Game Mechani(sm) of the Week #30: Yes, and...

A second post relating to "A Penny for my Thoughts", I must have really enjoyed it.

One of the more interesting mechanisms in the game is the idea that people can ask questions which have to be answered with the expression "Yes, and..."

It makes for some really interesting situations when you have to agree with loaded questions, then find a way to work them into the unfolding narrative.

Scene Unfolds: I'm walking down the street...

Question 1: Do you see someone you know?

Yes, and...it turns out to be an old friend of mine.

Question 2: Was it someone who broke your heart when they had an affair on you?

Yes, and it was that very incident that stopped me from being a friend with her.

Question 3: Do you want to kill her?

Yes, and I have thought about it for a long time.

A simple scene turns into something very emotionally charged, especially when the players are really wishing to push the envelope with each other. No matter how positively the questioned player tries to take the scene, some carefully worded questions can really make things difficult (or really interesting depending on your perspective).

It's certainly not a mechanism for everyone, and I know plenty of people who'd walk out on a game in which it was used, but among the right group who were willing to explore similar themes it can be incredibly dramatic and provocative.


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