An Experiment In The Ordinary

[Bankuei]

  I think the biggest thing that will need to be addressed is the structure of a dramatic story.  It will require a really good hook to draw players in, and a lot of good advice to the GM on how to run that type of story.

Powwow Highway is another great movie to check out.

Bankuei

[mahoux]

I personally like the North by Northwest idea.  This thread actually made me sit down (at work) and start a basic RPG system for dealing with ordinary people in everyday life thrown into strange circumstances.

People would have their physical and mental makeups, as well as intelligence and social skills.  Their skills would follow a pattern based on their profession and lifestyle, so you wouldn't get people playing Cyberpunk characters in a normal world setting.

Jared, what you said about accountability is right on the mark, so I figured that something needs to be factored in to keep people from becoming amoral sociopaths.  Since the average joe can't jus twalk up and shoot someone without some repercussions - whether through the law or his/her own conscience - I thought modifiying the Stress scenario in Inspectres might work.  Someone doing things he/she wouldn't normally do would probably get more and more freaked out.

While the idea isn't necessarily what was originally posted, it might go to satisfying those of us who are conspiracy junkies (think Enemy of the State, Arlington Road, even Jumping Jack Flash.)

[Le Joueur]

I hope this isn't woefully uninformed, but wouldn't SOAP be a game set in the ordinary?

Fang Langford

[Mike Holmes]

Not woefully uninformed. But SOAP is only Ordinary if you consider evil twins, secret transexuals, aliens, conspiracies of every possible nature, and Jerry Springerism, all in copious quantities to be ordinary. Whacked out is more my opinion of a SOAP game.

Mike