[Polaris] Key phrases design

[Christoph Boeckle]

Hello Ben!

I'm really fascinated by the Key Phrases and how they allow for powerful negotiation between the players. Would you agree to share with us your thoughts about how you designed them? Why did you choose the ones you did? Were there other ones you could have used but decided not to (I'm thinking something in the lines of a compromise, which I don't really see, one can only add and escalate (or step sideways and then escalate))?


The Polaris key phrases use a colour that already does lots to convey the poetry and tragedy of the game, and the missions of the players and their respective "domains of authority" make it so that the protagonists get screwed in the long term. Have you had any thoughts about the way this could be changed for use in other games?


I'd really be interested in using key phrases for other games (I even have some sketchy notes up for one and a half games) so your insights would be very useful for me to finish a playtestable version of those projects.

[Chris Peterson]

I found the Polaris key phrases difficult to understand. I'm a visual learner, so I made a flowchart:

http://www.lawfulneutral.com/files/polaris/flowchart.pdf

Another player thought that cards with the key phrases and some symbolic label to indicate which card (phrase) could be played after another card (phrase). Kinda like Uno. :-)

[Ben Lehman]

Artanis --

This is a really good question and I want to write the response it deserves.  Right now I'm not in a situation that I can write a super-long one, but this thread went so long without a substantive response I thought at least I'd apologize.

So here's my short answers to your questions, with elaboration to follow.

Why did you choose the ones you did?

The phrases are chosen to increase collaboration and elaboration and reduce compromise and consensus.  The easiest thing to do is to add something cool to an already cool thing that someone else said.  The hardest things to do are to replace something someone else said with your own thing and to work out something together.

This has to do with my beliefs about collaboration, compromise, and creativity.  Which is too long for right now.

Were there other ones you could have used but decided not to (I'm thinking something in the lines of a compromise, which I don't really see, one can only add and escalate (or step sideways and then escalate))?

A number of phrases (including collaboration and compromise phrases) were considered and rejected.  The only phrase outside of the standard set that was actually playtested was a phrase that allowed you to roll the die with an advantage, at the cost of a theme.  It, uh, did not work out at all.

"You ask far too much" was not in the original set.  It was added later, and while I think the game is stronger for it, it definitely sticks out of the set, causing an unpleasant halt in the action.  I never quite pounded that square peg into the round hole of the rest of the system (it's intended usage is to allow for continuity, rather than flinching), but I haven't figured out a better way to do it since, so slightly awkward it must remain.

I'm happy to discuss these answers, and hopefully I'll be elaborating more on your original answers soon.

yrs--
--Ben

[Christoph Boeckle]

Hey that's cool, take your time!

Thanks for letting me know. These answers already helped me get another few gears to click together. I'll patiently wait for the rest!