[PTA] MCU: Gotham
KevinH:
Hi guys,
some interesting points, but not enough time right now to answer them properly.
I will, this week, I promise.
Kevin
Callan S.:
Kind of makes me think of simulationism
Quote from: stingray20166 on July 14, 2010, 04:56:23 AM
"Why did Kit have to die?"
"Aherance to genre conventions."
KevinH:
Hi guys,
Christoph, although I can't recall any exact moments from play, I will say that the thread you mention was part of the reason I posted this AP.
OK, I'm making up terminology here, if there are better theoretical terms, please let me know.
In the thread [PTA] Players wanting their PCs to fail?, I would describe that as Front-Loading. Ie, essentially defining the outcomes of a conflict before the cards hit the table.
What we did in Gotham, I'm going to describe as Breech-Loading. We would discuss the nature of a conflict, before the cards hit the table.
Maybe that sounds like word games, but there is a distinction. Front-Loading takes the mystery out of the game, if we all know what's going to happen depending on how the cards play out. Breech-Loading, I would argue, allowed us to pass through uninteresting conflicts and focus on the meaty ones.
Frex, the Season 1 finale. Kit's psycho-ex has her and Charisma at gun point when Merch and Eli show up. By that point, the boys have found ex's shrine and know he's a complete whack-job. Eli and Merch have their guns on the ex. The ex is holding Kit as a hostage. Eli's response is to tell Kit that he loves her.
So we conferenced it, to explore what the issues were and what the players wanted. My point was that Kit went apeshit every time I mentioned my feelings for her and the ex probably wouldn't be too happy either. I wanted to create enough of a distraction for Merch to shoot the guy.
The conflict became, does Kit see that Eli is genuinely in love with her (or would it be six more weeks of winter)? As a group we decided that, as this was the climactic scene the bad guy had to go down. There was no satisfying result from any other possibility.
However, if the conflict were about the relationship, both outcomes would be enjoyable and playable. The irony being, of course, that for once Eli was just saying it.
There was one other BIG issue that came into play with the Kit/Eli relationship, that required a lot of conferencing. Bang on all you want about theory, functional play, predefining outcomes ete etc, personally, I do not think that any RPG ruleset is worth ruining your friends' marriage over.
There was a lot of in-character flirting going on at the table and constant reassurance from all players that we were confident it remained in character.
Hope that answers your questions,
Kevin
Christoph Boeckle:
Thank you Kevin, I get it now! My clearest memories about a game text which talks about this technique where free play is used for all the players to arrive at an agreement regarding characters intentions is Sorcerer, or maybe the supplement Sex and Sorcery, but I hadn't realized how it allowed you, the players, to explore delicate themes. Powerful stuff there.
Ron Edwards:
Hi guys,
Kevin: yes. Or better, "Yeah, baby!" Breech-loading is key. I hereby adopt that term for jargon purposes.
Best, Ron
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