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<blockquote data-quote="Lanefan" data-source="post: 7466770" data-attributes="member: 29398"><p>It's about thinking in first or third person. Player establishment of fiction has nothing to do with it, and is for these purposes just a distracting side-discussion.</p><p></p><p>Not sure how you see this as director stance. Put it in third person "Jocinda hooks up with the local contraband dealers..." and it is, but in first person I see it as still being actor stance - there has to be a way to describe your movements and actions. </p><p></p><p>Silly me, I was assuming those elements were already present in the fiction having been put there by prior in-game events and-or the DM's narration. Players don't just get to declare stuff like that, whether speaking in or out of character.</p><p></p><p>If the existence of the contraband dealers hasn't been established then as Jocinda's player I might say something like "I need some <XYZ>, and I can't get it legally, so I'll keep my ear to the ground and make discreet inquiries as to where and how some might be obtained." This puts the ball in the DM's court: she can tell me I find someone, or don't find someone, or need to look harder, or that my inquiries weren't as discreet as I hoped and I've run afoul of the law, or whatever.</p><p></p><p>Google "method acting" - you might learn some stuff. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p><p></p><p>When deciding on whether to take on a role or part an actor's motivaitons are probably as you suggest. But once on the stage, a good actor is fully in character and has left his own person (and his own motivations etc.) in the wings...particularly so in improv theatre where the actor doesn't also have to worry about remembering his lines (which is always what messed me up!).</p><p></p><p>Either way, they're related...which means specifically trying to do one will by default enhance the other.</p><p></p><p>Author and director stances move one away from the character. As [MENTION=10638]Emirikol[/MENTION] points out above, in these stances you're doing things to the character rather than as the character - it can't be avoided in the run of play but it can be acknowledged and kept to a reasonable minimum.</p><p></p><p>I don't see these as changes of stance so much as changes from in-game to meta and back.</p><p></p><p>Making a circles check: straight meta-engagement with the game mechanics, no role-play stance involved</p><p>Wondering whether to change a Belief: actor stance; the character is doubting her beliefs (and maybe even voicing these doubts out loud), and if she changes her belief then the player briefly engages with the meta-mechanics to note this change on her character sheet.</p><p>Declaring an action: a combination of actor stance (the character does something) and meta-mechanics engagement (the game has to respond to her declaration).</p><p></p><p>Declaring an action: again actor stance but maybe not with the attached meta-mechanics</p><p>Loaning an item to another PC: full-on actor stance; the loaning PC recognizes her item will be of more use in the borrower's hands than her own...even if she then turns around and complains about the borrower!</p><p></p><p>And would be, were it a player rather than a watching DM doing it.</p><p></p><p>Assuming the "something profound" comes out of the character's backstory or history or from in-game events, it could easily be the player-as-PC deciding in actor stance that now's the time to reveal this <whatever> previously known only to her.</p><p></p><p>If it's something the player just made up on the fly...well, that's another thing entirely. Author stance, certainly. </p><p></p><p>In your game, where players are also authors and setting-writers, this may be the case. But in mine a player can't just arbitrarily say something like this unless this knowledge has already been established earlier.</p><p></p><p>Lanefan</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lanefan, post: 7466770, member: 29398"] It's about thinking in first or third person. Player establishment of fiction has nothing to do with it, and is for these purposes just a distracting side-discussion. Not sure how you see this as director stance. Put it in third person "Jocinda hooks up with the local contraband dealers..." and it is, but in first person I see it as still being actor stance - there has to be a way to describe your movements and actions. Silly me, I was assuming those elements were already present in the fiction having been put there by prior in-game events and-or the DM's narration. Players don't just get to declare stuff like that, whether speaking in or out of character. If the existence of the contraband dealers hasn't been established then as Jocinda's player I might say something like "I need some <XYZ>, and I can't get it legally, so I'll keep my ear to the ground and make discreet inquiries as to where and how some might be obtained." This puts the ball in the DM's court: she can tell me I find someone, or don't find someone, or need to look harder, or that my inquiries weren't as discreet as I hoped and I've run afoul of the law, or whatever. Google "method acting" - you might learn some stuff. :) When deciding on whether to take on a role or part an actor's motivaitons are probably as you suggest. But once on the stage, a good actor is fully in character and has left his own person (and his own motivations etc.) in the wings...particularly so in improv theatre where the actor doesn't also have to worry about remembering his lines (which is always what messed me up!). Either way, they're related...which means specifically trying to do one will by default enhance the other. Author and director stances move one away from the character. As [MENTION=10638]Emirikol[/MENTION] points out above, in these stances you're doing things to the character rather than as the character - it can't be avoided in the run of play but it can be acknowledged and kept to a reasonable minimum. I don't see these as changes of stance so much as changes from in-game to meta and back. Making a circles check: straight meta-engagement with the game mechanics, no role-play stance involved Wondering whether to change a Belief: actor stance; the character is doubting her beliefs (and maybe even voicing these doubts out loud), and if she changes her belief then the player briefly engages with the meta-mechanics to note this change on her character sheet. Declaring an action: a combination of actor stance (the character does something) and meta-mechanics engagement (the game has to respond to her declaration). Declaring an action: again actor stance but maybe not with the attached meta-mechanics Loaning an item to another PC: full-on actor stance; the loaning PC recognizes her item will be of more use in the borrower's hands than her own...even if she then turns around and complains about the borrower! And would be, were it a player rather than a watching DM doing it. Assuming the "something profound" comes out of the character's backstory or history or from in-game events, it could easily be the player-as-PC deciding in actor stance that now's the time to reveal this <whatever> previously known only to her. If it's something the player just made up on the fly...well, that's another thing entirely. Author stance, certainly. In your game, where players are also authors and setting-writers, this may be the case. But in mine a player can't just arbitrarily say something like this unless this knowledge has already been established earlier. Lanefan [/QUOTE]
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