hey guys, I'm going to try a different style of writing for Holly. Other than when players or the MC ask what's going on in her head, I want to try and only describe what's on the surface for Holly. What she looks like, how she moves, what she says. I think it will be a neat challenge. If this style doesn't work during play, let me know. I've played in this fashion (well, this style of writing), so I'm not sure it will work.
True true. Don't want any huge tangents happening.
I think it might be worth mentioning that keeping rolls at a low frequency seems to help the game. Don't rush to the dice. Let the scenes and the words flow before letting the mechanics get involved. Little different playing in forum of course, but I'd err on the side of fewer rolls.
Posted By: octoscottI think it might be worth mentioning that keeping rolls at a low frequency seems to help the game. Don't rush to the dice. Let the scenes and the words flow before letting the mechanics get involved. Little different playing in forum of course, but I'd err on the side of fewer rolls.
Sounds like just paying attention to "To do it, do it" should work most of the time, right? Emphasize the fiction actions and reactions and bumping into the moves will be natural.
Rich, with your experiment in playstyle, keep in mind that "Turn someone on" is a little bit more authorial level. The character doesn't have to be trying to do it, or concious of doing it. In the book he invites you to step outside the character and describe them being all hot, even if they aren't aware of it.
That's a good point, Trevis. Perhaps I should have an in-thread OOC "voice" for that. Perhaps a different color font for that might make it easier to differentiate?
Good questions, maybe a related example can try and answer both:
A condition is more of a perception, a state of mind, or what people think of a character, more than it is a pure physical condition. Shutting someone down is just as you said, putting someone in their place in a social situation, spurning their advances, making them look small or like an ass hole in front of others, etc.
So if you got me high, then that doesn't really do anything except I'm fictionally high. (Unless the MC wants to make a custom move out of being high, but this game doesn't do that so much as AW does)
But then, let's say the next day in class I call you a slacker, you then stand up and say, "Well, I'm not the one doing pot all night, stoner!" You roll (10+) to shut me down, pointing out the rolling papers you left in my jacket pocket last night. You choose to give me a condition "stoner" Now everyone in class thinks I'm a stoner and that can be used against me in future scenes.
The moves very often just escalate and change social situations, they often don't actually resolve the situation. Moves are complication-makers... the way to get into trouble as often as getting out of it. (Some of them are more final than others, like lashing out, of course)
Make sense? Does that sound about right to you Trevis?
I suppose you're right about that, but it would really be for the MC to assign those conditions as appropriate, especially as the result of failing a move. (Like if you fail to "hold steady" you can become "terrified", which clearly is more like dazed or something, as opposed to a social condition such as "coward")
The book mentions that a condition is best if it creates either a physical circumstance or a public perception. So yes, both possibilities work for getting high. As for assigning them, it's mostly by moves, but yeah I might assign them conditions as appropriate, or treat them as having a disadvantage.
Shutting someone down is, I think, taking control of the situation through social smack down. You're making someone look weak, or feel weak, dominating them. It's establishing them as lower status. If you get a partial success then you make them feel weak but you take a hit too.
^ This is really helpful. I am suuuuuuuuuuuper new at all this, and a lot of times I don't even know what questions to ask. But I feel like I understand conditions a little better now!
I think it should feed both ways, the conditions thing. Maybe you only need to use a move to apply a condition against the will of the NPC. I'm a little fuzzy on this point. I guess I don't want conditions just cropping up crazily all the time, but that probably wouldn't happen, right?
You can't spend multiple Strings to trigger the same effect multiple times, in any given moment. You can't offer someone 3 XP to do something, nor add +3 to a roll.
You can spend multiple Strings to trigger the same effect multiple times over the course of a scene, though. You could offer someone 1 XP to do something, and then follow up with offering someone 1 XP to do something else.
And here's a ref on the Shutting Someone Down move
Shutting someone down is about hurting their feelings, insulting them, trying to get them to bow to you socially. It is fundamentally not about preventing them from doing something, but about shaming them.
Comments
Does everyone want to start with homeroom, or would you all like a beginning scene before the first day back to school?
I think it might be worth mentioning that keeping rolls at a low frequency seems to help the game. Don't rush to the dice. Let the scenes and the words flow before letting the mechanics get involved. Little different playing in forum of course, but I'd err on the side of fewer rolls.
Rich, with your experiment in playstyle, keep in mind that "Turn someone on" is a little bit more authorial level. The character doesn't have to be trying to do it, or concious of doing it. In the book he invites you to step outside the character and describe them being all hot, even if they aren't aware of it.
I'll get some starting threads up this evening.
I love it, Michael. sounds grand to me. MC, you mind?
Everyone make sure you look at te section on strings. They're the main economy in this game.
As for AW, I thought the Gabe-Rhyme thing was awesome.
A condition is more of a perception, a state of mind, or what people think of a character, more than it is a pure physical condition.
Shutting someone down is just as you said, putting someone in their place in a social situation, spurning their advances, making them look small or like an ass hole in front of others, etc.
So if you got me high, then that doesn't really do anything except I'm fictionally high. (Unless the MC wants to make a custom move out of being high, but this game doesn't do that so much as AW does)
But then, let's say the next day in class I call you a slacker, you then stand up and say, "Well, I'm not the one doing pot all night, stoner!" You roll (10+) to shut me down, pointing out the rolling papers you left in my jacket pocket last night. You choose to give me a condition "stoner" Now everyone in class thinks I'm a stoner and that can be used against me in future scenes.
The moves very often just escalate and change social situations, they often don't actually resolve the situation. Moves are complication-makers... the way to get into trouble as often as getting out of it. (Some of them are more final than others, like lashing out, of course)
Make sense? Does that sound about right to you Trevis?
Shutting someone down is, I think, taking control of the situation through social smack down. You're making someone look weak, or feel weak, dominating them. It's establishing them as lower status. If you get a partial success then you make them feel weak but you take a hit too.