[UA] paranoia

[Royal Minister of Stuff]

Hmmm... that may be the problem.  The emotional
element of the game doesn't come from giving someone a
reward for being sweet.  The reward comes from two
things (that I can spot): 
1. the illusion of freedom (the idea that you are
creating your own universe - that your brain can
somehow "cut it" in a much more interesting world and
still come out okay- )
2. detatched emotional response.  You can feel
whatever you want in an RPG and it doesn't hurt as bad
as RL.  If I really lost a girlfriend, then I would be
devastated but I would have to go on.  If my CHARACTER
loses a girlfriend, then I get to ACT devastated or go
insane or have my character slash his wrists (in such
a way that his magical friends find him on time, of
course, if I wanted to keep playing) or any number of
super-jumbo over the top things that I just don't get
to do normally.

But, then again, I've been kicked out of more than one
group and I've never made it through a WW game without
being killed by some self righteous monster.  Funny,
now that I think about it, the only games where
vampires acted even remotely human were ones where the
players HAD to pick an evil side (like UA) -something
despicable that they'd done - everytime I've been in a
game with people playing vampires "struggling for
their humanity" I have witnessed some, well, okay,
IMAGINARY attrocities, but attrocities they were.

Then again, I've never walked away from a Feng Shui
game without a body count and I really enjoy those.

--- Sonja Pieper <sonja at delusions.de> wrote:
> > > Any ideas? What would you do with such
> absolutely
> > > paranoid players?
> > 
> > Do? God, I love 'em. We had a thread a few days
> ago about prep
> > time. When you have a group like this, you just
> have to get in
> > the rhythm of dropping the right kind of clues,
> and the let

Man, I wish my groups were like yours, Sonja.  They
talk half the work out of being a GM.  And they
SCHEME?  That is so COOL.  The more complex the
better.

Watch "Bridge of the River Quai" as an example of what
to do with complex schemes.
> 
> I am dropping clues all the time, I think by now
> they know a lot
> more than I do .... 

Trust me, they don't.  Human perception is an
absolutely wonderful thing.  I can tell two players
that they see a barrel full of apples and one will
imagine a lid on it while the other thinks it's light
enough to throw.  And, if the second guy was playing
Race Bannon, I'd have to let him.

> I never believed someone would let me set him up
> with a
> girl in the way this guy did in game =) absolutely
> delightful
> you are right. He was so sweet though that I just
> could
> not let her die as planned aaaargh ..... =)

Besides, when you get older, a little virtual sex in
the roleplaying arena is as valid away of getting your
rocks off as any.

=====
-- Rp Bowman, Royal Minister of Stuff
The Electronic Nation of Yokeltania:
http://www.geocities.com/yokeltania/

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