Scattershot Time Travel - Maybe in the Future

[Le Joueur]

Hey Paul,

Maybe you should toss in your idea anyway; if it took that long, perhaps your players might be ready.

Well...in my opinion, the great unmet need in roleplaying is a playable time travel game. But I'd hate to distract your energy from someone who might playtest sooner than our group.

Perhaps time travel is already on your radar as a future Scattershot supplement?

Definitely, Core Book #10 (for simultaneous release with our consulting detective/steampunk Core Book) as a matter of fact.  Basically, the Historical Enforcement Corp are the bad guys.  Time-philosophy-wise, it explores ideas of 'not the one man theory of time' (opposed by what the Corps believe).  I felt part of the fun of time travel stories is wrestling with effects of supposed 'time paradoxes' (for example, back to the future).  How's that sound?

I look forward to looking you up when the time comes.

Fang Langford

[Paul Czege]

Hey Fang,

...it explores ideas of 'not the one man theory of time'...

I'm not familiar with the theory. Care to explain?

I felt part of the fun of time travel stories is wrestling with effects of supposed 'time paradoxes' (for example, back to the future). How's that sound?

Without serious reflection, I dunno. As someone who's father was disabled by brain injury when I was very young, the cool thing for me about Back to the Future was that he got to meet his father and see how he became who he was. Maybe the interesting thing about time travel to me is the ability to know things that are lost to you if you're trapped by the forward progression of time, and the ability to act on lost opportunities. 'Paradox' isn't interesting in the abstract, as a puzzle to be solved, devoid of emotional context. Neither is it interesting in the Mage sense, as a dissolution of self. It's interesting as a consequence of power and personal desire. Time travel is interesting to me when there's an element of wish fulfillment to it.

Have you read Memories, by Mike McQuay? Now that's time travel I can sink my Narrativist teeth into.

Paul

p.s. Feel free to move this stuff to a new thread, if you're so inclined.

[Le Joueur]

...it explores ideas of 'not the one man theory of time'...

I'm not familiar with the theory. Care to explain?

As a thumbnail?  Kill Hitler as a child, ergo no World War II.  Same for Napoleon, Kaiser Wilhelm, and et cetera.  All of the 'big' historical happenings are a result of many forces, not simply 'one man.'  (As if there would be no air travel lacking Orville Wright.)

I felt part of the fun of time travel stories is wrestling with effects of supposed 'time paradoxes' (for example, back to the future). How's that sound?

Without serious reflection, I dunno. As someone who's father was disabled by brain injury when I was very young, the cool thing for me about Back to the Future was that he got to meet his father and see how he became who he was. Maybe the interesting thing about time travel to me is the ability to know things that are lost to you if you're trapped by the forward progression of time, and the ability to act on lost opportunities. 'Paradox' isn't interesting in the abstract, as a puzzle to be solved, devoid of emotional context. Neither is it interesting in the Mage sense, as a dissolution of self. It's interesting as a consequence of power and personal desire. Time travel is interesting to me when there's an element of wish fulfillment to it.

Have you read Memories, by Mike McQuay? Now that's time travel I can sink my Narrativist teeth into.

Ah!  A Narrativist time travel game....  I see what you want, a thematically Ambitious Auteur Approach; we could do that.  It'd probably be a supplement (a more narrow treatment) of the time travel core book.  That's a nice toothy idea, might take a lot of development to raise it above the single player game level, but I have a few ideas.  (No, I haven't read Mike McQuay.)

Definitely something to ponder.  When you think your group is ready, let me know.  Perhaps we'll be on the second or third round of our little contest.

Fang Langford