A Dark And Quiet Room

I was reminded of this article today, so I thought I’d share:

The Ten Points

It’s a brief discussion of game design in the style of Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. Very funny, and very true.

My son Samuel has big ambitions. He dreams up large projects and then shops around for people to help him. It’s a good thing that his mother is as crazy as he is.

And so, the latest result of this insanity: Samuel’s Goodies. Currently, Samuel has one video online about making snickerdoodles. I know that I’m biased and all, but they were really good. So, if you want to see how it’s done, check out Samuel’s Goodies.

I took vacation last week. I intended to write! I didn’t. But that’s okay. I enjoyed my vacation, particularly being able to celebrate my anniversary with Crystal yesterday. So, hopefully, I’ll be able to write more in the future.

This includes emails, by the way. I owe at least one person an email. I haven’t forgotten! Really!

A couple weeks ago, Gabrielle and Raquel played Showdown, my current game-in-development. They were so taken with the story they created that Gabrielle actually wrote it up and posted it on her blog. It’s in several parts, which you can find here:

Showdown Intro
Showdown Part 1
Showdown Part 2
Showdown Part 3
Showdown Part 4
Showdown Part 5
Showdown Part 6
Showdown Part 7
Showdown Part 8

The story doesn’t show the actual game mechanics in use, but it does give a sense of the kind of story that the game produces.

I still need beta testers. If you’re interested, leave a comment!

Down in comments, Lance wrote:

Poor has been well (and overly) defined by Mr. Scalzi on his blog.

I didn’t know what he was talking about, so I went poking.

And I found this: Being Poor

Yeah.

This.

I had a couple more thoughts to append to my post on privilege and responsibility.

1) When I say that the rich have certain responsibilities, I mean that they have certain ethical responsibilities. This is different than saying that they have certain legal responsibilities. It is the responsibility of the government to protect people from each other by (say) enforcing contracts and the like. It is not the responsibility of the government to require that the rich be charitable. Confiscatory taxation to fund social programs is totally contrary to what I’m talking about.

2) When I say that the rich have certain responsibilities, I’m generally talking about anyone who can read this blog. Is this a generalization? You betcha. However, I’ve noticed that people have a tendency to avoid calling themselves rich.

Here’s an example. For the last couple of years, my GenCon demo for Dirty Secrets has featured various members of the independent roleplaying community, who have graciously agreed to appear in my demo. As a result, I’ve asked several people to “stat” themselves out in Dirty Secrets terms. This means writing down your age, sex, race, social class, and legal status, each chosen from a specific list. The options for “social class” are simply rich, middle class, and poor. Most people were very uncomfortable identifying their social class, even though they generally settled on “middle class”. And, to be fair, it’s an awkward question. How do you go about answering that one? I mean, what social class are you?

But when these discussions come up, it’s often human nature to push ourselves toward the median. I mean, I’m not living in a house with a dirt floor, but I’m not in a mansion, you know? So I must not be poor or rich, right?

Of course, these categories aren’t tight; rather, they form a spectrum that shifts from “dirt poor” to “poor” to “working class” to “middle class” to “upper middle class” to “rich” to “filthy rich” to “Vanderbilt”. And that’s not really a fair spectrum either.

So, when considering these issues, don’t think about the “poor”. Think about “those who are poorer than me”. Specifically, think about “my neighbors who are poorer than me”. Because, as G.K. Chesterton pointed out, Jesus didn’t say, “Love humanity”. He said, “Love your neighbor.”

Jesse Schell on playtesting:

I hate playtesting….

Having people hate your work is probably one of the most painful parts of being a game designer. And playtesting is like an engraved invitation that reads:

You are cordially invited
to tell me why I suck
Bring a friend–Refreshments Served

–The Art of Game Design, page 391

Have I mentioned that I’m really enjoying this book? Actually, I don’t think I have. So….

I’m really enjoying this book. While it leans in the direction of videogame design, the book is more about the process of design than anything specifically electronic. If you’re at all interested in game design, I recommend this one highly.

It’s “Today I Die”!

Check this one out. It’ll take ten minutes, and it will satisfy your emo gaming needs.

You know, if you have some.

Sigh. I feel like I’m in the middle of a series of blog posts dedicated to removing whatever conservative credentials I might have left. Hmm. Never mind. That’s not really a bad thing. Because I’m not really a liberal, either. Be that as it may, I’m about to do something dangerous.

I’m going to talk about privilege.

Wikipedia files this concept under “dominant privilege” and offers this definition:

“Dominant privilege is a sociological concept describing the unearned advantages enjoyed by members of the dominant culture.”

There’s also a link to a syllabus about privilege (PDF).

Now, I’ll wave the tattered remnants of my conservatism and say that I generally get irritated by discussions of privilege. I’ve seen my share of privilege discussions, and they often go like this:

Non-white non-male: Waah! My life is so hard because The Man keeps me down.
White male: Are you sure The Man is keeping you down?
Non-white non-male: Shut up! You have privilege and therefore are incapable of understanding me or having any wisdom at all!

Or like this:

White male: I have privilege, and now I have guilt! I am a terrible person and refuse to be consoled, because I am white and male. I abase myself for my genetics.

Yeah, these sorts of conversations irritate me. A lot. So much that I’d be tempted to pitch the whole concept.

Except that it’s kinda true.

I tend to focus on socio-economic privilege, so let’s talk about the rich and the poor.

I love the wisdom literature of the Bible. Proverbs and Ecclesiastes just lay it out there without apology, explaining life the way it is. And, not surprisingly, both books say a lot about the rich and poor. For example, Proverbs 10:15 says:

A rich man’s wealth is his strong city;
the poverty of the poor is their ruin.

In a related passage, Ecclesiastes 7:12 says:

For the protection of wisdom is like the protection of money,
and the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of him who has it.

These passages lay out a simple fact: having money protects you. The rich have protection from the world, but the poor are exposed to additional suffering. Or, as my mother put it, having money makes life easier.

That’s privilege.

(Yes, I’m aware that the Bible is full of warnings about the deceitfulness of wealth. However, this is because wealth actually does bestow power, though not as much as the rich think.)

The conservative response to this fact tends to be something like this: “Sure, having money makes life easier. But, this is America. We all have an equal chance to get money. Those with money just did the work, while the poor just refused to work hard.” Really? Proverbs 22:7 says:

The rich rules over the poor,
and the borrower is the slave of the lender.

For all that we want to deny it, the poor are at the mercy of the rich. This is a fact of life. We are not all equal. Some are stronger than others, and that will not go away.

In other words, we will not be able to rid ourselves of privilege. This is simply true, and we need to stop lying to each other and ourselves about this.

So, what then?

If the rich are stronger than the poor, then the rich have a greater responsibility than the poor. The Biblical principle is that the strong care for the weak. As an example of this, Romans 15:1 says:

We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves.

Think about it like this. I’m a pretty big guy. It’s a rare occasion to meet someone who is taller than me. Over time, I’ve realized that this means that I need to be very careful when I move around people, especially children. If I’m not careful, I will knock someone over or step on someone. Because I’m bigger and stronger, I have a greater responsibility to consider the impact of my actions.

Privilege is often used to attempt silence the strong. That’s wrong, because it’s simply an attempt to attack the strong. Instead, the powerful should be reminded of their privilege in order to remind them of their responsibilities to those who are not privileged.

Of course, this goes side-by-side with the need to remind those who are not privileged that they should not envy those who are privileged. Rather, the strong should help the weak because it is their responsibility, and the weak should humble themselves to accept help from the strong.

Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the LORD,
and he will repay him for his deed. (Proverbs 19:17)

In light of all this, next time I’ll talk about an issue that’s been on my mind recently: gentrification.

See you then.

In this comment, Barb asked a question:

This comment has nothing to do with role-playing games. I just noticed your interest in The Wire, Crash, Traffic, et al and want to know - what about these shows/movies interests/attracts you?

PS - I’m intrigued by these movies myself. I hesitate to say “enjoy” because what’s to enjoy about viewing a degraded society…but I’m drawn to these movies. In fact, Crash is one of my favorites.

It’s been a while since she asked the question. In fact, I started writing this post on January 6, 2009. I’m only posting it now. That’s a long time. So long that I’ve changed the name of the game to

Major Crimes. But I digress. The question still deserves an answer.

So, yeah, why would I do this to myself?

First, for the uninitiated, here are some links:

The Wire Season 1 opening credits

Traffic trailer

Crash trailer

I really like the Crash trailer, by the way. The bit at the end where the guy laughs about “people”…it just seems to sum up the movie so well.

And hey, while we’re here, a few clips from The Wire, so as you can get a feel for the show. FYI, these clips do including the use of language, so You Have Been Warned.

Who shot Snots Boogie–the opening scene of Season 1, Episode 1

D’Angelo explains McNuggets

And, one of the conflicted, tragic characters of the show…Bodie. Yeah, spoilers and such:

D’Angelo explains chess to Bodie and Wallace

Bodie and Poot kill Wallace

Bodie and Poot discover that their friend is dead

Bodie’s final moments

Of course, the last two clips are from Season 4, when you’ve almost forgotten that Bodie killed Wallace. Almost….

But hey, this isn’t supposed to be a fanboy post about The Wire. Or Traffic or Crash, for that matter. Rather, I’m supposed to answer the question, “Why are you a fan of these

stories?” And, for that matter, why make a game about making these kinds of stories?

First off, these stories are about specific social issues of our day. Traffic is about the effects of the drug war on society, Crash is about the impact of racism on society, and The

Wire…well, The Wire is about the failure of social institutions.

In other words, these stories are trying to show the human cost and individual impact of social issues. So, we’re not just talking about “drug addiction” in Traffic; we’re talking about Caroline

Wakefield, the daughter of a rich and powerful man who ends up prostituting herself for another high. We’re not just talking about “gang violence” in The Wire; we’re talking about Bodie, a generally motivated kid who fights a losing battle, long after his gang has abandoned him. We’re not talking about “institutional racism”; we’re talking about Officer John Ryan, who first sexually harasses a black woman and then later ends up saving her.

Beyond that, these stories all share a basic philosophy: we are all connected. The choices that we make don’t just affect ourselves. They affect everyone, rippling out from us like waves in a pond.

Yet we rarely consider this simple fact. We are so self-absorbed that we don’t even care about how we are hurting others.

These issues matter to me quite a bit. I am tired of the rhetoric that surrounds these issues. Everyone seems to have a solution, but few care about the human cost of their choices. So, I want people to stop long enough to consider the consequences of their choices. Rather than chanting “Just say no to drugs!” and voting for more police and harsher jail sentences for drug trafficking, I want people to consider the causes that lead someone to become a drug dealer. Why would someone choose that life? Maybe if you understood that, you’d have a different solution.

Along the way, I’d love to deconstruct the American myth of the police. We somehow believe that the police can simultaneously protect us from all harm while preserving our rights. Or, you know, at least the “important” ones. (Yeah, I’ve written about this elsewhere.) As I watched The Wire, I was constantly impressed with the fact that the police officers were just regular guys. They got up and went to work. Sometimes they had a good day; sometimes they had a bad day. Ever make a mistake at work? Yeah, so did they.

And now I’m watching The Shield, which is based on a simple premise: it is impossible to erase crime without becoming a criminal. Depressing, eh? But this is the result of our expectations of the police. We want them to be all-powerful, but then we complain when they take the necessary steps to accomplish the unachievable goal that we set before them. I find myself veering between anger at the police for their actions and sympathy for the impossible expectations that we have established for them.

Maybe more people should watch The Wire and The Shield instead of the quasi-magical CSI.

Once again, I digress.

I make games about issues that I think are important. I enjoy playing games that are just for fun, but I design games that express my concerns. I think that our world would be improved by more people stopping and thinking about these issues. Why do we continue to fund the drug war? What’s so bad about crack? Is the security that we have gained from new police techniques worth the freedom that we have lost?

I have my own answers. But I’m not writing Major Crimes to force my opinions on you. I’m writing Major Crimes, because I want you to have to answer these questions.

(Barb, you might also find “Why I Hate Fun” an interesting read. The author defends the idea of emotionally tumultuous stories being “fun”. Sorry for taking so long to write this for you.)

Inspired by watching Terminator: Salvation, of all things

Life is a desert, and we are called to be the oasis to each other.

First, watch this video. Go ahead.

Kinda pretty, isn’t it? Yeah, I like that.

Funny thing is that, before yesterday, I had no idea that there was formal glowstick dancing. You know, beyond just jumping around at a rave with a glowstick. But as a form of expression? Not even a little bit.

Also, I’ll bet that none of the people in that video are roleplayers. And that’s the point right there.

The world is full of wonderful human activities. People do the most amazing things, which are beautiful and delightful, which will be ignored by most people in the world. Glowsticking. Street luge (with a hat tip to Ben Lehman’s XXXXtreme Street Luge). Roleplaying.

And yet roleplayers persist in trying to claw for the mainstream, waiting for that one game which will come along and give us mainstream cred. Because, somehow, when that happens, we’ll all feel like we have permission to enjoy this quirky activity that we call roleplaying.

Glowsticking will never be mainstream, but that doesn’t seem to matter to the dancers in that video. Instead, they are simply embracing that which they love; whoever shows up will be included.

Maybe roleplayers should just focus on embracing that which they love, not on demanding recognition from the mainstream.

I think I’m going to watch that video again.

Note: I’m helping out with a group project over on Structured Freedom that is attempting to make a short anthology of freeform games to use as a teaching tool. Each game can stand by itself, or they can be combined together into an extended workshop. In order to shake off some of the perception that this style of play must be about broken people mooning about, contemplating suicide and generally being a drag, all the games are superhero-themed.

So, I’ve finished the first draft of the game, and I’m posting it here for comment. You can also check out any further discussion on Structured Freedom in this thread.

Introduction

Earth has many heroes, yet none are as brave and noble as the Immortals. Led by the superbeing Princess Eterna, the Immortals defend their home planet from all who would bring it harm. But will their strength be enough to defeat the invading Molar army?

“The Treachery of Princess Eterna During the Molar Invasion” is a short Jeepform scenario of superhero melodrama, intended to be used as an introduction to this style of roleplaying. The game is intended for two experienced players and two to four new players. If my calculations are correct, this game should take about 45 minutes to play, but really, these time estimates are mostly made up, anyways.

Also, this is an ashcan. No, really!

Setting up the Game

Establish the Play Area

You don’t really need much to play “The Treachery of Princess Eterna During the Molar Invasion”. Just the players and enough space to play. If you’re playing inside, you’ll probably want to play in your living room or some other large room. If you’re playing outside, then make sure that you have enough space to spread out a bit
Assign Characters

The Immortals

If you are teaching the game, then you’re playing one of the Immortals. This allows you to play as important characters, demonstrating how to play the game, and also allows you to be in a good position to help facilitate the game.

The three Immortal characters are Princess Eterna, Ajax, and Rolling Thunder. However, no one plays Princess Eterna. In fact, as you will see, she never actually appears in the game.

What is Ajax like? What are Rolling Thunder’s superpowers? I really don’t know. You get to make it up! But then, if you’re teaching this game, you should have figured that out by now.

P.A.T.R.O.L.

The Immortals are the most powerful superheroes in the world, but they are not the only ones. Organizations of young, ambitious superheroes are rising to prominence everywhere. The Immortals tend to think of these superheroes like many parents think of their young children: cute, but not terribly effective.

If you’re not playing an Immortal, you are playing a member of P.A.T.R.O.L., one of these new superhero groups. You should choose a superhero name for yourself, either from the list of suggested names or from your own imagination.

What are your superpowers? I don’t know. It’s your character, not mine. However, do keep in mind that this game is about superhero melodrama, not superhero action. So, don’t choose superpowers because they will make you strong. Instead, choose superpowers that will make you entertaining.

Also, the Immortals really don’t like being shown up. So, either Ajax or Rolling Thunder can veto your superhero name or superpower. So be entertaining, but don’t be dumb.

Suggested Names
Lizard Lad
Mr. Fabulous
Super Ooze
Dante
Inferno
Secret Woman

Playing the Game

The game is played as a series of Scenes, interspersed with narrative Interludes.

Scene: All’s quiet on the home front (2 Immortals, no P.A.T.R.O.L.)
Interlude: The Molar Invasion Begins
Scene: A Hard-Fought Battle (2 Immortals, 2 P.A.T.R.O.L.)
Scene: “We are losing” (2 Immortals, 2 P.A.T.R.O.L.)
Interlude: A Desperate Plan
Scene: “Be prepared for anything” (2 Immortals, 2 P.A.T.R.O.L.)
Interlude: A Vile Betrayal
Scene: The Blood of Heroes (1 Immortal, 2 P.A.T.R.O.L.)
Scene: Surrounded (0 Immortals, all P.A.T.R.O.L.)
Interlude: A Sudden Reversal
Scene: “So what happens now?” (0 Immortals, all P.A.T.R.O.L.)

How to Play a Scene

Most of the game is played in Scenes.

There are some rules that affect what exactly you make up in a Scene. These rules exist to help everyone work together creatively to craft an enjoyable story. So cooperate with them, and see what happens.

First, each Scene has a name. This may look like it means something, but it is simply a creative prompt. Pretend that the scene list is the chapter list from the DVD of this story. What sort of scene would go with that title?

Second, each Scene tells how many players from each team are in the Scene. So, at the beginning of the Scene, decide which characters will be in the Scene. Some of these characters may choose to enter the scene after it begins. If there are more than two superheroes from P.A.T.R.O.L., the Immortals should be sure to mix up the different P.A.T.R.O.L. players to make sure that everyone has a chance to play.

During a Scene, you play make-believe. If you’re in the Scene, then you jump into the play area and act out your character. Don’t forget that you know much of what is going to happen in the story, so feel free to foreshadow or be ironic. If you know the future, you may as well have some fun with it. Remember: be entertaining, but don’t be dumb.

The Immortal players are ultimately responsible to make sure that each Scene is set up and plays smoothly. Don’t be afraid to pause a scene to coordinate creative vision or to do a scene over if it wasn’t very good.

How to Play an Interlude

During an Interlude, someone reads the appropriate text. Even better, have someone in the audience read the appropriate text. Be as overly dramatic as possible. After all, this is a superhero melodrama.

The Molar Invasion Begins: “But little did they know that danger was already headed their way. Far above the surface of the planet, a spaceship flashed into existence, blotting out the sun. Landing pods detached from its side and fell towards the planet. The Molar invasion had begun!”

A Desperate Plan: “Princess Eterna flew above the battlefield, trying to plan . It was obvious to her that only one course remained to the last defenders of Earth. They must take the fight to the enemy. Quickly, she gathered the other Immortals and prepared for their assault.”

A Vile Betrayal: “At last the Immortals gained access to the bridge of the Moleship. Before them stood the Mole King, squat and hideous, dressed in his powered armor and surrounded by his most elite warriors. But then, Princess Eterna went to him, embracing him and passionately kissing him. It was a trap! Princess Eterna had betrayed Earth to her love, the Mole King! The other Immortals turned to flee. But it was too late. Led by the Mole King and Princess Eterna, the Mole soldiers attacked.”

A Sudden Reversal: “But as the beleaguered defenders of Earth looked to the sky, they saw something strange. The Mole People were retreating! Their shuttles flew back to the Moleship, which jumped into the inky blackness of space. Earth was left in peace.”

A Word to the Immortals

Immortal players, do you see how you’re not actually in the last two scenes? That’s on purpose. The whole point of this game is to teach the other players how to play these games of ours, right? So, this game actually phases you out of the game. Work with this feature of the game. Loosen your control on the game as it progresses and, if at all possible, try to let the P.A.T.R.O.L. players put the last couple of scenes together themselves. You’ll still be around to help, but maybe they will have learned enough by that point to try it themselves.

I wrote this for the Spring 2009 issue of our neighborhood newsletter, but I wanted to share it with those of you who are outside the circulating area of that newsletter.

I remember being poor. I remember trying to provide for a growing family on a meager income. I remember going over our budget with a man from our church who stared at us incredulously, amazed that we were getting by on so little.

I remember being on food stamps. I remember how my wife dreaded going to the assistance office for the next dole. She would make sure that her wedding band was prominent, like a talisman against the disapproving glares. She wished that she could just yell, “I was married before I had these children!” But it wouldn’t matter. The steady stream of supplicants were despised by the case-workers. And so, each month, Crystal would swallow her pride and endure their scorn and condescension so that we could afford to eat another month.

And I remember one night when Crystal came home from the grocery store with a tale to tell. The Hispanic couple in front of her in the checkout line were struggling with their food stamp card. Their PIN wasn’t working, so they couldn’t buy their food. Eventually, they had to leave their shopping order and walk away. It broke my wife’s heart. She wished that she could have just stepped up and bought them those groceries. But we were sinking into financial morass ourselves, and all she could do was watch.

Much time has passed since those days. A friend rescued us from the tyranny of the assistance office and helped us dig ourselves out of the debt that we racked up trying to climb out of poverty ourselves. Now I have a good job, making decent money. We’re out of debt and feeding our family, which has continued to grow.

But I remember being poor.

In our society, it seems that the poor are treated either as a plague that must be eradicated or a social ill that must be addressed by some philosophical position or government program. But all these responses hold the poor at arm’s length. Everyone talks about the poor as a group, but few talk about specific people. Everyone talks about helping the poor, but few talk about loving the poor.

I want to love the poor. I want to help provide for their needs as best I can. I want to be the warm embrace, the stern word given in love, the shoulder to cry on when it’s just too hard. And I want to be
the protest and outcry, the public conscience that speaks for those who are powerless and will not be heard.

But it is not enough to live in some upscale neighborhood and occasionally descend from the mountaintop, deigning to bless the underclass with my presence. That would be condescending and
insulting. Instead, I look to the example that Jesus set. The Apostle Paul talks about the love of Jesus in these terms: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.” (2 Corinthians 8:9) If Jesus loved me like this, shouldn’t I love those around me in the same way?

And that is why I live here.

Matt Wilson, designer of Primetime Adventures, says nice things about Dirty Secrets