Minis, Narr Techniques, and my 9 year old daughter [long]

[John Kim]

Hi.  I was considering a response on this thread, but then decided it didn't fit too well despite similarities and started a separate thread, Techniques and my friend's 9 year old daughter. 

In my game, Ellen and Jake were not so interested in the D&D miniatures that I dug out -- but they were more interested in larp-like moving around and acting out. 

[komradebob]

Hey John,
Glad you popped by. I'm looking into developing your suggestion from the "New directions..." thread about the Court of the Goblin King setting to go along with the Village game rules I'm working on. Could this be something that would work as a setting for the game you're talking about introducing to your friend's children?

[John Kim]

Hey John,
Glad you popped by. I'm looking into developing your suggestion from the "New directions..." thread about the Court of the Goblin King setting to go along with the Village game rules I'm working on. Could this be something that would work as a setting for the game you're talking about introducing to your friend's children?

Well, Ellen seems set on a Harry-Potter-esque setup, and hasn't been showing much interest in the miniatures.  So I'm not sure that one's going to work so well in my case.  I still like it as an idea for a game, though.  (No plan survives contact with the enemy and all that.)  Do you have your early design thoughts posted anywhere? 

For my own case, I want to get her to game-master her own games -- so I'd prefer to get her on a game with a community and support. 

[James Holloway]

I have nothing to say to this except that I am reading it intently with Krasnoarmeets in mind.

[komradebob]

Code:

Do you have your early design thoughts posted anywhere? 

Not yet. I spent today trying to hash the ideas out. I'm discovering that I'm dropping all kinds of unnecessary bits as I go.
For example, I had a small bit of resource management in the game, a la Universalis. The more I look at it, the more I realize that I may not need those bits. In fact, i'm thinking of a very streamlines mechanical system.

This is what I've got so far:
Fundamentally co-operative. This principle underlies everything else. Players are supposed to negotiate and offer suggestions back and forth.

The table is set up co-operatively ( although, in an ordered fashion- Round one-players each set up a location one at a time. Round two- players each place either a single figure or small related group ( such as a family, max nyumber= #players in game) at one of the locations. Round three, players take turns, but this time can place either characters or more scenery. Players have the option to go through more mixed choice rounds as round three, until one player passes. That becomes the last round of set up). Players get to tell a little about the characters as they set them out, with limitations.

No GM, but I'm writing it as if an adult player will be playing with a child for at least the first game, so there are suggestions on helping play along/facilitating. The idea is to get the kids or other players to pick up those activities by way of example. In play, the scene setting player does get some advantages, so they become a sort of mini-GM for their scene.

No rulers. This game isn't concerned with move rates or weapon ranges. Instead, figures are moved to locations ( with limitations) to set up scenes, and then manuevered freeform as they interact within the scene at a given location. I'm trying to figure out how to encourage use of the scenery without any special rules still.

Diceless. This sucker works on a player fiat system tied to stakes/conflict rez. When a boiling point is reached in the scene, the players simply draw a name from a bowl after stakes have been negotiated and set. The named player's "vision" is the version that takes affect and becomes part of the ongoing story.That player narrates the remainder of the scene with input from the other players.

No character sheets. You have to pay attention to what is going on. There is also no physical/skill mechanical modelling of characters. The emphasis is on interpreting the abilities of the figure by what you see and what you imagine.

Players take turns setting scenes. The player setting the scene follows a simple round the table rotation. The scene-setter has slightly more ability to declare the location of the scene, the general starting activity and the overall thrust of the scene. The setting player also gets to assign characters in the scene to the other players ( there must always be at least as many character figures in the scene as there are players).

Rewards Cards: These are kind of like player stakes, and are somewhat inspired by the fan mail in PTA. The key difference here is that I'm looking into making the cards action specific rewards- a card for good acting, one for pulling a surprise twist that floors everyone, one for narrating an especially exciting scene result, a card for successfully pulling together various player suggestions- basically an Academy Awards of roleplaying approach. Im even considering a metagame card or two for the hobby aspects of the game. When a player gets a card, they may turn it in at any point to pick up some ability to further alter a scene (adding or subtracting characters, etc) or even changing up the physical layout. The exact use is determined by when they play the card, In a scene or between scenes. Perhaps the scene setting player has to choose one other player to give a card to at the end of every scene?

Phew. that's what I got for now, anyway.

I have nothing to say to this except that I am reading it intently with Krasnoarmeets in mind.

I guess that's fair, since I've been following your Red Army game with this in mind...

[Danny_K]

Please let us know when you've got a first draft written up; we have a copy of HeroScape at our house, it has a nifty hex-matrix that you can build up to a three dimensional landscape, and lots of fantasy and scifi figurines.  It's not that interesting as a wargame, but it would be fine for RPG purposes. 

[Arpie]

Rewards Cards: These are kind of like player stakes, and are somewhat inspired by the fan mail in PTA. The key difference here is that I'm looking into making the cards action specific rewards- a card for good acting, one for pulling a surprise twist that floors everyone, one for narrating an especially exciting scene result, a card for successfully pulling together various player suggestions- basically an Academy Awards of roleplaying approach. Im even considering a metagame card or two for the hobby aspects of the game. When a player gets a card, they may turn it in at any point to pick up some ability to further alter a scene (adding or subtracting characters, etc) or even changing up the physical layout. The exact use is determined by when they play the card, In a scene or between scenes. Perhaps the scene setting player has to choose one other player to give a card to at the end of every scene?

Well, as far as rewards cards go, maybe you could consolodate that idea with the control-of-scene system.  Like:

On your turn, you decide what the next scene to focus on will be.
Then everyone draws their rewards cards from the hat/etc. The rewards card tells you what element of that scene you get to set. 
And then it pretty much flows from what you've got already, as far as interaction and resolution goes.
I hope that's not a dumb idea, but one deck of cards outside the minis themselves might be easier for a youngster to manage than several.

[komradebob]

Hey, first, thanks everybody for the feedback. I've posted a thread in the Design forum showing what I've made based off the more freeform games my daughter and I have played- The Village Game (rough draft).

I think maybe the discussion is best moved over there, since this is drifting towards design concepts.

Thanks,
Robert

[komradebob]

Rewards Cards: These are kind of like player stakes, and are somewhat inspired by the fan mail in PTA. The key difference here is that I'm looking into making the cards action specific rewards- a card for good acting, one for pulling a surprise twist that floors everyone, one for narrating an especially exciting scene result, a card for successfully pulling together various player suggestions- basically an Academy Awards of roleplaying approach. Im even considering a metagame card or two for the hobby aspects of the game. When a player gets a card, they may turn it in at any point to pick up some ability to further alter a scene (adding or subtracting characters, etc) or even changing up the physical layout. The exact use is determined by when they play the card, In a scene or between scenes. Perhaps the scene setting player has to choose one other player to give a card to at the end of every scene?

Well, as far as rewards cards go, maybe you could consolodate that idea with the control-of-scene system.  Like:

On your turn, you decide what the next scene to focus on will be.
Then everyone draws their rewards cards from the hat/etc. The rewards card tells you what element of that scene you get to set. 
And then it pretty much flows from what you've got already, as far as interaction and resolution goes.
I hope that's not a dumb idea, but one deck of cards outside the minis themselves might be easier for a youngster to manage than several.

Actually, in my fantasy version of the real world, the awards are tiny statuettes, riffing off the style of awards like the oscars.

As for the awards themselves, I'm tying them in to the game control in terms of:
a) moving extra charcters to/from a location for a scene during scene set up.
b) creating a new location during play.
c) bringing a single new character into the game that previously didn't exist.
d) bringing a character into a scene while it is occuring
c) placing an extra marker for a player in the bowl during resolution (resolution is a lottery-fiat system)

In the original rules, award cards were secondary, with beads (story tokens) fulfilling those and other roles. Due to changes, the beads have largely been relegated to the role of "lots"- used to determine the starting player at the beginning of the game, then used each scene during resolution.

What do you think of having an award card optionally being used to declare an "issue" for a character in a scene, along the lines of the PC issues in Prime Time Adventures?

[Arpie]

I'll continue my discussion in the Village/Indie RPG Design thread (above.)