In-game Courtroom Drama

[M. J. Young]

Back somewhere in the incredibly long and multiply derailed http://www.indie-rpgs.com/viewtopic.php?t=7072">Sharks With Lasers On Their Heads thread, I commented that I thought it possible to do courtroom drama if you accepted ten principles; that was an estimate, but I stuck by it, and after getting comment from a few of you I've posted it to RPGnet. http://www.rpg.net/news+reviews/columns/lawyer05aug03.html">I'm Not a Lawyer, but I Play One in a Game is now available, for those of you who (like me) tend to skip most of what's on that site (strictly for time constraints, I assure you).

I am curious as to whether people here think the idea workable.

--M. J. Young

[Eric J. Boyd]

Being a lurker both here and on rpg.net, as well as a practicing attorney, I thought your article did a great job pulling out essential principles behind the legal system, keeping them simple enough to use in play but deep enough to reliably mimic courtroom drama.  I particularly enjoyed the technique of making up case names and holdings to support your side (if only I could do that in real life).  

One thing you might think about adding to the article is a short section on lawyer-speak--some essential terms and phrases to make your objections, rulings, and presentations sound more like the ones on TV.  Sure, a GM or player could watch Law & Order all weekend and take some notes, but a short glossary of terms and phrasings would be great.  

You could also add a link to some of the ABA Model Codes or some other reference that would contain the elements of most crimes or civil causes of action.  With that in hand and some NPC's to testify, running a trial in-game would be pretty straightforward.

Finally, you might need an 11th principle on attorney-client privilege and confidentiality.  I've seen numerous TV plots based around the tensions between the ethical obligations of attorneys and what they see as their moral duties.  Great stuff for an RPG session in that tension.

[pete_darby]

while we're waiting for another excellent article from the professionals:

Do yer own danged research...

(Thanks to Burning Void...)

[M. J. Young]

Thanks for your comments, Smithy. I'm embarrassed that I missed privilege; as you say, it's a great subject. The only person who can't even voluntarily testify against you is your lawyer--if he told anyone what you told him in confidence, he would be in trouble. Your wife can, in most jurisdictions, refuse to testify against you (without legal consequence), but she can do so voluntarily if she wishes. Otherwise, there's no one. Your accountant, your doctor, your psychiatrist, the reporter who took your story, even your priest can all be jailed for contempt if they won't testify. Now, some of those people the courts won't press to far, but there's no privilege as solid as the one with your attorney.

I should have remembered that one.

And Pete, thanks for the link. I enjoyed the quotes that weren't from the site's owner, at least.

--M. J. Young