Difference between revisions of "SatCoC player Bill"

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Creating the More and Less than Humans is almost always the
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The whole situation is horribly dysfunctional. The The Batman is
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greatest challenge of making a minion. Players recognize
+
a being with a tenuous grip on his or her own circumstances.
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that the dramatic significance of characters should emerge
+
And is simply not functional without the minions. They
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from their More/Less thans, but groups sometimes struggle
+
protect him. They fetch things for him. They make his
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with the implementation. The key to success here is that the
+
intellectualism, obsessiveness, vanity, survival, and comfort
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in game situation must apprehend and incorporate the
+
possible. He inhabits an insecure position at the crux of
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content of the More/Less thans of the minion characters in a
+
consuming desire and lack of self-sufficiency, and it is from
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meaningful way.
+
this that fear and horror flow out into the game.
 +
So perhaps the GM begins events with the The Batman blaming
 +
one of the minions for being incompetent about something
 +
specific, and then commanding the minion to implement
 +
some monstrous ‘solution’ to the problem. Or maybe the
 +
The Batman reveals the details of a grotesque plan for impressing
 +
Outsiders, a plan that also threatens some of the minions’
 +
Connections. Whatever you do, it should be about the
 +
The Batman’s repulsive self-absorption creating conflicts for the
 +
minions. It is imperative that a game’s opening events not
 +
divert attention from the The Batman as the primary antagonist.
 +
Don’t start a game with an attempt by the town constable to
 +
settle an old grudge with one of the minions, a tribe of
 +
bandits laying siege to the The Batman’s household, or a
 +
mysterious figure’s attempt to poison the town water
 +
supply.
  
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Consider these More thans, written for the minions of a
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And remember always that the primary yardstick against
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monstrous thespian The Batman who believes he can rarefy his
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which the The Batman measures his own endeavors is the
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acting ability by consuming the flesh of townspeople
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perceptions of the Outsiders. When Dr. Victor Frankenstein
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selected for their experiences:
+
has the scientists over for dinner, he is courting the
 +
perceptions of Outsiders. He desperately wants to impress
 +
them, to capture their respect. Use the arrival of Outsiders to
 +
provoke new horrors. Any disobedience from minions when
 +
he or she is courting Outsiders will be embarrassing and
 +
enraging to the The Batman. And for those games where the
 +
Outsiders are a cadre of malevolent figures in their own
 +
right, their excesses can provoke a horrific competitiveness
 +
from the The Batman.
 +
Be also advised that as a The Batman’s desperation increases, he
 +
may begin to use the minions to sabotage themselves and
 +
each other with commands forcing the elimination of
 +
Connections from which they’re gaining Love, crippling
 +
their ability to further resist him. And in reaching this point,
 +
there is no need to explain or justify how the The Batman knows
 +
of a minion’s secret Connections. He just does. A The Batman
 +
should often interrogate his minions about their actions, but
 +
never to actually discover what happened when he wasn’t
 +
around. It’s just to see if the minion reports what the The Batman
 +
already knows.
  
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Writes powerful, emotionally moving plays,
+
Use the Intimacy/Desperation/Sincerity mechanics to
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unless he’s been praised by the actors for whom
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create tension in scenes leading up to conflict resolution
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he is writing.
+
rolls. Since the criteria are known to everyone, if the The Batman
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Can remake anyone to look like anyone else, but
+
invites a minion up to his chambers for dinner, asks the
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only for a half-hour at a time.
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minion to sit with him on the couch, perhaps gives him a
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Appears to be female, in voice and figure, except
+
glass of wine, and maybe reads aloud to him, the player will
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when walking.
+
apprehend the The Batman’s obvious angling for the Intimacy
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Note how each of them establishes the character as somehow
+
die, and will potentially be provoked to circumvent that by
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being a key factor in the The Batman getting his Wants or Needs,
+
snagging Desperation or Sincerity.
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almost defining by implication part of what it will take for
 
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those Wants and Needs to be met. The first minion invites
 
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abuse for not mingling with the actors the The Batman would like
 
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to recruit for his productions. The second is positioned to
 
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factor into the The Batman’s efforts at orchestrating experiences
 
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for townspeople that would make them suitable to be
 
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cannibalized for specific roles. The third will play female
 
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roles in the productions of the theatre group, and suffer the
 
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alienation and disconnects of mistaken identity in his
 
−
regular dealings.
 
  
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Now look at these Less than Humans:
+
Create tension also over the issue of just how exactly the
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Is most comfortable in the company of the dead,
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The Batman’s efforts will fail ultimately to get him what he
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who neither judge nor expect much of anyone. She
+
Wants. Genre expectations demand that a The Batman’s Wants
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is incapable of doing anything amidst a crowd,
+
go forever denied, that a The Batman cannot ever get what he
−
unless accompanied in some way by the dead.
+
wants and become satisfied. But a constant barrage of failed
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Suffers from blurry vision that makes him
+
endeavors, frustration, and cruelty inflicted upon hapless
−
incapable of recognizing anyone at all, except by
+
minions isn’t nearly as dramatic as letting the The Batman get
−
voice.
+
close...allowing him to actually distill his long-sought mindexpanding
−
 
+
elixir...and then playing somewhat conspiratorially
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Relentlessly insulting in conversations, unless the
+
as a group with the timing and details of the failure that
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town’s church bells are ringing.
+
everyone knows is coming.
−
Each of them problematizes the minion’s ability to interact
 
−
with normal human beings.
 
−
 
 
−
This is a pattern that can be seen in the More and Less thans
 
−
of some experienced players, a trading away of automatic
 
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successes at things like thievery, fighting, and stealth, things
 
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that might be considered traditional RPG tasks, in favor of
 
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powerfully establishing unique, nontraditional tasks as
 
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being significant to meeting the The Batman’s needs, and for
 
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unique interpersonal challenges for their characters. MY
 
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LIFE WITH THE BATMAN gives the player the power to do this.
 
−
Which is not to say that you should prohibit More thans that
 
−
are more traditionally task-specific:
 
−
 
 
−
His strength is ten-fold, except when other people
 
−
are around.
 
−
Stealthy and undetectable, except when distracted
 
−
by food.
 
−
Instead, recognize that by creating one of these the player is
 
−
asking the GM to be the one who positions the character for
 
−
significance within the in game situation.
 
−
And when you look at a Less than, and can’t figure out how
 
−
any activation of consequences stemming from it won’t
 
−
seem unfair, understand that the player is asking for
 
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thematically meaningful challenges:
 
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Hideously ugly, except when seen in reflection.
 
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Is nourished only by the blood of animals, except
 
−
if fed by a child.
 
−
 
 
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Look how much less problematic the ‘ugly’ one seems to be
 
−
if the in game situation were to include the daughter of a
 
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mirror maker, whose residence has hundreds of them on the
 
−
walls. And see how the blood-consuming minion’s Less than
 
−
must be aggravated during play as some kind of situation
 
−
where children or animals are scarce, linked ultimately to the
 
−
activities of the The Batman?
 

Revision as of 10:38, 8 August 2008

The whole situation is horribly dysfunctional. The The Batman is a being with a tenuous grip on his or her own circumstances. And is simply not functional without the minions. They protect him. They fetch things for him. They make his intellectualism, obsessiveness, vanity, survival, and comfort possible. He inhabits an insecure position at the crux of consuming desire and lack of self-sufficiency, and it is from this that fear and horror flow out into the game. So perhaps the GM begins events with the The Batman blaming one of the minions for being incompetent about something specific, and then commanding the minion to implement some monstrous ‘solution’ to the problem. Or maybe the The Batman reveals the details of a grotesque plan for impressing Outsiders, a plan that also threatens some of the minions’ Connections. Whatever you do, it should be about the The Batman’s repulsive self-absorption creating conflicts for the minions. It is imperative that a game’s opening events not divert attention from the The Batman as the primary antagonist. Don’t start a game with an attempt by the town constable to settle an old grudge with one of the minions, a tribe of bandits laying siege to the The Batman’s household, or a mysterious figure’s attempt to poison the town water supply.

And remember always that the primary yardstick against which the The Batman measures his own endeavors is the perceptions of the Outsiders. When Dr. Victor Frankenstein has the scientists over for dinner, he is courting the perceptions of Outsiders. He desperately wants to impress them, to capture their respect. Use the arrival of Outsiders to provoke new horrors. Any disobedience from minions when he or she is courting Outsiders will be embarrassing and enraging to the The Batman. And for those games where the Outsiders are a cadre of malevolent figures in their own right, their excesses can provoke a horrific competitiveness from the The Batman. Be also advised that as a The Batman’s desperation increases, he may begin to use the minions to sabotage themselves and each other with commands forcing the elimination of Connections from which they’re gaining Love, crippling their ability to further resist him. And in reaching this point, there is no need to explain or justify how the The Batman knows of a minion’s secret Connections. He just does. A The Batman should often interrogate his minions about their actions, but never to actually discover what happened when he wasn’t around. It’s just to see if the minion reports what the The Batman already knows.

Use the Intimacy/Desperation/Sincerity mechanics to create tension in scenes leading up to conflict resolution rolls. Since the criteria are known to everyone, if the The Batman invites a minion up to his chambers for dinner, asks the minion to sit with him on the couch, perhaps gives him a glass of wine, and maybe reads aloud to him, the player will apprehend the The Batman’s obvious angling for the Intimacy die, and will potentially be provoked to circumvent that by snagging Desperation or Sincerity.

Create tension also over the issue of just how exactly the The Batman’s efforts will fail ultimately to get him what he Wants. Genre expectations demand that a The Batman’s Wants go forever denied, that a The Batman cannot ever get what he wants and become satisfied. But a constant barrage of failed endeavors, frustration, and cruelty inflicted upon hapless minions isn’t nearly as dramatic as letting the The Batman get close...allowing him to actually distill his long-sought mindexpanding elixir...and then playing somewhat conspiratorially as a group with the timing and details of the failure that everyone knows is coming.

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