Trollbabe and Alternative Maps
Earlier this evening John, Tony and I were talking about games. John was describing one of his favorite aspects of Trollbabe. The final step in creating your character is to "Pick a destination simply by checking out the map, because it’s up to you. It may or may not be the same as the one chosen by another player." One thing John pointed out was that although the game provides a map, it doesn't actually say you have to use that one, you can use any map to your liking: a neighborhood map will work just as well as a continental map.
Immediately I thought of using a different kind of map: instead of a geographical map, you could use a network system map, and play a TRON-inspired variation of the game. But then it occurred to me that you could use other abstract relational diagrams as well. For example, you might use an organizational chart, and position your characters among the departments of a large corporation. But the idea I said first out loud was the one that John and Tony most liked: you could use a diagram showing the relationships between different TV shows, such as "All In The Family" and its spinoffs, or if you're really ambitious, the vast "shared reality" of TV shows that somehow crossover or connect to "St. Elsewhere". Each player points to a show and says, "my character starts there."
(Incidentally, don't miss Milo's completely unrelated post below this one. I'm posting right after he did, so for those of you who might only read the most recent post, scroll down a bit.)
Immediately I thought of using a different kind of map: instead of a geographical map, you could use a network system map, and play a TRON-inspired variation of the game. But then it occurred to me that you could use other abstract relational diagrams as well. For example, you might use an organizational chart, and position your characters among the departments of a large corporation. But the idea I said first out loud was the one that John and Tony most liked: you could use a diagram showing the relationships between different TV shows, such as "All In The Family" and its spinoffs, or if you're really ambitious, the vast "shared reality" of TV shows that somehow crossover or connect to "St. Elsewhere". Each player points to a show and says, "my character starts there."
(Incidentally, don't miss Milo's completely unrelated post below this one. I'm posting right after he did, so for those of you who might only read the most recent post, scroll down a bit.)
And then I said, "Use a 'map' of the hero's journey. Point on it and tell me where your character is, and why." POW.
Posted by
John Harper |
1:34 AM
Oops, forgot that. That's a good one too.
Posted by
Philip |
1:47 AM
I've got a copy of "Timelines of World History" lying around.
Come to think of it, I have the timeline of world history as an 8 foot long wall chart in storage at my parent's place.
Posted by
Unknown |
8:04 AM