thread: 2006-01-05 : I suspect but can't prove...
On 2006-01-11, James wrote:
Roger, actually, you're describing exactly 'stop at the skin' play. I'll quote the relevant part of the essay in Death's Door (which I should have done in the first damn place, oops) to provide context for the phrase. It's from the sidebar "Who Gets to Say What?"
So where???s the line? Every group is going to be different, and the only real way to learn where the line is for your group will be to play the game. There are two ???lines??? that are worth mentioning, though: Stop at the Skin and Dive Right In. Stop at the Skin is shorthand for saying that the antagonist isn???t allowed to say what the protagonist is thinking or feeling: only the protagonist is allowed to dictate those sorts of things. Dive right in is a style of play where either of you can say thoughts and feelings. As an example, if the antagonist gave a complication ???You wad the legal will kit up and hurl it against the wall in frustration, overwhelmed by how unfair it all seems???, that would be totally legit in Dive Right In play, but definitely crossing the line for Stop at the Skin.
Twiddling numbers, on the other hand, has a long and glorious past in traditional RPGS. "I hit, take 4 points of damage." being the simplest case.
Hope that helps.
James
