thread: 2005-05-06 : Brainstorming from the Core
On 2005-05-10, Vincent wrote:
Christian: no criticizing! We go always forward.
Steve: I'll check it out. I am denied LiveJournal by my workplace netnanny, on account of sometimes it has the sex or something.
Emily, Eric: Groovy.
I think that all the institutions' agendas are: to further entrench their own particular status quos. Wouldn't you say?
1) Mechanical rules for opposition, situation, IIEE, resolution and outcome. They should include both a reward mechanism and a positioning mechanism.
Here's where the scratch list goes.
For opposition, the resources that the institution whose status quo you're disrupting can bring to bear against you. (If you're not acting against any institution's status quo, there's no resolution. No conflict!)
Something like this: I'm the owner of the institution, you're the one with the PC acting against my happy oppressive status quo. If I can bring no resources to bear, I roll 2d6 and take the lower. If I can bring resources indirectly to bear, I roll 2d6 and take the higher. If I can bring resources directly to bear, I roll 2d6 and add them.
If your number is higher than mine, you win. If mine's higher, you choose a) you lose, or b) you "burn" other numbers to make the difference. I think that you must accompany burning numbers with a) a narrated-but-binding disadvantage, that is, a way that the situation resolves non-ideally; or else b) a narrated-but-binding use of your character's changeling powers. In other words, I get a "yes, but," except when your changeling powers are applicable.
There's opposition and positioning. Reward: we really, really want the changelings to act against the institutions. We need to decide how to recognize that when it happens, and then how to reward it.
I also want really solid situation rules. The relationships of the PC changelings with the people around them should be mechanically significant, substantially so.
Furthermore, we need some IIEE wicked bad. Here's a starting question: you say "I tip you out of the helicopter so you fall; you're beaten to death by the mob below." We compare numbers and I win. What am I allowed to say? Here's another: are you allowed to say that in the first place, and if not, what are you allowed to say?
Also, you should replenish numbers more slowly than 3 per. Or else - oh hey, I have a good idea, let me formulate it.
2) Mechanical rules establishing each player's starting position wrt resolution and reward for sure, and the others as appropriate.
Wrt resolution: roll your scratch list. Wrt reward: dunno yet. Wrt situation: establish the mechanical significance of your initial sitch. Maybe that's all we need.
3) Rules or guidelines providing each player with an answer, at every moment, to "what should I be doing right now?"
Suggestions?
4) Enough material to kick the players without any further work on their part into agreement about at least two of: characters, situation, setting and color. Characters and setting is the easiest, but not-at-all easy to get right; characters and situation is the easiest to get right.
5) Rules or guidelines for coming to agreement about the other two.
We gotta get the changeling PCs into motion. Their lives right now, at the beginning moment of play, have to be untenable. Any thoughts? Wanna do it with built in situation, with rules, or with guidelines?
6) Violence, sex, children, money, God, art, politics, or science.
Covered!
