thread: 2009-06-17 : Secrets
On 2009-06-21, Luke wrote:
I hope I'm not interrupting. I'd like to process this.
The other players, in acting weird and differently, are harboring a secret and affecting the real world aspect of play. If the secret is revealed, this strange real-world performance can make sense to the outsider player retroactively (or it can be protested). Until it is revealed, the other players are just acting in a strange manner. The outsider's character/fiction hasn't changed beyond that: "You all are acting strange." Her answer can be, "Cool, creepy." or "Quit it, jerks."
The other players have taken a piece of game mechanic "Make another player crazy" and formed a secret/plan about it. They're allowing it to affect their play and color the fiction they're creating. But until the target buys in, it's just noise. If she buys in, there's fruit for the labors—it all makes sense.
And just to be clear, I don't think this edge case contradicts what V is saying. I think it's a germane example of the phenomena of how these secret/plans affect play.
