thread: 2013-10-02 : The GM: Holding the Object for the Group
On 2013-10-03, Vincent wrote:
A couple of things I'm NOT saying:
1. I'm NOT saying that Apocalypse World is designed so that the players shouldn't know the object of the game.
It's possible to design games so that the players shouldn't know the object. The (perhaps apocryphal) game where the object is for the GM to get the players through her prepared plot points, but the players are supposed to think that their decisions change the plot, for instance. Or the ever-pertinent Sunshine Boulevard, where the object is to play a cruel trick on one of the players, who shouldn't know in advance that that's what's happening.
2. I'm NOT saying that Apocalypse World is designed so that the players can have oh, just any object, it doesn't matter. No, the object of Apocalypse World is to find out what these characters will make of their world, and if a player is pursuing the object of some other game by accident, Apocalypse World WILL break down.
This means that for some players, some times, you definitely DO want to tell them the object of the game and get them on board with it.
Either way, there's no reason not to.
This makes Nick go "Is that the object of Sunshine Boulevard?"
Way off topic, but... It seems to me the object of SB is more than just a "cruel trick" - rather, it's to get the victim player into a state of mind similar to that of their character. (Exactly point 4 from the ancient "Immersion, Rewrite" post: http://lumpley.com/index.php/anyway/thread/22.) This makes for emotional play which is enjoyable for certain players, but requires genuine surprise (=> horror) in order to work.
Maybe that's the same as what you're saying, Vincent - but to me it's not a "trick"; it's a very genuine attempt to give that player a particular experience which you think they'll appreciate.
