[UA] multiple personality game

[Mark Kiel]

>Well, rather than splitting off, the traditional therapeutic solution >has 
>been to try and integrate them into a single personality.  The >alternate 
>therapeutic solution has been to get them to agree that one >personality is 
>"captain" and run things as sort of an internal >democracy.  But that's 
>only my unprofessional, vague >opinion/recollection.  Dr. Kiel?  Paging Dr. 
>Kiel...
>
>-G.

Yeah, I guess there are two issues here.  How are Multiple Personality 
Disorders (or Dissociative Identity Disorders as they are now known as) 
really dealt with is issue number one.  And the other is what makes a good 
role-playing set up.  My sense is those two things, like many issues, may 
not go readily together.  But I'll try to say a bit about each.  MPDs are 
dealt with in a couple ways.  One is integration.  Get all the pieces on the 
table (i.e. conscious to each other) and make them one whole again by 
analyzing the (dys)function of each separate part.  Another way is to 
identify the most functional personality, build it up and phase out 
unhealthy aspects of others by conditioning, etc.  (This can be a bit 
dicey/ethically questionable if the most functional personality is not the 
primary one friends, family, etc. have known for all these years...).  The 
"Captain" scenario Greg suggests is often a stage of progression along these 
lines more so then a final solution.  The last major approach is there is no 
such thing as MPD, it's just a vocabulary for explaining complex 
psychological experiences.

As for role playing.  I have tried a few different things over the years.  
There have been more stinkers then cool ones.  The best one involved three 
amnesiacs that had escaped from a military hospital.  I gave them 
descriptions of themselves, "names" (Patients 16, 24, and 33), and blank 
character sheets.  As they tried things, they would learn things about 
themselves.  (Ex., when they tried lying, they would roll and play the 
interchange out, not knowing if they were readily successful.  Afterward, I 
would take their sheet and write down their stat so they knew it from then 
on).  This was intended to demonstrate the unfolding process about learning 
about themselves.  I gave them each a "dependent" too.  Some aspect of 
themselves they were not in control of.  I played these like NPCs.  One guy 
had a sock puppet on his hand (my best prop to date...) that would give him 
both wonderful advice and simultaneously shame him.  Another guy saw this 
scary clown when he looked in mirrors or things that would reflect.  (A 
rubber halloween mask did the job for that).  The clown gave him 
encouragement (he was a bit phobic if I remember), but also encouraged him 
to go overboard sometimes... You get the idea.  As the players learned about 
their collective histories and the specific origins of these weird 
"dependents" they slowly lost failed notches, gained their passions and 
obsessions, and their whole life story final came back to them.  The game 
was essentially a mini-series, not a open ended run.  The plot revolved 
around them putting the pieces back together. It seemed like a good blend of 
realism, but also fun system for gaming.

Hope that helps,

M.

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