thread: 2005-07-05 : Setting and Source Material
On 2005-07-07, Matthijs Holter wrote:
Just trying to get my head around what we're talking about. We're looking for techniques - creative starting points - that can help us make the setting material we need to play, right? And we're trying to figure out both what that material is, and what those techniques are. And we're talking narrativist play. Okay.Material
As I understand it, what you need for narrativist play is:
- At least one engaging human issue
- Expressions of the issue(s) in the setting
- Things that constrain, provoke etc the protagonist(s) wrt the issue so they have to address it
So the essential setting elements are of two types:
- Expressions of the issue
- Protagonist activators or constraints
(But they're not characters; setting != character, right?)
Seems to me, then, that you have two choices of seed crystal: Issue or Protagonists. Issue seems awfully abstract as a seed, but it can be done. However, using protagonists will keep the setting focused on things the players can actually use.
So each protagonist is a seed.
Techniques
The techniques should help us produce the essential setting material, starting with the characters. Perhaps they should be part of character generation, then? Several games already do this:
- Sorcerer's kickers
- PTA's sets
- Dogs' relationships and accomplishment-relevant traits
Many more games do so half-heartedly, through character ads/disads that are rarely used in play.
