[Autumn of Life] Easy-to-play RPG

[Tomas HVM]

As some of you may have discerned there has been a competition of gamedesign in Norway running the two last years. One of the most exciting participants in this competition is the young designer Magnus Jakobsson. He won this years competition with the game "Until we sink..." (Inntil vi synker...). The game is a jewel! It has the most simple and innovative design I've seen in RPGs since I discovered the media in 1986. I've made the gamesmotor from "Until we sink..." the basis of my new design, a series of easy-to-play games on various themes. I've got nine games planned in the series.

The first game was designed on the spot in Holmestrand, home of Matthijs Holter, another first rate Norwegian designer. It was named "Until we crash..." (Inntil vi krasjer...) and was desceribed as "an elephant stampede" by those not participating (listening in from the floor under the game-room). It's a burlesque political/terrorist drama taking place within a small airplane of Maybe Airlines (We'll get you there! Maybe!) over the peaks of Himalaya.

My next game in the series was named "Autumn of Life" (Livets Høst). It is a serious drama about a group of old friends and their life in modern day Norway. The roles are average norwegians, pregenerated and gender-neutral. The game starts with them gathering in the funeral of a friend. The game then proceeds with the funeral of each of the roles, until all of them are dead. Each scene in the game until the last are the funeral of a role. Dead roles are played as "memories" in the scenes following their own death, served by the player of the role (so you get to play even if your role is dead). The game is heavy with a mood of retrospect sorrow, as you might expect when funerals are the main scene, and thus it functions quite well to play memories of dead friends. The last scene in the game is played out with all roles dead. It is a memory-scene focusing on their finest gathering ever. This special gathering is improvised by the players, and may be anything, back in the days when they were still alive. It's played out as a moment of total happiness and harmony in a group of people, but on the background of the death of each role (already played). It makes for a powerful ending to the game, and a beautiful one. And it makes the game come together as a drama on destiny and happiness.

I've had my first two games with Autumn of Life. It made a strong impression. The drama played out to be gripping and beautiful in a sorrowful way. It's unlike anything else I've played, included the other game in the series and Magnus' game. It's so damn serious and full of tears, and so joyful at the same time. The game is unlike anything any of the participants have played (all experienced game-designers). It is a celebration of life and death, and still; it's a simple game with a simple scenario. You sit down with it, take 15 minutes to learn it, and play it on 1-2 hours.

I will follow up the design plan for this series of games shortly. I've made a deal with a publisher, and I am really eager to present these games to a wider audience. The games still to be made are totally different from those I've described here. I'm looking forward to the challenge of designing them. Wish me luck!

The end.

[Tomas HVM]

The game is simple.

Each character is given on a small piece of paper/cardboard, with a handful of sentences describing the essentials; name, vocation, family and a couple of experiences (fluked at school, alchoholism, death of a dog, etc.). The rest is improvised.

The game starts by players telling the others about their character. One action card is drawn, with a recent happening in the local community of the characters (new football-stadium planned, a car chrash, the grocery shop closing, etc.). It is read out load by a player. Then one of the players read out loud the "charactersheet" of a left over role, and the game starts with the funeral of this role. The characters are sitting around a table after the burial, in the gathering held by the relatives of the deceased. Gameplay proceeds with the characters talking, until two of them has blessed the deceased. End of scene.

Then the players proceeds to the next scene. The next character to be buried are determined (randomly) and the player of that character tell the other players how his character died. Then an action card is drawn and read, and the game proceeds with the funeral of this character, in exactly the same way as the last funeral, sitting around a table after the burial, etc.

Game proceeds like this until the last "memory-scene". There is no given setting for the last scene. It is made by the players in cooperative improvisation, and continues until all players are silent or content or something...

As I said it's a simple game. But it still provides the framework for great gameplay.

[Paul Czege]

Hey Tomas,

The next character to be buried are determined (randomly) and the player of that character tell the other players how his character died. Then an action card is drawn and read, and the game proceeds with the funeral of this character, in exactly the same way as the last funeral, sitting around a table after the burial, etc.

Game proceeds like this until the last "memory-scene".

What do the players who've already had their funerals do during the subsequent funerals and memory scenes?

Paul

[Tomas HVM]

Dead roles are played as "memories" in the scenes following their own death, served by the player of the role (so you get to play even if your role is dead). The game is heavy with a mood of retrospect sorrow, as you might expect when funerals are the main scene, and thus it functions quite well to play memories of dead friends.

You see? The player of a dead character typically tell other players that their character(s) remember the way he/she used to chew a straw, talk about his old hunting dog, go silent when his father came into the room, quarrel with one of the other characters, etc. After the death of your character you continue to flesh it out. As the gameplay constitutes a drama of rememberance this is quite alright (at least according to the one player who had his character die first in both the games we have tried until now).