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<blockquote data-quote="Campbell" data-source="post: 7642077" data-attributes="member: 16586"><p>I have always been upfront about the substantive risks in Playing Passionately (I'll use this instead of Playing With Integrity).</p><p></p><p>The first risk is the creative risk. The alchemy of these particular characters, setting, and situation might not result in a fiction the group feels like following. I mean the risk is there too in more mainstream play, but techniques can be used to make it more palatable. My own feelings here is that I would rather drop something that isn't working than have to actively manage the game. Like we can try something else next week.</p><p></p><p>The second risk is an emotional risk. Players are called on to really embody their characters and actively advocate for them. This requires emotional vulnerability and has the potential to lead to hurt feelings especially in games like Monsterhearts or My Life With Master where some pretty personal and dark stuff can be at play. Also since we are all fans of these characters we grow to care for them, but as fans we cannot protect them. Emotional safety techniques can be really important especially when PCs are at odds. Story advocacy lets groups deal with similar issues with more emotional distance, but I would argue that distance means they are not really experiencing the same thing.</p><p></p><p>So what do we (the playgroup) gain for these risks?</p><p></p><p>We get to experience the unbridled authentic version of these characters. Each player gets to push hard and advocate fully for their character. They get to feel what they feel and play to find out who they really are under adversity. As fans of these characters we get to go on the journey with them, see who they become even when its unpleasant. We also know that redemption is legitimate and hard won.</p><p></p><p>We get to feel the tension of the conflicts in the game. Because we know the adversity is honest and no one will step in as an audience we all get to experience the dramatic tension involved and know that it is real, that anything could happen. Also because we take our time getting there we all know what's at stake. Playing to find out what happens is a lot of fun.</p><p></p><p>The GM gets to focus on honest adversity and providing context. They do not need to manage the game or the players. They get to sit back and bring it. With no plots to worry about they get to authentically play the world and provide antagonism. They get to play too.</p><p></p><p><strong>Addendum:</strong> This play style is definitely not for everyone. It can be very intense and requires a lot of discipline from all participants. You can't be too attached to outcomes and things probably won't turn out the way you want. Usually I find the end result is better than what any of us could come up with alone, but the end result is not the point. What we experience in play is what matters.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Campbell, post: 7642077, member: 16586"] I have always been upfront about the substantive risks in Playing Passionately (I'll use this instead of Playing With Integrity). The first risk is the creative risk. The alchemy of these particular characters, setting, and situation might not result in a fiction the group feels like following. I mean the risk is there too in more mainstream play, but techniques can be used to make it more palatable. My own feelings here is that I would rather drop something that isn't working than have to actively manage the game. Like we can try something else next week. The second risk is an emotional risk. Players are called on to really embody their characters and actively advocate for them. This requires emotional vulnerability and has the potential to lead to hurt feelings especially in games like Monsterhearts or My Life With Master where some pretty personal and dark stuff can be at play. Also since we are all fans of these characters we grow to care for them, but as fans we cannot protect them. Emotional safety techniques can be really important especially when PCs are at odds. Story advocacy lets groups deal with similar issues with more emotional distance, but I would argue that distance means they are not really experiencing the same thing. So what do we (the playgroup) gain for these risks? We get to experience the unbridled authentic version of these characters. Each player gets to push hard and advocate fully for their character. They get to feel what they feel and play to find out who they really are under adversity. As fans of these characters we get to go on the journey with them, see who they become even when its unpleasant. We also know that redemption is legitimate and hard won. We get to feel the tension of the conflicts in the game. Because we know the adversity is honest and no one will step in as an audience we all get to experience the dramatic tension involved and know that it is real, that anything could happen. Also because we take our time getting there we all know what's at stake. Playing to find out what happens is a lot of fun. The GM gets to focus on honest adversity and providing context. They do not need to manage the game or the players. They get to sit back and bring it. With no plots to worry about they get to authentically play the world and provide antagonism. They get to play too. [B]Addendum:[/B] This play style is definitely not for everyone. It can be very intense and requires a lot of discipline from all participants. You can't be too attached to outcomes and things probably won't turn out the way you want. Usually I find the end result is better than what any of us could come up with alone, but the end result is not the point. What we experience in play is what matters. [/QUOTE]
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