First of all, I was going to open the PTA pdf, and copy the relevant section of text, and paste it here.

The PTA pdf is aparently locked, and won't allow (currently) any text to be copied.  WHich is great - the last thing I would want from my electroic media is extended functionality.

GRRRRRR.

Well, I am not going to type in the quote.  Go to p61 and (or p28 in the pdf) and, under "Which Protagonists are involved" it says someting about having to pay 1 fan mail to bring in a protagonist.

At the start of the game, players start out with zero fan mail - how can they ever bring their characters into any scenes? How can the game even begin under those rules?

Or are there ways to bring in a protagonist without paying the point of fan mail?

Under what circumstances must one pay and under what circumstances is it free?

And can somebody unlock the pdf of PTA so it's actually useful, esp for discussing sections here?

Sindyr:

If it's your turn for a scene, you decide who's in it. If anyone else wants to 'crash' the scene, it costs fan mail.

Ahhh....  the scene framer decides, I get it.

Does it say that in the book and I missed it?

I know it says the scene framer must present the group with Focus, Agenda, and Location - perhaps Roster is the fourth thing the framing player provides?

When it says that the producer usually creates the opening scene - does "opening scene" mean the first scene of the episode I am guessing?  Or the first scene of each Act of the episode?  Or the first scene of the season/pilot?

The spotlight protagonist(s) of the episode get the second scene - second scene of the episode, or second scene of each Act (with the Producer getting the first of each Act?)

Further questions:
Un the jobs of the Producer, Saying yes to the players, it says that the Producer will have the opportunity to create more scenes than the other players.  With what I have read, it seems to me that they create the same rough number of scenes, it's just that the Producer get to go first.

This makes me think that maybe I have misunderstood or missed something.  In what way does a Producer create more scenes than the Players?

Also, it seems to me that the greatest influence on the story can be had by being the one to frame the scene.  Therefor it becomes very imortant for ensuring fairness I would think to have a well understand method for determining whose turn it is to do so.

From what I can see, either per Act or per episode, the following method is to be used:
>Producer goes first
>Then the Spotlight(s) - if more than one spotlight, they go in clockwise order
>Then the non Spotlight(s), in clockwise order

The above turn order can be modified and exceptions can be made by either consensus or at the discretion of the Producer.

Do I have the turn order correct?

Thanks

When it says that the producer usually creates the opening scene - does "opening scene" mean the first scene of the episode I am guessing?

Un the jobs of the Producer, Saying yes to the players, it says that the Producer will have the opportunity to create more scenes than the other players.

Thanks Matt, good to see you back.  Looking forward to the answers to some of the remaining questions I have - either on the forum or vis-a-vis the pm I sentcha.

Creating an outline for PTA play to help me get a game going (I hope.)  Will show you once I integrate the responses to my remaining questions.

So many story ideas, so little time. :)