The "general" system I've never seen

[Joe Murphy (Broin)]

On 2001-12-04 16:57, Mike Holmes wrote:
It occurs to me to design a Fixed Character game that would be Fantasy specific (and thus not fit Paul's description, but check it out). The fixed charcters are:

Rognir the Barbarian(ess)
Felamar the Wizard
Ogdal, Priest of War
Dondal the Dwarf Warrior
Eldilden the Elven Woodsman(girl)
Gilmin the Stuntie Scout

Rognir or Eldilden an be played as females with little adjustment.

Chargen? Each player rolls a die and starting with the highest roller and going around the table make your selections as to which character to play. Over in less than a minute with a group that doesn't waffle a lot. Really more selection than generation.

[snip]

Mike

It's straying a little from the original point... but this sounds a lot like choosing a character at a convention game. Strange things, conventions.

I tried to find a suitable example online, but I'll have to describe the game instead. Nick Huggin's 'Elevator' is terrifically enjoyable. It's a convention game; certainly, you play it only once.

Each character is described very, very briefly. The description includes a job, maybe family, but very little personality. Each player gets 15 minutes to think of a suitable persona. The game is set in an elevator. In the past, Nick has used cupboards and small bathrooms to represent them. :smile: The characters start in the elevator as it's on it's way to another floor, and then pow, the lights go out. What happens *then* is amazing...

I'll not rave about the game any more, unless someone demands to hear about the plot. :wink:

Anyway, the characters are all set before the game starts, obviously. Elevator's a bad example in this case, coz most convention games describe their characters at length, in order to give players more of a hook, or stabilise the session somehow. I know I've set up proto-relationship maps in games I've written, for example, to 'push' the characters into moral dilemmas and so on.

Joe.

[Demonspahn]

Mike,

OK.  I did misread the post.  I was thinking Fixed Characters along the lines of characters you played every night in shifting settings, although these characters would be ones you created.  

As a side note, we looked over a few time travel games during Dreamwalker concept and design but they didn't really fit what we were trying to do.  You did get to play the same characters each night, but without the addition of mana (which can do many things besides just convey new Skills) the games seem too limited---a 20th century character traveling into the past, or especially the future would seem to be at a distinct disadvantage because of his lack of knowledge and skill.  Didn't catch Multiverser, though (about to look for some reviews now).

Anyway, my mistake, people.  Sorry.  

Pete

[Bret]

Joe, I'd like to hear more.

Peace,
Bret

[Joe Murphy (Broin)]

On 2001-12-04 23:08, Bret wrote:
Joe, I'd like to hear more.

Peace,
Bret

Hokay. I feel so loved! =)

I played Elevator last March, at a Scottish con. Myself and 5 other players sat around for about 20 minutes and thought about what our characters would be liked. My doctor PC became something like Carter in ER - eager, a little arrogant, etc.

We entered the little room that was set aside as the elevator. It was isolated, with a sign on the outside saying 'do not enter - game in progress'. The GM played another character - his carried a briefcase handcuffed to his wrist. The GM explained to us that we were all in an elevator, and then pow, it stopped. The lights went out, and our mobile phones couldn't get a signal. We were stuck till _someone else_ found us, and no matter what we tried to do, there was no way out. The game commenced.

There was absolutely no plot beyond that. Nada.

And it worked. Completely.

We just *had* to talk in character for, ooh, an hour or two. And so we did. One character ended up with cramps (we thought may have been period pains, but turned out to be cold turkey). There were some arguments. There was a lot of joking - trying to lighten the mood. There were a lot of quiet moments. It was pretty much what you'd expect - no cannibalism, no dark arts, nothing out of the ordinary.

The briefcase, incidentally, contained a lot of money, but no-one tried to steal it. Because, in real life, who would? But we *discussed* it a lot.

Afterwards, the GM (Nick Huggins, amazing GM) explained that his NPC was just there to provoke debate if needed. The NPC could have had a heart acttack if things *really* didn't go anywhere, but apart from that, there was absolutely no plot. Nick, as the GM, rarely intervened, except, I think, to explain something about the elevator's emergency button not working.

In fact, 'Elevator' was specifically designed as a LARP (of sorts) with no plot, in response to another GM who felt that all LARPs needed plots.

It worked wonderfully. I've rarely had so much fun. No distractions, no noise, no rules, no rolling.

Joe.

[Bret]

That sounds really excellent. I wonder if I could get away with running it at my campus's gaming convention?

Peace,
Bret