Paul Beakley, I I’m intrigued by the part of your discussion that revolves around game design supporting ‘cinematic’ or ‘novelistic’ scene framing techniques (for want of a better term).

I mean, back in the 70”s / 80’s we learned by doing yeah? I played one game of D&D, was enthralled, saved my bickies and bought the rules, then basically followed them as written and DM’ed the eff out of a campaign without any thought or guidance on ‘Cinematic technique’. But I think I may have used some of those common methods you describe. (mainly because I was a teenage wannabe fantasy author… Weren’t we all?)

Nowdays we have plenty of #indieasF rulesets, and some of them spell out specific rules or principles for cinematic scene framing or exposition (or the alternatives you may use). Heck I think the latest DMG has some mention of these ideas.

What I like is when they pervade the mechanics. Where fiction meets rules to establish the SIS in a way that feels like you have all the choice in the world over ‘technique’, but actually we are artfully constrained in a way that focuses the fiction on what matters (to that specific game). I think the Bakers are pretty good at this: As you have been enjoying, Jason D’Angelo has been writing some fantastic discussions on the Apocalypse Rules that highlight some of these lovely connections between rules and means of establishing the fiction. Love letters mate. Sheesh. Killer app of fiction meets mechanics in an author-reader relationship way.

luke crane and Thor Olavsrud busted out some awesome ideas in Burning Empires (as I know you well know), I LOVED reading your early discover on the game over on the forums. I find that the scene [framing] economy and the whole ‘justification’ of foRKs as you built your pool led to a very elided use of cinematic tools. particularly with the scale of the rolls as they built upon established fiction. From an individual through to a planetary level.

No real point really, other than we like experimenting with these ideas you mention! In fact when we played Sagas of the Icelanders, I tried to write my love letters in a ‘Saga’ like way. I had just visited Reykjavik, and had indulged in the whole ‘vikings as my heritage’ thang.

It sorta when down good with the gang at the table and led to some interesting ‘establishing’ techniques. SO much so, we now have a little card that sits on the table from a story-boarders workshops that helps establish why to use particular scene shots and their power to elide specific types of emotive responses from the audience (players).

Al good stuff.
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