Quirky Metagame Mechanic

[Mike Holmes]

The joker ideas are great.

Hmm...the problem is that you have most topics on one of the lists or the other. I was going to suggest a few items and religion was on my list of Real topics. It seems odd to see the topic religion on the superficial list. Howsabout you just combine the two lists taking the best ones, and just have the first draw be about the superficial topic, and the second be the underlying topic. Or, just have some topics be on both lists. If you draw the same topic twice, just redraw, or perhaps something special happens like the player has to do a scene like in Pulp Fiction where washisname recites the passage from the bible and reconsiders it's meaning. The player has to get expansive on the subject in an incongrous manner. Just some ideas.

Mike

[Cameron]

Religion is now the 9 of Hearts on the list of "real" topics as well as listed in the "superficial" list.

-Cameron

[Mike Holmes]

OK, but religion was just an example, there are others. Anyhow, what method do you propose for duplicate draws? Draw again? Or something niftier?

Mike

[Cameron]

Actually, there are a few items that appear on both lists. Well okay, at present time there are 2 (religion and prejudice).  The idea I had was to have way more than 54 different options for each matrix. It would look like this, for example:

Ace of Spades: Your Mom : _______ : _______

After a topic has come up, you take the next topic from a list of extra topics and fill in the blank. That way, the chart is constantly changing. After it has been replaced twice, you've probably been playing enough that you can use the original one again without anyone noticing.

[Mike Holmes]

Actually, even with two duplications you have about 2500 combinations (50x50). I doubt that you'd need more. Even if you discarded the cards used, you'd still be able to use the mechanic fifty times. At five per session, that means that you can go ten sessions without hitting the same topic twice.

That ain't enough? If my criminal is still alive after ten sessions he's going to get out of the business, buy a fishing boat, and retire to Miami, no?

At 2500 combinations, assuming that you don't discard, you could run a whole campaign for years without ever repeating a combination. Fifty-two on each list should be fine I'd think. You wouldn;t want to litter your lists with bad topics, would ya?

If you really want replacements, I'd suggest getting them from play like I mentioned above. Replacee the scratch offs with something that comes up in the game. Players are chopping up a guy in a fish market? Put fish on the superficial list.

Mike