Concert, and First College Acceptance!
6 days ago
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Interesting new data visualizaton toolset
Manyeyes is a new web application from IBM that allows you to upload datasets and view the resultant data in well-thought out visualizations. There's some fascinating stuff already there and I think this kind of tool has lots of potential.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Because I couldn't resist.
Also not surprising:
Which B-Movie Badass Are You? |
 Big Boo-tay! Take this quiz!  Quizilla | Join | Make A Quiz | More Quizzes | Grab Code |
Its no wonder...
You scored as Odin.
Which Norse God or Goddess are you most like? |
Friday, February 02, 2007
Abulafia + Relationship Maps = FUN
I am thinking of a new RPG web-toy.
I put together Abulafia, which is doing pretty well. Recent successes and attention included getting listed on BoingBoing for remixing a Cory Doctorow short story, and some major attention from the City of Heroes/Villains community for the Superhero name generator. So I feel good about that.
But I want a random generator that handles Relationship Maps. I tell it how many people and how interlinked they are, and it spits back a webby diagram of how they're connected. If I don't like it, generate again. Relationship maps are exactly what they sound like - a diagram of a bunch of people (nodes) connected by lines with labels as to the nature of the relationship (edges). In computer science we call that kind of data structure a 'graph', and there are a few tools out there to deal with such things.
It looks like the best way to approach this is by using graphviz, which has a mediawiki extension that might allow me to just plug it straight into Abulafia, which would rock. Getting graphviz onto the server is going to be a bit of a headache if it's possible at all, as I'll have to compile it for Debian linux (along with all its dependencies, which are legion) and get it all happy on my hosting. I'm not all that good at stuff like that, so that may not work out in the end.
Another possiblity is to generate .xml for the relationship map and feed it into a flash web thingy, like this one currently undergoing development. That might end up being both prettier and easier, although not being able to tap into name & personality generators residing on Abu is a downside to this approach.
There are several tools that somebody who already has a map in mind can use to put it on the web - that's not really what I'm after. Those are great tools - this will be a toy. I want to be able to hit it for idea inspiration the same way I use Abulafia - not necessarily taking exactly what it gives me but using it as a starting point.
I put together Abulafia, which is doing pretty well. Recent successes and attention included getting listed on BoingBoing for remixing a Cory Doctorow short story, and some major attention from the City of Heroes/Villains community for the Superhero name generator. So I feel good about that.
But I want a random generator that handles Relationship Maps. I tell it how many people and how interlinked they are, and it spits back a webby diagram of how they're connected. If I don't like it, generate again. Relationship maps are exactly what they sound like - a diagram of a bunch of people (nodes) connected by lines with labels as to the nature of the relationship (edges). In computer science we call that kind of data structure a 'graph', and there are a few tools out there to deal with such things.
It looks like the best way to approach this is by using graphviz, which has a mediawiki extension that might allow me to just plug it straight into Abulafia, which would rock. Getting graphviz onto the server is going to be a bit of a headache if it's possible at all, as I'll have to compile it for Debian linux (along with all its dependencies, which are legion) and get it all happy on my hosting. I'm not all that good at stuff like that, so that may not work out in the end.
Another possiblity is to generate .xml for the relationship map and feed it into a flash web thingy, like this one currently undergoing development. That might end up being both prettier and easier, although not being able to tap into name & personality generators residing on Abu is a downside to this approach.
There are several tools that somebody who already has a map in mind can use to put it on the web - that's not really what I'm after. Those are great tools - this will be a toy. I want to be able to hit it for idea inspiration the same way I use Abulafia - not necessarily taking exactly what it gives me but using it as a starting point.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Invisible Cities and Forgotten Gods
I had quite the vivid Dreaming this morning.
My life being what it is, I didn't have time to record it when I was awakened - children to attend to and all that. I've been meaning to write it down all day, but its long and, as with all of my dreams, rambling and nonsensical. Here's how it all went down:
Overview:
An Affordable Apartment (Italians)->Game Store->Restaurant->Trespassing->The Machine->Cranberry Juice with the Warden->Odin's Secret->Assassin's Butter
Everybody Ready?
Act I
Scene One: In which an Affordable Apartment is Discovered.
So often in my dreams the city is alive, bizarre, and sort of 'Amalfi Coast'-like. I blame this on Neil Gaiman, Italo Calvino, and M.C. Escher circa 1930, respectively. So it was last night, and the first thing I remember is being in a car, ascending a steep hilly road encompassed about on both sides with buildings on top of buildings, and headed towards an overpass near the top of the hill which is itself more buildings. Instead of finishing my ascent, I pull off to a shoulder and park the car on the hill. There are stairs there, which I ascend. Everything is made of stone, or maybe well-disguised cement. No, it's my dream-city, and I decide it must all be stone. My friend Jeff is there, and he wants to show me this new apartment he's just rented. It's all one big room right now, but he has plans to subdivide it with cubicle dividers and make different spaces out of it. From where we go in the front door, it's maybe 30 feet on the side we're on, we're halfway up its 30 feet in height (small stairs lead down to the ground level, and it extends perhaps 60 feet back to the other wall. At the moment, it is entirely bare, and painted sky blue from floor to ceiling. Jeff (who is not Italian, but who went to Italy last year and so passes for an authority on these types of things in dreams) informs me that he's only paying for it what the average Italian worker makes in a day - $1.75 or some nonsense. I consider getting such an apartment too at such a price, but I can't be bothered too just now - there's other places to go in this dream.
Scene Two: A game store.
We pass through columned hallways on the overpass and over to the other side of the street, where there is a Game Store. I'm alone for the moment (but for the other customers). I poke through the shelves, but there's nothing I want - it's all the same old schlocky game supplements for games I don't play, or for older editions of things I do. I note that people have been careless in reshelving; some of the books are crammed down inbetween bookshelves or otherwise uncared for. I am a little sad there's nothing here I want, for I love it when there's new goodies to be had at my FLGS (that's Friendly Local Game Store, see?).
Scene Three: a Restaurant.
I am hungry, and I wanted to try out the Greek place next door to the game store, but as I'm going over there, they're closing up for the night - it's 7PM and that's when they close (bad business sense, I know). So I'm out of luck. I decide to ask one of the other customers from the game store where the best places are around to eat. She points out a seafood place and another place whose name I can't recall. We decide against the seafood and sit down at the other place. She is thin, dark haired, and pretty - a little Eva Green-esque come to think of it, but it's all innocent and I notice in the dream that I'm wearing my wedding ring, so I know there'll be no shenanigans. The place has excellent food that I wish I could remember - suffice it to say that the chef, a portly lady, comes out to consult with us and make recommendations for dishes I've never heard of, each more delicious sounding than the last.
Act II
Scene One: Trespassing
Did I say entirely innocent? Well the bad news is I wake up next to her the following morning. The good news is we're both clothed, and actually I'm not really me - this is all third-person perspective here and I'm actually Jeff. (Jeff - next time I'm on a date with Eva, don't you be stealing her away to your little italian-wage palace, eh?). They (or we) decide to see some places, a little outside the city. In particular, it's time to go see the haunts of the rich and famous. Still third person perspective as Jeff and the girl hike up seaside gravel road hairpin turns and look out at the bird-filled shore.
Now we enter the most vivid parts of the dream. There is a whole group of us now, and sometimes we're just wandering friends and sometimes we seem to be some sort of team with a goal I don't really know about. Anyway we're busy looking about on some rich dude's property, and it's gorgeous - like tall well spaced oak tree forest entirely carpeted in moss, or more tropical looking forest venues with enormous stone pillar ruins. The ground is enormous slabs of granite - its all perfectly designed. That's when we come to...
Scene Two: The Machine
Or maybe it's just a large kinetic sculpture. Anyway there's this towerey sort of thing, with well-stained wood and cord and large wooden spheres of various colors, and it moves, and we wonder what its all about. I decide to go into the heart of the beast to try to figger it out. I make my way in and am just having a look around, and there's hustle and bustle out where the others are - I can't see them anymore - its all cords and spheres and whatnot. I make my way out and discover that a representative of the property owner has arrived and we're to leave. This was sort of expected eventually, so we're not surprised or angry, and neither is he. We go to the nearest building where this employee resides so we can make phone calls or something.
Scene Three: Cranberry Juice with the Warden
So we go to his little run-down house and he offers us cranberry juice in old coffee mugs, which I accept. Our little group now includes Clive Owen, who's somehow in charge, and he's trying to get people all organized and what not. But then the property owner shows up, and he wants me to come out of the house and talk to him. So I do.
Scene Four: Odin
The property owner only has one eye. The other one is a sealed socket, and over the course of our conversation it occurs to me that 1) I'm dreaming, 2) this is the 'Wise Old Man' scene, and therefore 3) the only Wise Old Man with one eye is Odin. So I'm talking to Odin and haven't let on that I know who he is yet. He wants to tell me about this other place within his domain (property is now a tenous term) that I didn't get to see. In fact, he's never seen it. It can't be gotten too - it's the wild heart of the place. Over that way, past all the columns and forests - he shows me on a map and it looks like maybe its an enormous crater or something. It is dark, and wild, and he wanted to make sure this place would be preserved. I make a comment (trust me, it wasn't gauche or anything) about whether he'd be willing to have ravens peck out the other eye, and he corrects me - the Ravens didn't peck it out and eat it: He was made to eat his eye with the help of the Ravens, and its clear that in doing so he actually created the place he's telling me about - the place that man cannot conquer, or something like that. Anyway, now he's told me about it, and its time for us to go.
We are evacuated by helicopter. The man hanging off the skids when it touches down is named Philip, and he has a swordbelt on. Don't ask how I know that. I don't ask any questions.
Scene Five: Assassin's Butter
This part is just an image. No wait, first, the term Assassin's Butter is a made-up poison in one of my RPG books. Totally irrelevant to this scene, but that's how the term is in my subconscious. It's here in the dream because Jeff and I have a long-standing idea about something called the Punk Assassin which is an idea, a character, a fake tattoo, and nothing of note, all-at-once. Nevermind, that made no sense whatsoever. Anyway, the parting image of the dream is Jeff, again, opening the doors to his new restaurant, the name of which is The Assassin's Butter. The doors are large, wooden, and gilt with spiraling designs. Jeff is now sporting a large pointy mustache and tiny goatee, musketeer-style. It's never said, but I somehow understand that my encounter with the wealthy former-Norse-God has somehow led to the financing of this operation, and I'm proud. The food here's going to be even better than that other place.
All you crackpot amateur dream interpreters are welcome to post your various interpretations, provided of course that none of them make me out to be any crazier than I happen to know that I already am.
Sunday, January 14, 2007
From one Nerdly to another
wow, i'm a slacker. Uh, sorry?
So one of the few things I have blogged about here is Camp Nerdly - now we're doing another, bigger one in May. I'm helping out, but someone else is taking the lead on the finances and everything (Thanks, Jason!). This time, I think we're doing a lot more things right the first time. Not that anything went particularly Wrong last time or anything, but I have a good feeling about this.
For one, lots of people are helping organize it, and it has a wiki to help facilitate that (I'm all about the wikis, seriously).
Speaking of the wiki, today drove not quite an hour down to the park to take some pictures of the site. It's closed for the winter, but one of the rangers went around with me unlocking doors so I could take pics. At the bottom of the page, you'll see a series of my very happy son going down the slide. What you won't see is how very angry he was at me when I picked him up and told him we were all done with the slide a little while later.
For the first one, it was like 35 degrees at night in October. Now, in January, it was maybe 65 degrees today. I'm just hoping by the time May 4-6 rolls around it won't be 40 degrees and pouring rain.
So one of the few things I have blogged about here is Camp Nerdly - now we're doing another, bigger one in May. I'm helping out, but someone else is taking the lead on the finances and everything (Thanks, Jason!). This time, I think we're doing a lot more things right the first time. Not that anything went particularly Wrong last time or anything, but I have a good feeling about this.
For one, lots of people are helping organize it, and it has a wiki to help facilitate that (I'm all about the wikis, seriously).
Speaking of the wiki, today drove not quite an hour down to the park to take some pictures of the site. It's closed for the winter, but one of the rangers went around with me unlocking doors so I could take pics. At the bottom of the page, you'll see a series of my very happy son going down the slide. What you won't see is how very angry he was at me when I picked him up and told him we were all done with the slide a little while later.
For the first one, it was like 35 degrees at night in October. Now, in January, it was maybe 65 degrees today. I'm just hoping by the time May 4-6 rolls around it won't be 40 degrees and pouring rain.
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
The Slightly-Late Camp Nerdly Zero Writeup
Had a blast at Camp Nerdly. Here's the quick gaming journal:
Friday: Got Joe McDonald from the airport, then went food shopping and headed down to camp in Prince William Forest NP in Triangle, VA, right next to the FBI Academy and Marine Corps Base. Jason Morningstar and Remi Treuer were just arriving too, so first we played Memoir '44, a WWII board game while we waited for others to arrive (Jason and I beat those Nazis at Pegasus Bridge). It was still just us four, so we made Joe demo his game, Perfect, for us. It's sort of Uber-Victorian meets a Clockwork Orange - you play criminals who for whatever reason are rebelling against the constraints of this society and who have a pretty good chance of getting caught at it by the vicious Inspectors on every corner. I played Gerard Bongo-Shaftsbury, a bulky former opera singer whose goal was to preserve (especially musical) works of art from being destroyed under the new regime. That was fun, and I bought a copy, but I don't think I know anyone here who'll play that with me.
People arrived and I got in on a game of Agon, where I was Praxis, son of Ajax the Smaller, who, with my companions Stentor and Kallias, took on the island of Ithaca, including a nasty encounter with a now-mad Odysseus. Remi did a gread job running the game, and despite the fact that it was quite cold in the cabin we were in (someone, maybe Jason, called it "the Valley Forge of gaming"). By the time that was over I was more than ready for the warmth of my sleeping bag.
Saturday: rose to chile and oatmeal from crockpots, and while I wouldn't normally eat either for breakfast (or at all, in the case of oatmeal), they were warm, and that was all that mattered. Later that morning I played a game in development, Misery Bubblegum, run by its creator, Tony. It's meant to be a quick-play high-school story game, so we decided to set ours during the 1950s Red Scare at Joseph McCarthy School for American Correctness. I was Jack Chaucer: spoiled rich kid and charming bastard (based more than a little on Logan from Veronica Mars). Tony was Mr. Weston the Civics teacher, and Joe was Mickey, the new kid. My traits: "I don't deserve happiness" and "Why am I so irresponsible." Joe and I were in competition over Betty, the bookish girl Jack has secretly liked and Mickey lives next door to. It played fast and memorable - very much looking forward to some more Misery Bubblegum either when it comes out, or while its still in playtest (Tony lives in Alexandria).
Saturday Afternoon: Jason ran an amazing Aztec version of The Shadow of Yesterday where I was Lord Bird, the Sacred Drunk. Me and the other 5 players were commanded by an Aztec goddess to kill the three gods who had ever been with her. Lord Bird is a total coward, so while the others did most of the fighting I did my part by hiding under the table throwing slippery overripe tropical fruit for the baddies to slip on.
Saturday Evening: I prepped the game I was going to run Sunday (see below), while some of the others played a zombie invasion game nearby. Turned in early.
Sunday Morn: Ran a version of Dogs in the Vineyard for Jason, Frank, and Kevin. Dogs is inspired by Deseret-era Utah, and characters go from town to town rooting out sin among the faithful. In the game, its a sort-of fantasy/supernatural setting, but for this game I drifted it fully back into historical Utah, 1857. Set during the events of the Utah War, the players were now members of the Nauvoo Legion sent North to Fort Bridger, WY, in advance of the arrival of the Federal troops. I gave them all historical figures from the era and explained a little about Mormon theology at the time, and they all surprised me with how quickly and effectively they took to emulating Latter-Day Saints of that particular time and place. Eventually there's supposed to be an Actual Play thread (Kevin, I'm looking at you!), which I'll link to here. But I had a great time running it even if I did screw up the final conflict. I might refine it a little and have it ready for me or others to run at gaming conventions in the future, if I think there's interest.
Sunday Afternoon people were headed out, so we cleaned up the campsite and I had a couple of really good talks with Jason, Andy, Mark, and others about what we might do the same and differently the next time around. First off, we instituted a policy that nobody can be the same organizer twice in a row, so Jason's taking the next one (tentatively in May '07) and is already hard at work putting it together.
If I haven't already bored you to tears, you can read more feedback here.
Friday: Got Joe McDonald from the airport, then went food shopping and headed down to camp in Prince William Forest NP in Triangle, VA, right next to the FBI Academy and Marine Corps Base. Jason Morningstar and Remi Treuer were just arriving too, so first we played Memoir '44, a WWII board game while we waited for others to arrive (Jason and I beat those Nazis at Pegasus Bridge). It was still just us four, so we made Joe demo his game, Perfect, for us. It's sort of Uber-Victorian meets a Clockwork Orange - you play criminals who for whatever reason are rebelling against the constraints of this society and who have a pretty good chance of getting caught at it by the vicious Inspectors on every corner. I played Gerard Bongo-Shaftsbury, a bulky former opera singer whose goal was to preserve (especially musical) works of art from being destroyed under the new regime. That was fun, and I bought a copy, but I don't think I know anyone here who'll play that with me.
People arrived and I got in on a game of Agon, where I was Praxis, son of Ajax the Smaller, who, with my companions Stentor and Kallias, took on the island of Ithaca, including a nasty encounter with a now-mad Odysseus. Remi did a gread job running the game, and despite the fact that it was quite cold in the cabin we were in (someone, maybe Jason, called it "the Valley Forge of gaming"). By the time that was over I was more than ready for the warmth of my sleeping bag.
Saturday: rose to chile and oatmeal from crockpots, and while I wouldn't normally eat either for breakfast (or at all, in the case of oatmeal), they were warm, and that was all that mattered. Later that morning I played a game in development, Misery Bubblegum, run by its creator, Tony. It's meant to be a quick-play high-school story game, so we decided to set ours during the 1950s Red Scare at Joseph McCarthy School for American Correctness. I was Jack Chaucer: spoiled rich kid and charming bastard (based more than a little on Logan from Veronica Mars). Tony was Mr. Weston the Civics teacher, and Joe was Mickey, the new kid. My traits: "I don't deserve happiness" and "Why am I so irresponsible." Joe and I were in competition over Betty, the bookish girl Jack has secretly liked and Mickey lives next door to. It played fast and memorable - very much looking forward to some more Misery Bubblegum either when it comes out, or while its still in playtest (Tony lives in Alexandria).
Saturday Afternoon: Jason ran an amazing Aztec version of The Shadow of Yesterday where I was Lord Bird, the Sacred Drunk. Me and the other 5 players were commanded by an Aztec goddess to kill the three gods who had ever been with her. Lord Bird is a total coward, so while the others did most of the fighting I did my part by hiding under the table throwing slippery overripe tropical fruit for the baddies to slip on.
Saturday Evening: I prepped the game I was going to run Sunday (see below), while some of the others played a zombie invasion game nearby. Turned in early.
Sunday Morn: Ran a version of Dogs in the Vineyard for Jason, Frank, and Kevin. Dogs is inspired by Deseret-era Utah, and characters go from town to town rooting out sin among the faithful. In the game, its a sort-of fantasy/supernatural setting, but for this game I drifted it fully back into historical Utah, 1857. Set during the events of the Utah War, the players were now members of the Nauvoo Legion sent North to Fort Bridger, WY, in advance of the arrival of the Federal troops. I gave them all historical figures from the era and explained a little about Mormon theology at the time, and they all surprised me with how quickly and effectively they took to emulating Latter-Day Saints of that particular time and place. Eventually there's supposed to be an Actual Play thread (Kevin, I'm looking at you!), which I'll link to here. But I had a great time running it even if I did screw up the final conflict. I might refine it a little and have it ready for me or others to run at gaming conventions in the future, if I think there's interest.
Sunday Afternoon people were headed out, so we cleaned up the campsite and I had a couple of really good talks with Jason, Andy, Mark, and others about what we might do the same and differently the next time around. First off, we instituted a policy that nobody can be the same organizer twice in a row, so Jason's taking the next one (tentatively in May '07) and is already hard at work putting it together.
If I haven't already bored you to tears, you can read more feedback here.
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
For all you new-englanders
Ended up reading a clambake recipe (if you can call it that) today from Slaid Cleaves, a musician I know a song or two by. It made me want to live in Maine, if only for a summer or two.
Slaid Cleaves | clam bake
Slaid Cleaves | clam bake
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Play it Out: Design Chat 1
So, I recently got it into my thick skull that I should try to take some of the ideas floating around in my mind and write a game. People were very supportive of the idea, because I hang out with people who are supportive like that. So after much hand-wringing, I think the first (HA! listen to me! like I'm gonna write all these and more!) game I try my hand at will be Play it Out. So, I volunteered my friend Jeff to help me. Since he is a professional actor who does a LOT of improv experience, I'm clearly the weak link in this conversation. But, here it is. Raw. Unspellchecked. I'm excited about the idea. this is mostly here for my reference, but maybe you're having a slow day and want to drop a comment or suggestion.
me:So, your first task in helping me (attempt to) design the improv-play game is to list fortune mechanisms that can happen in scene for the players to know how the scene is supposed to go.
-coin toss
-dice roll
-playing card shown
- one player hides an object, another tries to guess the hand
- the audience provides an object that indicates the direction
- darts
- guessing the fingers on a hand ( or not)
Jeff: Huh. Thus making it more a game and less an improvised scene?
Or, less a free-form improvisation?
me: yes, the latter
you map the scenes ahead of time : scene 1: what's at stake is... who wins in the initial conflict, the capulets or the montagues...
Jeff: Hrm. My first thought is that it's best to make the mechanic suit the world of the game, such as the playing cards in Deadlands. My second thought is that something ...right, right, I remember the tree...
me: scene 5: does she climb out the window to meet him?
so the determination happens on stage, near the beginning (or as late as the climax) of a scene
Jeff: Clarify this: Do theye discuss the possible scene-results (1 or 2) at each juncture, or is it all coursed out befopre play? If the latter...could perhaps the final scene be undecided, no options, just what plays in the moment?
me: my instinct is to have it go
|
// \ /\ \/ /
\/\/
\/
Jeff: And back to the machanic, it also would appeal to ahve either something inherently on-hand and human (like the fingers guessing) or something VERY interruptive and theatrical, like stopping everything to ask an audience member whetehr they prefered rock or rap.
me: but thats probably way lesss satisfying than what you're saying
Jeff: Hrm. Lemme think. That's more abunch of bananas than a per se tree...
me: true. or a pear, really
Jeff: In that scheme, it goes from one choice to many, but back to one or two? Is that because the possibilities narrow back down, or because the story is ultimately about this one thing? It seems a bit inevitable, which I would think would be a bit dull compared to 37 possible resolutions. Or infinite as an imagination.
But I may not be grasping the right part of the elephant here.
me: youre right. at least 2 possible endings.
because, particularly if it isn't necessarily comedy and you're approaching a characters issue or a "which is more important, duty or honor" type sitch, you want to resolve binarily on that in the end, no?
Jeff: You know what this reminds me of? Somewhat tangential, sorry. I recently found out that DC comics completely revised their character histories, almost across the boards, back in the late sixties. In retrospect, to justify this in terms of mythology, they said that at some point Superman got tranferred to an alterante Earth, Earth 2, and that that was what the early sixties were about. Then we got back to Earth 1. Now they're spinning wild plots off of this, essentially metaphysical, superglu plot device, in stories like Infinite Crisis. I love it. Fiction utterly unbounded.
But your points: I agree. Binary is what works best for high stakes, at least in terms of individual characters. But how much of this game works that way? Does each character have their own tree, or do they serve a kind of plot tree?
When I suggested no predetrmined "branches" for the top of the tree (or "roots" for the bottom, whatever metaphor) I was thinking of it as a plot tree. And you never answered when they determine the options: in the scene before, or before the whole game?
Type faster. ;)
me: initially i envisioned one or two reall protagonists, whose tree it is. players beyond the two will be taking on multiple supporting roles to make that premise tree work. I think in order for the perfomance to flow, you have to determine all ahead of time
Jeff: Okay.
me: and use a big easel with the page you r'e on to keep track during perofrmance
see what happens when i type fast?
Jeff: Ah, very McNally.
I can take it.
me: that means nothing to me, but i take it as support
Jeff: As it was meant.
Continue?
me: right. so there's a funly-set-up brainstorming session where all the possible scenes are mapped out with awesome "I can't decide if its cooler to win or lose" stakes are set down, and then you make a page on your big pad for each decision point (scene)
Jeff: Gotcha. http://www.imagi-nation.com/moonstruck/clsc72.html
me: and the director (or players if you don't have enough to have a set director/prop hand keeps track of what is happening and changes the page to where it should be for the next scene
Jeff: This is great tehatre, even without the actors.
me: ... not seeing how this relates to mcnally , so it must be something he does not mentioned there
and so maybe for each scene in the beginning you do:
-stakes
-scene pointers (outcomes that point to new scenes)
- fortune mechanism (how will we know when the time comes)
i'd like it to vary somewhat from scene to scene so its not a distraction to the audience all the time (some of the time is fine)
Jeff: See, I think part of the fun of this is the exposure of the machanics. The audience will get so wrapped up in a scene, and then chance eneters, and it's REALLY CHANCE. Not prefabricated outcome, or well-rehearsed vaudeville schtick. In that case, each time it happens, it will mean more and more to them, and you'll have them
1. On the edge of their seats about how the die rolls
2. THEN even more absorbed in how the scene they know is coming will play out.
For example:
me: you think so?
do you show them the easel?
Jeff: Si!
Jonah and Ryan have a scene about who's going to go into the next room to kill Dorah, the lunatic who knows too much. They both want to, and can;t understand why they have to fight each otehr to do it. During the scene it is revealed they both have reasons for wanting to be the one: Jonah knows Dorah wants to expose him as her rapist, and Ryan loves Dorah, and can;t trust Jonah to do it with kindness. At the height of their positioning and arguing, it comes down to who gets the gun when it falls out of one of their bags.
The action STOPS.
Flip the coin. Choose an audience member to pick a closed fist. Whatever.
The next scene happens, and builds to a similar moment, except this time maybe it's whetehr opr not Dorah is killed.
YES! SHOW THE EASAL!
Ilove this, but maybe I'm turning it more tehatre than game. Not sure of your intentions and hopes.
me: no, you're precisely on target and delivering the goods
because taht method wouldnt hve come to me naturally and it totally rocks nine ways to Babylon
Jeff: Nine ways? Wow.
me: because at that point in the game its supposed to be completley the ater
yes YES !YESS!!
GM/Moderator/Narrator as ncecessary/ prop hand/ page turner
who hands one of these http://paizo.com/store/toys/plushes/dice to an audience member in some scenes.
Jeff: Curious to think about what the actors should do at these moments. I'm inclined to think they should be involved, not just shut down or silent, maybe even championing their character. In character? Not sure.
NICE. I like the "dangler." Doubles as a bolo.
me: but then, the variation of fortune mechanisms is lost. Your way is definitely cooler, but I still have this vision of one character being like "is THIS your card?" and then they both realize OH CRAP now we have to make the scene do THIS. but its a vaudeville routine, you're right. but maybe, counterpoint,that's easier for those of us without advanced improv training
I like the "frozen while diving for the gun but watching the audience"
like "Hey, you're in this too, buddy"
Jeff: The beauty of the oversized dice is the embrace of one of the traditions we're borrowing from. It's a good gimmick to keep in mind for when we tour with this form of improv. ;)
me: we meaning you and yours i hope. i'll roll the die from the audience
Jeff: Yeah, maybe it should be determined by scene, or the GM (whistle for freeze, call for active characters, clap for actors arguing FOR their characters).
NO ONE IS SAFE FROM THE STAGE!
me: hrm. TBD later i think. that seems like a minor decision
Jeff: True.
me: So now i just need crackling fun mechanics for the brainstorm session, and to be able to teach improv when i'm terrible at it myself.
but this seems like a natural stopping point for picking your brain for now. much to think about
me:So, your first task in helping me (attempt to) design the improv-play game is to list fortune mechanisms that can happen in scene for the players to know how the scene is supposed to go.
-coin toss
-dice roll
-playing card shown
- one player hides an object, another tries to guess the hand
- the audience provides an object that indicates the direction
- darts
- guessing the fingers on a hand ( or not)
Jeff: Huh. Thus making it more a game and less an improvised scene?
Or, less a free-form improvisation?
me: yes, the latter
you map the scenes ahead of time : scene 1: what's at stake is... who wins in the initial conflict, the capulets or the montagues...
Jeff: Hrm. My first thought is that it's best to make the mechanic suit the world of the game, such as the playing cards in Deadlands. My second thought is that something ...right, right, I remember the tree...
me: scene 5: does she climb out the window to meet him?
so the determination happens on stage, near the beginning (or as late as the climax) of a scene
Jeff: Clarify this: Do theye discuss the possible scene-results (1 or 2) at each juncture, or is it all coursed out befopre play? If the latter...could perhaps the final scene be undecided, no options, just what plays in the moment?
me: my instinct is to have it go
|
// \ /\ \/ /
\/\/
\/
Jeff: And back to the machanic, it also would appeal to ahve either something inherently on-hand and human (like the fingers guessing) or something VERY interruptive and theatrical, like stopping everything to ask an audience member whetehr they prefered rock or rap.
me: but thats probably way lesss satisfying than what you're saying
Jeff: Hrm. Lemme think. That's more abunch of bananas than a per se tree...
me: true. or a pear, really
Jeff: In that scheme, it goes from one choice to many, but back to one or two? Is that because the possibilities narrow back down, or because the story is ultimately about this one thing? It seems a bit inevitable, which I would think would be a bit dull compared to 37 possible resolutions. Or infinite as an imagination.
But I may not be grasping the right part of the elephant here.
me: youre right. at least 2 possible endings.
because, particularly if it isn't necessarily comedy and you're approaching a characters issue or a "which is more important, duty or honor" type sitch, you want to resolve binarily on that in the end, no?
Jeff: You know what this reminds me of? Somewhat tangential, sorry. I recently found out that DC comics completely revised their character histories, almost across the boards, back in the late sixties. In retrospect, to justify this in terms of mythology, they said that at some point Superman got tranferred to an alterante Earth, Earth 2, and that that was what the early sixties were about. Then we got back to Earth 1. Now they're spinning wild plots off of this, essentially metaphysical, superglu plot device, in stories like Infinite Crisis. I love it. Fiction utterly unbounded.
But your points: I agree. Binary is what works best for high stakes, at least in terms of individual characters. But how much of this game works that way? Does each character have their own tree, or do they serve a kind of plot tree?
When I suggested no predetrmined "branches" for the top of the tree (or "roots" for the bottom, whatever metaphor) I was thinking of it as a plot tree. And you never answered when they determine the options: in the scene before, or before the whole game?
Type faster. ;)
me: initially i envisioned one or two reall protagonists, whose tree it is. players beyond the two will be taking on multiple supporting roles to make that premise tree work. I think in order for the perfomance to flow, you have to determine all ahead of time
Jeff: Okay.
me: and use a big easel with the page you r'e on to keep track during perofrmance
see what happens when i type fast?
Jeff: Ah, very McNally.
I can take it.
me: that means nothing to me, but i take it as support
Jeff: As it was meant.
Continue?
me: right. so there's a funly-set-up brainstorming session where all the possible scenes are mapped out with awesome "I can't decide if its cooler to win or lose" stakes are set down, and then you make a page on your big pad for each decision point (scene)
Jeff: Gotcha. http://www.imagi-nation.com/moonstruck/clsc72.html
me: and the director (or players if you don't have enough to have a set director/prop hand keeps track of what is happening and changes the page to where it should be for the next scene
Jeff: This is great tehatre, even without the actors.
me: ... not seeing how this relates to mcnally , so it must be something he does not mentioned there
and so maybe for each scene in the beginning you do:
-stakes
-scene pointers (outcomes that point to new scenes)
- fortune mechanism (how will we know when the time comes)
i'd like it to vary somewhat from scene to scene so its not a distraction to the audience all the time (some of the time is fine)
Jeff: See, I think part of the fun of this is the exposure of the machanics. The audience will get so wrapped up in a scene, and then chance eneters, and it's REALLY CHANCE. Not prefabricated outcome, or well-rehearsed vaudeville schtick. In that case, each time it happens, it will mean more and more to them, and you'll have them
1. On the edge of their seats about how the die rolls
2. THEN even more absorbed in how the scene they know is coming will play out.
For example:
me: you think so?
do you show them the easel?
Jeff: Si!
Jonah and Ryan have a scene about who's going to go into the next room to kill Dorah, the lunatic who knows too much. They both want to, and can;t understand why they have to fight each otehr to do it. During the scene it is revealed they both have reasons for wanting to be the one: Jonah knows Dorah wants to expose him as her rapist, and Ryan loves Dorah, and can;t trust Jonah to do it with kindness. At the height of their positioning and arguing, it comes down to who gets the gun when it falls out of one of their bags.
The action STOPS.
Flip the coin. Choose an audience member to pick a closed fist. Whatever.
The next scene happens, and builds to a similar moment, except this time maybe it's whetehr opr not Dorah is killed.
YES! SHOW THE EASAL!
Ilove this, but maybe I'm turning it more tehatre than game. Not sure of your intentions and hopes.
me: no, you're precisely on target and delivering the goods
because taht method wouldnt hve come to me naturally and it totally rocks nine ways to Babylon
Jeff: Nine ways? Wow.
me: because at that point in the game its supposed to be completley the ater
yes YES !YESS!!
GM/Moderator/Narrator as ncecessary/ prop hand/ page turner
who hands one of these http://paizo.com/store/toys/plushes/dice to an audience member in some scenes.
Jeff: Curious to think about what the actors should do at these moments. I'm inclined to think they should be involved, not just shut down or silent, maybe even championing their character. In character? Not sure.
NICE. I like the "dangler." Doubles as a bolo.
me: but then, the variation of fortune mechanisms is lost. Your way is definitely cooler, but I still have this vision of one character being like "is THIS your card?" and then they both realize OH CRAP now we have to make the scene do THIS. but its a vaudeville routine, you're right. but maybe, counterpoint,that's easier for those of us without advanced improv training
I like the "frozen while diving for the gun but watching the audience"
like "Hey, you're in this too, buddy"
Jeff: The beauty of the oversized dice is the embrace of one of the traditions we're borrowing from. It's a good gimmick to keep in mind for when we tour with this form of improv. ;)
me: we meaning you and yours i hope. i'll roll the die from the audience
Jeff: Yeah, maybe it should be determined by scene, or the GM (whistle for freeze, call for active characters, clap for actors arguing FOR their characters).
NO ONE IS SAFE FROM THE STAGE!
me: hrm. TBD later i think. that seems like a minor decision
Jeff: True.
me: So now i just need crackling fun mechanics for the brainstorm session, and to be able to teach improv when i'm terrible at it myself.
but this seems like a natural stopping point for picking your brain for now. much to think about
Friday, September 15, 2006
Back?
Okay, so I haven't been here for a while. Here's some steaks I grilled for little E's birthday in July, with roasted peppers (not from garden) and herbs (from garden). Tomato pics forthcoming...
Camp Nerdly
So, it's not like I've just been sitting around totally avoiding the internet. On the contrary. I kind of fell into organizing a 3-day cabin camp for story-games roleplayers. So, 20 people, 2 cabins, 3 days of trying new story games these people wrote, and I get to transport the food. It's going to be a blast, if it doesn't kill me.
Official Site
Everybody's home - time for dinner!
Official Site
Everybody's home - time for dinner!
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Abulafia
So, I had this crazy idea a while back that I wanted to make a site that was both a wiki and a random-generation machine. I play RPGs, and it's often handy to have, for example, a list of random names you can use in-game, or a detailed list of books a wizard might have on his bookshelf. I've always used Tablesmith for this stuff offline, but I wanted an online place where lots of users could all upload their own source material for random generation and mash-up with each other's tables.
Thus, Abulafia was born. On most pages, the content will change when you refresh.
How does it work? Well, I built it using MediaWiki, the same package used for Wikipedia. On top of that, I wrote a parser extension in php to parse through the possible results people put on their tables, and come up with a way to spit it back out in new and cool combinations. I'm adding content all the time (mostly by converting old Tablesmith tables), but so far I'm most proud of:
Fantasy Menu
Alchemical Recipes
Fantasy Books
Swords
Thus, Abulafia was born. On most pages, the content will change when you refresh.
How does it work? Well, I built it using MediaWiki, the same package used for Wikipedia. On top of that, I wrote a parser extension in php to parse through the possible results people put on their tables, and come up with a way to spit it back out in new and cool combinations. I'm adding content all the time (mostly by converting old Tablesmith tables), but so far I'm most proud of:
Fantasy Menu
Alchemical Recipes
Fantasy Books
Swords
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