[PtA] Execution of a Chump

[Sydney Freedberg]

I've not played PTA yet (grrr!), but playing dead (or simply absent) characters shows up in Capes, as well, which suggests some common solutions. And it's not just flashbacks and apparitions. The dead guy can influence a scene any time someone living remembers him, or comes across something he left behind (money, drugs, booby traps, kids), or even does something he taught them how to do. Tricky, but lots of fun. Plus they can't get rid of you by killing you now, can they?

[lin swimmer]

Everyone has already discussed a lot of the options for playing dead characters through flashbacks, but what about players having back-up characters? This could even be a simple matter of just giving a protagonist's connection an issue, moving him into the spotlight, and maintaining your screen presence formula that's already been established. Because it doesn't seem like the game could handle bringing in a new protagonist built from scratch mid-season, but connections are already a part of the story, right?

So, for the Wire as an example, D'Angelo gets popped, Brodie gets promoted, boom, new protagonist. (Hypothetical, btw. Not a spoiler)

I've been thinking about trying to run The Farm (11PM HBO), but with Primetime Adventures mechanics as my first attempt at the game. I love the tone and setting of the Farm, and I think my play group would appreciate the ability to get gritty human drama from a character before he's lunch, or beat to death by Minders. But I'd want to have the tone of a show like Oz when it comes to characters being in danger; the feeling that if things go wrong enough a character could die at any time, regardless of screen presence (just like what happened to Dro, but without confusion of annoyance).

Does anyone know if PTA can do that comfortably? Season finales only, basically?
Ryan T

[Eric Provost]

I've been following along here and something's been itching at the back of my brain.  Something about how having your character killed might lead to more potential instead of less in PTA.  But that particular thought just won't pop.

What has come to mind in it's place is a potential way to keep the dead character in the story, in every episode, in any scene.  I know it's a bit wonky but...; How about playing a reverse-timeline game where each episode takes place before the previous episode?  In each episode you could have some action for each of your characters that's totally inexplicable, because you don't have to worry about the motivation or the background until next week's game.  Then you could be like "Oh, that's why I punched your momma in the mouth."

Theoretically the final episode would either illustrate the events that lead to the story cooking in the first place, or might jump back to the end of the timeline to wrap everything up.  Or maybe both.

Just a thought.

Flashbacks are fun too.

-Eric

[Luke]

all of this is possible, but I have one issue with all the "fixes:" they diverge from our premise mightily. We all agreed to play out a Wire-like series. That genre has no flashbacks and no weird "story in reverse" stuff. At this point, we've got to incorporate some of it to make the story go now, but as GM/Producer for this, I'm a little disappointed. I wanted to focus the game on other stuff.

-L

[John Harper]

Dro could just make a new character. Nothing wrong with that.

[lin swimmer]

Right. The Wire is almost obsessive in its aversion to all kinds of time trickery and little creative story building critters.

But how about the connections stepping up? Dro's lieutenant must have had somebody. A brother, a lover, a rival dealer looking for new bosses. And the thing that would really drive home that it's still Dro's character would be if this old connection/new protagonist's issue was, like, I'm gonna get to the fucking bottom of who killed my brother, and they gonna get got. You know? Because somebody you know getting killed can be a pretty huge motivator, but in practically any direction. Maybe it's a wake-up call, and somebody wants out of the crew. Maybe something else. So that's just opening up lots of options, instead of asking Dro to keep the hand he was dealt and make lemonade.
Ryan T

[Mike Holmes]

It's too bad that you're so dead set on making it like the one show. Because I'm thinking a bit like Darren above...why not play him as a ghost ala Six Feet Under. But instead of all touchy-feely like six-feet under is (don't get me wrong, I think Six Feet Under is one of the best shows ever), it's about the memory of the character causing trouble. That is, he has scenes where he talks to the other characters about how he was coming for them, going to take over, whatever. He's dead now, he can say anything, and they can't stop him.

That's a powerful character. Yes, it would totally change the sort of show. That's the sort of thing that happens in a pilot. Just a thought.

Mike