cinematic v. horrific, or what i did on my summer vacation

[Chad Underkoffler]

Date: Thu, 25 Feb 1999 10:32:23 -0800 
From: sp!ke <spike at memento-mori.com> 

> so what's up with y'all on the list?  everyone seems to be 
> really into the magickal aspect of ua but what about the 
> gritty urban stuff?  me?  i don't really enjoy that whole 
> "_____________" (historical figure) was a "_____________" 
> (school of magick-er/avatar).

I don't much care for the historical claiming, either, BUT...

> i don't like fantasy.  i don't like magick.  i don't like 
> weird mystical shit.  why do i dig this game (besides for its 
> design aesthetic)?  for all the abracadabra of the game, it 
> seems that the magick stuff (avatars, schools, the whole 
> occult underground thing) isn't what the game is about
> (gasp...).  

[snip]

> people.  it's about people.  people in love, in hate, in
> conflict...

[hits the pause button]

The following is strictly IMAO:

* Firstly, all art should be about people. That's what makes good
stories, movies, novels, games, plays, etc.

* I personally like magic and fantasy and kooky-wild stuff in my
entertainment.

* I like UA because it's stories about people, with cool magic stuff
in them.

{rsume]

> buttin' heads, kickin' ass and takin' the money.  it's pulp 
> fiction...stories about interesting/funny/violent/strange 
> people with fucked-up jobs (can i say jobs?).  

That's one sort of story. Long of the Rings is another. Catch-22 is
another. Saving Private Ryan is another. Shakespeare in Love is
another. The Princess Bride is another. Batman comic books are another.

The reason I like all of the above things is because they talk about
people, different aspects of people, in different ways.  

> or not...'cause don't forget about the suitcase (it was a
> lightbulb, btw...).  

Nope, that was Marsalis' soul.

> magick -- power -- is the mcguffin...people who have it wanna 
> keep it and/or get more of it.  people who don't have it wanna
> destroy it or get some of their own.  remove all the hocus-
> pocus and ua still kicks ass.  
> elmore leonard crossed with evil dead.  word.

I disagree, at least in part. I think you're explaining the "street
level" very well, maybe some of the Underground-wide level okay as
well. You can't forget about the cosmic level of play, where these
factions are literally fighting over who remakes the universe.

I see UA as such a strong game for these reasons:

* Nifty mechanics, whith a strong balance between characters and
stories, that is flexible enough to allow any sort of play sytle.

* Nifty magick system, with colorful and very non-mathy effects on the
world.
 
* Nifty background, that combines and allows pessimism, cynicism,
optimism, and idealism to coexist, just like the real world. It's
"gritty with a heart of gold." It's "dragging my feet in the muck, but
looking at the stars." It's "another day, another bad guy to blow
away." It can do all of these. You aren't straightjacketed into Good
vs. Evil or "now you are in teh World of Angst" or anything.

My 2 cents.



==
Chad Underkoffler [chadu at yahoo.com]
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Cavern/5751/index.html
"Hold your breath. Make a wish. Count to three."




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