[Almost Play - Best friends PBP] Random friends

[Callan S.]

Quickly typing this one, up late on a work night!

A play by post game recently asked for one more player, and I enquired. Turns out they already went through the attribute assigning process.

Now, I'm kind of dubious once I find this - I mean, it involves choices, so I've missed choices? And the GM just calls it random attribute distribution - isn't he missing the point? Will he miss the point with the rest of the rules? I have no idea of the rules (the 'demo' is a sampling of pages - on a side note, that's not a demo).

As the game has been done so far, there were character names and that was about it - no descriptions of character or such. Is that normal play? I'm getting the feeling PBP is cutting off certain character cues (just the way you say a name can show something about the character, that typing cant).

I've looked at an old account of best friends where the poster said it created relationships fast. But...you could use a randomiser to produce these numbers. Having a choice (when it's blind), could only really make you feel empowered to set up relationships, when really as the GM of this game says, its just random. Perhaps he isn't missing the point, perhaps he's dead on? How blind is the game supposed to start you off? Or is it left in a murky state - perhaps an assumption that people would talk back and forth. Not knocking that, it's a valid assumption, but I'm not sure of the play it'll produce here when it's not stipulated.

This isn't actual play, but it is about buy in. I'm not being some picky know it all forgite - I'm just trying to ensure I'm actually excited by this game and its structure before I head in, rather than going in kind of blank and expect it to somehow spark me up. I was excited to begin with but finding the stage of play they are on slumped me.

And I'm really confused about that buy in. It's pretty easy to think 'don't go into bad games', but when it comes down to it, how easy is that to measure that. Am I looking after myself, or being choosey?

More information, please!

[Graham W]

Callan, Best Friends basically goes like this:

1. Everyone picks a name for their character
2. Everyone fills in the following phrases for their character:

"I hate [other character] because she is richer than me"
"I hate [other character] because she is smarter than me"
"I hate [other character] because she is prettier than me"
"I hate [other character] because she is tougher than me"
"I hate [other character] because she is cooler than me"

3. You calculate your character's scores as follows:

Your "Rich" score = How many people hate you because you're richer than them
Your "Smart" score = How many people hate you because you're smarter than them
etc

So, if three characters hate you because you're smarter, you've got a very smart character.

So your stats aren't random, as such, but they are out of your control; and you're not invested in those "hate" relationships, when you create them, but they do play a part in the game.

Also, it's worth noticing that there are difficulties with adding new characters in. Every new character will have a new set of "hate" relationships, so they'll add to everyone else's stats. That might explain why the GM's being a little odd about a new character.

Graham

[Paul King]

As the GM I'll clarify things.  A player dropped DIRECTLY after choosing hates.  I'm hoping to get a player to take over the character as it is.  Redoing things now would just change everyone elses stats when they're meant to be working out their characters - so I'd rather avoid that.

[Callan S.]

Thanks for that, Graham!


Hi Paul, or should I call you mother superior? ((for others, that's his GM handle for the game > ))

I'd argue with you about the redo, but I had great missconceptions and you were right - as far as I can see now it is random distribution so your right again, there is no point in redoing it. In terms of buy in that bit of the game strikes me as 'pick a card, any card' - where the cards always random.

I'll talk to you at the site about time I'm prepared to invest into the game and whether that'll be a satisfactory amount for you.