--- /dev/null Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 1970 +0000
+++ b/draft/scatter-2.txt Wed Aug 30 21:32:44 2006 -0400
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+| | |-+ *Part II: Whence go the Mechanics
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+Author Topic: Part II: Whence go the Mechanics (Read 868 times)
+
+*Le Joueur <http://www.indie-rpgs.com/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=73>*
+Member
+
+Posts: 1363
+
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+<http://www.indie-rpgs.com/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=73> WWW
+<http://www.scattershotgames.com>
+
+<http://www.indie-rpgs.com/forum/index.php?topic=1087.msg10162#msg10162>
+*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
+ present,
+ or
+ having
+ those
+ 'uninvolved'
+ get
+ drafted
+ into
+ short-term,
+ supporting,
+ non-player
+ character
+ roles,
+ sharing
+ the
+ game
+ means
+ sharing
+ in as
+ much
+ as
+ possible.
+ A
+ little
+ conspiracy
+ now
+ and
+ then
+ is
+ good,
+ so is
+ a
+ little
+ mystery,
+ but
+ when
+ the
+ commitment
+ is
+ shared
+ as
+ above,
+ you
+ should
+ expect
+ participants
+ to
+ only
+ use
+ 'player
+ knowledge'
+ as a
+ role-playing
+ game
+ /aid/.
+ If
+ you
+ suspect
+ cheating,
+ you
+ are
+ not
+ sharing;
+ you
+ are
+ 'hording.'
+ (Mystery
+ good;
+ secrecy
+ bad.)[/list:u]One
+ of the
+ reasons
+ I put
+ all
+ these
+ clusters
+ together
+ is
+ because
+ they
+ will
+ be
+ referred
+ to
+ frequently
+ at
+ many
+ subsequent
+ levels.
+ Unlike
+ many
+ games
+ I have
+ read
+ or
+ played,
+ I
+ think
+ it is
+ important
+ to
+ cover
+ the
+ implications
+ of
+ using
+ basic
+ mechanics
+ during
+ mechanical
+ play
+ of a
+ event
+ not
+ including
+ combat.
+ (This
+ means
+ discussing
+ each
+ new
+ layer
+ of
+ Scattershot's
+ mechanics
+ in
+ terms
+ of how
+ each
+ of
+ these
+ clusters
+ apply.)
+ I
+ think
+ it is
+ important
+ to
+ consider
+ where
+ and
+ when
+ you
+ expect
+ to use
+ a
+ game's
+ mechanics
+ in
+ order
+ to
+ write
+ the
+ mechanics
+ that
+ are
+ necessary
+ to
+ support
+ those
+ situations
+ and I
+ think
+ so is
+ the
+ shared
+ commitment
+ to
+ using
+ them
+ that way.
+
+ Next
+ up the
+ nuts
+ and bolts.
+
+ Fang
+ Langford
+
+ ¹ What
+ we
+ frequently,
+ incorrectly
+ call
+ denouement.
+
+ Logged
+
+------------------------------------------------------------------------
+Fang Langford is formerly the creator of the Scattershot Role-Playing
+Game System. This project has been permanently suspended. If you have
+any questions regarding the implementation of it or anything else, he
+can be reached at ripjack@mad.scientist.com
+<mailto:ripjack@mad.scientist.com>
+
+*Le Joueur <http://www.indie-rpgs.com/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=73>*
+Member
+
+Posts: 1363
+
+
+View Profile
+<http://www.indie-rpgs.com/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=73> WWW
+<http://www.scattershotgames.com>
+
+<http://www.indie-rpgs.com/forum/index.php?topic=1087.msg10518#msg10518>
+*Part II: Whence go the Mechanics
+<http://www.indie-rpgs.com/forum/index.php?topic=1087.msg10518#msg10518>*
+« *Reply #1 on:* December 31, 2001, 10:33:00 PM »
+
+
+------------------------------------------------------------------------
+Sorry about this, but I just found one of the missing pages of my notes.
+ The whole section on formalization of 'flow of play' comes from there
+and is new.
+
+Hope you like it.
+
+Fang Langford
+ Logged
+
+------------------------------------------------------------------------
+Fang Langford is formerly the creator of the Scattershot Role-Playing
+Game System. This project has been permanently suspended. If you have
+any questions regarding the implementation of it or anything else, he
+can be reached at ripjack@mad.scientist.com
+<mailto:ripjack@mad.scientist.com>
+
+*joshua neff
+<http://www.indie-rpgs.com/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=28>*
+Member
+
+Posts: 844
+
+
+View Profile
+<http://www.indie-rpgs.com/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=28> WWW
+<http://www.goblin-cartoons.com>
+
+<http://www.indie-rpgs.com/forum/index.php?topic=1087.msg10555#msg10555>
+*Part II: Whence go the Mechanics
+<http://www.indie-rpgs.com/forum/index.php?topic=1087.msg10555#msg10555>*
+« *Reply #2 on:* January 02, 2002, 07:33:00 AM »
+
+
+------------------------------------------------------------------------
+Fang--
+
+That's some good stuff there, especially the stuff about taking breaks &
+respecting the speaker. That's stuff that /should/ be mentioned in RPGs
+& isn't. As Ron said, "solid".
+ Logged
+
+------------------------------------------------------------------------
+--josh
+
+"You can't ignore a rain of toads!"--Mike Holmes
+
+*Le Joueur <http://www.indie-rpgs.com/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=73>*
+Member
+
+Posts: 1363
+
+
+View Profile
+<http://www.indie-rpgs.com/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=73> WWW
+<http://www.scattershotgames.com>
+
+<http://www.indie-rpgs.com/forum/index.php?topic=1087.msg10565#msg10565>
+*Part II: Whence go the Mechanics
+<http://www.indie-rpgs.com/forum/index.php?topic=1087.msg10565#msg10565>*
+« *Reply #3 on:* January 02, 2002, 09:46:00 AM »
+
+
+------------------------------------------------------------------------
+Quote
+joshua neff wrote:
+
+That's some good stuff there, especially the stuff about taking breaks &
+respecting the speaker. That's stuff that /should/ be mentioned in RPGs
+& isn't. As Ron said, "solid".
+
+Thank you, that?s kinda what I have been thinking for some time. I feel
+it?s especially important for people who are new to the hobby.
+
+I am curious what you mean about "taking breaks." I can see that the
+section title choice might be a little too confusing and I will change
+it soon. Can you tell me if you thought I was advising actually
+stopping play at any of these points? Perhaps using the term,
+?breakpoint? is itself confusing. Can you suggest any alternatives if
+you agree?
+
+Fang Langford
+ Logged
+
+------------------------------------------------------------------------
+Fang Langford is formerly the creator of the Scattershot Role-Playing
+Game System. This project has been permanently suspended. If you have
+any questions regarding the implementation of it or anything else, he
+can be reached at ripjack@mad.scientist.com
+<mailto:ripjack@mad.scientist.com>
+
+*joshua neff
+<http://www.indie-rpgs.com/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=28>*
+Member
+
+Posts: 844
+
+
+View Profile
+<http://www.indie-rpgs.com/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=28> WWW
+<http://www.goblin-cartoons.com>
+
+<http://www.indie-rpgs.com/forum/index.php?topic=1087.msg10566#msg10566>
+*Part II: Whence go the Mechanics
+<http://www.indie-rpgs.com/forum/index.php?topic=1087.msg10566#msg10566>*
+« *Reply #4 on:* January 02, 2002, 09:53:00 AM »
+
+
+------------------------------------------------------------------------
+You know, I did think that. But I don't know why, because that's not
+really what I meant. I mean, what I liked was the whole idea of
+"breakpoints" as you described them. But somehow between reading it,
+thinking about it, & then writing my post, it got mutated in my brain as
+"taking breaks". Maybe a different name /is/ needed. (Or more ginko for
+my brain.)
+
+That being said, I /do/ think that one of the most neglected things in
+RPG rulebooks is how to run a single session--particularly the structure
+of the session, including when & why to take breaks from the game.
+/Sorcerer & Sword/ has some good stuff about structuring both the
+narrative as a whole series of sessions & the individual sessions
+themselves, which has really helped me focus on what I'm trying to do
+with my next game (which is, oddly enough, /Sorcerer/, sans swords). But
+I'm also thinking about the thread in Actual Play in which we all talked
+about when to take breaks from the game, & how to work that into the
+structure of the session. I think that's good stuff for people just
+getting into RPGs to think about.
+ Logged
+
+------------------------------------------------------------------------
+--josh
+
+"You can't ignore a rain of toads!"--Mike Holmes
+
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