Crazy Game Idea Update

[ladypimpernel]

As it turned out, the 45-minute one-shot for seven research methods students and one professor worked out shockingly well. I made everyone a character sheet (OK, so Mark did most of the actual statting), and I included stapled sheets with a blurb on the character: who they are, what they're doing there, their previous involvement with the plot, as

Comments

[rabid_bookwyrm]

I would bet that their characters weren't surprised about magic because pretending to be totally chill about a pretend thing is not half as weird as pretending to be totally surprised and freaked out about a pretend thing. Having a huge reaction (which is what any experienced player playing a mortal tends to do) when confronted with magic also calls attention to the character/player, whereas being chill about it doesn't. If you're already feeling awkward about RPing, calling attention to yourself is what you don't want to do.

[ladypimpernel]

I think that's a pretty accurate assessment of about half the group, the half that were trying to avoid being noticed, or having to say anything in character.

The weird bit with the other half was that they literally did not seem capable of grasping the concept that their characters could live in a magical world without knowing about magic. It's weird the obvious stuff other people miss when they're not geeks.

[rabid_bookwyrm]

Crazy non-geeks.

[ladypimpernel]

Aren't they weird? Of course, they're all a little geeky in a different way, being researchers, or this probably wouldn't have worked at all.

But yeah...hence my theory that gamers think differently than other people, and gaming would be useful as part of drama therapy.

[rabid_bookwyrm]

It makes sense to me. Gaming is a great way to be a different person.

[larval_doctor]

How did you explain the existence of magic in the world to them? There are more commonplace examples, such as muggles in Harry Potter, for instance, that might make the concept accessible. Or just not telling them that magic exists in the world until they stumble upon it?

[ladypimpernel]

Honestly, I think I should have been more conscious of the fact that magic requires an explanation. I basically didn't tell them there was magic in the world until they stumbled on it, but I'd told them previously that gaming is usually in a fantasy genre. I guess without further input they assumed that there was magic. In retrospect, the "muggles in Harry Potter" thing would have been a really good way to put it.