thread: 2011-04-12 : A background in Principled Freeform
On 2011-04-14, Alex Abate Biral wrote:
According to these links, that Ars Magica game you played had a really staggering scope. So many characters, story threads and details! Did you plan this beforehand? Did you expect this from the way you set up the game? I think that studying what principles helped you keep the game going for that long without it losing its appeal would really be invaluable. I usually have problems keeping a group together for very long, even when everyone seems to be enjoying the game, so this is something I am particularly interested in.
Also, another question (sorry for being nosy). The links you posted describe a game that didn't use much dice. The game seems to have a lot of "points of contact" (I hope I am using the term correctly), but on these points you were mostly either using principles to guide you or some kind of cue that needed no random elements. Yet many of your games make a heavy use of cues. Mediating cues figure strongly in Apocalypse World (at least, if I understand the term correctly). Even when you are not throwing dice around, cues in the form of MC moves help lead the game.
What I want to ask is, is this out of necessity? Do you use cues because you can't teach people directly how to play like you three played in those games? Or do you think cues are also useful in themselves?
