Jul 6, 2017 3:40 pm
So, here are some thoughts about next games:
A theme that is rattling has been in the back of my mind for some time is the idea of good people living in an evil society. Lately I read a book on the resistance movement in Nazi-occupied Paris, read Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn, and watched Margret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale. There are also strong elements of that in the other series I'm currently reading, Joe Abercrombie's The First Law books, not to mention Rogue One and lots of other fiction and non-fiction I've consumed lately.
The whole idea captivates me, perhaps because I wonder how I - as a father, husband, and teacher - would act in such a world.
My initial thoughts are that this would be a game exploring the beginning of a resistance movement. The early stages, where the State is supreme and minor acts of defiance are great victories unto themselves. The intention might not be to overthrow the government at first, but you've been pushed beyond your limits and you can't live under their heel any longer. A large part might be making alliances with other like-minded groups and dealing with traitors and spies in your midst.
It could also start as playing agents of the State who discover the traitors are actually right, and then have to decide what to do with that realization.
As a self-contained game, I can see there being a single major goal that you are working towards throughout the game, some public act of defiance that might only be symbolic but will act as a beacon of hope to galvanize resistance. Or perhaps some tactical event that undermines some core power structure in the State - say, the destruction of a precious resource.
Such a game would require a fair bit of world building, and I'd love to invite you guys in on that process.
I'm not married to the idea, but it does seem like a good fit for the state of my imagination these days. What do you all think?
A theme that is rattling has been in the back of my mind for some time is the idea of good people living in an evil society. Lately I read a book on the resistance movement in Nazi-occupied Paris, read Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn, and watched Margret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale. There are also strong elements of that in the other series I'm currently reading, Joe Abercrombie's The First Law books, not to mention Rogue One and lots of other fiction and non-fiction I've consumed lately.
The whole idea captivates me, perhaps because I wonder how I - as a father, husband, and teacher - would act in such a world.
My initial thoughts are that this would be a game exploring the beginning of a resistance movement. The early stages, where the State is supreme and minor acts of defiance are great victories unto themselves. The intention might not be to overthrow the government at first, but you've been pushed beyond your limits and you can't live under their heel any longer. A large part might be making alliances with other like-minded groups and dealing with traitors and spies in your midst.
It could also start as playing agents of the State who discover the traitors are actually right, and then have to decide what to do with that realization.
As a self-contained game, I can see there being a single major goal that you are working towards throughout the game, some public act of defiance that might only be symbolic but will act as a beacon of hope to galvanize resistance. Or perhaps some tactical event that undermines some core power structure in the State - say, the destruction of a precious resource.
Such a game would require a fair bit of world building, and I'd love to invite you guys in on that process.
I'm not married to the idea, but it does seem like a good fit for the state of my imagination these days. What do you all think?
