tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2482451413021840738.post66613095041040615..comments2024-03-28T13:20:08.709+11:00Comments on Observations of the Fox: Vector Theory #8: The Perfect MirrorVulpinoidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04511600075328621953noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2482451413021840738.post-17167734800849469482010-03-06T01:19:09.703+11:002010-03-06T01:19:09.703+11:00Yes! Actually that was very enlightening. Thank yo...Yes! Actually that was very enlightening. Thank you!<br /><br />Please continue. :)Nojhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09440459422061500188noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2482451413021840738.post-68589350173817139872010-03-05T17:15:40.836+11:002010-03-05T17:15:40.836+11:00Response Part 2:
Considering that there are no pe...Response Part 2:<br /><br />Considering that there are no perfect mirrors that apply to every situation every time, here are some specific ideas for near perfect mirrors (which could be honed and polished to match the specific group of players):<br /><br />1) A GM has an idea where the final monster thrives on nightmares. Throughout the whole scenario, they give their players choices to exert themselves for a bit of extra success, but if they do so, they'll get more tired...and thus the monster at the end will have a better chance of confronting them through waking dreams and nightmares. No matter what the players do, the mechanism pushes the story in that particular direction. It's not overt, and most players won't pick up on it at first; but gradually, one or two might start to realise the ramifications of what they're doing and by that stage it's too late. Used again, players will see the trick for what it is and they'll be aware of the mirror's existence from the beginning.<br /><br />2) A scenario designer wants to engage the players moral stance regarding racism, but she doesn't want to give too much scope to moral grey areas. So she offers the characters in her scenario a series of escalating situations that start black and white, clearly placing the character's on one side of the moral fence. At later points of the story, she keeps diverting the story back to those moral borderlines, shifting the character's perspectives, but continually reflecting the story back to the points she's trying to make through her exploratory story. Each time a perfect mirror is used, a new moral quandary arises. The story may seem to be heading in all sorts of other directions, but in truth it's all about the moral exploration. Too much of this moralising can get players really fed up really quickly, so it's best to intersperse it with some other choices and encounters.<br /><br />Mirrors can be used as a tool to get a story back on track when it deviates too far. Or they can be used to narrowly constrain the actions of players and characters.<br /><br />I hope that makes my ideas a bit clearer.Vulpinoidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04511600075328621953noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2482451413021840738.post-41615804638115146422010-03-05T17:15:25.122+11:002010-03-05T17:15:25.122+11:00Response Part 1:
In my first set of ideas regardi...Response Part 1:<br /><br />In my first set of ideas regarding this concept I only thought of "mirrors"; not "perfect mirrors", not "imperfect mirrors".<br /><br />A mirror could simply be viewed as a piece of GM fiat that blocked the trajectory of a story and diverted it back in the direction the GM intended.<br /><br />From a game designer's mechanical perspective, a mirror would be something that simply prevents you from heading in a certain direction, by bouncing the sequence of events back into the game's comfort zone.<br /><br />I had only thought of mirrors in a negative context. But it has been brought to my attention that a lot of players like to sit back and enjoy the ride when engaging in a roleplaying game. Quite often a GM will come up with a story that has some great twists and turns, but those twists are only recognised in retrospect.<br /><br />Mirrors (perfect and imperfect) do not offer choices, they are purely mechanisms that divert the story.<br /><br />Perfect mirrors are incredibly subtle, and it's incredibly hard to use one effectively (from a game designers viewpoint, a scenario writer's viewpoint or a GM's viewpoint), but luckily there are degrees of imperfection. A perfectionist might spot a piece of GM fiat, or a rule that's slightly off-key while most players won't even realise it's existence or will simply let it slide while enjoying the moment. Knowing how tough your audience is can play a major factor in using mirrors in a game system or scenario.<br /><br />I wouldn't use mirrors in a group of hard core indie players, because mirrors have a sense of GM fiat about them (no matter how well they're used). On the other hand, I'd almost be expected to use mirrors when dealing with an old school group of dungeon-bashers. It's a part of the genre.<br /><br />As long as you're using other nodes in your game to divert the story flow, mirrors will fall into the background. The more mirrors you use as a percentage of the game, the less it becomes a game and the less control the players will have.Vulpinoidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04511600075328621953noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2482451413021840738.post-3623519951423230092010-03-05T03:12:22.564+11:002010-03-05T03:12:22.564+11:00So there are perfect mirrors. So following the con...So there are perfect mirrors. So following the concept, there are also non-perfect mirrors. Which I assume is the next topic.<br /><br />Is it necessarily in the definition that the player's don't feel that they have been railroaded? I'm trying to decide how one constructs a mirror and it would seem that to meet that condition you would have to offer false choices that always lead down the same path, or choices that you are sure the players would always choose the same path?<br /><br />Or do Perfect Mirror's not encompass choices at all. They're events that must be reacted to but the reactions will always lead down the same avenue?<br /><br />I suppose I would like to see a step by step on creating a perfect mirror for a scenario, if possible?Nojhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09440459422061500188noreply@blogger.com