thread: 2006-01-10 : Pulling Coplayers In
On 2006-01-11, TonyLB wrote:
You do not have to put anything into the SIS in order to say "GOTCHA!" or even "BOO-YAH!"
There is this notion that "pull" techniques have to be passive. They don't. They seriously, seriously, don't.
There is no way (read that again and understand that I really mean no way, absolutely none) for a player to force any mechanical impact on another player's character in Capes. Any player may choose to opt out of any conflict. They take no damage of any sort. The only time that the conflict can have any mechanical impact on them is when the player chooses to stake debt on it. They have to choose to engage. If they don't choose to engage then they are completely invulnerable.
Throwing down a conflict in Capes is totally Pull-oriented. It can't be anything but.
And I go "BOO-YAH!" about proposing conflicts in Capes all the time. I put down something like "Goal: Kettridge convinces himself that he's doing the right thing" and I am stoked. I know I just pegged Sydney right between the eyes. He has every right to ignore that completely, but he's not going to. I know he's not going to, because I know him. I know he can't leave it alone, and I'm proud of knowing that, of being clever enough to target him so well, and that's why I Boo-Yah.
So I read the Tenra Bansho example differently. Someone says "You love the Princess ... BOO-YAH!" and you think "Well, if he's saying Boo-Yah then that must mean that he's just achieved victory. So adding that thing to the Fate must mean that it's true." Someone says "You love the Princess ... BOO-YAH!" and I think "If he's saying Boo-Yah then he knows that he's got the guy on a hook. He knows that player well enough to know that the guy will be unable to resist the notion of his character being in love with this Princess, even though it's totally the wrong thing for him. He's pegged him right between the eyes, and he's proud."
Now, of course, I don't speak enough Japanese to really know what TB actually does. But I can certainly imagine systems that are exactly what Vincent is talking about (all co-ownership is pull-oriented) where people are still breakin' out the BOO-YAH on a regular basis.
Do you see how I can envision that?
