|
quote:Microscope works different than some other role-playing games you might have played, so let's abandon some preconceptions:  Welcome to Microscope! This game is presented by me in two parts: one, as a teacher to people who are unfamiliar with the modes of play this game presents; the other as a player, participating in a shared narrative that will hopefully present some interesting ideas. The author of Microscope, Ben Robbins, has asked in the book when teaching the game to bring to your attention the following because it's really important: Ben Robbins posted:"All of us participating in this game have equal creative power. At times we'll have different roles and authority, but we're all equal participants and authors." Now that we know what the game is about, we can get started. --- quote:Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen. - Ralph Waldo Emerson To start a new game, we will follow the four steps outlined below to set some initial parameters:
 Explanation of Play One we have finished the first four steps of setup, we'll be ready to start a proper session of play. Arriving at this point, we should already know more about our history than we did when we determined the big picture, and as we play we'll find out more and more. The basic structure of the game is that we will keep going around in player order adding to the tableau of history, making either a Period, an Event, or a Scene. For each rotation, there will be one player called the LENS, and that player will pick the FOCUS that everything following players create must relate to. Example: If the FOCUS is a city, each player (including the LENS) is going to get to add something that somehow relates to that specific city. It's a topic to keep us all on the same page. If you make a Period or Event, just describe what happens as though we're seeing it from a bird's eye view. When it's your turn, you're in charge, and the rest of the players (and spectators!) will be eagerly waiting to see what you have to say. Example: It is my turn, and the FOCUS is a specific city. I create a Period where the city is flourishing in an age of prosperity. However, the next player creates an Event within the new period I just made, which levels the city in a terrible calamity. If you make a Scene, we all pick characters and play to find out what really happened during that moment of history. Scenes are special; they invite other players to come participate directly with you to answer a Question. Example: On a player's turn, they raise a Scene that takes place during the aforementioned calamity. They pose a question to the group: "Was the calamity caused by people?" They then set the scene, and players act using characters to find out the answer to the Question. ---  Getting into the Microscope Mindset History does not turn out the way a single person intended in Microscope; there will be things that people create that go nowhere, or events that nobody else likes. However, what other players add to the tableau of history may surprise you; likewise, your own additions will probably surprise them as well. You may find that you do not have any ideas that seem particularly appealing, or end up fairly dry when it's your turn. This is fine; even though you may play something that you personally don't feel happy with, there is a good chance other players may see something in the idea and refine it through play that will ultimately validate your 'boring' idea. Caveats about Microscope You may find as a new player you have a lot of really great ideas and you can't wait to tell people about them. However, it's strongly encouraged to treat Microscope like poker - you want to keep your cool ideas close to your chest until you're ready to use them in actual play. If everybody else knows what you intend ahead of time, it takes out some of the mystique and maybe some of what makes the idea interesting in the first place. Unlimited Power in Limited Context Remember that when it's your turn, if you are playing an Event or Period, that is something you have complete control over. Nobody else can change that point of history, but they can ask for clarification. You also cannot ask for feedback from other players in any way - this is purely your creation. It may be shaped and informed from other player's work, or it may go in a new direction. Understanding your restrictions and working with maximum effect in that area is something new players will want to address and subsequently embrace. About Introducing Advanced Rules To begin, the rules for creating histories are enough to create an entire timeline full of interesting bits and bobs. There are special cases in the book that are presented that have to do with steering specifically a Scene (Pushing your alternative ideas to a vote), or taking an enduring concept, object, person, or place and carrying it forward to remain in the spotlight (exploring the Legacy of something). These will be covered when appropriate during play, but they are presented in the rulebook with examples. --- Guidelines About Events and Periods
---  Schedule of Play Serving as a table of contents and a reminder to the order of play, I have created the order as noted in the second post. It will be updated as time goes on with bookmarks, and eventually compiled into a Google Doc for archived reading. As part of teaching the game, I will go first to show how this works, so I will also be the first Lens and I'll pick the first Focus for our history. After the end of the first pass, it is time to take a step back and review the history that has been constructed thus far. Is there a desire to explore further? If so, we can do a second pass, perhaps even a third pass. Do people think that everything is good the way it is? If so, there's no reason to force a continuation of play. --- Liner Notes From the Author of Microscope Ben Robbins posted:Part of the heart and soul of Microscope is to have each person contribute their own unique ideas, and then see how those ideas intertwine and grow on each other. If we plan things out as a group or in small pockets of players - that is, if we collaborate rather than discover and experience - the magic of the game's design is lost. The game will work, but it won't be nearly as interesting.
|
#
?
Nov 14, 2015 07:27
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 10, 2024 05:40 |
|
|
Turn 0: Game Setup 0.1: The Big Picture 0.2: Bookends 0.3: Palette 0.4: First Pass Organized Play document Turn 1: aldantefax is now the [LENS] - the [FOCUS] is Kovak Anur, the First Lucid Turn 1a: aldantefax [Scene] - Kovak Anur's Elucidation Turn 1b: Comrade Gorbash's turn Turn 1c: Mors Rattus' turn Turn 1d: FewtureMD's turn Turn 1e: Quorum's turn Turn 1f: [LENS] finishes the [FOCUS] Turn 1g: Choose a new legacy, then explore one of the legacies: Quorum creates an Event or dictated Scene that relates to one of the Legacies Turn 2: Comrade Gorbash is now the [LENS] - the [FOCUS] is ??? Turn 2a: Comrade Gorbash's turn Turn 2b: Mors Rattus' turn Turn 2c: FewtureMD's turn Turn 2d: Quorum's turn Turn 2e: aldantefax's turn Turn 2f: [LENS] finishes the [FOCUS] Turn 2g: Choose a new legacy, then explore one of the legacies: aldantefax creates an Event or dictated Scene that relates to one of the Legacies Turn 3: Mors Rattus is now the [LENS] - the [FOCUS] is ??? Turn 3a: Mors Rattus' turn Turn 3b: FewtureMD's turn Turn 3c: Quorum's turn Turn 3d: aldantefax's turn Turn 3e: Comrade Gorbash's turn Turn 3f: [LENS] finishes the [FOCUS] Turn 3g: Choose a new legacy, then explore one of the legacies: Comrade Gorbash creates an Event or dictated Scene that relates to one of the Legacies Turn 4: FewtureMD is now the [LENS] - the [FOCUS] is ??? Turn 4a: FewtureMD's turn Turn 4b: Quorum's turn Turn 4c: aldantefax's turn Turn 4d: Comrade Gorbash's turn Turn 4e: Mors Rattus' turn Turn 4f: [LENS] finishes the [FOCUS] Turn 4g: Choose a new legacy, then explore one of the legacies: Mors Rattus creates an Event or dictated Scene that relates to one of the Legacies Turn 5: Quorum is now the [LENS] - the [FOCUS] is ??? Turn 5a: Quorum's turn Turn 5b: aldantefax's turn Turn 5c: Comrade Gorbash's turn Turn 5d: Mors Rattus' turn Turn 5e: FewtureMD's turn Turn 5f: [LENS] finishes the [FOCUS] Turn 5g: Choose a new legacy, then explore one of the legacies: FewtureMD creates an Event or dictated Scene that relates to one of the Legacies aldantefax fucked around with this message at 07:24 on Dec 29, 2015 |
|
#
?
Nov 14, 2015 07:27
|
|
|
0.1 - The Big Picture In any order, people can throw out ideas here that is one line. It should be a single sentence that summarizes what happens but leaves out all the details. It is okay to collaborate and find an idea that everybody is happy with. This will help to make sure you're on the same page about the kind of game everybody wants to play. Note, however, that this is one of the only times that it is okay to collaborate. Once we've settled on a big picture we can move on to the next step.
|
|
#
?
Nov 14, 2015 11:39
|
|
|
Well, here's my first effort:quote:A world is shaped by the ability to negotiate and make pacts of power with other beings, as trades and exchanges of magical power shape all levels of life.
|
|
#
?
Nov 14, 2015 16:33
|
|
|
That seems interesting! We're off to a good start. I'll try throwing a few out: Magic gives birth to a new sport. Mankind achieves apotheosis to challenge the old gods. People struggle to rebuild after the Apocalypse. Atlantis rises and falls.
|
|
#
?
Nov 14, 2015 19:00
|
|
|
Mankind destroys itself using magic.
|
|
#
?
Nov 14, 2015 19:27
|
|
|
Mighty empires, built with magic, rise and fall-- each containing the seeds of its own demise. Society struggles to deal with a powerful form of magic which changes its nature and manner of expression once every nine generations. Accurate divination magic shapes literally every decision, down to the most mundane, in an entire culture... but it contains a fatal flaw, leading to apocalypse.
|
|
#
?
Nov 14, 2015 21:24
|
|
|
Quorum posted:Accurate divination magic shapes literally every decision, down to the most mundane, in an entire culture... but it contains a fatal flaw, leading to apocalypse. Dear, sweet god, no. We want something that'll be fun to play afterwards! (In fact, when Palette comes up, I think I'll be using my option to ban any ability to see the future via magic.)
|
|
#
?
Nov 14, 2015 21:28
|
|
|
It's an interesting seed to think about though - I would imagine that if you had a society like that where divination magic had 100% accuracy you would end up with a very rigid society with people who have decision paralysis (why would you make a choice to do anything when your crystal ball tells you that something is 100% predestined already)? Divination does not necessarily preclude foresight though - maybe it only lets you see into the past with unerring accuracy, but people still have to put the pieces together. Simple crimes and matters of arbitration would become important, and plans could become very grand in time scale in order to execute. Banning future sight would make it interesting indeed if we went with this seed! Let's see what ideas Gorbash might have cooking whenever he gets around to it.
|
|
#
?
Nov 14, 2015 21:46
|
|
|
• The first great conqueror unites the fractious kingdoms under one banner. • After the extinction of the dragons and the fall of their empires, their former slaves forge new nations in the rubble of a lost age. • A world where music is a form of magic, leading to groups and idols vying for top billing in literal battles of the bands. • A magical ship that travels between worlds crashes on a primitive, hostile world, and the survivors struggle to build a new civilization.
|
|
#
?
Nov 15, 2015 01:31
|
|
|
Let's talk about some of the ideas we have on the table right now and then decide on one. I see that there are a number of "big civilization rises/falls" as the prevailing idea. In fact, many of these ideas can come together in Events and Periods under one large history. To broaden the scope, then, would be something like this: "The rise and fall of great empires." In the interest of moving things forward we should probably commit to a big picture idea before the weekend's out if possible, Monday at the absolute latest. Since we have the US holidays coming up I'd like to get some rounds ahead of it so people get a feel for doing this over PBP!
|
|
#
?
Nov 15, 2015 06:00
|
|
|
Comrade Gorbash posted:• After the extinction of the dragons and the fall of their empires, their former slaves forge new nations in the rubble of a lost age. Dragon empires I can definitely live with; the motif of ancient-lost-empire with culture and technology now forgotten is a trope in fantasy, and it might actually fit if all that culture and advanced magic was because dragons.
|
|
#
?
Nov 15, 2015 08:23
|
|
|
I'm down with a post-dragon world as well, especially it it could lead to all sorts of interesting discoveries of lost magitech.
|
|
#
?
Nov 15, 2015 23:45
|
|
|
dragopcalypse is good in my book
|
|
#
?
Nov 16, 2015 00:29
|
|
|
Hm. My one caveat is 'I like dragons, so I'm not sure I want to say they are all totally extinct.' But I think that that's solvable - maybe there's gradations of dragon, so the ones that had the empire are extinct, but maybe lesser relations - like the ape to the dragons' human - are still around.
|
|
#
?
Nov 16, 2015 00:43
|
|
|
Mors Rattus posted:Hm. My one caveat is 'I like dragons, so I'm not sure I want to say they are all totally extinct.' But I think that that's solvable - maybe there's gradations of dragon, so the ones that had the empire are extinct, but maybe lesser relations - like the ape to the dragons' human - are still around. I agree, dragons are pretty cool and a culture that used to be ruled by them would probably have some pretty interesting mythologies and relationships with surviving "lesser" dragons. TBH I wouldn't mind playing some during the dragon empire, either, so covering the decline and fall might be interesting.
|
|
#
?
Nov 16, 2015 01:52
|
|
|
I like the idea of there being lesser dragon and dragonkin still around. Drakes and wyverns and the like. Just not True Dragons after their empires fall. Bookends seems like the next step. I say start with the beginning of the last Dragon Emperor's reign, and the ending is when the last immediate successor state is defunct. How long that covers could vary a lot, so we'd have plenty of room to play around with. From the death of Phillip II (starting the reign of Alexander, the last Argead king and only real ruler of the empire he created) to fall of the last diadochi kingdoms was around 300 years. For Rome, it could be either about 1000 years from the last Western Emperor until the fall of Constantinople, or even 1450 years until the collapse of the Ottoman Empire if you consider the Byzantine Empire to be a continuation of Rome. EDIT: I may have jumped the gun on this part, but I'll leave it up as part of my thought process. One thing I was thinking about - the technological level post Dragon Empire. Making it medieval seems boring. Maybe rather than being an analogue of Rome, it matches more with ancient Assyria so it's more of a classical era tech and social style? Or maybe it's later on, more Renaissance or even early industrial? Comrade Gorbash fucked around with this message at 03:14 on Nov 16, 2015 |
|
#
?
Nov 16, 2015 02:55
|
|
|
I suspect it might not end up having a direct analogue to an Earth time period, but rather a mix of them - but I do like the idea of Dragon Rome and the fallout of the collapse of Dragon Rome, so I'm all for what we have so far.
|
|
#
?
Nov 16, 2015 03:46
|
|
|
Before we move on, let's first confirm the big picture: After the extinction of the dragons and the fall of their empires, their former slaves forge new nations in the rubble of a lost age. This is definitely a fine example of a big picture and doable. If everybody is on board with this, then as Gorbash begun to make references to, we can determine the start and end periods of history. 0.2 - Bookends of History History can extend infinitely in any direction, but for the purposes of Microscope we will need to establish an absolute beginning and absolute ending period of history. These give us the constraints within we can explore. Note than an uncountable amount of time can be between these two periods; for example, in the case of the current Big Picture, the starting period does not have to start after the extinction of the dragons, or the fall of their empires. Likewise, the ending period does not have to be that the slaves have forged their new nations. I like the bookend period of starting some time when the Dragon Empire is in decline - it could during the final reign, or it could be whenever the first signs that the downfall of the Dragon Empire was going to take place. I would imagine since the outcome is ruination it would be a Dark period. "The Dragon Empire begins to decline from its height." Also, I am a fan of cyclical history, so the successor empires crumbling or in decline as the other bookend period would also be Dark. "The nations of the Free Peoples crumble." --- From this point forward, the basic building blocks of Microscope each will have a TONE of light or dark. This generally means the overall outcome being positive or negative of the Event, Period, or Scene, and this includes the Bookend Periods. As a group, we should determine what the bookend periods are, what their TONE is, and then fill them in. Time itself does not necessarily mean much in a Microscope game (it can always be massaged later when doing an extended treatment for other gaming purposes). Rather than thinking of the length of time, consider the actual focal points of history. A span of a thousand years could go by with nothing happening, or an entire period could focus on only 24 hours of time. Similar to what I put forth above, come up with some periods of your own that you'd like to use as bookends; or, if you'd like to support these ones, that's okay too.
|
|
#
?
Nov 16, 2015 07:11
|
|
|
To clarify my bookend idea, I'll express it this way: From the start of the last Dragon Emperor's reign, until the last successor nation is dissolved. I'm phrasing it that way because it doesn't tie us to doing a cycle of collapse to collapse. The end of the successor nation could be a positive/peaceful thing if we decided we wanted it to be.
|
|
#
?
Nov 16, 2015 14:46
|
|
|
Well, I think that's what we're deciding now. Do we want a cycle of collapse, or an end to humanity's ties to Dragon Rome? I could go either way.
|
|
#
?
Nov 16, 2015 18:40
|
|
|
Cycle of collapses sounds too depressing for my tastes. Humanity moving beyond its painful past sounds like a way better bookend.
|
|
#
?
Nov 16, 2015 22:30
|
|
|
I'm cool with that - would the opening period of a Dragon Empire in decline be a Light or a Dark period?
|
|
#
?
Nov 17, 2015 01:03
|
|
|
Probably a Dark period, though having it be Light that leads into the decline could be interesting.
|
|
#
?
Nov 17, 2015 01:18
|
|
|
Valid point, but I was looking specifically for player feedback on this one (unless mcclay is a parachute account of one of the players!) - if you're spectating and have some feedback, I invite you to go post in the original recruitment thread here for your reference.
|
|
#
?
Nov 17, 2015 02:20
|
|
|
I like the idea of having the beginning of decline be a Dark period; after all, the Dragon Empire brought stability along with whatever tyranny it exhibited, and any fall of an empire tends to bring chaos, if only for a while.
|
|
#
?
Nov 17, 2015 02:24
|
|
|
I'm leaning dark as well, for the same reasons. Also, even if the end involves good things happening, the lead up to the fall is likely pretty rough. Think Star Wars (at least, the old canon) - the Empire is toppled by some plucky Rebels and gets replaced with more humane regimes, but that struggle to bring the Empire down is pretty brutal and dark.
|
|
#
?
Nov 17, 2015 02:33
|
|
|
Don't forget the wild thrashings as the dying Empire tries to maintain what little legitimacy it has left. Dark indeed.
|
|
#
?
Nov 17, 2015 02:49
|
|
|
I'm good for Dark for the empire's decline and Light for the final cutting of ties to draconic culture.
|
|
#
?
Nov 17, 2015 02:51
|
|
|
I'm with Mors.
|
|
#
?
Nov 17, 2015 02:52
|
|
|
Mors Rattus posted:I'm good for Dark for the empire's decline and Light for the final cutting of ties to draconic culture. +1 Plus, even a Light period can contain Dark notes and vice versa, so we can fine-tune things as we get to them.
|
|
#
?
Nov 17, 2015 03:02
|
|
|
It seems like we've reached a consensus then
|
|
#
?
Nov 17, 2015 04:22
|
|
|
Sounds good. To summarize, then, we will use the following for our Bookend Periods: Start - The Dragon Empire declines with its final ruler. (Dark) End - The Free Nations sever ties with their forebears, ushering a new age. (Light) I figure calling the successor nations "Free Nations" makes sense but that can be adjusted if something more evocative is appropriate. 0.3 - Palette The palette is the special spice that makes the game of Microscope a little more interesting. This is where you can say, in unequivocal terms, what you do want in the game, and what you DON'T want in the game. Things you would like to see but the setting does not imply (space travel? guns?) may not actually see use if nobody bites, but things that are placed into the "don't want" category are effectively banned from play and should not be circumvented (aliens? resurrection? humans?). These ingredients will have a fairly important impact on actual play when we get around to it. At this point in the game, interaction begins to narrow down. Players can go in any order, and each of us will add something to the palette, one pick on the "Yes" or "No" side of it. These are open to discussion, but once they are agreed upon, further muddling with them will not be an option. You have been warned! This is to ensure everybody starts and stays on the same page throughout play. Yes palette - these are ideas, concepts, or specific things that are not implied by the Big Picture or the Bookend Periods; something that other players would not expect, but you want to throw in as something that can potentially see treatment. Something in the Yes column cannot be banned. Even if something from this palette seems like it might be incongruous to the history, because everybody agreed to it, it still stands and we can work backwards to make it fit. Important note: things in the Yes palette are not automatically in play. Someone must actually do something with it in order to introduce it. No palette - these are the opposite of the above - ideas, concepts, or specific things that players DO expect to be in the history, but you don't want it to be included. An example would be in a game where there is the expectation of magic, healing magic is placed in the 'no' category, which would have some serious ramifications for the setting. This must be respected at all times in play. This is a self-imposed restriction for the group, so be sure that there is consensus and some open-mindness about this. Palette definitions continue until someone passes. At that point, this phase of setup immediately stops. This ensures no one player has more than one item in the palette more than the person who passed. Since I've already written up all these words I'll throw in the following: No - Resurrection/reincarnation spells. This does not include a natural cycle of reincarnation (if that is something we want to explore), but clerics cannot Raise Dead or True Resurrect or anything like that, and no spellcaster can wish someone back to life. This makes things like the pursuit of longevity through lichdom or other means more appealing. Also, because it is only impacting spells, perhaps there are ancient forbidden ways to bring someone back from the dead, such as traveling to Hell to exchange one's life for another (popularized in the Silmarillion and in Greek mythology). There's no easy way to do it, though, and that's the point of this ban.
|
|
#
?
Nov 17, 2015 09:58
|
|
|
No: Future-telling. Magic can't foretell the future. It can discover facts about the past, though I'd prefer if it were hard to get, say, instant 'video' of an area compared to facts like 'someone was here' or 'this blood came from someone who looks like this', but it can never predict the future. People instead rely on fortune telling no more accurate than that of our own world.
|
|
#
?
Nov 17, 2015 13:50
|
|
|
Yes: Non-human intelligent races. It'd be interesting to explore how, say, Dwarves dealt with the Dragon Empire, and how they react to its decline and fall. Or maybe Goblin barbarians? That kind of thing.
|
|
#
?
Nov 17, 2015 20:34
|
|
|
Yes. Emotional/Mental manipulation magic. The Dragon Empire was notorious for its reliance on these sorts of magics to maintain their power over the other races. Going on after their collapse, leaders of nations will be constantly tempted by the 'easy out' of mind control and emotional dampening.
|
|
#
?
Nov 17, 2015 22:08
|
|
|
Interesting! That would make sense though considering we have implied already that the Dragon Empire used slaves pretty heavily. This would be fertile ground to tread over in the earlier periods of history (maybe the loosening of this magic allowed for slaves to break free and fight for emancipation or something).
|
|
#
?
Nov 17, 2015 22:36
|
|
|
No: Hidden or "last of the" true dragons after the Empire falls. They're well and truly gone. I want to avoid that fantasy cliche of having a group be said to have disappeared, only to pop up every time a new hero or villain is needed (eg. half the population of Krypton seems to have survived the planet blowing up).
|
|
#
?
Nov 18, 2015 03:40
|
|
|
That does not include lesser dragons or mixed breeds (assuming that's a thing), right? Only true dragons which might be likened to deities, effectively.
|
|
#
?
Nov 18, 2015 04:23
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 10, 2024 05:40 |
|
|
Yeah, just the true dragons. Also it doesn't mean there can't be legends or claims of true dragons, just that they never pan out into a real example.
|
|
#
?
Nov 18, 2015 04:29
|
|