thread: 2006-03-20 : Creating Situation: a practical example
On 2006-03-27, Vincent wrote:
NS: I don't understand your statement, "So when the resolution of one conflict of interest sparks a new conflict of interest, what happens is that the situation develops upward, until nothing more can possibly be at stake. [O]nce that happens, once as much is at stake as can be, the final resolution has to be final. There's simply nowhere else to go." The priestess' life is at stake but, when resolved, play continues.
Aha! I see what you're asking.
Each conflict of interest escalates and resolves independently. The priestess has escalated to "I'll stake my life" in the "will the magician-monks test her? Will she pass their test?" conflict, but she hasn't yet shown us how far she's willing to go to sleep with the junior monk. That conflict gets to escalate to crisis and resolution too, either in parallel or afterward or whenever.
Notice also that the resolution of one escalating series of conflicts of interest can change the characters' interests, too, if that's what happens to happen. Maybe after her ordeal in the snake pit the priestess hates all magician-monks and doesn't want to sleep with the junior one at all. That's fine.
This makes NS go "Very clear now; thank you very much."
