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Author 	Topic: Part II: Whence go the Mechanics  (Read 868 times)

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*Part II: Whence go the Mechanics

<http://www.indie-rpgs.com/forum/index.php?topic=1087.msg10162#msg10162>*

« * on:* December 27, 2001, 10:45:00 PM »

------------------------------------------------------------------------

January 2nd, 2002; Happy New Year! -

At the behest of my friends here on the Forge, I will present

Scattershot at the point I have it.  Even though this is a

work-in-progress and much of the terminology is in a state of flux, I am

not trying to present a diary of the progress.  Expect the lead

component of this thread to undergo changes as Scattershot does.  This

edition was originally put together on Thursday, December 27th, 2001.

 This series of articles will detail strictly the mechanics of

Scattershot, articles relating to the techniques of 'how to play' will

have to wait until I have more of them centralized and organized.  The

third major component of the game, the setting and genre material is

will be addressed once I get a new batch of playtesters.

One deliberate feature of Scattershot has to do with how we handle the

complexity of the mechanics.  Instead of a long catalog of 'optional'

rules, we divided the mechanics into three stages of complexity.

Basic

      These are for beginners, or for 'on the road' (live-action or

      driving).  This portion will be included with all our 'satellite'

      products.  It's meant to be simple, basic, and

      easy.[/list:u]Intermediate (Tournament)

            These mechanics (which incorporate the basics too) are meant

            for experienced gamers.  Most often played 'at the table,'

            these mechanics are the expected level of play.[/list:u]Advanced

                  This is the set of mechanics for completists and are

                  meant to be played 'in the books.'  They allow for the

                  most specific derivation of the subtle differences

                  between abilities.  This is the esotery not for the

                  minimalists.[/list:u]Certainly people could play 'at

                  only one stage,' but the playtesters not only liked

                  to, but tended to, shift back and forth between these

                  stages as needed by the game they were in.  Because we

                  realized this early on, it was important to make the

                  comparisons between the mechanics' stages as

                  transparently compatible as possible.  This means the

                  advanced mechanics are what we wrote first, keeping in

                  mind that there would be two succeedingly simpler

                  derivations necessary.

                  We have also broken the facile use of mechanics into

                  three different 'densities.'  These are relative and

                  normal play shifts between these rather easily.  One

                  of the most common problems we have seen in playtest

                  with beginners (and from our experiences) is the

                  awkward switching between these 'densities.'

                   Confusion often arises when there is no communication

                  of a 'switch' or when a 'switch' occurs at some point

                  other than an intuitive Breakpoint.

                  General Play

                        Most things are either resolved as dialogue and

                        description or simply taken as having happened

                        exactly as the speaker says.  All things

                        mechanical are used more as guidelines and

                        almost always only when 'out of the

                        ordinary.'[/list:u]Specific Play

                              Mechanics are invoked on a sporadic basis,

                              most often to generate detail; how long

                              did it take, how well did it go, what was

                              the specific result.  Occasionally the

                              mechanics are invoked to preempt any

                              question regarding impartiality, but this

                              tends to be rare within groups who already

                              know each other quite

                              well.[/list:u]Mechanical Play

                                    This occurs most often when emotions

                                    run high or when there is 'a lot on

                                    the line.'  Impartiality is the most

                                    important feature so this is when

                                    'everybody plays by the rules,' or

                                    so it is understood.  The most

                                    common time when this occurs

                                    historically is during combat.  This

                                    does not need to be exclusive, but

                                    when you consider dying in those

                                    games eliminates you from play,

                                    there is clearly 'a lot on the

                                    line.'  Also combat is when the

                                    entities that players have the most

                                    emotional investment in, are at

                                    risk; they would hardly stand for

                                    subjective or casual destruction of

                                    their investment.[/list:u]Since the

                                    idea behind Scattershot's mechanics

                                    is that they are a formalization of

                                    intuitive play

                                    <http://www.indie-rpgs.com/forum/viewtopic.php?topic=1073&forum=2&2>,

                                    I should explain how we look at the

                                    actual 'flow of play' formally.  One

                                    thing to remember, while this is a

                                    formal breakdown, nobody is perfect

                                    (neither yours truly, nor people

                                    playing the games) and so this is

                                    not a lot more than an

                                    approximation.  Still, from here all

                                    Scattershot springs.

                                    Respect the Speaker

                                          As I said in the earlier

                                          installment

                                          <http://www.indie-rpgs.com/forum/viewtopic.php?topic=1073&forum=2&2>,

                                          play bounces from person to

                                          person in no particular order.

                                           I think this way of looking

                                          at play means play is only

                                          occurring with the person

                                          speaking.  Normally there is

                                          only one Speaker at any time,

                                          but there are a couple of

                                          exceptions I can think of;

                                          dialogue and question & answer

                                          (an interview style of setting

                                          description is an example of

                                          this).  When this aspect of

                                          gaming breaks down, it's

                                          cacophony; the unconscious

                                          formalization in natural

                                          response to this is one of the

                                          central formations of

                                          gaming.[/list:u]The Scenic View

                                                For simplicity's sake,

                                                we break all play down

                                                into either Scenes,

                                                'Behind the Scenes'

                                                (which would be Scenes

                                                run 'during' the main

                                                Scene), and between

                                                sessions (which actually

                                                tend to be the

                                                bookkeeping done at the

                                                beginning and ending of

                                                sessions, and the

                                                preparatory

                                                'stretching').  I

                                                realize this carries a

                                                great deal of literary

                                                and theatrical baggage

                                                with it, but I am open

                                                to a better term.

                                                At the beginning of

                                                every Scene, someone

                                                must 'Set the Stage,'

                                                that is making some kind

                                                of introductory speech

                                                (we often suggest a

                                                soliloquy) that

                                                describes basically

                                                where, when, and who

                                                will be involved in a

                                                scene.  While many game

                                                systems suggest this is

                                                the practice of the

                                                gamemaster, we prefer to

                                                call the person who does

                                                this the /Proprietor/ so

                                                that at times, a player

                                                can do it as well.  This

                                                is because there are

                                                many occasions that the

                                                person most familiar

                                                with the setting and

                                                circumstance may be

                                                someone /other/ than the

                                                gamemaster (for example,

                                                inside the

                                                super/heroes'/

                                                base).[/list:u]When Can

                                                I Catch a Break?

                                                      The most

                                                      fundamentally

                                                      mistaken component

                                                      of gaming in our

                                                      experience

                                                      (outside of

                                                      /pacing/) are the

                                                      Breakpoints.

                                                       Changing tone,

                                                      Switching

                                                      'Densities' (or in

                                                      Scattershot,

                                                      changing the Stage

                                                      of the rules), or

                                                      any other shifts

                                                      that occur when

                                                      there aren?t any

                                                      kinds of natural

                                                      (and unfortunately

                                                      mostly

                                                      unconscious)

                                                      Breakpoints,

                                                      always seems to

                                                      throw a wrench

                                                      into the 'flow of

                                                      play.'

                                                       Scattershot goes

                                                      to some degree

                                                      talking about the

                                                      types and uses of

                                                      Breakpoints

                                                      (though I am not

                                                      going to go into

                                                      too much detail

                                                      here, because this

                                                      article is to set

                                                      up for the mechanics).

                                                      The beginnings and

                                                      endings of scenes

                                                      are principal

                                                      Breakpoints (but

                                                      that doesn't mean

                                                      to disclude the

                                                      huge number of

                                                      other intuitive

                                                      Breakpoints).  One

                                                      way that a group

                                                      can easily

                                                      mishandle a scene

                                                      is by choosing its

                                                      parameters badly.

                                                       Start too soon

                                                      before the 'meat'

                                                      of the scene and

                                                      you risk losing

                                                      the participants'

                                                      interest before

                                                      the 'entree.'  End

                                                      too long after the

                                                      'action' and you

                                                      watch a scene's

                                                      impact slowly

                                                      bleed to death.

                                                       Scattershot's

                                                      techniques speak

                                                      plainly about

                                                      starting a scene

                                                      so close to the

                                                      'meat' that the

                                                      start sheds blood.

                                                       These techniques

                                                      also talk about

                                                      tying off the

                                                      endings with

                                                      tourniquet

                                                      intensity when

                                                      they have served

                                                      their purpose.

                                                       (It goes hand in

                                                      hand with most of

                                                      our advice about

                                                      pacing and

                                                      choosing the

                                                      appropriate stage

                                                      of mechanics to

                                                      carry the game

                                                      forward at the

                                                      most satisfying

                                                      rate.)[/list:u]What

                                                      was the Point, Again?

                                                            This may not

                                                            need

                                                            suggesting,

                                                            but I think

                                                            it needs to

                                                            be said;

                                                            every scene

                                                            has a goal.

                                                             It might be

                                                            to show a

                                                            nifty thing

                                                            about your

                                                            character;

                                                            it might be

                                                            the

                                                            discovery of

                                                            some bit of

                                                            information.

                                                             Raising or

                                                            resolving

                                                            tension is

                                                            another

                                                            goal; so is

                                                            providing

                                                            color,

                                                            atmosphere,

                                                            warming up

                                                            and cooling

                                                            down¹ (two

                                                            of the most

                                                            overlooked

                                                            and

                                                            important

                                                            parts of a

                                                            session), or

                                                            even

                                                            'filler.'

                                                             The most

                                                            important

                                                            thing about

                                                            goals, as

                                                            stated

                                                            above, is

                                                            once you

                                                            have

                                                            fulfilled

                                                            the goal

                                                            (most often

                                                            supplied by

                                                            the

                                                            proprietor

                                                            of a scene),

                                                            get out!  If

                                                            it becomes

                                                            clear that

                                                            the goal has

                                                            become

                                                            unattainable,

                                                            do the same.

                                                             Letting a

                                                            scene

                                                            meander

                                                            about in

                                                            search of a

                                                            goal (while

                                                            in some rare

                                                            cases, it

                                                            can bear

                                                            fruit) is a

                                                            recipe for

                                                            wrecked

                                                            context and

                                                            loss of

                                                            'flow.'[/list:u]What's

                                                            My Cut?

                                                                  I need

                                                                  to

                                                                  take a

                                                                  moment

                                                                  and

                                                                  return

                                                                  to the

                                                                  issue

                                                                  of

                                                                  sharing

                                                                  play

                                                                  <http://www.indie-rpgs.com/forum/viewtopic.php?topic=1073&forum=2&2>.

                                                                   There

                                                                  are a

                                                                  couple

                                                                  of

                                                                  prime

                                                                  issues

                                                                  that

                                                                  need

                                                                  to be

                                                                  addressed,

                                                                  if I

                                                                  am

                                                                  formalizing

                                                                  things.

                                                                   The

                                                                  first

                                                                  (and

                                                                  possibly

                                                                  foremost)

                                                                  is

                                                                  commitment;

                                                                  commitment

                                                                  to

                                                                  atmosphere,

                                                                  commitment

                                                                  to

                                                                  plot-arch

                                                                  (as in

                                                                  how a

                                                                  noir

                                                                  story

                                                                  just

                                                                  'goes,'

                                                                  not as

                                                                  in

                                                                  preplanned

                                                                  conclusions),

                                                                  commitment

                                                                  to

                                                                  ambience,

                                                                  and so

                                                                  on,

                                                                  it's

                                                                  all

                                                                  about

                                                                  'being

                                                                  on the

                                                                  same

                                                                  page.'

                                                                   If

                                                                  these

                                                                  things

                                                                  are

                                                                  not a

                                                                  shared

                                                                  commitment,

                                                                  it is

                                                                  only a

                                                                  matter

                                                                  of

                                                                  time

                                                                  before

                                                                  things

                                                                  break

                                                                  down.

                                                                   People

                                                                  almost

                                                                  always

                                                                  think

                                                                  about

                                                                  'what

                                                                  they

                                                                  get'

                                                                  out of

                                                                  sharing

                                                                  without

                                                                  realizing

                                                                  the

                                                                  importance

                                                                  of

                                                                  'what

                                                                  they

                                                                  give.'

                                                                  Another

                                                                  point

                                                                  of

                                                                  sharing

                                                                  we

                                                                  suggest

                                                                  in

                                                                  Scattershot

                                                                  is

                                                                  keeping

                                                                  everyone

                                                                  involved;

                                                                  whether

                                                                  by

                                                                  creating

                                                                  riveting

                                                                  play

                                                                  for

                                                                  those

                                                                  whose

                                                                  characters

                                                                  aren't