thread: 2008-01-07 : Another year's worth
On 2008-02-11, Ron Edwards wrote:
I was thinking more about this too and wondering if my comment wasn't unfair. It strikes me that Shock *can* support as-iffy protagonism as in Sorcerer, but the game isn't written in that fashion and my inclination, as a player, is always to rely on that PRO- prefix as a given thing. Much as in most movies, one doesn't have to grapple with the protagonism of the lead character, it's just there. That's not a bad thing at all, and I think (in application) it's one of Shock's strengths. The point is the issue, not the person, ultimately.
However, the opposite is a valid artistic option, if difficult and unsettling. Some films provide examples, and not surprisingly, they're the ones I often reference for Sorcerer: Live Flesh, Unforgiven, and like that.
Looking back over science fiction that I've known and loved, especially the real stuff (I make no apologies for saying that) which Shock is based on - or more accurately, DOES - I see that protagonism is quite solid and often very simple, and thus effective.
Whereas in the pulp, darker-marginal action, and offbeat horror sources for Sorcerer, the opposite tends to be the case.
Best, Ron
