[ingenero] creative tension
stefoid:
Hi, I got sidetracked going from wushu -> traits in general -> creative tension at this link Quote
http://www.lumpley.com/comment.php?entry=390
Still havent resolved my initial problem but thats by the by.
Creative tension interests me because during games Ive played, and its not just my current game, but other games where the player is given narrative authority, there is a particular player who irritates me endlessly by giving characters trite and stupid names. In one game, all the characters and names he introduced were based on colors - the red king, the green planet, mr black. Another game, everybody is called jim, bob and fred. etc... This player came up with many brilliant ideas for the sci-fi setting we were in, but obviously coming up with plausible names for places and things is not high on his agenda, but for me personally, it is jarring.
I havent reached the stage of saying 'hey, whats with the stupid names already?!' bcause I dont think thats appropriate for our group yet as we are still feeling our way with new ways to roleplay.
BUT, one thing that the link abocve did inspire was perhaps a very gentle way to say 'hey, whats with the stupid names/plot/uncharacteristic actions etc.. ??' in general, and thats for the GM to ask 'Why?'
As in player says "So we fly to the Green Planet and then-"
GM cuts in "Why is it called the green planet?"
P "Um... because it look green from space - lot of jungle and so on "
GM "OK!"
P "... and then we get a message from someone announcing himself as the Red King, and he says.."
GM "Why is he called the Red King?"
P "oh. um... because he is particularly bloodthirsty."
GM "So he calls himself the Red King or is that a nickname?"
P "Oh, probably a nickname. His real name is um, Zerg Maxillon, but everybody just calls him the Red King"
GM "OK!"
P "But then before we get to hear the message, it is overridden by a message from star fleet saying 'this is Captain Black and..."
GM "Why is he called Captain Black?"
P "because err, no reason, its just his name and I cant think think of a better one"
So at this point, I believe the GM has managed to say "whats with the stupid names?" without actually having pissed anyone off, and perhaps even added detail to the imagined space that wouldnt otherwise have been stated" Importantly, in this thought experiment, the player has been forced to admit the real reason for his naming convention is because he doesnt care what the characters are named, which is fine if nobody else cares either, but in this case, someone does and the player has volunteered that name-apathy himself and I think would be unlikely to continue on a path of "I dont care what anybody else thinks about this"
So asking "why?" either helps everyone else get into the players head to understand where they are coming from, OR if they arent really coming from anywhere and are just spouting crap, then they are confronted with that in a none threatening way.
Would anyone care to comment on ways they have successfully handled similar situations and whether a rule that anyone can "just ask why" when someone comes up with narration would be a good thing to explicitly embolden in the rules ?
Kevin Vito:
Some people just aren't very good at coming up with names.
Heck, just look at names in real life.
Most place names are boring and descriptive.
GM "Why is it called Oxford?"
P "Because, 'um... there's this river that guys in wagons used to ford.. and uh, the wagons were pulled by oxen?"
People's names tend to be really dumb too.
GM "Why are you named Cooper."
P "Because my father made barrels for a living."
Don't get me started on pets.
Maybe your player's problem is that he is approaching names from the wrong direction?
He pulls a random name off the top of his head, and when you ask him about it, he tries to come up with a lame justification for it.
Maybe he should come up with descriptive details first, then make those descriptive details into a name.
It's better than what my players do in D&D games at least. All they do is write down random arrangements of vowels and consonants with no meaning. We end up with a bunch of guys named things like "Mienten" or "Guirialiar" or "X'qupztniezzarreaux'thaugghuaughhhhr"
stefoid:
Those D&D names are 10 times better than coming up with the cast of Reservoir Dogs, like we were getting.
Not just names, Im talking about those times where someone, basically just talks ill-considered, jarring nonsense. Or at least thats what it initially sounds like to someone else. Saying "Thats rubbish!" or something similar is not going to be the ideal solution. For one thing its bad blood right then and there, and also it puts a nasty pressure on other players - nobody at all in the world likes to be criticised, even the most even-handed, sugar coated criticism still rankles and the I think the danger is that the most common reaction will be not saying anything at all for fear of criticism.
So Im just interested in ways that other people deal with the situation. Saying nothing at all, which is my current solution, is just perpetuating the problem.
Kevin Vito:
Maybe bring a Thesaurus to your game sessions.
"The green tower? What if we call it... The Ambergris tower?"
You don't have to yell "That's Rubbish!" but you can give people calm, constructive criticism. If you think someone might take it the wrong way, try softening the blow with a complement.
"I like the way you described your character's appearance, but perhaps you could apply that same language to coming up with a more evocative name. It's just that your guy is so awesome, that he should have a name that matches the awesomeness. Can I give you some suggestions?"
If that doesn't work, kill them and take their stuff.
stefoid:
Why do you think I should kill them and take their stuff?
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