thread: 2011-05-11 : The Un-frickin-welcome
On 2011-05-13, David Berg wrote:
Nathan, that is a great story! Wow. Man. If I played that mind-eraser moment in a Vampire game with my emo-veteran buddies, it would be fantastic. If I played it with my college power-gamers, it'd make us all quit the game.
At the same time, my emo-veteran buddies are kind of used to moments like that. "Lose your lover or let her go mad," packs less punch the 50th time it happens.
Perhaps you're describing the perfect in-between? Where you go into play kind of knowing that tough moral dilemmas might be on the table, but not flat-out expecting them? So you get a genuine "Oh shit!" reaction, but not the, "This isn't what we agreed to play, guys, let's stop," reaction?
I wonder what the key to finding that in-between is?
Maybe it's to introduce outcomes that are in fact compatible with the game's point, but not in an obvious or predictable way? So those outcomes could be unwelcome, but won't be game-ruining?
The designer's secret insights on top of their obvious ones?
