Author's Thoughts of the Moment
Time for the long-overdue blog post!
Here's the stuff I've been considering in light of recent playtests.
The Simplification Experiment
We made the change this game to have narrators simply number their Ends and Means from one up, and to give everyone a single Plot Point. I liked the one major difference in play I observed: people sharing Plot Points among one another. When Trevor, Aleira and Moira were working to save Sergei's life, they pooled their Plot to ensure that the first Foil -- Aleira, with no Means -- could Steal the Scene from me.
I liked that because it reinforces the collaborative style of this game (as opposed to a competitive style). And I like that I got there by simplifying the pre-game prep.
Continuing along this path will involve making all costs in Potential cheaper; giving one Potential for attendance; numbering down from your Weight Limit instead of numbering up from one; offering the ability to spend Potential at game start for bonus Plot Points (at 2:1 or 3:1); and other changes to balance the new economy.
Scenarios
Perhaps it's too expensive; perhaps the option isn't visible enough; perhaps the benefit isn't compelling enough -- but in four games, nobody has purchased a Scenario yet. That gives me pause. I had pictured a different behavior.
It could be for entirely positive reasons. I designed Scenarios to address common game dysfunctions, after all: you buy one when you're bored, or when your personal plots aren't being addressed, or when the Stagehands are too wrapped up in their own stuff. If our game isn't having any of those problems, well then -- naturally nobody avails of their solution!
Cues
I'm disappointed with Cues so far. They're not doing what I want. I want them to a) help entangle people's stories in unexpected ways, and b) provide an independent-of-Stagehands measure for the important things you've done in the game. It doesn't look to me like that's happening.
I learned an interesting lesson when I accidentally stepped on a Cue Collette had put up; I never even considered that when I'm stirring the pot as a Stagehand, I should take care to avoid fulfilling Cues. Those are obviously meant for players to claim; Collette was disappointed when I took the plot in a direction that curtailed that, stepping in as the Librarian to "answer" for the bludgeoning of her "slave boy."
Tonya provided some heartfelt criticism around b). She feels like Moira is fulfilling her Ends, but she has no way to claim the mechanical awards for doing that, without engaging the Cue system -- which has for her, thus far, been irrelevant. She's done a whole lot of hardcore roleplaying, chasing her goals hard, never even going near the Cue Board. I wish I had a way to reward her for it, but I'm unwilling to step in with a declaration of "Look, I'm a Stagehand!" and bestow blessing.
I want Cues to measure progress toward your goals. I want Stagehands to have nothing to do with that measurement. I want the system to either resist collusion between players, or not be broken by it. How to do that? Design is hard!
