I'm working out an idea for a game called The Amnesia Detective. Player/s were investigating something. They don't remember what. They don't remember who they are. Over the course of the game they rediscover both of these in a film noir world. I recently did the Power 19, and there's some areas I wanted help, suggestions or opinions on.

1. What is your game about?
The character/s were trying to solve a mystery. Something caused them to loose consciousness (a drug, a blow to the head) and when they awoke their memories were foggy. They don't remember who they are or what they were doing. As the game progresses they relearn who they are, what they were investigating and continue to solve this mystery.

2. What do the characters do?
Discover themselves and the mystery they're involved in in a film noir world.

3. What do the players (including GM) do?
Start with a nearly blank character sheet, and based on a few vague memories and the contents of their pockets construct a mystery and identity around themselves that deepens as the game goes on. When the player finishes the character sheet, the game is over. The GM takes the vague memories and pocket contents and helps develop the scenes that flow from these as well as act as NPCs.

4. How does your setting reinforce what your game is about?
The setting is The Black & White City. It's a combination of New York, Chicago and Los Angeles from 1920's to the 1940's. The world appears as it would in a black and white film, and specific regions: The Decadent Hills, Back room casinos, et cetera reflect the film noir genre that inspired the game.

5.How does the Character Creation of your game reinforce what your game is about?
Character creation is the entirety of this game. The character sheet only starts with vague memories (half remembered phrases or images) and whatever is in the characters' pockets (a gun that's missing a bullet, a matchbook for a nightclub), and only as the game progresses do skills, name, and other information get filled out.

6. What types of behaviors/styles of play does your game reward (and punish if necessary)?
The game favors more narrative and situational styles of play. The vague memories and pocket contents are meant more to inspire a mystery story and not necessarily be a useful game tool. Embracing the film noir mystery setting and the behaviors of characters in this kind of world is imperative to work out who you are and what you're doing. Other than creating an identity, mystery, and solving this as the game goes on I haven't thought much about reward or punishment. Suggestions?

7. How are behaviors and styles of play rewarded or punished in your game?
I don't have a good answer to this yet. Help?

8. How are the responsibilities of narration and credibility divided in your game?
The player decides where the story opens, what they vaguely recall, and what's in their pockets. From there the GM takes these to weave what the player has given them into a mystery. The player has more authority over their identity and remembering their skills and such as the game progresses.

9. What does your game do to command the players' attention, engagement, and participation? (i.e. What does the game do to make them care?)
The film noir setting is full of femme fatals, rich old bastards, and others who might be old friends or betrayers to the character. Players must constantly be on guard while trying to figure out who's on their side and who stands against them. Does this answer the question or should there be something more specific here? Help?

10. What are the resolution mechanics of your game like?
A pretty simple d6 system. Details later in first draft of the game.

11.) How do the resolution mechanics reinforce what your game is about?
As the player's character remembers more about themselves they get bonuses to skills they were especially good at.

12. Do characters in your game advance? If so, how?
In a single story they do advance. The game is meant for one shots. If the setting proves interesting enough further rules might be developed for other types of play.

13. How does the character advancement (or lack thereof) reinforce what your game is about?
It reinforces the fact that you are remembering who you are and regain knowledge as the game progresses.

14. What sort of product or effect do you want your game to produce in or for the players?
I want the game to start with complete mystery and as the game progresses I want to produce the rewarding feeling that solving or coming to know something does. This is vague for the time being. Any suggestions?

15. What areas of your game receive extra attention and color? Why?
The setting of The Black & White City receives a great deal of attention because I want the world around the character to be a perfect mixture of all film noir worlds that I've enjoyed. The character sheet is also receiving a great deal of attention because so much of the game revolves around it.

16. Which part of your game are you most excited about or interested in? Why?
Again, setting and character sheet (specifically: pocket contents and vague memories). Why: I love film noirs and this game is my attempt at making my own world of that genre. For pocket contents and vague memories: I love the strange potential they bring to the game: Do you start out with a gun that's recently been fired? (did you kill someone?) Do you have a perfumed handkerchief on you, and the vague memory of kissing a woman who is not your wife (are you cheating on your wife?) The idea of using these to explore and create a self as the game progresses excites me because of the sense of discovery it brings.

17. Where does your game take the players that other games can’t, don’t, or won’t?
In a sense, you don't start with a character. You almost have a blank slate. Most games start with a character and from there develop a story. I think my game flips this around. I'm curious to have a draft of it done and have it playtested to see how this goes over. I also think it's kind of gimmicky and wouldn't work in many other settings. Your thoughts?

18. What are your publishing goals for your game?
Put out as a cheap downloadable pdf, and possibly self publish through lulu some print copies.

19. Who is your target audience?
Gamers who are more experimental and looking to play a mystery while creating an identity.

Hello! Well, I read through your power 19 and couldn't help but respond since I recently came up with a game with the exact same premise (players start out with no memories and must remember what they're doing while exploring a dangerous setting) but a different take on it (your game seems to be narrative and focused on detective work, where as mine was more surreal and would probably be classified more as simulationist).

Anyways, on to the helping:

#6/#7: Well, it seems like you have a desire to focus the play almost entirely on mystery solving and identity finding, so those are what you need to reward. If the game and all its various mechanics and purpose are about that then I would think players might naturally gravitate towards that sort of play. You could "punish" players who don't embrace the setting by having things outside of the main drive be settled quickly so that play heads back to what you want (for example, if players get bored and go rob a store you could handle it in one roll and bring things back on track with clue finding). That might not necessarily work, but it's something to think about at least.

#9: If you want the players to be constantly on guard, make sure to fill up every scene with potential allies and enemies, and then make it really hard to tell who's who. You can accomplish this through GM advice or even a rule if you feel like it. In any case, as long as someone is (or might be) plotting to kill the characters right now their attention should be focused.

#14: I'm not sure how to go about producing this effect, but I think that getting it down might be the key to your whole game.

#17: I agree that it's an interesting idea, and definitely different than most games. I disagree that it wouldn't work in most settings, but that's not really important for your design.

Also, here's some suggestions based on what I've been doing for my game:

When you make the character sheet make sure to label all the areas very clearly, and possibly add some reminder text. Even if the character creation is simple, you don't want to have people going and looking stuff up in the middle of play.

I'd probably put a hard limit on the amount of things someone can recall about themselves (or others) each scene so that people don't go overboard, but this is really up to you and how you want the story to flow.

Anyways, hope that helps. Good luck on your game! I'm interested in seeing more, so keep it coming!

Is this really a game of recreating just the character?  Or are you also creating the world and situation?  It seems (to me) like the latter ... as with all mysteries, there is a situation which is simple to deal with once it is fully uncovered, and the art of the whole thing is to fully uncover it.

Also:  I don't think this would work at all well with two (or more) amnesiac detectives, but I think it would work wonderfully with one amnesiac detective and multiple people describing characters who each know some of what he needs to learn.  The question is:  What things should those people be doing to help the discovery of the world/character unfold dramatically, and how can the system encourage those behaviors?

tonylb,

I like what you bring up. I'm thinking maybe instead of having multiple players (when more than two play) maybe giving multiple GMs power over various scenes or characters. This would require some good explanation on how to do, and a good group of gamers, but I think this is worth exploring.

whiteknife,
I like your idea for your game to take place in a surreal world - I think that could work out well. Also, thanks for your specific suggestions to certain questions, that's given me a lot to think about and consider.

This premise seems suited for one-on-one play, where one player is the Amnesiac, and one player isn't.  Or where one player is, and everyone else isn't, as Tony suggests.

If you go that route, I recommend looking at Dirty Secrets (in fact, I recommend it anyways).  It's a mystery game that builds the mystery through play.  (But it isn't actually about 'solving' the mystery, but rather about 'exploring' the mystery.)

Willow,

Dirty Secrets sounds like something I'd love. I'll be picking that up soon. Thanks for the head's up.

The Premise for this game seems like the perfect Premise for the Social/LARP game I was (very, very loosely) brainstorming a couple months ago.  A game where one person is the detective and everyone else takes the role of and develops a significant character in the mystery that was previously being solved. 

This probably isn't what you were thinking, however.  It sounds as if you are looking more toward a narrativist style of play where the players/GMs/whatevers work cooperatively to develop the original mystery, correct?  Even though your premise isn't one that's never been heard of I would feel guilty nabbig it for a completely different style of game.  Very cool idea!

-- John M.