The Great Social Shakedown
Chris_Chinn:
Hi Nick,
It's been awhile since I had seen it, but I'm fairly certain BTRC's Timelords actually had specific rules for playing yourself as a character. It had criteria for each stat - like strength was based on how many pushups you could do in a certain time frame, agility on juggling, etc. You might want to check that out as an alternative way that removes a lot of the social interaction of rating each other.
Ben Lehman's Land of a Thousand Kings is also based on that premise, but instead of having a set group of stats to judge, it's about positive memories the players have about each other- a method that, I think, helps keep the social judgment method in a good place. Here's an Actual Play Report: http://www.story-games.com/forums/comments.php?DiscussionID=3249
Another game by Ben, "Beloved" also has you playing yourself, though it's a solo rpg. I think there's something really interesting and powerful because it takes place only in your imagination that allows you to be more honest with yourself- and the game is a slick way of forcing your to explore who you are in the process of playing. Some AP and thoughts here: http://www.indie-rpgs.com/forge/index.php?topic=31241.0
I guess the question to ask, is what are you aiming to have this game do, that playing yourself can do that you can't do with an imaginary character?
Chris
Callan S.:
Quote
I am interested in making conscious a lot of the unspoken things we do at the role-playing table.
Do you think it will definately make concious the unspoken things? Or could the unspoken just remain unconciously enacted even as the rules explicitly facilitate it?
I guess you could just run it to test the hypothesis, but how does one measure whether something was made concious or not? When I wrote a game called secret lies of roleplayers (which is also a game to make concious unspoken things), I embeded a certain amount of distance from the characters in the structure of the game. Distance lends perspective. While lack of distance...well, to quote an author I like "What does the brain look like when viewed from within? The world."
Ron Edwards:
Hello,
Everyone, please review the topics standards for the forums at the Forge. This is clearly about a game design idea. It cannot be a topic for the Actual Play forum, and I think the people who've replied should have recognized this as well. When a topic like this gets posted, don't reply. I know that a juicy idea is terribly tempting, but please don't. It only confuses the person, thinking he or she has been "accepted," and then my moderation is perceived as arbitrary and not socially supported.
I will be moving this thread to the Game Development forum, but Nick, please note the requirements for that forum, which will be applied to this topic once it's there.
Or if you'd like, provide a solid account of one or more play experiences which led you to think about this, as best as you can tell. With that in the thread, you're golden to stay right here.
Either way would be very welcome to me because I do not want to step on the idea itself. Its presentation simply has to conform to how things are discussed here, that's all. Everyone else please wait for Nick's reply.
Best, Ron
B4GD:
Quote from: Ron Edwards on April 09, 2011, 05:10:25 PM
I will be moving this thread to the Game Development forum, but Nick, please note the requirements for that forum, which will be applied to this topic once it's there.
Ah, I see. I was taking it as a interpreting my post as a discussion of actual play a bit too literally. I am interested in focusing on the spirit of play that we cannot or do not need to define. I did not view it as a game development question but I suppose I could see it as such given the frame you've described and the structure of my initial post. I could go either way but as this is your forum, do as you see fit. If it is too confounding a topic, I have no problem in dropping it altogether.
Ron Edwards:
Hi Nick,
It really is your choice, but I can clarify what that choice is about. If I'm understanding your post correctly, you do not have a game in design using this feature, or trying to. If that's the case, then please consider instead keeping the thread here in this forum. To do that, please tell us about some instance of real role-playing you've experienced which, in any way, is relevant to what you've presented so far. Negative examples are just as good as any other.
"My forum" has nothing to do with that. Whether this conversation continues - and I hope it does - is completely your call.
Best, Ron
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