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ShortQuests -- Pocket Sized Adventures! An all-new collection of digest-sized D&D adventures designed for 1-2 game sessions.

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="hawkeyefan" data-source="post: 9869849" data-attributes="member: 6785785">Well, no, not exactly. This is you inferring something that's not really what I'm talking about. My decision making for Clara was entirely based on what I expected her to do. Author stance is more about making decisions based on what the player wants to happen in "the story". That's not really what I was doing. My decisions were always based on what I believed Clara would do. It's much more actor stance. What I'm describing as enjoying the character's journey as if a member of the audience is because I am curious about her, and about the other PCs. This is also the way The Between approaches play... the characters' pasts are intentionally not defined ahead of play. The game tells you not to do this. At points during play, you are then prompted to describe a significant scene from your past. So we were discovering things about Clara and the other PCs during play. Things that had not been decided ahead of play. That type of discovery might be absent in a method closer to yours. I'm able to both advocate for the character and make decisions on her behalf, and still be surprised by her. This is not really based on any kind of social mechanic results, which The Between doesn't really have specifically, although players can introduce such things as potential complications, which the GM can then inflict. So no, I don't think it really has anything to do with author stance. All it takes is relinquishing some amount of control over the character. Portrayal is a part of it, sure, but probably not as much as you think. It's more about learning about her during play... as a result of the game. There are a couple of ways this happens. First, you can make the Vulnerable Move. This is when two PCs spend some time together, you can either clear a condition (recover from injury/affliction) or you can share a detail about your past. The other way, which is a bit deeper, is that when you use certain abilities, you are then prompted to narrate a flashback to answer a specific question about your past. There are only so many of these questions, and when you run out, your character is then in danger of dying or otherwise being removed from play. Again, the answers to these questions are no meant to be determined ahead of play. As we played, we learned things about Clara that explained why she was the way she was, but also added new context that made us see her in a different light. I still sympathized with her, but perhaps not as much as I had at the start of play. And part of me also really despised her.</blockquote>

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