further inspiration for a surreal Companion.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
For the sake of symmetry, here is one new rule for Companions in a surreal game.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Don't Be Human - You may not choose to play a human being as a Companion in a surreal game.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />Photo courtesy of </span><a href="http://assigned%20detention%20for%20talking%20during%20test%20despite%20two%20warnings/" style="font-size: small;">carriecha</a><span style="font-size: x-small;"> on Flickr</span></div>
</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09369247015861872302noreply@blogger.com0