thread: 2006-01-24 : Still More Character Ownership
On 2006-01-24, xenopulse wrote:
So... I fail to see how this step is so difficult, but maybe I fail to see what exactly the implications are.
We've already realized that we can play games without a GM. However, the GM usually handles lots of minor/supporting characters. So if we have a game without the GM, we can spread the characters around as well. Polaris already does this; I'm sure several people can attest that it's fun to play a supporting character in Polaris when you're one of the Moons. If I remember correctly, characters can move around on the cosmos, thereby they can be played by different players at different times.
I don't think that that means that someone should play only a supporting character and nothing else because, even as that might be fun, it limits that person's input into the fiction. Supporting characters don't drive a plot; protagonists do. In the end, that might be a matter of personal preference.
As to letting the fiction decide who will be a protagonist and who won't, I'm not so sure about that in all circumstances. War movies may be an example where it works, but that's because the premise of war movies often (not always) is situational (as opposed to a causal or opposing forces premise). However, in most media, we want to be introduced to the protagonist soon, because we'll follow their journey and see how their passions drive the plot ahead.
So maybe you could have an initial phase where you figure out who's most likely to do that, or you might have different chapters of your game with changing roles.
- Christian
This makes BR go "I was going to post this"
Almost word for word. But now I don't need to, because of smarty-head Christian.
