Playing Matrix Games - Making it up as you go along!

[MatrixGamer]

There is a thread on the Gamist, Narrativeist, Simulationist forum about how Matrix Games http://www.io.com/~hamster fit into this paradigm. It has been suggested that the topic has drifted into a look at actual play, so I've asked people to drop the previous line and continue the discussion here. Next week I'll post some more actual play examples to get the ball rolling. I would love to hear how you handle similar problems in your games.

Most of all though, I want to have an entertaining conversation with you all (or yawl as we say in Southern Indiana).

Chris Engle

[MatrixGamer]

I put out a couple of murder mystery games (by the end of the year it will be six books). Here is how they are played.

Chris gathers four friends at his house. They meet in his Adventurers Club (an actual room in my house - elephant head and all).  Chris is the referee. He provides 1d6 per player, a map (in the game book), and a cast of characters (also in the game book - and presented as a list on the map).

REF: Okay it is London in 1886... (Chris reads them the opening blurb in the book that sets the mood.) ...I need you to each pick a character, one of you has to be Sherlock Holmes.

They pick Holmes, Inspector Le Strad, Lord Henry and Maude the Fishwife.

REF: This is a murder mystery game so a crime has been done. I'll read off to you a description of what has happened. "Robert Le Mort, son of Lord Henry was found murdered on the London Docks. The horror of it, and only a day after he anounced his wedding plans to the fair Magarit Smyth! Miss Smyth has contacted Sherlock Holmes to investigate. Initial reports say Le Mort was shot."

REF: We start with a free move. Tell me where you want you character to start?

They all start at the Docks.

REF: Who wants to go first? Why not Inspector Le Strad? Le Strad, if this was any other kind of game, you were you , and this was the situation, what would you want to have happen first?"

LS: I inspect the body for clues.

REF: Do you want to say what you find?

LS: Yes. I find he was stabbed as well as shot.

REF: That sounds strong. Why not? This is the beginning of the game. There is no reason to say he wasn't stabbed. When you roll it will be 2-6 for it to happen. Wait! You all roll at the same time.

SH: Yes Le Mort was stabbed but it was done after he died. Look, the wound has not bled.

REF: Strong.

MF: I saw it all Copper! I saw it all. Gives me a drink o gin and I'll tell you everything.

REF: Do they give you the gin? Amd do you want to say what you tell them?

MF: No, I'll leave it open for now.

REF: Strong!

LH: My son was not as good a man as the papers make him out to be. He drank and was a womanizer.

REF: Strong!

REF: None of these arguments is incompatible with one another so there will be no dice rolling competition this turn. Everyone roll for your own argument.

Le Strad rolls a 2 and fails. Fortunately for him, Holmes rolls a 3 so the wound is there but was given post mortem. Maude rolls a 6 and so has made a claim to be a witness. Lord Henry rolls a 1 so his son has not been established to be scum.

REF: That ends the first turn. Make a free move and please feel free to talk to one another. I'm going to get a soft drink.

While Chris is out the the room, Le Strad and Maude do a little unmoderated role play in shich she tells him nothing. Holmes steps in and offers an imaginary drink to her. She stops talking to Le Strad and tells Homes "It was a big China man what done it!"

When Chris returns he asks who wants to start the next round of arguments.

The game progresses from here with players making up clues as they go. Eventually the clues point to who did it.

As it turns out in this game, Maude was one of Le Mort's lovers and was insanely jealous. Though a few clues do point to some chinese connection (which Le Strad insists must be who did it) in the end Holmes argues for Maude to be arrested.

The players hold a short court in which one player presents the case to conviction and Maude presents her defense. The remaining two players (plus the referee) are the jury. They decide the strength of the argument "She's guilty." The prosecutor rolls and Maude either gets convicted or is let off.

A game like this takes between two and three hours to play.

Chris Engle
Hamster Press

Are there any questions about the rules? You now know 90% of the rules of Matrix Gaming.

[rafial]

SH: Yes Le Mort was stabbed but it was done after he died. Look, the wound has not bled.

REF: Strong.

While Chris is out the the room, Le Strad and Maude do a little unmoderated role play in shich she tells him nothing. Holmes steps in and offers an imaginary drink to her. She stops talking to Le Strad and tells Homes "It was a big China man what done it!"

Okay, this is a fascinating bit.  Holmes' statement above has the status of an argument because the referee heard it it, but Maude's second statement does not, because the referee didn't.

Had Maude's second statement in fact been an argument, and she rolled for it and succeeded, what is established?

a) that a big China man did it.
b) that Maude says a big China man did it.

How about if she failed?

[MatrixGamer]

The neat thing about Matrix Games is that the referee does not have to know everything that is going on in the game. Player's role plays are for the player's benefit. They are part of the "matrix" of the world since the matrix is made up of the information the players know. When they make arguments they can tell the referee what supports their proposition. The referee"s knowledge of the matrix is thus expanded (and double checked by looking at the other players to see if they roll their eyes).

As to Maude's fingering the wile oriental gentlemen, the argument is exactly what it says. She says she saw it. She says it was a Chinese man. The person making the argument did not say this was a lie, but we can't be certain it is the truth either. It is merely one piece of evidince. As ti turned out later in the game, this red herring was not enough to keep Maude from being arrested.

I've done murder mystery Matrix Games in which we convicted the lower class (probably innocent) guy was convicted while the upper class (guilty as sin) person got off scot free. This can happen because as we all know, the rich have a better shot with the criminal just ice system than poor people.

In the end, the impact of information in in the matrix is to influence how the referee rules on arguments. If a dead man can win a senate seat then anything can happen.

Chris Engle
Hamster Press

[komradebob]

How about if she failed?

I've been wondering about this aspect of MGs for a while. I'm actually more familiar with the older, more wargame-campaign style version, so the more rpg incarnation is a little novel to me.

Can you give an example from a game where an arguments failure was later built upon by either the failing player or another player?

Also, could you discuss "GM-less" MG play? Politics by Other Means , the miniatures variant, does without a GM. Are there non-GM Matrix game variant rules, and, if so, how does that work?

Robert

[MatrixGamer]

Here is the Gamist twist on Matrix Games...

As we play we are obviously trying to tell a story. Player arguments are waht make this happen. BUT we are also playing with one another. I may make a great argument and fail my roll but so impress other players that they pick up and carry my story idea. This is outside of the MG rules. Instead it gets back to social interaction. The person who comes up with a great idea has added to everyone's enjoyment - the Matrix Game rules allow everyone to share in the telling.

EXAMPLE of another way a failed argument comes back.

TOM: I ask Mary Jane out. She says yes. She falls in love with me.

REF: Very weak! There is no reason for her to fall in love with you at first sight. Roll a 6.

Tom rolls a 5 and fails. Later in the game he reworks the same argument.

TOM: I ask Mary Jane out. She says yes.

REF: That sounds more reasonable. Average roll 4-6.

Tom rolls a 3 and fails. Later Tom breaks his arguments into a couple of steps.

TOM: I start talking to Mary Jane after class. I think she's cool.

REF: Very strong. Don't roll a 1.

Tom rolls a 2 but doesn't fail!

TOM: I ask Mary Jane out. She says yes.

REF: Very strong. You laid the ground work that time.

Tom rolls a 2 and gets a date with his future wife.


In this case the player is not being deterred from their goal by a little failure. Their presistence paid off.  This might also be influencing the referee to take pity on them. Again an effect from outside of the rules.

Chris Engle
Hamster Press

[MatrixGamer]

You know there is a referee in all Matrix Games (so far). In "Politics by other means" the player picks a player on the other side to be their referee. Players can do the same in the Engle Matrix Game (that I use for story telling games) In that case the motivation isto tell a good story.

Bryan Roberts did a great super hero battle using this method. He called it a lightening round. Players posted arguments on a Live Journal page and other players jumped in (asking no one's leave) and ruled on argument strength and then rolled. There were 80 posts on that battle in one day!

The difference between a Matrix Game referee and an RPG game master is that referees are relatively weak. The role can be done by a mere functionary or by a very involved host. The referee does not make anything happen in the world. They do not make anything up in the world. The players do that. So as long as you have players (who are like minded and fair) Matrix Games don't need a single referee. But since we don't live in a perfect universe, a human referee is helpful to keep the Min/Max players in line.

Chris Engle
Hamster Press

[MatrixGamer]

Here is an example of the arguments and turn resolution I just did this week on my present PBEM game - Cthulhu on Campus. The players have opted to write in HP Lovecraftian styles.

TURN 1

February 20, 1923

Dear Diary,

After last night's Magical Circle, rose quite tired. Tremendous energy was
generated. The new chants are most efficacious, and we all sensed the
presence of some great being. Some element though is missing, some word or
invocation, to break through to the other world. It seems as if The Book has
a deliberate error written into the Greater Chants to prevent ill-thought
out use. Some key, some code, some reversal or insertion we need to uncover
to complete the rite.

That Professor Armitage was at me again today for information on some book
he's after. He pretends as if it is no matter, but I sense the desperation
in him. His interest in the Caballah makes him a candidate for our little
group. I'm not sure whether or how to approach him. He's a funny little man,
but not unattractive in a strange sort of way. He has an intensity, a
certain piercing quality that reminds me of my Bill. Hadn't thought of Bill
all day till he turned up. He came at me in the stacks with his clutch of
request cards. Very nervous he was, almost as if he was on the point of
asking me out or proposing or something. I had the feeling he was about to
go down on one knee. He just mumbled something about the books he wanted, no
hurry that sort of thing.

Next Wednesday is the annivesary of Bill's passing. I think I will tell
Professor Armitage about our group. A letter would probably be best. I could
slip it in with his books.

Vera von Meister

* * * *

   "How odd," said Mrs von Meister, peering over her bifocals, "You're the
second person today to ask after the Purse papers. But as I told Professor
Armitage. Oops! I suppose I oughtn't to have said that. Well, no matter, I'm
sure it doesn't matter. As I told him, the Purse papers were sealed by the
late vice-Chancellor shortly before his death. The box is no longer here, I
think...yes, I'm certain it was removed and placed in a  safety deposit box
in, well, a bank - I don't know the name, I'm afraid."

[REF: At the start of the game I generally rule all arguments strong – unless they are just horrible! I do this so you players have a good chance of defining what is happening in the story. After this turn arguments that build on the story stay strong while arguments that go off on tangents will grow progressively weaker. I rolled a 5. This happens!]

*

Professor Armitage's Argument

Diary

The Book of Unspeakable Truths.

April 20, 1923

I know with the recent murders that Miscotonic University is the home
of the book of the Dexter Kabalah, the anti-Kabalah Aleister Crawley
described in his letter to me. He is the only one besides myself who
know about the Dexter-Kabalah, the tree of life inverted. He had been
searching for it for years, he last traced it to Germany, but I knew
he was wrong, The book was sold at an auction to C. Everrett Purse,
Miscotonic University's most important alum. I moved here under the
cover of being a mathematician to do one thing destroy the book.
Purse thought it was an old manuscript that was in Hebrew and had
weird drawings in it. Being a rich, crass commodity trader he had no
idea what he had purchased. When he committed suicide his fortune and
the manuscript went to Miscotonic.

I don't really know how to describe Crawley a morphine addict, mad
men or the most powerful mage of modern times. But I never should
have listened to him about creating the Golem. It must have been one
of his pranks. My poor graduate assistant helped me dig up the bodies
and perform 'The Rite', to create the Golem, but failed, failed
horribly and now what was sent to protect the campus from the Chtulu
has only played into its hands. My assistant lost his sanity when the
remains rose from the grave, he turned white with terror and has
never been the same. They found him a few days later locked in his
room, babbling dehydrated and totally mad. I pray the new electric
therapy brings him to his senses. And now the students are being
murdered was it the Golem or the Cabal in the grips of the Dexter
Kabalah. I must find the book and destroy it.

[REF: This sounds strong to me. As I said before at the start of the game I have no reason to rule arguments weak – we are just finding out what is going on. I rolled a 5. It happens.]

*
[REF: The next two argument compete with one another because the suggest different time lines. One suggests the two missing corpses died a while ago, the other suggests it was only a few days. Both are strong. I'll do the dice rolling contest at the bottem.]

April 18, 1923

Dearest Betsy,

It is good to hear that things are well for you in Boston.  Just as I
told you when we were children you were born a big city girl.  I pray
that you'll stay away from those jazz people, but it would be naive of me
to think your persuits won't take you into places decent people ought not
to be.  After all your sweet voice warrants an audience, no matter how
undeserving.

But you must forgive this letter and me for I am all out of sorts today
and I can not contain my anger.  You see I went out to the cemetary this
morning to visit Sean and Hazel.  I fear that what I beheld there may
cause me to do some evil thing.  Four days since that terrible loss of
such friends.  Four days the earth barely settled upon their graves, and
I found their resting places disturbed.  I can not explain my
mortification.  Suffice it to say that I've heard from Professor Armitage
that there was some sort of ballyhoo raised at an alumni lecture last
week and I think I may know who has done this awful thing.  It was that
no good Rory O'Darby or I'm a cobbler's son.  When I find him you can bet
we will have a discussion he's likely to remember the rest of his life.  
Ah, but do not trouble yourself about me.  By the time this letter has
reached you I will be a much happier fellow for confiding in you.  

I remain your loving brother,
~Biff

*

From: Tom Post
        c/o Peabody Hall
        Miskatonic University
        Arkham, Massachussetts


What ho Corky!

Things have been quite a bore around here since you transferred to Oberlin.
I hope you find the art department to your liking there.

There was a bit of a gas last month when Algy found an old pump organ, which
he fixed up. He got lots of complaints when he played it late at night in
the dorm rooms, so he's had to move it into the basement of the Liberal Arts
building. Most nights, you can hear the strains of his organ rising from
depths off of College Street like something out of the Phantom of the Opera.
Assuming, of course, that Lon Chaney was playing ragtime. (And since you
never hear it in the film, maybe really was!)

Apart from that, there's been a bad business lately over at the cemetary.
Seems someone dug up some recent graves. In fact it was those two students
who died in that unpleasantness I wrote to you about last time. Believe it
or not, the dean had the whole gang: me, Wendell, Algy, and Trevor, come
over to see him, and made us swear up and down we weren't involved. I mean,
really! It's not at all the sort of thing we'd get involved in.

Even Biff Masterson was coming around and making accusations, until we all
accounted for our whereabouts on the night in question. He then went off,
grumbling something about Rory O'Darby. Now, Rory's a queer old bird for
certain, but Algy says he saw the light still on in Rory's lab in the
Science Annex when he finished his organ playing about midnight that night,
so we all figure he was busy with his interminable graduate project. I'd
love to know who did dig up the graves, though, if only to clear our names
once and for all.

Sorry to hear your cousin Lawrence is doing so poorly. Beth told me to say
hello to you for me.

Sincerely,

Tom P.


to: Corky W. Worple
    c/o Baldwin Hall
    Oberlin College
    Oberlin, Ohio

[The contest is between Biff and Tom. Both arguments are strong.]

Biff   Tom
1   1   Both out so I'm going to start over. I want one of these to happen!
5   2   Biff stays in while Tom drops out. Biff is the winner!

TURN 2

Get your arguments in by next Monday. Until then please feel free to email one another with role plays and quibbles.

TURN 1.1

Few slept soundly in their beds that winter, for the events of the
preceding April were still all too fresh in the minds of many of
Arkham's citizens. Whatever the coroner might say, there was no surety
that what had come in the spring might not come once more in the winter.

To ease my nameless fears, I had some time before turned for solace to a
small, untitled and ancient-seeming book on wardings I had incorporated
in my modest personal library after a visit to the antiquarians
booksellers of Boston some years previous, such things being the
stock-in-trade of folklorists such as myself. I had long held the belief
that amidst the manifold superstitions contained in such lore, there
were some few genuine pearls of wisdom, and much of my time left, after
delivering the guest lectures that my contract with Miskatonic
University mandated, was spent in winnowing the wheat from the chaff.
One of the various items I had more than an inkling was of value was the
warding known as "Ye Olden Sign". Engraved on a door or similar entryway
it was said to bar certain malignant forces from entering the chamber
within. With this Olden Sign emblazoned on both door and window frame of
my lodgings, I thus felt more secure as I lay down to rest each night.


[Looks strong to me. I rolled a 6. It happens. I'm sorry I missed this. I had to reconstruct the list of arguments due to the computer eating them. My bad.]