Play Unsafe PDF

PLAY
UNSAFE
It’s a sum m e r’s d ay and I’m running a gam e in m y
b ack gard e n. M y onl y pre paration for th e gam e is
scrib b l
e d w ord s: “D e coy te am ”, “H ote l
”, “Som e th ing
bl ow s up”.
A s th e gam e progre sse s, it’s cl

e ar th at h al
f th e playe rs
w ant an inve stigative gam e and h al f w ant to sh oot
th ings. I h ave no pre pl anne d id e as, so I fol l
ow th e ir
le ad , giving th e first group a m yste ry to sol ve , th e
se cond a m onste r to h unt.
Th e gam e goe s w e l l. Th e pl aye rs say th e y e njoye d th e

story, w h ich I inve nte d on th e fl
y.
Five ye ars ago, I coul d n’t h ave run a gam e th is w ay. I’d
h ave pre pare d for h ours b e fore a gam e , arriving w ith
sh e ave s of note s, rail road ing pl aye rs th rough m y
ad ve nture .
Th e n I took an im prov course . Th e sk il ls I le arnt –

inve nting storie s on th e fl
y, b e ing spontane ous, pl aying
w ith oth e rs – fe d into m y rol e pl
aying and m ad e it
b e tte r.
Tommaso Galmacci (order #5111745)

Conte nts
Introduction v
Th e Z e n ofgam in g.................................................. vi
W h e re d o th e se id e as com e from ?...........................vii
Explan ation s .......................................................... vii
Play 1
Play ...........................................................................2
Stop w ork in g............................................................ 3
D on 'tplan ah e ad ......................................................4
H old id e as ligh tly ..................................................... 5
Be ave rage .................................................................6
A borin g e xpe rim e n t.................................................7
Be obvious .................................................................8
A n obvious e xpe rim e n t............................................ 9
Letyour guard d ow n ..............................................10
D on 'tpre te n d .........................................................12
M ovin g forw ard ..................................................... 13
GM in g an ad ve n ture w ith outplan n in g................ 13
Build 15
Build .......................................................................16
Sh ootin g id e as d ow n ...............................................16
Buildin g on id e as ....................................................20
Ye s, A n d ................................................................. 21
Im agin e ife ve ryon e builton e ve ry id e a..................22
Sh ootin g id e as d ow n d e libe rate ly ...........................23
M ovin g forw ard ..................................................... 24
ii

Status 25
Status ..................................................................... 26
Storie s an d status ...................................................26
Status be h aviours ...................................................28
R e ason s to play low status ..................................... 29
R e ason s to play h igh status ....................................29
Status is e m otion al.................................................30
Com ic an d se rious status ....................................... 31
H ow to roleplay re alistic re lation sh ips ...................31
Status in roleplayin g gam e s ...................................32
Type s ofstatus ........................................................33
M ovin g forw ard ..................................................... 34
Te lls torie s 35
Te llstorie s ...............................................................36
Cre ate routin e s an d bre ak th e m ..............................37
Cre ate platform s an d ad d a tilt...............................39
Cre ate a status re lation sh ip an d alte r it................. 41
Cre ate a m yste ry an d solve it................................. 42
D e live r on your prom ise s ....................................... 43
R e in corporate ......................................................... 44
A n um be r guid e lin e ................................................45
Th e trouble w ith trouble.........................................46
A n ord e rin g guid e lin e ............................................47
Tw o good w ays to startstorie s w ith trouble...........49
M orald ilem m as ......................................................50
Ge tto th e action ..................................................... 51
K e e p th e action on stage .......................................... 52
Justify ..................................................................... 53
M ovin g forw ard ..................................................... 54
iii

W ork toge th e r 55
W ork toge th e r.........................................................56
Give th e oth e r guy a good tim e ...............................57
Lose grace fully ........................................................58
Trust....................................................................... 58
Scre w w ith e ach oth e r.............................................59
Tak e risk s ................................................................ 61
D o th in gs you d on 'tw an tto d o.............................62
D o itagain ..............................................................63
Puton a sh ow .........................................................63
En e rgy .................................................................... 64
Fitin to th e group ................................................... 66
Afte rw ord 68
Glos s ary ofgam e s 69
Th ank s 73
iv

Introduction
In th is b ook , I'l l tak e th e id e as I l e arnt in

im provisation, and d e scrib e h ow th e y can m ak e gam e s
m ore fun. Th e goalof th is b ook is fun: w h e n I tal k
ab out storie s, id e as and th e orie s, re m e m b e r th at
e ve ryth ing aim s atm ak ing gam e s fun.
To start, in Pl ay, I'l ld iscuss h ow rol e pl

aying gam e s
ofte n se e m lik e w ork . If w e w ork l e ss, and plan l
e ss,
th e gam e ge ts b e tte r.
Th e n, in Buil d , I'l
ld e scrib e h ow w e ofte n k il loth e r
pl aye rs' id e as. If, inste ad , w e tak e id e as and run w ith
th e m , gam e s tak e fligh t.
A fte r th at, in Status , I'l

lgive id e as for pl aying your
ch aracte r. Using status te ch niq ue s, I'l
ld e scrib e h ow to
pl ay k ings, se rvants and e ve ryone in b e tw e e n.
But th e h e art of th is b ook is Te l l

ing Storie s . Eve ry
gam e , from a d unge on craw lto a Gre e k e pic, h as a
story at its h e art. I'lltak e storie s apart, anal yse th e ir
structure , and d e scrib e h ow to m ak e th e m b e tte r.
Final l
y, in W ork Toge th e r, I'l
ltalk ab out pl aying w ith
oth e rs. W h e n you w ork w e l lw ith oth e rs, w h e n you
put on a sh ow , w h e n you scre w w ith oth e r pl aye rs,
your gam e com e s to life .
Be fore I start, th ough , le t's tak e a ste p b ack and l

ook at
th e th e ory I'l
lb e using.

Th e Z e n ofgam ing
W h at d o you w ant from th is b ook ? M any rol e pl aye rs

w il
lw antth in gs th e y can d o to im prove th e ir gam e .
Now , of course , I’l l d e scrib e te ch niq ue s l ik e th is:

re incorporating ite m s in storie s; ch anging status;
b uild ing on oth e r pl
aye rs’id e as. Th e se te ch niq ue s w il
l,
I h ope , im prove your gam e .
H ow e ve r, te ch niq ue s are onl y h al f th e story. M any of

th e id e as in th is b ook are Z e n-lik e : th e y invol
ve d oing
le ss.
For e xam pl
e:
• “Be m ore b oring!”
• “D o noth ing!”
• “Stop trying to b e cl
e ve r!”
Pe rh aps you can se e se nse in th e se id e as now : for

e xam ple , if you d o noth ing in a gam e , you’lll iste n
m ore to oth e r pl
aye rs.
Th rough out th is b ook , I’l le xpl ain b oth th e te ch niq ue

and th e Z e n. Pe rh aps one w il lse e m m ore naturalto
you: pe rh aps you re l ate b e tte r to th ings you can d o
th an m ysticalZ e n l anguage , or vice ve rsa. H ow e ve r,
th e tw o w ork b e stw h e n use d toge th e r.
vi

W h e re do th e s e ide as com e from ?
Th e id e as in th is b ook originate from K e ith Joh nstone ,

an im provisation te ach e r and d ire ctor.
M any conce pts com e from h is b ook , Im pro. If you

e njoy th is b ook , I h igh l y re com m e nd re ad ing th atb ook
afte rw ard s. O th e r id e as com e from h is fol low -up b ook ,
Im pro for Storyte l le rs.
K e ith Joh nstone ’s id e as h ave b e e n d e ve l ope d and

e xpand e d b y im provisation te ach e rs w orl d w id e . Th is
b ook incl ud e s m any ofth e se e xpand e d id e as.
Explanations
In th e e xam pl e s, I re fe r to d iffe re nt type s of gam e s:

from b e h e m oth s l ik e D unge ons and D ragons to sm al l-
pre ss gam e s such as D ogs In Th e Vine yard . If a gam e
is unfam il iar, look in th e b ack of th e b ook , w h e re al l
gam e s are l iste d and e xpl aine d .
O fte n, in th e se e xam pl
e s, I assum e th at gam e s h ave a
GM (Gam e M aste r), w h o runs th e gam e . Som e m od e rn
gam e s d o noth ave a GM : h ow e ve r, th e e xam pl e s m ak e
se nse ifyou re ad “GM ” as “A noth e r Pl aye r”.
vi i

Play
R oleplayin g gam e s som e tim e s se e m lik e w ork :

w e plan ah e ad , w e th in k too m uch .
Stop w ork in g an d startplayin g.
Th e less you are w ork in g,
th e be tte r you play.

Play
R ole pl
aying gam e s can ge t too se rious. W e b uy sh e l
ve s
of th ick b ook s. W e pl an d e tail e d ad ve nture s. W e
m e m orise rul
e s.
In th is se ction, w e 'l
le xpl ore w h at h appe ns w h e n you
th row th e se rious stuff aw ay: w h e n you stop trying,
stop pl anning and l e tyour guard d ow n. In pl ace of th e
se riousne ss, I'll d e scrib e an e ffortl e ss w ay to pl ay,
w h e re you stop trying to b e good b ut, ofte n, you're
b rill
iant.
Play

Stop w ork ing
O fte n, w e tre at gam ing l ik e a job . W e stud y rul

e b ook s,
w e try to gain an ad vantage , w e care m ore ab out
e xpe rie nce points th an e njoying ourse l ve s.
I re m e m b e r, as a te e nage r, pl aying D unge ons and

D ragons. A tfirstitw as fun, b utitb e cam e w ork : in one
se ssion, I re m e m b e r ne gotiating for a b usine ss pe rm it.
Itw as d ul l.
Late r, I carrie d m y w ork e th ic to Vam pire LA R Ps. I

stud ie d rule b ook s, w ork ing out tactics. I m e m orise d
lists ofpow e rs and com b atrul e s.
But it’s a gam e . So w ork l

e ss. Stop th ink ing. D on’t b e
cl
e ve r.
Th e re are tw o re asons. Firstl

y, and m ost ob viousl
y,
w ork ing h ard is no fun.
Se cond l y, if you’re w ork ing h ard , you’re no fun to pl ay

w ith . Th e oth e r pl aye rs se e your se riousne ss and
re spond to it: your gam e w il lsoon fe e llik e a b usine ss
m e e ting. Ligh te n up, pl ay around , and you’l lb e m ore
fun to h ave around .
Stop w ork ing

D on’tplan ah e ad
M any rol e pl
aye rs pl an ah e ad . Th e y h ave an age nd a for
th e ir ch aracte r, w h ich th e y push forw ard , l ittl
e by l
ittle.
W h e n I playe d Vam pire LA R Ps, I’d arrive ate ach gam e

w ith an age nd a, w h ich al w ays fe l lapart. Lik e oth e r
playe rs, I h ad l ong, convol ute d pl ots, w h ich took
m onth s to b uil d . Look ing b ack , it w as b oring, b ut fun
alw ays se e m e d around th e corne r.
Eve n now , I pl an in m y h e ad , al m ost unconsciousl y:

w h e n th is h appe ns, I’l
ld o th is. Th e n I sit, w aiting for
th e th ing to h appe n. Itd oe sn’t.
D on’tpl
an ah e ad . Th e re are m any re asons notto.
Firstl y, it d oe sn ’t w ork . Som e one m igh t say som e th ing

th at th row s your pl an out th e w ind ow . A nd th e n, to b e
bl unt, you’re scre w e d .
Se cond ly, it’s borin g. Sitting at th e tab le , push ing your

pre -crafte d pl ot is pre d ictab l
e : you k now e xactl y w h at
w illh appe n. If you d on’t pl an, you’l ld iscove r th ings
you d id n’te xpe ct.
D on'tplan ah e ad
Th ird ly, th e stuff you m ak e up on th e fly is be tte r. W h e n

you inve nt on th e spot, w e se e th e e xcite m e nt on your
face , h e ar th e urge ncy of your voice . W h e n you pl an,
th ate xcite m e ntisn’tth e re .
Now , not planning ah e ad is scary. W ith out a pl

an, you
l
ose control. A nyth ing coul
d h appe n.

H old ide as ligh tly
I e njoy re se arch ing for along th e Th am e s. It
gam e s. I re ad H P w oul d b e a m istak e to plan
Love craft storie s to inspire for th is: insisting our
Cth ulh u gam e s; I re se arch ch aracte rs se arch th e
Z e ppe l
ins for pul p gam e s; Th am e s, insisting w e go to
I pore ove r Victorian m aps Lond on.
of Lond on for d e te ctive
gam e s. H ow e ve r, if w e ’re
se arch ing Lond on, we
Th is re se arch provok e s m igh t go to a tave rn ne ar
id e as. I w ant a ch ase , l
ik e th e Th am e s. W e m igh t
th e one in Th e M ountains se arch , in th e Th am e s, for a
O f M ad ne ss! I w ant to fl
ya b od y, using a b oat.
Z e ppe lin! I w ant to sailup
th e Th am e s! K e e p your id e as vague .
“Sail ing al ong th e
But isn’t th is pl anning Th am e s” is unspe cific,
ah e ad ?Sh oul d I stop? ad aptab l e to m any storie s.
“Se e ing th e m urd e re r
Le t’s tak e a ste p b ack . O f th rough a te l e scope ” is
course , it’s fun to re se arch m ore d ifficul t to b ring into
for gam e s. O f course , it’s a gam e . “A m otorcycl e
inte re sting to im agine ch ase th rough th e
th ings to h appe n in gam e s. H igh l and s of Scotl and ” is
unl ik e l
y to h appe n
But k e e p th e se id e as at th e w ith outrail road ing.
H old ide as ligh tly
b ack of your m ind . D on’t

pl an for th e m to h appe n. D o th ink of th ings you’d
D rop an id e a if it w oul d n’t lik e to h appe n in gam e s.
w ork . But, if you se e th e H ol d th e id e a l igh tly: d on’t
ch ance to m ak e it h appe n, force it, d on’t push for it
se iz e it. and , if it’s not h appe ning,
d rop it. But, if it m ak e s
For e xam pl e, l e t’s say I’d se nse , tak e it.
lik e m y d e te ctive to sail

But th at’s th e fun. If you re act instantl y, if you h ave no
pre conce ive d id e as, if you d on’t th ink into th e future ,
you’l lh ave a b e tte r gam e . You’l
lb e m ore fun to pl ay
w ith , too.
Be ave rage
D on’ttry to b e good atgam e s. D on’ttry to pl

ay w e ll.
W h e ne ve r I try to b e good , I’m b ad . I’ve give n

spe e ch e s in Vam pire LA R Ps, straining to b e
e nte rtaining: I ne ve r w as. I ope ne d a H e roQ ue st gam e
w ith an in-ch aracte r m onol ogue , trying to b e funny: I
w asn’t.
Now , I’ve b e e n e nte rtaining and b rilliant at th e tab l

e:
b ut ne ve r w h e n I’m trying to b e e nte rtaining and
b ril
liant. It d oe sn’t h appe n b e cause I try: it h appe ns
w h e n I justplay.
W e ’ve allpl aye d w ith pe opl e w h o try to b e funny or

try to sh ock . It d oe sn’t w ork . W h e n you’re trying to b e
good , you’re b ad . Th e h ard e r you try, th e m ore you fail.
Inste ad , b e ave rage . Be b oring. Be d ul

l.
Be ave rage
Parad oxical ly, w h e n you try to b e b oring, you’re

inte re sting to w atch . W h e n you try to b e ave rage , th at’s
w h e n you’re good .
In th e ir b ook M axim um Pe rform ance , Laure nce

M oorh ouse and Le onard A boring e xpe rim e nt
Gross inte rvie w e d
ath l
e te s w h o h ad b rok e n O n an Inte rne t forum , I
w orld re cord s. ask e d pe opl e to te l la
b oring story. M any
None of th e se ath l e te s re sponse s, far from b oring,
w e re fascinatingl y
h ad trie d to b e good .
d e tail
e d . H e re is an
W h en inte rvie w e d , e xce rpt from a story b y
th e y’d say th ings l ik e : Jarod Scott:
“I d id n’tfe e lw e l lth at I yaw n , look outsid e an d se e
d ay...I d on’tre m e m b e r th at it's still d ark . Th e re 's
any particul ar m om e nt n ot m uch to se e , but I gaz e
d uring th e e ve nt. Ital l casually at th e groun d th at
se e m e d so e asy. A tth e fully surroun d s th e tave rn . I
finish , th e w ay th e coun t to a th ousan d , an d it is
crow d w as ch e e ring stilld ark . M aybe h ours from
tol d m e I’d d one w e l l, n ow , th e sun w ill rise an d
b utI h ad th e fe e l ing th at w illm e an on ly five m ore
th atifI h ad onl y trie d a d ays be fore th e soup of th e
littl e h ard e r I coul d d ay is m utton ste w .
h ave d one m uch Ye ste rd ay w as ch ick e n broth ,
b e tte r.” w h ich is alrigh t. O h , but th at
m e an s it w illbe five d ays till
If you’re striving to scal e
m utton ste w . I try coun tin g
th e h e igh ts of Aw e som e ,
A boring e xpe rim e nt
to tw o th ousan d th is tim e ,
w e d on’t se e Aw e som e : an d roll se ve ral d ice to se e
w e se e you trying. Stop h ow far I ge t. Th irty-se ve n .
trying, aim to b e ave rage , So I start coun tin g from
and you’l le njoy yourse lf th e re be fore ch e ck in g outsid e
m ore . again . Stilld ark . I look back
in sid e . Th e re 's a couple
w h ore s d oz in g at a corn e r
table. I d on 't care to spe n d
m y m on e y.

Be obvious
If, w h il
e gam ing, you can’t b e cl e ve r or try h ard , w h at
can you d o?Th e answ e r is: b e ob vious.
D o th e ob vious th ing: th e th ing th at ob viousl y

h appe ns ne xt in th e story; th e th ing th at you th ink
e ve ryone e xpe cts to h appe n. Parad oxical ly, th at
ob vious th ing m ay, to e ve ryone e l
se , se e m originaland
b rilliant.
For e xam pl e : in a gam e of Lacuna, a te am of age nts

w as inve stigating a h ospital , w h e re pe ople h ad b e e n
d isappe aring. O ne pl aye r sugge ste d th e re sh oul d be a
w ard w h e re form e r age nts paid to h ave th e ir face s
re sculpte d . Th e id e a w as ob vious to h im : to m e , and to
e ve ryone e lse , itw as b ril
liant.
A noth e r e xam pl e . I re m e m b e r running a sce ne , in a

Vam pire LA R P, in w h ich som e one h ad re ce ive d l e tte rs,
w ritte n in b l
ood . A pl aye r ask e d to e xam ine th e pape r.
A n ob vious id e a occurre d to m e . If th e ink w as b l

ood ,
th e pape r sh ould b e sk in: parch m e nt, m ad e of h um an
sk in.
W h e n I said th is, pe opl e w e re sh ock e d , as if I’d said

som e th ing b ril
liant. I h ad n’t. I’d just said w h at, to m e ,
Be obvious
w as ob vious.
Natural l
y, not e ve ry “ob vious” th ing you say w il lb e
b ril
liant. O fte n, w h at you th ink is an ob vious ne xt ste p
in th e story w ill, ind e e d , b e an ob vious ste p in th e story.

An obvious e xpe rim e nt
I poste d th e fol low ing • Sh e turns, h ol d ing th e
story on an Inte rne tforum . sh ining ob je ct. It’s a
k nife . “Th at w as th e
A th ie f m ove s across th e noisie st B& E I’ve e ve r
rooftops, k e e pin g to th e h e ard .”
sh ad ow s. H e cre e ps to a
w in d ow , re ach e s th rough an d • Th e th ie f d ash e s into
ope n s it. H e se e s a w om an h id ing w atch ing th e
an d , be h in d h e r, som e th in g w om an continue to ge t
sh in in g on a d e sk . re ad y for a m agnifice nt
b allor som e such .
Th e n I ask e d :
Constrastingl y, m ost
1. W h at d o you natural ly answ e rs to 3 w e re
e xpe ct w il lh appe n ne xt ove rb l ow n, cl e ve r id e as.
in th e story?
• From th e w aist d ow n,
2. W h at w oul d you l ik e to h e r b od y consists of a
h appe n ne xt? d oz e n w rith ing
te ntacl e s tippe d w ith
3. W h at is th e cool e st, te n-inch se rrate d
cl e ve re st th ing you can spik e s, w h ich te ar h im
th ink up to h appe n lim b from l im b . H e An obvious e xpe rim e nt
ne xt? laugh s h yste rical ly th e
w h ol e tim e .
Al l answ e rs to 1 and 2
w e re , in d iffe re nt w ays, • Be h ind th e d e sk , a
natural e xte nsions of th e grand iose ch air sw ive l s
story. Som e se e m e d to face th e w om e n. Bil l
b rilliant. Cl inton d raw s on h is
cigar. K l axons b l are and
• I w ant th e w om an to b e orange l igh ts fl ash . A
b e autiful and to countd ow n com m e nce s.
e m b race th e m an. H is b ath rob e fal ls to th e
floor.

Th at’s fine . W h e n you re spond ob viousl y, 9 0% of th e
tim e , you’l lcarry th e story forw ard natural ly. If you'd
trie d to b e cle ve r, 9 0% of th e tim e , you'd h ave th row n
th e story off course . A nd , w h e n you're ob vious, one
tim e in te n, you’l lb e b ril
liant.
Try to b e b ril
liantand you’l
lfail
. Be ob vious and , ofte n,
you’llb e b rill
iant.
Le tyour guard dow n
W e w e re playing Prim e tim e A d ve nture s, portraying an

18th Ce ntury ve rsion of th e A -Te am . I pl aye d “Th e
M ask ”, a ve rsion ofth e A -Te am 's ch arm e r, “Th e Face ”.
Now , d o you re m e m b e r h ow ch e e sy th e rom ance s

w e re in Eigh tie s sh ow s? A nd h ow e xpl icit? Th e re w as
al w ays a l ove inte re st, al w ays a rom ance and usual ly
se xualinnue nd o. I re m e m b e r w atch ing an A utom an
e pisod e , in w h ich A utom an w as ch atting up tw o
b e autifulw om e n, in a cl ub . Th e w om e n ask e d w h ich
of th e m h e pre fe rre d . H e appe are d to ne gotiate a

th re e som e (”It d oe sn’t se e m fair to d e prive e ith e r of
you”), b e fore b e ing calle d aw ay to solve crim e s.
I w ante d Th e M ask to b e a h om age to th e se rom ance s.

So I d e scrib e d h im fl irting h is w ay into castl
e s, past
b e autifulfe m al e guard s; ch atting up gang m e m b e rs;
flirting w ith h is torture rs, w h o w e re tw ins.
10

Th e n I b e cam e uncom fortab le . W as I, w ith out k now ing
it, re ve al
ing a se xualfantasy? W oul d th e oth e r pl
aye rs
th ink I w as a pe rve rt? W as I, accid e ntal l
y, giving aw ay
som e th ing ab outm yse l f?So I stoppe d .
I ce nsor m yse l f sim il

arl y in D ogs In Th e Vine yard .
Som e tim e s, it’d b e in ch aracte r to, say, sh oot a w om an
carrying a d e m on b ab y. But w h at w oul d pe opl e th ink ?
Th at I w as pl aying out a fantasy of viol e nce against
w om e n?
W h e n rol
e playing, w e ofte n pl
ay safe . W e d on’t w ant
to give anyth ing aw ay ab outourse l
ve s.
You se e th is at conve ntions. Pl aye rs w ant th e GM to

le ad th e m th rough an ad ve nture . Th e y sit q uie tl
y, not
w anting to d o anyth ing, in case th e y d o som e th ing
w rong.
A nd , ye t, pl
ay is m ore inte re sting w h e n w e l
e t our
guard d ow n.
In a re ce nt Cth ul h u gam e , m y ch aracte r fl

irte d w ith a
girlof h igh e r cl ass. For m e , th at's close to th e b one
and , h e nce , m ad e th e gam e m ore poignant.
Sim il arly, in Lacuna gam e s, I've starte d using

m anage m e nt-spe ak : "W e 've h ad som e com m e nts ab out
your pe rform ance ". Th is l anguage se ts m y te e th on
e d ge : so, w h e n I say it, th e re 's an e l
e ctricity in th e air.
W h e n you l e t your guard d ow n, e ve n if just a l ittl

e,
you b ring th e gam e close r to h om e . Try it. It ad d s an
e d ge to your gam e .
11

D on'tpre te nd
Som e tim e s w e pre te nd to l

e t our guard d ow n, b ut
d on’t.
In h orror gam e s, w e com fortab l y d e scrib e d e m ons

b ursting out of ch e sts, w om e n rippe d apart, scre am ing
d e ath s. Th e re ’s a se nse of tab oo-b re ak ing, b ut, re al
ly,
w e ’re tre ad ing a w e l l
-w orn path . Th e gam e d oe sn’t
scare anyone , b e cause e ve ryone ’s pl aying safe .
Sim ilarl y, m any sm al l

-pre ss gam e s h and l
e “se rious”
issue s th ataffe ctno-one .
Pl aye rs d e scrib e suicid e s, sl

ave -b e atings and w ar: th e y
sh oot pre gnant w om e n in D ogs In Th e Vine yard or
torture m inions in M y Life W ith M aste r. But e ve ryone
stays in th e ir com fortz one . Pl aye rs b re ak socialtab oos:
b utnotth e ir ow n tab oos.
Pe rsonal l
y, I narrate sh ooting pre gnant w om e n and
fe e lnoth ing. But I ne ve r narrate m y ch aracte r’s fath e r
into rol e playing gam e s: b e cause I d on’t w ant to pl ay a
ch aracte r w h ose fath e r suffe rs. It’s too cl
ose to th e b one .
So I k e e p m y guard up, e ve n as I foolm yse l f I’m b e ing

ch al le nge d . M any pl
aye rs d o th e sam e : k id th e m se l
ve s
D on'tpre te nd
th e y’re d igging d e e p, w h e re as, actual l

y, th e y’re
sk im m ing th e surface .
If you l e tyour guard d ow n, d o itfor re al

. D on't"tack l
e
issue s", d on't w al
low in gore . Ch oose som e th ing th at
push e s your b uttons and putitin your gam e .
12

M oving forw ard
In th is se ction, w e 've e xpe rim e nte d w ith not pl anning

ah e ad . But if w e d on't pl an ah e ad , w h at d o w e d o,
m om e nt to m om e nt, in th e gam e ? Th e answ e r is: w e
b uild on oth e r playe rs' id e as.
GM ing an adve nture w ith outplanning

Can th e GM , too, avoid pl aye rs ch ase th e m urd e re r
GM ing an adve nture w ith outplanning

planning ah e ad : e ve n to a train station, h ol d th e
running an ad ve nture w ith final confrontation on th e
no planning? roof of a m oving train
inste ad . H ow e ve r, if you
Th e answ e r is ye s: it’s se e th e ch ance , use your
possib l e and ve ry id e a.
re w ard ing. Particul ar
se ctions of th is b ook w il l Th e n, re ad th e l
ate r se ction
h elp w ith th is. “Im agine e ve ryone b uil t
on e ve ry id e a”. W ith no
Firstl y, re re ad th e sid e b ar pl anning, you’l l b uil d on
“H ol d id e as ligh tly”. H ave your pl aye rs’ id e as to
vague id e as of th ings for constructa story.
th e gam e : a ch ase th rough
se w e rs, w are h ouse s of Final ly, re ad th e e ntire
filing cab ine ts, a ch apte r “Te l lStorie s”. Th e
confrontation atop a w ate r narrative trick s in th is
tow e r. H ol d th e se id e as se ction w il l h el p you
ligh tly, ab and oning th e m if inve nt th e pl ot as you go
th e story goe s e l se w h e re : if along.
13

Build
W e ofte n sh oototh e r playe rs’id e as d ow n .

In ste ad , build on th e m .

Build
O fte n, gam e s go now h e re , b e cause w e w ork against

e ach oth e r. You w ant to talk your w ay past th e guard ,
b ut I attack h im . By k il
ling e ach oth e r's id e as, w e spoil
gam e s, w ith outm e aning to d o so.
In th is ch apte r, I'l
ld e scrib e re asons w h y w e sh oot
d ow n id e as uninte ntional l y, e ve n unconsciously. Th e n
I'l
l d iscuss h ow to pl ay coope rative l y inste ad , b y
b uil
d ing on e ach oth e r's id e as.
Final ly, w e 'llse e w h e re e ve ryth ing I've d iscusse d so far

h as b e e n l
e ad ing: a utopian w ay to pl ay, w h e re no-one
pl ans, no-one w ork s and e ve ryone 's id e as re ach
fruition.
Sh ooting ide as dow n

In gam e s, w h e th e r w e m e an to or not, w e ofte n sh oot

oth e rs’id e as d ow n:
Pl
aye r: “I se arch for anoth e r e ntrance !”
GM : “No, th e re ’s onl
y th e m ain d oor.”
Pl
aye r 1: “I force you to k ne e lin frontofm e !”
Pl
aye r 2: “I b re ak fre e and stand up.”
GM : “Sh e m ove s tow ard s you se d uctive l

y.”
Pl
aye r: “I push h e r aw ay.”
16

It’s h ard to d e fine “sh ooting id e as d ow n” e xactl
y, b ut
you’l lk now itw h e n you se e it. It’s ab out:
• Saying an im pl
icit“No”.
• Ne gating w h atw as justsaid .
• Stopping th e action from ad vancing.
Ge ne rally, it m ak e s th ings d ull, ye t w e stil

ld o it. W h y?
H e re are som e possib l e re asons.
1. W e sh ootid e as d ow n in life
If som e one insul ts us, in re allife , w e d on’t ch al

le nge
th e m to a d ue l . Th is avoid s troub l e , stopping th e
action b e fore itstarts:
Strange r: “You’re a path e tic w orm !”

Me: “Look , cal
m d ow n.”
Strange r: “I’m going to k il lyou!”

Me: [W alk s aw ay q uick l
y]
Th at is, w e sh oot th e id e a d ow n, to k e e p us safe . But

safe is b oring. In gam e s, w e w anttroub l e.
Strange r: “You’re a path e tic w orm !”

Ch aracte r: “A laugh ab l
e insul t. I ch al
le nge you to a
d ue lofh onour!”
Strange r: “I’m going to k il lyou!”

Ch aracte r: “You'llb e d e ad b e fore you re ach th atgun.”
Figh t th e urge to b e safe . W h e n an id e a com e s al

ong
th atw illm ak e troub l
e , b uil
d on it.
17

2. I h ave a plan
If w e ’ve pl anne d ah e ad , w e ofte n k il
l id e as th at
inte rfe re w ith our plan.
Gam e M aste rs are notorious for th is. Th e y pl an an

ad ve nture , th e n sh oot d ow n any id e a th at d oe sn’t
corre spond w ith th e irs:
GM : “In frontofyou is a d oor, w ith a rid d l

e
painte d ab ove it.”
Pl
aye r: “I look for oth e r e ntrance s.”
GM : “No, justth e d oor.”
Pl
aye r: “O K . I’m going to try and ch arm a guard to
le tus in.”
GM : “Th e y d on’tspe ak your l anguage .”
Pl
aye r: “W e go b ack to tow n.”
GM : “Buttow n is tw o d ays aw ay and you m ust
e nte r th e castl
e tonigh t!”
H ow e ve r, playe rs sh oot e ach oth e r's id e as d ow n, too.

Le t’s im agine I w antto ste ala je w e lste al
th ily:
Me: “I cre e p into th e tave rn, stick ing to th e

sh ad ow s.”
O th e r pl
aye r: “I k nock on th e tave rn d oor, l oud l
y.”
Me: “I stop you! I grab your h and and pul lyou
into th e sh ad ow s.”
H e re , th e oth e r playe r sh ot m y id e a d ow n, th e n I sh ot
d ow n h is: h e nce , noth ing e nd s up h appe ning.
18

3. O ur guard is up
W e ofte n sh oot d ow n id e as th at tak e us into

uncom fortab l
e are as:
GM : “Sh e m ove s se d uctive l

y tow ard s you.”
Pl
aye r: “I b ack aw ay.”
If I k isse d th e girl , I m igh t re ve alsom e th ing ab out

m yse lf: pe opl e m igh t th ink I sl e e p around or I m igh t
h ave to d e scrib e se x. It’s safe r to ste p aw ay.
O f course , it can b e good to k il l id e as w e ’re not

com fortab l e w ith . If I d on’t l ik e se xual conte nt in
gam e s, I sh ould k illid e as th atinvol ve se x.
Th e prob le m com e s w h e n w e k illid e as, instinctive l

y,
b utw ond e r w h y our gam e is d ul
l.
4. I d on ’tw an tto look bad
In l ife , w e ofte n avoid th ings th at w oul

d m ak e us look
b ad . Th is l e ad s us to instinctive ly sh oot d ow n th e se
id e as in gam e s:
Pl
aye r 1: “I fling m anure atyou!”
Pl
aye r 2: “Itm isse s!”
Pl
aye r 1: “I force you to your k ne e s!”
Pl
aye r 2: “I ge tup.”
W h ate ve r our re ason for sh ooting id e as d ow n, it k il ls

th e action. It k e e ps us safe : and safe is d ul
l. If w e b uil
d
on id e as, th ings b e com e m ore e xciting.
19

Building on ide as
W h e n you b uild on an id e a, you acce pt it and tak e th e

action forw ard .
Pl
aye r: “I se arch for anoth e r e ntrance ”
GM : “O K ! Th e re ’s a sm al
ltrapd oor b e ne ath th e
ram parts.”
Pl
aye r 1: “I force you to k ne e lin frontofm e .”
Pl
aye r 2: “I b e g for forgive ne ss.”
GM : “Sh e m ove s tow ard s you se d uctive l y.”

Pl
aye r: “I run m y finge rs th rough h e r h air.”
You can b uil d on an id e a b y confl icting w ith it,

provid ing you carry th e action forw ard :
Pl
aye r 1: “I force you to k ne e lin frontofm e .”
Pl
aye r 2: “I ge tup and force you againstth e w al l
!”
You can al so b uil d on an id e a b y tak ing it in an

une xpe cte d d ire ction:
Pl
aye r 1: “Sh e m ove s tow ard s you se d uctive ly.”
Pl
aye r 2: “I run h e r th rough w ith m y sw ord .”
Building on ide as
D oe s th is se e m e asy? W e l
l, it is, and it isn’t, and th e n it
is again. To e xpl ain…
1. It’s e asy to und e rstand th e te ch niq ue .
2. But using th e te ch niq ue consiste ntl

y ch ange s th e
w ay you pl
ay, w h ich is h ard .
20

3. A nd ge tting your m e ntalb l ock s out of th e w ay, so
you can use th e te ch niq ue , is h ard .
4. But, w h e n you ge t use d to it, b uil d ing on id e as is

so little e ffort, so ple asurab l e and so good for th e
story, th atitm ak e s pl ay e asie r.
A nd th is is w h e re e ve ryth ing - not b e ing cl e ve r, not

planning ah e ad , b uil d ing on id e as, b e ing ob vious -
com e s toge th e r. It prod uce s an e xciting, unpre d ictab l
e,
spur-of-th e -m om e ntw ay to pl ay.
Ye s , And...
W h e n you b uil d on an Try pl aying w ith e ve ryone
id e a, you say an im pl icit saying "Ye s, A nd ...".
"Ye s, A nd ..." to th e id e a. If
w e m ak e ite xpl icit: Playe r 1: "Sh e m ove s
tow ard s you
Pl
aye r 1: "Sh e m ove s se d uctive l y."
tow ard s you Pl
aye r 2: "Ye s! A nd I run h e r
se d uctive l
y." th rough w ith m y
Pl
aye r 2: "Ye s! A nd I run h e r sw ord ."
th rough w ith m y Pl
aye r 1: "Ye s! A nd sh e d ie s
sw ord ." on th e fl oor."
Pl
aye r 2: "Ye s! A nd h e r
Try saying "Ye s, A nd ...", in fath e r figh ts m e ."
re sponse to oth e r pe opl e 's
id e as, b e fore you've You'l l b uil d a story
Ye s , And...
d e cid e d h ow to re spond to w ith oute ffort.

th e m . You m ay find th at,
as you say it, you'l lre al
ise
h ow to re spond .
21

Im agine ife ve ryone builton e ve ry ide a
Im agine th at, for a w h ol e gam e , you d id noth ing b ut

b uil
d on oth e r pe opl
e ’s id e as.
In fact, im agine e ve ryone at th e tab l

e pl
aye d l
ik e th is:
acce pting id e as and m oving th e m forw ard . W h at
w oul d h appe n?
Firstl
y, you couldn ’t plan ah e ad . Eve ryth ing you d id
w ould b e b ase d on som e one e l
se ’s id e as: th e re ’d b e no
ch ance to plan.
So, as th e GM , you coul d n’t pl

an an ad ve nture . You’d
re act to th e playe rs, b uild ing th e ad ve nture on w h at
Im agine e ve ryone builton e ve ry ide a
th e y gave you.
But if w e ’re b uil d ing on e ach oth e r’s id e as, w h e re d o

th e id e as start?Is th e re , in fact, anyth ing to b uil
d on?
Th e answ e r l ie s in be in g obvious. If I re act to som e th ing

in an ob vious w ay, m y ob vious w il l
, ofte n, se e m lik e a
b rilliant id e a. Th e n, oth e r pl aye rs can b uil d on th at
id e a.
For e xam pl
e , ifI say:
• “I k ne e lin frontofyou.”
A nd you say som e th ing th at, to you, se e m s ob vious:
• “I k ick you in th e ch e st! You spraw latm y fe e t!”
22

Th e n, to m e , th at’s an id e a Sh ooting ide as dow n
I can re actto:
de libe rate ly
• “I b e g for m e rcy!”
Som e tim e s, sh ooting id e as
d ow n can ad d to a story,
A nd you can re actto th at:
b y ad d ing te nsion:
• “R e al
ly? W h at w il
l GM : You’re trappe d in a
you give m e for m y prison ce l l.
m e rcy?” Pl
aye r: I callth e guard .
GM : No-one com e s.
To pl ay l ik e th is, your Pl
aye r: Il ook atth e w al ls.
GM : Th e y’re sh e e r stone .
guard m ust be d ow n : if
Pl
aye r: I use th e m agic I
you’re se l f-ce nsoring, you sw ore I’d ne ve r use .
can’t re act im m e d iate l y. GM : R igh t…
Al so, you w il l find th at
your guard com e s d ow n: H e re , w h e n e arlie r id e as
b e cause you’re b e ing are sh ot d ow n, we
Sh ooting ide as dow n de libe rate ly

ob vious, you’re re ve al ing und e rstand a l ate r id e a
w illsucce e d .
som e th ing ab outyourse l f.
K il
ling id e as can al
so
So, w ith th is, e ve ryth ing
sim ulate del
usion or
com e s toge th e r: b uil d ing surre al
ity:
on id e as, b e ing ob vious,
not pl anning, l e tting your Pl
aye r: I ope n th e d oor.
guard d ow n. You can pl ay GM : Your h and passe s
an e ntire gam e l ik e th is. th rough th e h and l e.
Pl
aye r: I ask th e b arm an
You onl y re act, ne ve r w h at’s h appe ning.
initiate : and ye t your GM : Th e re isn’ta
re action se e m s l ik e a b arm an. Pe rh aps
b ril
liantinitiation. th e re ne ve r w as.
A gain, th is b uild s te nsion,

l
ate r to b e re sol
ve d .
23

M oving forw ard
In th e last tw o ch apte rs, w e 've d e ve l

ope d a utopian,
m om e nt-to-m om e ntw ay to pl ay.
W il lyou pl ay allyour gam e s l ik e th is, al

lth e tim e ? Not
com pl e te ly. You'l lprob ab ly stil lpl an, a l ittl
e ; use your
cle ve r id e as, a l
ittl
e ;stud y rule s, a little.
So k e e p th e parts of your play you l ik e ; ab and on th e

one s you d on't; and use th e parts of th is ne w pl ay styl e
th atappe alto you.
In th e ne xt se ction, w e focus on pl aying ch aracte rs,

using th e pow e rfulte ch niq ue s ofstatus.
24

Status
A tth e ir h e art, storie s are aboutstatus.

Play w ith status an d letit
d rive your gam e .

Status
ld e scrib e h ow status te ch niq ue s can
b ring your ch aracte rs to l ife .
I'l
le xpl ain h ow to pl ay h igh status - k ings, h e roe s,
god s - and l ow status - se rvants, b e ggars, fools. I'l
llist
trick s you can use , at th e gam ing tab l e , to raise and
low e r your status. I'l
lconsid e r th e d iffe re nt sorts of
status in role pl
aying gam e s.
Al ongsid e al lth at, I'l llist re asons to pl

ay h igh and l ow
status; I'll d e scrib e h ow to use status to prod uce
natural , re al istic re l ationsh ips; and I'l l outl ine h ow
status d rive s d iffe re ntsorts ofstorie s.
Storie s and Status
Al
lstorie s, in som e w ay, are ab outstatus.
Tak e K ing Le ar: a pow e rful K ing sl id e s, sl

ow l y,
Storie s and s tatus
tow ard s im pote nce . O r Cind e re lla: a rags-to-rich e s

story. O r Gre at Expe ctations: a b oy is e le vate d to h igh
socie ty and , grad ual ly, w atch e s e ve ryth ing crum b l e
around h im .
Status ch ange s are storyte l

ling gol
d . Tak e any l
ow -
status ch aracte r:
• Ste ph anie is a m il
k m aid from a poor fam il
y
26

Th e n e l
e vate h e r to h igh status:
... O ne d ay, a m yste rious strange r te l

ls h e r sh e is a
prince ss.
Instantly, you h ave a story: one sim il
ar to Cind e re l
la or
H arry Potte r.
Sim il
arl
y, tak e a h igh -status ch aracte r:
• Lord Ste fan rul

e s th e province ofGol
d fie l
ds
A nd b ring h im l
ow :
... untilh e l
ose s itin a card gam e .
A gain, you h ave a story.
Th e b e st rol e playing gam e s use status for you.

D unge ons and D ragons is ab out h e roe s, rising in
pow e r and w e al th . Vam pire h as Prince s and
Se ne sch al
s jock e ying for position. Th e sm al l-pre ss
gam e Th e Sh ab A l -H iri R oach is b ase d on status,
w h ich it call
s R e putation: e ve ry sce ne e nd s in a figh t
ove r status.
But you can use status in any gam e . You can inve nt
Storie s and s tatus
k ings or und e rd ogs and d e l ib e rate l

y ch ange th e ir
status. Pl aye rs can b oost oth e r ch aracte rs' status or
d e stroy it. GM s can pl ay h igh -status NPCs and l e t th e
PCs b ring th e m crash ing to e arth .
27

Status be h aviours
To b e h igh status - to pl ay a k ing or a god - try d oing

th e se th ings atth e gam ing tab l
e:
• H ol
d e ye contact
• K e e p stil
l, e spe cial
ly your h e ad
• Tak e up l
ots ofspace
• Rel
ax
• Im agine you are tal

l
• Spe ak d ire ctl

y, as th ough you d o not e xpe ct to b e
inte rrupte d
• Say th ings to im pl y th at you are b e tte r (in som e

w ay) th an th e pe rson you are talk ing to
Sim il arly, to pl
ay l
ow status - a se rvant or a fool- try
th e follow ing:
• Bre ak e ye contact d ow nw ard s, th e n l

ook b ack
Status be h aviours
im m e d iate l
y
• Tw itch and m ak e unne ce ssary m ove m e nts,

e spe cial
ly your h e ad
• Touch your h e ad and h air
• Tak e up as l
ittl
e space as possib l
e
28

Re as ons to play low Re as ons to play h igh
s tatus s tatus
1. Low status ch aracte rs 1. H igh status ch aracte rs
are , ge ne ral l
y, m ore are b e tte r ad m ire d th an
lik e ab le th an h igh - low status one s. W e
status one s: th ink of R 2- w on’t l ik e you, b ut
D 2 com pare d to C3PO ; w e ’l
lre spe ctyou.
Passe partout com pare d
to Ph il
e as Fogg; 2. Th e story ne e d s you.
Cind e re l la com pare d to W h e n you are b rough t
th e Ugl y Siste rs. W e low , e ve ryone w ill
ad m ire k ings, b ut l ik e e njoy it. R e al ise you’re
th e ir se rvants m ore . se tting yourse l f up for
a fal land e njoy it. Pl ay
2. Th e story ne e d s you. If a b ul l
y; pl ay a k ing;
e ve ryone ’s h igh status, pl ay a h ate -figure .
it’s b oring. Be sid e s, if You’l lge tyour d ue .
you rise to h igh -status
late r, th at’ll m ak e a 3. R e m e m b e r you ne e d n’t
supe rb story. b e nasty: you can b e
h appy in your h igh
3. R e m e m b e r you ne e d n’t status. Th ink of Bil l
b e m ise rab l e : you can Cl inton, Tom Cruise or
b e h appy in your l ow Tony Bl air: you can b e
status. Be a re taine r ch arm ing b ut h igh
whol ove s to se rve or a status. W e ’l l stil
l be
Re as ons to play...
se rvant w h o can’t l ive gl ad , th ough , w h e n

w ith outh is m aste r. you’re b rough td ow n.
4. You’re not your 4. You’re not your

ch aracte r. Snive lling, ch aracte r. W h e n you
grove l ling and d ying give ord e rs to your
ignom iniousl y are fun frie nd across th e tab le,
w h e n it’s not re al
ly you it’s not re al
ly you d oing
d oing it. it.
29

• Be ne rvous
• Spe ak h e sitantl
y, as th ough you e xpe ct to b e
inte rrupte d
• Say th ings to im pl y th at you are infe rior, in som e

w ay, to th e pe rson you are talk ing to
Th e re is a syne rgy b e tw e e n th e se . If you h ol

d your
h e ad stillw h ile spe ak ing, you m ay find you stand
straigh te r and spe ak m ore d ire ctl
y.
Expe rim e nt w ith status b e h aviour in re all ife , b ut b e

care ful. I once w e nt to a b ar and pl aye d h igh status.
W h e n ord e ring m y d rink , I spok e d ire ctl
y and cl e arl
y,
as th ough giving th e b arm an an ord e r. H e jum pe d to
ge tth e glass: b utl
ook e d angry for th e re stofth e nigh t.
Status is e m otional
Status b e h aviour is e m otional . Som e pe opl

e h ate
Status is e m otional
playing h igh status;som e h ate l

ow status.
If you try ch anging your status b e h aviour, you m ay

find th atyou:
1. H ate it.
2. Can't.
3. Th ink you've ch ange d your status, b ut you

h ave n't.
30

Com e dy, trage dy and Re alis tic re lations h ips
s e rious s torie s
W e can d e scrib e th e sam e Try k e e ping your status
status sh ifts com ical l
y or sligh tly ab ove or b e l ow
se riousl
y. W h e n a K ing is som e one e l se : b e sl igh tl
y
b rough t low , th at can b e supe rior or infe rior.
com ic or tragic. Ch ange , fre q ue ntl y, so
th at you go from sl igh tl
y
Com e d y ofte n use s q uick supe rior to sligh tl
y
status sh ifts: th e K ing falls infe rior and b ack again.
in m ud ; th e tram p d re sse s
as a k ing. Th is prod uce s natural ,
l
ife lik e re l
ationsh ips.
Trage d y ofte n use s sl ow
status sh ifts: K ing Le ar
slow lyl ose s h is m ind .
Se rious storie s, th at are n’t

trage d ie s, also use sl ow
status sh ifts: Cind e re l
la is
ele vate d sl
ow ly to
gre atne ss; Pip, in Gre at
Expe ctations, is sl ow ly Com ic, s e rious , re alis tic
raise d to h igh status and
slow l y b rough t b ack
d ow n.
31

Pe rsonal ly, I can't b e h igh status for long, w ith out
b e com ing e m b arrasse d and apol
oge tic.
Eq ual ly, you m igh t h ate som e one using status

b e h aviour on you. I d e te st pe opl
e acting h igh -status to
m e : I w orry ab out it, for d ays, and fantasise ab out
putting th e m in th e ir pl
ace .
Status in roleplaying gam e s
In gam e s, w e ofte n w ant to b e pow e rful , h e roic, to

conq ue r e ve ryth ing in our path : th at is, to b e h igh
status.
Th at w as m y e xpe rie nce of D unge ons and D ragons.

Eve ryone w ante d to b e a h e ro: a figh ting m ach ine or
pow e rfulw iz ard . Pe rsonally, I pl
aye d th ie ve s, b ut th at
Status in roleplaying gam e s
w as h igh status, too: I w ante d to b e sne ak y and

pe rform fe ats no-one e lse coul d.
Late r, I pl aye d Vam pire LA R Ps, and h igh status

b e cam e a prob l e m . A gain, e ve ryone w ante d to b e
pow e rfulb ut, th is tim e , th e y com pe te d for pow e r: onl y
one coul d b e Prince . Status ch ange s cause d upse t:
w h e n a Prince w as ove rth row n, th e pl aye r w as
m ortifie d . Th e re w e re te ars w h e n ch aracte rs d ie d .
Th is m ad e gam e s d ul l. Pl
aye rs clung to th e ir status
je al
ousl y, afraid to d o anyth ing e xtraord inary, for fe ar
ofre trib ution.
32

Type s ofs tatus
Th e re is Give n Status : status th at oth e r pe opl

e give
you. If you're k ing, you are h igh status b e cause
e ve ryone e l
se tre ats you w ith re spe ct.
Th e re is Be h aviour Status : th e status w ith w h ich you

act. You can b e h ave l
ik e a k ing, e ve n th ough you're not.
D isconne cts b e tw e e n th e se type s of status can b e

d e e pl
y affe cting or com ic. A m ad k ing, w h o soil s
h im se lf, h as h igh Give n Status (h e 's stil
lk ing) b ut l
ow
Be h aviour Status. A b e ggar (l ow Give n Status) w ith
affe cte d airs (h igh Be h aviour Status) is a com ic figure .
Note th e syne rgy b e tw e e n th e tw o. A k ing, b e h aving

low status, w il lb e d e pose d . A b e ggar, b e h aving ab ove
h is station, risk s b e ing push e d into th e gutte r.
Th e n, in role pl
aying gam e s, th e re is Pl aye r Status and
Ch aracte r Status . A pl aye r w h om e ve ryone ad m ire s
(h igh status) m igh t pl
ay a b e ggar (l ow status). A noth e r
pl aye r m igh t ne rvousl y (l ow status) d e scrib e h is
pal ad in sm iting non-b e l
ie ve rs (h igh status).
A gain, note th e conne ction. A pl aye r of h igh status

Type s ofs tatus
w il l
, ofte n, play th e l e ad e r of th e party. A l ow -status
pl aye r, w h o find s it h ard to inte rrupt, w il l h ave
d ifficulty pl aying a h igh -status ch aracte r.
Final ly, th e re is Gam e Status : status grante d b y th e

gam e rul e s. A figh te r w ith h igh Stre ngth h as a form of
h igh status. A ch aracte r w h ose H it Points fal lb e l ow
z e ro h as th e ultim ate form ofl ow status: sh e is d e ad .
33

M oving forw ard
W e 've b e gun to talk ab out storie s. Le t's d ive in, now ,
and e xpl ore h ow storie s can pow e r your gam e .
34

Te lls torie s
R oleplayin g gam e s are aboutstorie s.

Th is is h ow to te llth e m .

Te llStorie s
Ne ve r und e re stim ate h ow im portant storie s are in

role playing. W h e n you're pl aying a gam e , you're
te l
ling a story.
Eve n in th e m ost b asic d unge on craw l , th e re 's a story:

you start in an inn, w h e re a m yste rious strange r
invite s you to e xpl ore a d unge on. You sl ash your w ay
th rough th e d unge on. Final l y, you m e e t a h uge
cre ature , w h ich you k il
l, and tak e its tre asure .
Th at structure is a story and is im portant. If th e

ad ve nture h ad no structure - if you found tre asure at
th e d unge on e ntrance , k il
le d an orc, th e n sud d e nl
y
found a tunne lth at l e d to safe ty - it w oul d m ak e no
se nse .
H e re , "story" ne e d n't m e an a fairytal e . It ne e d n't m e an

d ram a and te ars. It just m e ans th at, from th e start of
th e gam e to th e e nd , e ve ryth ing fits toge th e r.
ld e scrib e trick s to te l
lstorie s: to start
th e m , e nd th e m and m ak e th e m spark l e . M any of
th e se trick s ove rl ap, b ut th e y're b e st consid e re d
se parate l y.
Te lls torie s
36

Cre ate routine s and bre ak th e m
H e re 's a sim pl
e , e ffe ctive trick to starta story.
Cre ate a routine .
• W e are d rink ing in a tave rn.
• W e are h unting in th e w il
d e rne ss.
• I am m e nd ing m y arm our.
Th e n d o som e th ing to b re ak th atroutine .
• W e are d rink ing in a tave rn...
... w h e n a m yste rious strange r approach e s us.

d e rne ss...

... w h e n w e h e ar a roar l
oud e r th an w e h ave e ve r
h e ard b e fore .
• I am m e nd ing m y arm our...
... w h e n I notice it d oe s not b e nd w h e n I h it it

w ith th e h am m e r.
Th e re are se ve ralw ays to b re ak any give n routine .
• W e are d rink ing in a tave rn:
... w h e n a m yste rious strange r approach e s us.

... w h e n an arrow th ud s into th e w al
lne ar us.
37

... w h e n w e sm e l
lsm ok e .
You'l lintuitive ly se nse w h e n th e routine ne e d s to b e
b rok e n. W h e n you fe e lsom e th ing ne e d s to h appe n,
b re ak th e routine .
W h e n you b re ak th e routine , you can cre ate a ne w

routine . You can th e n b re ak th at. By continuing, you
can te l
la story:
d e rne ss...
... w h e n w e h e ar a roar l
oud e r th an w e h ave e ve r
h e ard b e fore .
• W e go tow ard s th e roar...
... b uta m yste rious force is h ol

d ing us b ack .
• W e are trying to find a w ay round th e m yste rious
force ...
... w h e n a w itch d octor approach e s us.

• W e are tal
k ing to th e w itch d octor...
... w h e n sh e b e gins to transform into som e th ing

else .
A nd , w ith th atsim pl
e trick , w e 've b e gun a story.
38

Cre ate platform s and add a tilt
W h e n you cre ate a pl atform , you starta sce ne in a w ay

th atisn'tinstantl y d ram atic.
For e xam pl
e:
Pl
aye r 1: "I sitd ow n. 'Eve ning, D ave .'"
GM : "Th e b arm an l ook s atyou. H e fl ick s h is
e ye s to a tank ard ofal e h e 'd poure d as
you cam e in. 'You'l lb e w anting th at.'"
Pl
aye r 1: "'Ye ah ,' I say, d rink ing it. 'Q uie tin h e re ,
isn'tit?'"
and so on.
W h e n you ad d a til
t, you introd uce th e d ram a.
Pl
aye r 1: "I d raw m y sw ord and aim th e pointath is

th roat. 'It's too q uie t, D ave . W h ath ave
you d one w ith e ve ryb od y?'"
H e re , th e platform is as im portant as th e til t: th at is,

th e cal m pre ce d ing th e d ram a is as im portant as th e
d ram a itse l f. D uring th e pl atform , w e ad d colour, w e
ge t to k now th e ch aracte rs. W h e n th e til t com e s, th e
d ram atic force is gre ate r.
M ost pe opl e instinctive l

y re alise th e im portance of a
calm b e fore th e storm . For e xam pl e , fe w gam e s of
D ogs In Th e Vine yard startw ith instantd ram a:
GM : "A s you rid e into A sh Brid ge , a w om an

ye ll
s 'Th e y're trying to k il
lm y b ab y!'"
39

Inste ad , w e b e gin w ith pl
atform -b uil
d ing:
GM : It's an col d autum n d ay and you rid e into

A sh Brid ge . Th e tow n se e m s d e se rte d .
Pl
aye r: I te th e r m y h orse at...can w e say th e re 's a
w el lin th e ce ntre oftow n?
GM : Sure .
Pl
aye r: I te th e r m y h orse atth e w e l l. I h e ad
tow ard s th e inn.
GM : O K , th e re 's a tiny h oste l ry across th e w ay.
A s you w al k in, th e b ark e e p straigh te ns
up.
...and so on. A l
lth e non-d ram atic d e tail
s ad d to th e
story.
A s w ith b re ak ing routine s, you w il linstinctive l

y k now
w h e n th e tilt sh oul d com e . A fte r b uil
d ing a platform
for a w h il e , you'l l re al
ise th at som e th ing ne e d s to
h appe n. Th at's th e tim e for a til

t.
40

Cre ate a s tatus re lations h ip and alte r it
H e re 's anoth e r w ay of th ink ing ab out pl

atform s and
til
ts.
W h e n you b uil d a pl atform , you e stab lish a status

re l
ationsh ip b e tw e e n tw o ch aracte rs. W h e n you til
t,
you ch ange th e status re l ationsh ip.
For e xam pl e : at th e b e ginning of th e sce ne , you b ully

th e b arte nd e r for inform ation, e stab l ish ing yourse lf as
h igh e r status th an h im . H al fw ay th rough , th e
b arte nd e r prod uce s a sh otgun, raising h is status and
low e ring yours.
Cre ate a s tatus re lations h ip and alte r it

Eve ryth ing e l
se ab out platform s stil
lappl ie s. You m ust
give th e status re l ationsh ip tim e to b uil d . You'l
l
instinctive l
y k now w h e n to al te r th e status
re l
ationsh ip.
For ful le ffe ct, k e e p b oth id e as of pl

atform s and til
ts in
m ind .
41

Cre ate a m ys te ry and s olve it
In your storie s, cre ate m yste rie s, th e n sol

ve th e m .
Tilts are good for cre ating m yste rie s. H e re are som e
m yste ry-cre ating til
ts:
• "You re al
ise th e b e e r is poisone d !" (W h o poisone d
it?)
• "Th e b arte nd e r says 'I k now w h o k il le d your

b roth e r, b utit'l
lcostyou.'" (W h o k il
le d h im ?)
• "Be h ind th e b ar is a trapd oor!" (W h e re d oe s it

le ad ?)
For com parison, try tak ing th e m yste ry out.
• "You re al ise th e b arte nd e r h as poisone d your b e e r,

Cre ate a m ys te ry and s olve it
to b ring you to justice !"
• "Th e b arte nd e r says 'I k il

le d your b roth e r, b e cause
h e w as sle e ping w ith m y w ife .'"
• "Be h ind th e b ar is a trapd oor m ark e d 'To th e

se w e rs'"
Th e y're stil
ltilts, b ut th e y're w e ak e r: th e m yste ry h as
gone and , w ith it, te nsion and anticipation.
42

D e live r on your prom is e s
A nton Ch e k h ovw as q uote d as saying:
"Ifyou say in th e firstch apte r th atth e re is a rifl

e
h anging on th e w al l
, in th e se cond or th ird ch apte r it
ab sol
ute ly m ustgo off. Ifit's notgoing to b e fire d , it
sh ould n'tb e h anging th e re ."
In gam e s, w e prom ise th ings, w h e th e r w e m e an to or

not. For e xam ple:
• "Th e tre asure is guard e d b y a m igh ty ogre ."
... prom ise s a figh tw ith th e ogre .

• "No-one h as e ve r e scape d from th atprison."
... prom ise s th e playe rs w il

lb e im prisone d and
atte m ptto e scape .
• "Th e re is m yste rious m agic b re w ing."
... prom ise s w e 'l

lse e itin action.
D e live r on your prom is e s
W h e n prom ise s are ful fille d , it's satisfying; w h e n
th e y're l
e ftunful
fil
le d , it's d issatisfying.
Th e d ifficulty, h e re , is th at you can accid e ntal l

y
prom ise som e th ing. A s a GM , if you d e scrib e a prison
from w h ich no-one h as e ve r e scape d , you've prom ise d
an e scape atte m pt. O nce prom ise d , you m ustd e l
ive r.
M ak e prom ise s in your gam e s and k e e p th e m . Be

aw are of w h at you prom ise accid e ntal
l y, and k e e p
th ose prom ise s too.
43

Re incorporate
W h e n you re incorporate , you b ring b ack som e th ing

from e arl ie r in th e story. A l th ough th e trick is sim pl
e,
it's m agical : it cre ate s th e il
lusion of structure , giving
th e e ffe ct th at you'd pl anne d th is al l al ong.
R e incorporation b rings storie s, or part of a story, to an
e nd .
For e xam pl
e:
• Your fath e r give s you a sm al

lsil
ve r k e y as you
l
e ave h om e
... Late r, it ope ns th e ch e st afte r you k il

l th e
d ragon.
• A m yste rious ol
d m an give s you a scrol
l.
... Late r, th e m agicald oor ope ns w h e n you re ad it.

• Your aunt w ave s to you in th e fie l
d s, w aving h e r
k nitting.
... Late r, sh e 's tak e n h ostage .

... Late r still, sh e use s h e r k nitting ne e d l
e to
unpick h e r rope s.
Re incorporate
Note th at th e re 's no forw ard pl anning h e re . W h e n you

d e cid e d your fath e r gave you a sil ve r k e y, you h ad n't
im agine d it m igh t ope n a ch e st. Th at d e cision cam e
late r. If th e re h ad n't b e e n a ch e st, pe rh aps th e k e y
w oul d h ave ope ne d a d oor.
44

A num be r guide line
You sh oul d usually Be yond th re e , you m ust
re incorporate once , tw ice incorporate m any tim e s, to
or m any tim e s. d e ve lop a th e m e . Th e final
tim e , itch ange s.
R e incorporating once is
sim pl e: you introd uce • Th e ol d m an give s you
som e th ing e arl y in th e a m yste rious scrol l
,
story; it re appe ars tow ard s w h ich you cannotre ad .
th e e nd .
• Th at nigh t, you l
ook at
• Th e old m an give s you a th e scroll, b ut cannot
m yste rious scrol
l, w h ich re ad it.
you cannotre ad .
• You sh ow it to th e
• But, as th e d ragon b e ars sh opk e e pe r, who
d ow n on you, you cannotre ad it.
sud d e nl
y und e rstand it.
• You sh ow it to th e
R e incorporating tw ice use s k nigh t, w h o cannot
th e R ul e of Th re e . re ad it.
Som e th ing h appe ns; it
h appe ns again; b ut th e • Eve n th e sage , in th e
th ird tim e , itch ange s. h ill
s, cannotre ad it.
• Th e old m an give s you a • But, as th e d ragon b e ars

A num be r guide line
m yste rious scrol

l, w h ich d ow n on you, you
you cannotre ad . sud d e nl
y und e rstand it.
• Be fore you e nte r th e

cave , you look again,
b utstil
lcannotre ad it.
• But, as th e d ragon b e ars

d ow n on you, you
sud d e nl
y und e rstand it.
45

Im portantly, th e ite m you re incorporate w il lofte n b e
part of th e pl atform . Th is is an im portant re ason to
b uil
d platform s: th e m ore d e tail s in th e pl
atform , th e
m ore opportunitie s th e re are to re incorporate .
Try re incorporating d iffe re nt th ings: ob je cts, pe opl

e,
locations.
Som e tim e s, re incorporation m ay se e m nonse nse .

H e re 's an e xam pl
e:
... A s th e d ragon b e ars d ow n on you, you

prod uce a l ittl
e sil ve r k e y, and inse rt it into a
k e yh ol
e in its le g. A s you turn, itfalls, d e ad .
H ow e ve r, you'l
lb e surprise d h ow far you can push it.
Th ings th at, at first sigh t, se e m une xpe cte d , ofte n
m ak e surprising se nse w h e n you say th e m :
... A s th e d ragon b e ars d ow n on you, you

prod uce a l ittl
e silve r k e y, and inse rt it into a
d usty k e yh ol e in th e floor. A trapd oor ope ns,
se nd ing th e d ragon pl um m e tting into th e
Th e trouble w ith trouble
d e pth s ofth e m ountain.
M any pe ople m istak e "troub l

e " for pl
ot. If you're th e
GM , "troub le " m e ans th row ing nasty stuff at th e
playe rs:
46

An orde ring guide line
As a guid e l
ine : Butth is is b e tte r:
re incorporate th ings in th e
re ve rse ord e r th e y w e re 1. W h e n you l e ave h om e ,
introd uce d . your fath e r give s you a
sil
ve r k e y.
For e xam pl
e , th is story...
2. Th e m an in th e tave rn
1. W h e n you l e ave h om e , w arns you not to l
ook at
your fath e r give s you a th e d ragon.
sil
ve r k e y.
3. Th e re are m yste rious
2. Th e m an in th e tave rn w ord s w ritte n on th e
w arns you not to l
ook at city w al
l.
th e d ragon.
4. Th e m yste rious w ord s
3. Th e re are m yste rious ope n th e d ragon's l
air.
w ord s w ritte n on th e
city w al
l. 5. You d on't l ook at th e
d ragon as you k il
lit.
4. Th e sil
ve r k e y ope ns th e
d ragon's lair. 6. Th e silve r k e y ope ns th e
ch e st th e d ragon
5. You d on't l ook at th e guard e d .
d ragon as you k il
lit.
An orde ring guide line
6. Th e m yste rious w ord s

ope n th e ch e st th e
d ragon guard e d .
...is O K .
47

• A b om b goe s off!
• Sw ord sm e n b urstin!
• Sh e pul
ls a gun!
Tw o particul
ar m istak e s th atGM s m ak e are :
• O pe ning a story w ith troub l

e : for e xam pl
e,
starting w ith a figh t.
• A d d ing too m uch troub l e : afte r th e sw ord figh t,

th e re 's an e xpl
osion, th e n a d ragon attack s!
R e m e m b e r pl atform s and til ts: h e re , th e troub l e

corre spond s to a til t. But you ne e d a pl atform b e fore
th e til t: th at is, you ne e d cal m , non-d ram atic
storyte l ling b e fore th e d ram a.
W ith out th at pl atform , th e story fe e l

s l
igh tw e igh t: you
w on't care ab out th e ch aracte rs or w h at's h appe ning.
Al so, th e re w il
lb e noth ing to re incorporate , to e nd th e
story.
Note th at m e ntalattitud e pl ays a part. R e l

axe d GM s
h appil y le t th e calm ne ss pl
ay out, introd ucing troub l
e
w h e n itse e m s natural.
A nxious GM s, ne rvous th at th e gam e isn't w ork ing,

w ant action. Th e y cre ate troub l e . Th e n, w h e n th e story
fails, b e cause th e y ad d e d too m uch troub l e , th e y ad d
m ore troub l e . A noth e r sw ord figh t! Fire b al ls! A nd
th ings go from b ad to w orse .
48

Tw o good w ays ofs tarting s torie s w ith trouble
H e re are tw o e xce ptions to 2. O nl y afte rw ard s w oul d
th e rule : d on't start a story th e re b e a m urd e r: a til
t.
w ith troub l e. Th e inve stigation
w oul d occupy th e ne xt
1.Th e Jam e s Bond w ay partofth e b ook .
M any Jam e s Bond m ovie s
start w ith action b e fore th e 3. Final ly, in th e "th ird act",
cre d its: sk i-ing, e xpl
osions, th e m urd e re r w oul d be
gunfire , stunts. re ve aled.
Th e aud ie nce k now s th at M od e rn storie s, h ow e ve r,

th e story h asn't starte d ye t. b e gin w ith a m urd e r.
Th e y k now th at, afte r th e
cre d its, th e story starts, Th is "Bod y on Page O ne " is
Jam e s Bond and Th e Body On Page One

w ith a pe riod of cal m not troub l e . It is a trick :
storyte l ling (Bond e nte rs d e spite th e il lusion of
M 's office and th e m ission action, th is first m urd e r is
is e xpl aine d ). use d to introd uce th e
se tting and ch aracte rs.
We can use th is in
role playing gam e s. Start a Th is is a pl atform . Late r,
gam e w ith a figh t b ut, th e re w il l b e anoth e r
afte rw ard s, re al
ise th at th e m urd e r, and th atis th e til
t.
story m uststart.
A gain, w e can use th is in
rol e pl
aying gam e s. Be gin
2.Th e Body On Page One th e gam e w ith "action": a
British m urd e r m yste rie s, pub b raw l , a gre at b attl e.
such as A gath a Ch ristie 's, Be aw are th at th is action is
containe d th re e "acts". an il lusion and th at,
d uring it, you m ust
1. In th e first th ird of th e
introd uce th e ch aracte rs
b ook , th e ch aracte rs and
and b uild your pl atform .
se tting w e re introd uce d
(th e platform ).
49

M oraldilem m as
M orald il e m m as ad d spice . H e re 's a sim pl

e prob l
em ,
inte re sting in itse l
f:
• Th e d ragon attack s you.
Ifw e ch ange itto:
• Ignoring you, th e d ragon attack s th e oth e r party

m e m b e rs. Be h ind it, you se e gol
d , e nough for you
to re tire .
W e ad d th e d il e m m a: w il
lyou h e l
p your col
le ague s or
tak e th e tre asure ?
O f course , not e ve ryth ing ne e d b e a m orald il

e m m a.
W e ne e d n'tch ange sim ple prob l e m s:
• Th e ch asm is four foot w id e , b ut you m igh t jum p

it.
By forcing in a m orald il
e m m a:
• Th e ch asm is four foot w id e , b ut you m igh t jum p

it, if you could forge t th e m e m ory of your m oth e r
M oraldilem m as
saying "You'l lne ve r succe e d in anyth ing, son."
M orald il e m m as ad d spice : as w ith any spice , use in

m od e ration.
50

Ge tto th e action
Som e tim e s it's ob vious w h e re a gam e is going.
• W e 're going to k il
lth e usurpe r!
• W e 're ab outto d iscove r th e tre asure !
• W e 're going to uncove r th e m urd e re r!
But it se e m s too soon. Pe rh aps th e gam e se ssion l asts

tw o m ore h ours, so w e d on't w ant to e nd th e story. O r
pe rh aps w e 've just starte d th e task and fe e lit sh ould
b e h ard e r.
So w e stal
l. W e putob stacl
e s in th e w ay.
... Th e usurpe r isn't in th e room w e th ough t, b ut

m ile s aw ay!
... Th e tre asure is w orth l
e ss, b ut th e re 's a m ap to
th e re altre asure !
... Th e ph oto sh ow s th e m urd e re r, b ut th e face is
blurre d !
GM s, of course , are particul
arl
y notorious for stal
ling
Ge tto th e action
l
ik e th is.
But stal ling is d ul l. It d e l

ays th e story, inve nting
ob stacl
e s for th e ir ow n sak e . W e try to cl e ar th e
ob stacl
e , w ith l
ittl
e e nth usiasm .
51

Inste ad , d o th e th ing th at you th ink is h appe ning too
e arl
y:
... W e k il
lth e usurpe r!
... W e d iscove r th e tre asure !
... W e uncove r th e m urd e re r!
Th e n, d e cid e w h ath appe ns ne xt:
... W e b e com e th e ne w rul

e rs ofth e k ingd om .
... Th e tre asure w as stol
e n and th e ow ne r w ants it
b ack .
... W e m ustcapture th e m urd e re r.
A nd continue th e story.
K e e p th e action ons tage

K e e p th e action ons tage
Ne ve r d e scrib e action from a d istance :
• You're in th e court, w h e n a m e sse nge r b rings

ne w s ofa gre atb attl
e!
W h e n you can b ring th e action cl

ose r:
• You're in th e m id stofa gre atb attl

e!
52

Jus tify
Try b ringing som e th ing une xpl

aine d into th e story,
trusting you'l
ljustify itlate r.
W h il
e pl aying Lacuna, a pl aye r d e cid e d a M r
Ph ylacte ry w as invol ve d in a m yste ry. W e d id n't k now
w h o M r Ph yl acte ry w as, b ut truste d h e w oul d be
introd uce d , l
ate r. In th e follow ing gam e , w e e xpl ore d a
h ospital, and d e cid e d th e m anage r w as M r Ph yl acte ry.
Sim ilarl y, w h ile pl aying Pol aris, I re fe rre d to m y

ch aracte r's Starl igh t H am m e r. W e 'd ne ve r m e ntione d
th is b e fore , b ut truste d it w oul d b e e xpl aine d late r,
pe rh aps in a fl ash b ack . Itw as.
Try using an e m otion at anoth e r ch aracte r - b e angry,

b e scare d - and trust you'l
ljustify it l
ate r. A s you play
th e e m otion, you'l l re al
ise h ow to justify it: for
e xam ple , as you play angry, you'l lre al
ise w h y you're
angry.
Note th e ove rlap w ith cre ating m yste rie s. By cre ating
som e th ing to b e justifie d , you im pl icitl
y cre ate th e
m yste ry "W h at's th is th ing?". W h e n you justify, you
solve th atm yste ry.
Al so, note th e se nse of m isch ie f. Effe ctive l y, you are

th row ing som e th ing on th e tab l e and saying: "D e al
w ith th is!". You're scre w ing w ith th e oth e r playe rs, just
al ittl
e . W e 'l
lcom e b ack to th is se nse of m isch ie f in th e
Jus tify
finalch apte r.
53

M oving forw ard
In th is se ction, I've d e scrib e d m any trick s to te l l

storie s. D uring a gam e , you w on't re m e m b e r th e m al l.
Ind e e d , you w oul d n't w ant to: it's b e tte r to use one
trick e ffe ctive l
y th an al latonce .
K e e p allth e se trick s at th e b ack of your m ind . Use

e ach w h e n itse e m s righ t.
54

W ork
toge th e r
Th e w ay you play w ith oth e rs

w illm ak e or bre ak
your gam e .

W ork Toge th e r
In th is finalse ction, I'l

ltal k ab out w ork ing w ith oth e r
playe rs. W h at m ak e s you fun to pl ay w ith ? H ow can
you w ork toge th e r to m ak e th e gam e b e tte r?
Firstl
y, I'l l d e scrib e th e positive sid e : giving oth e r
playe rs a good tim e , trusting, l
osing grace ful ly.
But th e n I'l le xpl ore th e d ark e r sid e : m e ssing w ith

oth e r pl aye rs, tak ing risk s, d oing th ings you find
d ifficul t. Provid ing you've got th e positive sid e , too,
th e se e d gie r te ch niq ue s w il
lspice up your gam e .
Final ly, I'l

ld iscuss th e th e atricalsid e of gam ing, w h ich
ofte n ge ts ove rl
ook e d : playing w ith e ne rgy, putting on
a sh ow .
W ork Toge th e r
56

Give th e oth e r guy a good tim e
O fte n, w e try to m ak e gam e s fun for ourse l ve s.

Inste ad , conce ntrate on m ak ing gam e s fun for
som e one e l se . W ork out w h at th e guy opposite e njoys,
th e n give itto h im .
Try th is as a GM . If a pl aye r tak e s e ve ry gun h e can

carry, give h im th ings to sh oot. If som e one q ue stions
suspe cts, give h e r m yste rie s to solve .
Try itas a pl aye r. If th e pe rson opposite is l

ook ing for a
m urd e re r, assist h im . If som e one is h unting out
conspiracie s, conspire againsth e r.
A nd l ook for socialcue s. If som e one 's e ye s l igh t up

b e fore com b at, th row m onste rs at h im . But l ook for
ne gative s: if a pl aye r l
ook s uninte re ste d w h e n you
Give th e oth e r guy a good tim e

starta figh t, d rop it.
D on't b e afraid to ask . A t th e start of gam e s, ask "W h at

d o you w ant in th is gam e ?". In th e m id d le , try "H ow 's
it going for you?". A nd afte rw ard s, "H ow d id you find
th at?".
Al lth is, of course , is re late d to our e arlie r conce pt of

Build ing O n Id e as. H ow e ve r, b uil d ing on id e as is
ab outth e story: th is is ab outth e pe ople.
57

Los e grace fully
W h e n you l ose , l
ose e nth usiastical l
y: re l
ish l
osing
figh ts, b e ing caugh t, b e ing b e rate d .
Th e n, w h e n you d ie , e njoy it. D ie gl

oriousl
y. Narrate
your d e ath sce ne .
Losing grace ful ly is, pe rh aps, th e m ost im portant trick

you can l e arn. If you can sm il e as you d ie
ignom iniousl y, you'lle njoy e ve ryth ing e l
se .
Trus t
Trust th e oth e r playe rs. Trust th e y’re good ; trust th e y

lik e you;trustth e y’re look ing outfor you.
Force yourse l f to trust th e m e ve n if you can ’t. Force

yourse l f to l ik e th e m , e ve n if you d on ’t. Trust th e y’re
Los e grace fully.Trus t.
good , e ve n ifth e y’re bad .
Trusting oth e r pl aye rs isn't ab out w h e th e r you

ge nuine l
y trust th e m : it's ab out m ak ing play b e tte r. If
you’re m istrustful , you’l l pl ay care ful ly and
conse rvative ly. Inste ad , force yourse l f to trust, and
you’lltak e risk s.
You'llalw ays find som e th ing you l ik e /trust/appre ciate

ab out anoth e r pl aye r. Find th ose th ings, re m ind
yourse l
fofth e m , and you'l lplay b e tte r toge th e r.
58

D uring a re ce ntgam e , th e gam e r opposite irritate d m e .
H e w as l oud , forth righ t and insiste d on pl aying a
particular ch aracte r.
I force d m yse l f to trust h im , re m ind ing m yse l f of

th ings I appre ciate d : h is id e as w e re good ; h e l
iste ne d ;
h e w asn’ta w allfl
ow e r.
D uring th e gam e , I w ante d to e ave sd rop on h im , b ut

w asn’tsure w h e th e r h e ’d l
ik e it. I ask e d , nice l
y. H e said
ye s. Th e sce ne w as supe rb .
A fte r th e gam e , I stil

ld id n’t l
ik e h im . But, b e cause I'd
force d m yse lfto trust, th e gam e h ad gone b e tte r.
Scre w w ith e ach oth e r
So far, I've d e scrib e d pl aying w ith oth e rs as co-

ope rative . H e re 's th e d ark e r sid e .
Scre w w ith e ach oth e r
D on't pl ay nice ly. M isb e h ave . Scre w w ith th e GM and
oth e r pl aye rs. D o th is nice ly, b ut d o it. W h e n you're
w el l-b e h ave d , you're conve ntional : w h e n you b re ak
th e rul e s, you im prove th e gam e .
R e ce ntl
y, I pl aye d R une q ue st, and w asn't e njoying it.
A n h our in, a d ragon fl e w tow ard s us, re ad y for a
figh t. Se ve ral tim e s, I rol le d to attack and m isse d .
Bore d , I d e cid e d to m isb e h ave .
"I w ave m y arm s and sh out," I te l

lth e GM . "I w antitto
59

fly at m e ." H e l
ook s surprise d , so I ch e ck : "Is th at O K ?
I d on'tw antto m e ss up th e gam e ."
"Sure ." h e says, and th e d ragon fl ie s at m e , w h ich

pl e ase s th ose pl
aye rs w h o w e re avoid ing th e figh t. W e
rol land , m iracul ousl y b ut w ond e rful l
y, I k nock th e
d ragon unconscious. Itpl ough s into th e sand .
Scre w w ith oth e r pl

aye rs, too, and l
e t th e m scre w w ith
you.
In a d ul lVam pire LA R P, tw o oth e r pl

aye rs approach e d
m e . Th e y w e re pl
aying M orm ons and atte m pte d to
conve rtm e .
For h al f an h our, th e y scre w e d w ith m y ch aracte r's

h e ad , se nd ing h im m ad . Playing th at m ad ch aracte r
w as m uch m ore fun.
Try m isb e h aving in gam e s. It's fun to m isb e h ave and

fun to b e m e sse d w ith . If you're saying "Scre w it,
le t's...", atl
e astonce pe r gam e , you're d oing itrigh t.
Scre w it, let's ...
60

Tak e ris k s
O fte n, w e play care ful l

y, afraid to fail
. W e sit q uie tl
y,
afraid to tak e risk s in case w e "pl
ay w rong".
W h e n I b e gan pl aying Vam pire LA R Ps, I w as

intim id ate d b y e xpe rie nce d pl aye rs in th e ir fl ow ing
costum e s. I w as w arne d th at ol d e r pl aye rs e xploite d
ne w one s. I w as e ncourage d to pl ay anoth e r pl aye r's
se rvant, to "l e arn th e gam e ", b ut w h e n I d id , nob od y
tal k e d to m e .
W h e n I stoppe d b e ing cautious, th e gam e b e cam e

e xciting. I pl aye d risk il y. I ch arge d into b attl
e. I
insul te d oth e rs. It w as fun and , to m y surprise , th e
e xpe rie nce d playe rs d id n'tk il
lm e .
Try th is in your gam e s. D on't h ol d b ack : ch arge

forw ard and corre ct m istak e s l ate r. Trust oth e rs to
corre ct you if you go w rong. Pl ay gam e s untilth e y
b re ak . D o th ings, d e l
ib e rate l
y, th at m igh t b e m istak e s,
b utm igh tb e fun.
A s th e GM , e ncourage pl aye rs to m ak e m istak e s. Be a

safe ty ne t: w h e n th e y tak e risk s and fail,le tth e m putit
righ t. By saving th e m w h e n th e y fail , you'l le ncourage
th e m to tak e risk s.
Tak e ris k s
61

D o th ings you don'tw antto do
If you find som e th ing d ifficul t, d o it untilit's not. If

som e th ing scare s you, d o it untilit d oe sn't. If a gam e
b ore s you, play it, and m ak e itw ork for you.
Th e re is a gam e cal l
e d Bacch anal , ab out se x and
d e b auch e ry, w h ich I am afraid to pl ay. I'm too ne rvous
to sugge st pl aying it, too appre h e nsive to run it. W h e n
I m e ntion itto oth e rs, th e y l
ook ne rvous too. Be cause it
scare s m e , I sh oul d play it.
Playing gam e s th at scare you push e s your b ound arie s.

Playing gam e s th at b ore you m ak e s you d iscove r ne w
w ays to pl
ay.
Try d oing th is at gam e s conve ntions. Pl

ay gam e s you'd
usual ly avoid and m ak e th e m fun.
D o th ings you don'tw antto do
I re ce ntl
y pl aye d Trave l le r at a conve ntion. I'd ne ve r
pl aye d Trave l le r and im agine d it b oring. Inste ad , it
w as gl oriousl y ol d -fash ione d : I fe l
tl ik e a te e nage r,
pl aying a space m an w ith a l ase r pistol . For th re e
h ours, I conspire d against oth e r pl aye rs, e njoying
e ve ry m om e nt.
R e alise th e th ings you avoid , and d o th e m . If you

d islik e se xuald e scriptions, d e scrib e se xualacts. If you
find com b at ch aracte rs b oring, pl ay one , and m ak e it
w ork for you.
62

D o itagain
If a m usician stoppe d , m id -song, and starte d again,

sh e 'd b e th ough t incom pe te nt. In rol e pl
aying gam e s,
h ow e ve r, w e can ch ange th ings w e d on't l ik e : "H aving
my l e g b rok e n is d ull. Can m y arm b e b rok e n
inste ad ?". Ifa sce ne isn'tw ork ing, w e can stop it.
Use th is. If a sce ne is b oring, k il

lit. If a sce ne w ork s
b ad l
y, re startitor ch ange it.
I pl aye d D iana: W arrior Prince ss w ith M arcus

R ow l and , th e auth or. H e narrate d a d re am se q ue nce :
th e n re alise d it w asn't w ork ing. "I th ink I've m ad e a
m istak e h e re ," h e said , "Can w e go b ack ?". W e d id .
Puton a s h ow
W h e n Iain M cA l liste r runs Stitch , it's a pe rform ance .

D o itagain.Puton a s h ow .
Th e tab le 's ce ntre pie ce is th e cl
ock , w h ich ne ve r stops
running. H e points at it, using h is d ram atic voice :
"O nce th atcl ock starts, itd oe sn'tstop, for any re ason".
W h e n I run Lacuna, I k e e p a gl ass on th e tab l

e. W h en
playe rs e arn Static (w h ich m e ans d ange r), I d rop in a
glass b e ad , w h ich rings as it h its th e gl ass. Som e tim e s,
I'l
lh ol d a b e ad ove r th e gl ass, th re ate ningl
y, w h il e
talk ing to a pl aye r. Som e tim e s, I'l
lcountth e b e ad s, and
say "Ne arl y".
63

K e ary Birch , w h o runs Cal lof Cth ul h u gam e s, sits
playe rs at a tab l e , w h il
e h e stal
k s around th e m . In one
gam e , h e d e scrib e d a sub -h um an cre ature , staring and
w h ining. H e continue d w h ining, staring at us, untilw e
w e re th orough l y d isturb e d .
W e m iss m uch b y not putting on a sh ow . O fte n,

gam ing is a se d e ntary activity, pl
aye rs and GM
h unch e d ove r th e tab l
e.
Inste ad , m ak e gam e s a pe rform ance : use your voice ,

use your b od y, use props. D o th is e spe cial l
y as th e
GM : use th e pow e r re l ationsh ip w ith th e playe rs to
m e ss w ith th e m . Th e y're in your h and s. Ente rtain
th e m .
Ene rgy
A t a conve ntion gam e , th e pl aye rs arrive d q uie tly.

Th e y sat d ow n, said h e l
lo, look e d suspicious. I ask e d
w h at th e y w ante d from th e gam e and got no answ e r:
one justsaid "I w antto pl ay!". Th e gam e ne ve r took off.
Earl ie r in th e d ay, I'd m ad e th e sam e e rror. I'd

unw il lingl
y joine d a R une q ue st gam e , afte r th e gam e
I'd re giste re d for w as ove rsub scrib e d . I sat d ow n,
annoye d , and h ope d oth e rs w oul d e nte rtain m e . Th e y
d id n't.
Ene rgy
Le t's b e b l
unt: your job , as a pl
aye r, is to pl
ay w ith
64

e ne rgy. If you're uninspire d , if you sit d ow n tire d , if
you e xpe ct oth e rs to e nte rtain you: you're not d oing
your job .
If a singe r sang une nth usiastical ly, sh e 'd b e out of th e

b and ; if an actor w as unconvincing b e cause "h e w as
tire d ", h e 'd b e sack e d . Sim il
arly, rol e pl aying is a
cre ative e nd e avour: if you d o it h al f-h e arte d l
y, it
d oe sn'tw ork .
Ene rgy is ab out al e rtne ss, liste ning, re acting,

focussing, b e ing on th e b al l
. Sportsm e n d e scrib e it as
b e ing "in th e z one ". You can pl ay q uie tly, and
inte nse l
y, w ith e ne rgy. You can say noth ing and d o it
w ith e ne rgy: you'llb e liste ning and re acting.
D on't m istak e b e ing l

oud for e ne rgy. If you're trying to
b e ce ntre ofatte ntion, you're d oing itw rong.
H ow d o you pl ay w ith e ne rgy? Ste ala trick from

actors and sportsm e n: to pre pare yourse l f, w arm up.
W ork out w h at ge ts you in th e m ood to pl ay. For
e xam pl
e , h e re 's w h atge ts m e focusse d :
• Notd rink ing al

coh ol(untilafte r th e gam e ).
• Not h aving too m uch coffe e (unl

e ss it's a
h ype ractive gam e ).
• Sitting q uie tl
y for a fe w m inute s, pre fe rab l
y in th e
sun.
W arm up
• W al
k ing around .
• Fl
ick ing th rough th e gam e te xt.
65

• Ensuring I h ave e ve ryth ing I ne e d .
• Ge tting e nough sl e e p or, if I can't, ge tting up e arl

y
e nough to b e aw ak e for th e gam e .
• H aving b re ak fastb e fore a m orning gam e .
• Avoid ing stod gy l

unch e s, e spe cial
ly ch ips.
W h e n I GM conve ntion gam e s, I tak e th is se riously. A n

h our b e fore th e gam e , I w and e r off al
one and re ad m y
gam e te xt. I avoid d rink ing and e atw e l l.
W h e n pl aying casual ly, of course , I'm l

e ss punctilious:
th e re 's l
ittl
e tim e afte r w ork to pre pare . H ow e ve r, I
w al k to th e gam e , to re lax, and d o a crossw ord to
forge tab outw ork .
Eve ryone is d iffe re nt. You k now w h at to d o to ge t

yourse l
fin th e m ood to pl ay. D o it.
Fitinto th e group
Fitinto th e group
Each of th e fol low ing id e as h ave fol

low e rs, w h o th ink
itis th e "righ t" w ay to play:
• Th e GM sh oul
d run th e ad ve nture .
• W h e n th e GM runs pl aye rs th rough "h is"

ad ve nture , th at's rail
road ing.
66

• Pl
aye r-ve rsus-pl
aye r gam e s are fun.
• Playe rs w h o act against oth e r pl

aye rs are
annoying.
• Ifth e GM re ad s pre -pre pare d te xt, it's b oring.
• W h e n th e GM re ad s pre -pre pare d te xt, it se ts th e

tone .
• Gam e s sh oul
d tack l
e se rious issue s
• Gam e s are for fun! K e e p se rious issue s outsid e !
• Be ing l
oud is good ! Itm e ans you're e nth usiastic!
• Be ing l
oud is inconsid e rate to pe opl
e around you.
W h e n pl aying w ith an unk now n group, ne ve r assum e

th e y agre e w ith your "corre ct" w ay to pl
ay.
W h e n introd ucing id e as th at m ay b e controve rsial,

tre ad care full
y. W h e n narrating se xualacts into th e
gam e , for e xam ple , w atch for socialcue s: if pe ople
look unsym path e tic, d rop it.
M ost im portantl y, tal

k to oth e r pl aye rs. A sk w h e th e r
som e th ing is acce ptab l
e : "Can I k il lyour ch aracte r's
w ife ?";"I w antto stop you, is th atO K ?".
Ne ve r assum e your id e as ab out gam ing are corre ct.

Th is, of course , applie s to al
lth e id e as in th is b ook .
Enjoy th e m , b ut introd uce th e m care ful ly, and tal k
w ith your group ab outth e m .
As k
67

Afte rw ord
A nd th at's th e e nd .
W il lyou use al lth e id e as from th is b ook in your

gam ing? Pe rh aps not al l. You'lluse th ose you l ik e
fre q ue ntl
y, oth e rs occasional ly and , pe rh aps, som e not
atal l.
But, of course , you sh oul d n't try to use allth e se id e as

at once . If you're conce ntrating on using e ve ry
te ch niq ue , you'l
lb e w ork ing too h ard to h ave fun.
Inste ad , k e e p th e conte nts of th is b ook in th e b ack of

your m ind . H ol d th e id e as ligh tl
y. W h e n you se e an
opportunity to use a te ch niq ue , use it, b ut d on't force
it. Use e ach id e a w h e n itse e m s naturalin your gam e .
You'l ll ik e som e te ch niq ue s in th is b ook m ore th an

oth e rs. Use your favourite te ch niq ue s: b ut, al so, use
th e one s you find d ifficul t or uninte re sting. If you
lik e d th e Te llStorie s se ction, b ut not th e Status se ction,
th e n try th e te ch niq ue s from th e Status se ction. M ak e
th e m w ork for you.
Enjoy your gam e s
Ge t in touch and te l lm e h ow th e se id e as w ork in your

gam e s. M y e m ailis grah am @th ie ve softim e .com . You
can al so visit m e, on th e w e b, at
w w w .th ie ve softim e .com . I look forw ard to h e aring
from you.
Th ank you for re ad ing. Enjoy your gam e s.
68

Glos s ary ofGam e s
H e re are d e scriptions of th e gam e s I've use d in th e

e xam pl e s. Th e y're l
iste d in th e ord e r I d iscove re d th e
gam e s.
D un ge on s an d D ragon s
Now pub l ish e d b y W iz ard s O fTh e Coast
h ttp://w w w .w iz ard s.com /d nd
Th e gam e I playe d th rough m y te e nage ye ars, w h e n it

w as cal l
e d A d vance d D unge ons and D ragons. A
classic fantasy ad ve nture gam e .
CallofCth ulhu
Ch aosium , Inc
h ttp://w w w .ch aosium .com /
A n inve stigative h orror gam e , b ase d on th e w ork s of H

P Love craft. I ow ne d it as a te e nage r b ut h ard l
y playe d
it. Now , I find it th e m ost re l
iab ly fun gam e to pl ay at
conve ntions.
Vam pire : Th e M asque rad e , M in d 's Eye Th e atre

Th e Gam e s
W h ite W ol f
h ttp://w w w .w h ite -w ol
f.com /
In m y l
ate tw e ntie s, I pl
aye d th e l
ive -action ve rsion of
Vam pire , cal
le d M ind 's Eye Th e atre . Th rough out th e
69

b ook , I've re fe rre d to itas th e "Vam pire LA R P".
Vam pire h as now b e e n re w ritte n as Vam pire : Th e

R e q uie m . Th e re is al
so a ne w M ind 's Eye Th e atre
ve rsion.
M y Life W ith M aste r

b y PaulCz e ge , H al fM e m e Pre ss
h ttp://w w w .h al
fm e m e .com /
In m y th irtie s, I d iscove re d sm all-pre ss gam e s. Th is

w as th e first I d iscove re d and one of th e b e st. You pl
ay
th e m inions ofan e vilM aste r. Fun and d isturb ing.
D ogs In Th e Vin e yard

b y D . Vince ntBak e r, l
um ple y gam e s
h ttp://w w w .l
um ple y.com /
Th e oth e r gre at sm al l-pre ss gam e . You're a gunm an,

roam ing an al te rnative W il d W e st, d e l
ive ring God 's
jud ge m e nt.
H e roQ ue st
Pub l ish e d b y Issarie s, Inc
h ttp://w w w .gl oranth a.com /
Th e gam e s
A sm al
l-pre ss fantasy gam e b y R ob in D . Law s.
70

Bacch an al
b y PaulCz e ge , H al fM e m e Pre ss
h ttp://w w w .h al
fm e m e .com /
A gam e ab out d runk e nne ss, se x and d e b auch e ry,

w h ich scare s m e .
Th e Sh ab A l-H iri R oach

b y Jason M orningstar, Bully Pul pitGam e s
h ttp://w w w .b ul
lypul
pitgam e s.com /
A n od d , and w ond e rful, gam e , ab out acad e m ia, h orror

and an ancie nt te l
e path ic inse ct god . A t its h e art, it's a
gam e ab outpow e r, w h ich I h igh ly re com m e nd .
Lacun a PartI: Th e Cre ation ofth e M yste ry an d th e

Girlfrom Blue City
By Jare d Sore nson, M e m e nto M ori Th e atrick s
h ttp://w w w .m e m e nto-m ori.com /
A re ce nt d iscove ry and a w ond e rful sci-fi gam e .

M yste ry A ge nts d e sce nd into a m yste rious m ind -
w orl
d to h untsub ve rsive s.
Prim e tim e A d ve n ture s

Th e gam e s
b y M attW il son, D og-Eare d D e signs

h ttp://w w w .d og-e are d -d e signs.com /
A sm all-pre ss gam e ab out te l e vision d ram a: your

group cre ate s th e ir ow n TVsh ow .
71

Trave ller
O riginally pub lish e d b y Gam e s D e signe r's W ork sh op,
now d iffe re ntve rsions pub lish e d b y d iffe re ntpub lish e rs
A classic scie nce -fiction gam e , w h ich I d id n't d iscove r

untilm y th irtie s, w h e n I pl
aye d itata conve ntion.
D ian a: W arrior Prin ce ss

b y M arcus R ow l and
h ttp://w w w .h e l
iograph .com /d iana/
M arcus R ow l and 's b iz arre and w ond e rful gam e ,

w h ich im agine s th e Tw e ntie th Ce ntury se e n th rough
th e e ye s ofh istoricall
y inaccurate d ram a.
Stitch
b y Iain M cA l l
iste r (in d e ve l
opm e nt)
h ttp://w w w .giantb rain.co.uk /
A tim e -trave l gam e , pl aye d against th e cl

ock .
Curre ntl
y in d e ve l
opm e ntand look ing good .
R un e que st
O riginal
ly pub l
ish e d b y Ch aosium
Th e gam e s
A noth e r fantasy rol

e pl
aying gam e . w h ich I've pl
aye d
once .
72

Th ank s
Too m any pe opl e assiste d w ith th is b ook to re m e m b e r

accurate l
y, as I w illnow d e m onstrate .
Th e gre ate st th ank s go to K e ith Joh nstone , w h o

inve nte d th is styl e of im provisation, and R on
Ed w ard s, w h o starte d th e ind ie gam e th ing. W ith out
th e form e r, th is b ook coul d n't h ave b e e n w ritte n;
w ith outth e latte r, itw oul
d n'th ave b e e n pub l
ish e d .
Th ank you to Bay A re a Th e atre sports and Th e

Spontane ity Sh op (Tom Sal insk y and D e b orah France s
W h ite ) w h o taugh tm e im provisation.
Th ank you to e ve ryone w h o re ad th rough th e te xt and

sugge ste d im prove m e nts: Gre gor H utton, A nd re w
K e nrick , Ste ve "Im m e rse d " D e m pse y, Sim on "Te d ious"
R oge rs, M e gue y Bak e r, A l e x Frad e ra, D avid W alm sl ey
and Jason M orningstar. A l th ough I use d onl y h al
f your
corre ctions, I appre ciate d th e m al l.
Th ank you to Je ff Z ah ari, Sim on Carrye r and Ian (Isb o)

for corre cting th e gl
ossary ofgam e s.
Th ank you, al so, to e ve ryone w h o com m e nte d on m y

journal w ith sugge stions: Em il y Care , Joh nn Four,
w iz ofice , M arc M ajch e r, M att M ach e ll
, Se th Be n-Ez ra,
Fle isch , Claire Bick e ll, jm ac, Be n Joh nson, Pe r Fisch e r,
Th ank you
wml , Sam i, Ge orgios, PaulTe vis, jz n, PaulCz e ge , Fang

Langford , Brand R ob ins and e ve ryone w h o poste d to
ad ve rtise casino site s, includ ing, appare ntly, BillNigh y.
Th ank you to th e w e b site s Story Gam e s (w w w .story-
73

gam e s.com ), K nife Figh t (w w w .i-w oul d -k nife -figh t-a-
m an.com ) and Col le ctive End e avour (w w w .col le ctive -
e nd e avour.com ), w h e re I h ash e d outid e as.
Particul ar th ank s to th ose w h o com m e nte d on th e

th re ad "Bore m e ", e spe cial
ly Jarod Scott for al
low ing
m e to use h is q uote .
Th ank you to th e poste rs on th e th re ad "W h at h appe ns

ne xt?", e spe cially th ose w h o gave m e pe rm ission to
use th e ir q uote s: PaulCz e ge , R afae l
, W arre n, M atth ijs.
Particul ar th ank s to Paul, for q ualifying h is pe rm ission
w ith "unl e ss m y re sponse m ak e s m e l ook stupid ,
som e h ow ". Itd id n't.
Th ank s and apol ogie s to Ste ve n and K T ("Cal lM e

Curl y"), w h om I trie d to contact for pe rm ission, b ut
coul d n't find . I've use d th e q uote s anyw ay, b e cause
th e y w e re gre at. D o ge tin touch ifth at's annoying.
Th ank you to e ve ryone w h o h e l pe d m e w ith th e

introd uction, w h e n I w as stuck : Justin D . Jacob son,
PaulCz e ge , D avid D onach ie , Th or H anse n and Jam e y
Crook .
Th ank s to Lul u, th rough w h om th is b ook is pub l

ish e d ,
and th e m ak e rs ofScrib us and GIM P.
And goodnigh t
Th ank you al so to Basiland Til ly, our cats, for h e l

ping
b y w al
k ing ove r m y note s as I w as trying to re ad th e m .
Particul ar th ank s to Liz for h e r patie nce and , w h e n

th at ran out, for not h itting m e ove r th e h e ad w ith th e
sk il
le t.
74

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A s th e gam e progre sse s, it’s cl

Th e gam e goe s w e l l. Th e pl aye rs say th e y e njoye d th e

Th e n I took an im prov course . Th e sk il ls I le arnt –

Tommaso Galmacci (order #5111745)

Tommaso Galmacci (order #5111745)

Tommaso Galmacci (order #5111745)

Glos s ary ofgam e s 69

Tommaso Galmacci (order #5111745)

In th is b ook , I'l l tak e th e id e as I l e arnt in

To start, in Pl ay, I'l ld iscuss h ow rol e pl

A fte r th at, in Status , I'l

But th e h e art of th is b ook is Te l l

Be fore I start, th ough , le t's tak e a ste p b ack and l

Tommaso Galmacci (order #5111745)

W h at d o you w ant from th is b ook ? M any rol e pl aye rs

Now , of course , I’l l d e scrib e te ch niq ue s l ik e th is:

H ow e ve r, te ch niq ue s are onl y h al f th e story. M any of

• “Be m ore b oring!”

Pe rh aps you can se e se nse in th e se id e as now : for

Th rough out th is b ook , I’l le xpl ain b oth th e te ch niq ue

Tommaso Galmacci (order #5111745)

Th e id e as in th is b ook originate from K e ith Joh nstone ,

M any conce pts com e from h is b ook , Im pro. If you

K e ith Joh nstone ’s id e as h ave b e e n d e ve l ope d and

In th e e xam pl e s, I re fe r to d iffe re nt type s of gam e s:

Tommaso Galmacci (order #5111745)

R oleplayin g gam e s som e tim e s se e m lik e w ork :

Tommaso Galmacci (order #5111745)

Tommaso Galmacci (order #5111745)

O fte n, w e tre at gam ing l ik e a job . W e stud y rul

I re m e m b e r, as a te e nage r, pl aying D unge ons and

Late r, I carrie d m y w ork e th ic to Vam pire LA R Ps. I

But it’s a gam e . So w ork l

Th e re are tw o re asons. Firstl

Se cond l y, if you’re w ork ing h ard , you’re no fun to pl ay

Tommaso Galmacci (order #5111745)

W h e n I playe d Vam pire LA R Ps, I’d arrive ate ach gam e

Eve n now , I pl an in m y h e ad , al m ost unconsciousl y:

Firstl y, it d oe sn ’t w ork . Som e one m igh t say som e th ing

Se cond ly, it’s borin g. Sitting at th e tab le , push ing your

Th ird ly, th e stuff you m ak e up on th e fly is be tte r. W h e n

Now , not planning ah e ad is scary. W ith out a pl

Tommaso Galmacci (order #5111745)

b ack of your m ind . D on’t

Tommaso Galmacci (order #5111745)

D on’ttry to b e good atgam e s. D on’ttry to pl

W h e ne ve r I try to b e good , I’m b ad . I’ve give n

Now , I’ve b e e n e nte rtaining and b rilliant at th e tab l

W e ’ve allpl aye d w ith pe opl e w h o try to b e funny or

Inste ad , b e ave rage . Be b oring. Be d ul

Parad oxical ly, w h e n you try to b e b oring, you’re

In th e ir b ook M axim um Pe rform ance , Laure nce

Tommaso Galmacci (order #5111745)

Tommaso Galmacci (order #5111745)

D o th e ob vious th ing: th e th ing th at ob viousl y

For e xam pl e : in a gam e of Lacuna, a te am of age nts

A noth e r e xam pl e . I re m e m b e r running a sce ne , in a

A n ob vious id e a occurre d to m e . If th e ink w as b l

W h e n I said th is, pe opl e w e re sh ock e d , as if I’d said

Tommaso Galmacci (order #5111745)

Tommaso Galmacci (order #5111745)

Le tyour guard dow n