Robin Laws continues to be brilliant

[jaegamer]

robin_d_laws  continues to be brilliant in this entry on Risk in RPGs.

What's clarified for me here is something I find very frustrating in play, but never found a definition to fit it. 

Years ago (in the late 1980's) I started advocating for a play-style I called "cinematically correct".  If it would look good on film, it was good. 

If I was playing, I'd seek out mechanics that would let me crash through the skylight and land on my feet, or at least have something really interesting happen if I failed.  If I was running, I'd flat out tell players that if they could persuade me something would look good on film, and frame it like a shot, I'd do my best to help them find a way to make it happen in the game.  Or at least have something really interesting happen if they failed.

Go read it.  Robin Laws is Brilliant.

In other news, halfway through the month all I've done on Toccata and Fur in A Minor is develop a map of the neighborhood and begin drafting personalities for sample cats.  I do have an outline of the events, but it needs fleshed out big time.

Comments

[lcdarkwood.livejournal.com]

Pretty much, that's exactly what I do with compels in Spirit of the Century a lot of times - they're my tools for cinematic correctness.

"What? You want to jump down from the roof right into the ballroom and land in front of the king's throne? Badass, well, how about I give you a fate point, and we say you do that, but your 'Rival, Baron Raster' is there and he's going to demand your immediate arrest."

And so on.