Twilight: In 3 Minutes, as Performed by Puppets

I am sure you have seen this, but I hadn't when I visited Anne Thompson's blog this morning. It brought warmth to my heart.

"But Master, Why Must I Feed the Children Maggots?" A Narrative Game Review

Game Review: My Life with Master by Paul Czege

In his introduction to his collection of essays The Film, Andrew Sarris writes that "Vachel Lindsay's major contribution to film aesthetics consisted of distinguishing the artistic ends best suited to the differing expressive means of the stage play and the photoplay." It may seem odd to begin a game review with a quote from a collection of film criticism, but it isn't when the game being reviewed is My Life with Master by Paul Czege.

Paul is an active participant in a particular indie gaming subculture, who once gathered at The Forge, that has been aggressively pursuing the meaning of roleplaying games as a form of play. This group of game theorists and designers often stress the value of roleplaying game as art -- in particular, they usually discuss roleplaying games in the framework of narrative art form. A source of inspiration, though certainly not the source of inspiration, for participants in The Forge movement is Greg Costikyan's game theory manifesto "I Have No Words and I Must Design."

In the essay, Costikyan writes that "A game is a form of art in which participants, termed players, make decisions in order to manage resources through game tokens in the pursuit of a goal." While we might debate the merits of this definition of game noun by noun, it is important to note that Costikyan is emphasizing games as a form of art. For many in the community that made up The Forge, role playing games would best be described as a form of narrative art.

It is all well and good for a critic, or theorist, to talk of a particular entertainment medium as art -- not artifice which by definition includes all man made things, but art -- it is quite another to apply such criticism/theory to the medium in question. Yet that is exactly what the community at The Forge did on a frequent basis. Quite a large number of excellent, well thought out, and interesting games have grown out of The Forge's fertile intellectual soil. My Life with Master is one of those games. Make no mistake, this "review" will not be a discussion as to whether or not My Life with Master is a good game, rather it will be a discussion of the reasons why it is a great game.

THEME

My Life with Master is a game in which the players create a narrative simulating romantic/gothic horror like that of Dracula or Frankenstein. The "players" play the role of minions of a twisted master. They are the Igors and Renfields to the "game master's" Victor Frankenstein or Dracula. Or as the author Paul Czege describes the theme, My Life with Master is "a roleplaying game about the horrific and dysfunctional ties that bind a monstrous Master and his or her minions."

Throughout the play of the game, the game master -- in the role of the "Master" -- will give various commands to his/her minions in an attempt to achieve some horrific goal. One examples from literature/film might be the use of Igor to dig up bodies so that the Master can fulfill his goal of reanimating a corpse. The minions may succeed, or fail, with carrying out an given command, but one thing is certain. Eventually, the Master will fall at the hands of one of his/her minions as the minions finally resolve an internal conflict between self-loathing and empathy/love. It is only a matter of time, the broad outcome of the game is known, play is about the how and the why.

It should be noted that Paul Czege begins his game with a warning message discussing the game's non-traditional play style and the creepy subject matter the game covers. I don't know that the warning is "necessary," as one can imagine children playing a Warner Bros. cartoon or Black and White Universal Monsters version of the game. Not every group has Nicolas Logue* as a Game Master or Player. But the warning does help set the proper tone for game play. It hints that those playing the game will have to ask themselves, "how far are you willing to go in describing the horrors of the Master and the horrific actions of the minions?" A question that can lead down some pretty creepy roads, even if Nicolas Logue isn't in your playing group. You will learn a lot about your friends when you listen to "how" they describe the acts they are asked to perpetrate.

One of the great successes of My Life with Master as a game is that its theme and its mechanics are perfectly integrated.

Mechanics

The mechanics of My Life with Master are simple, deceptively simple. At their most basic, the player and the game master roll handfuls of dice, add the totals, with the highest total winning the contest. Winning a contest also allows the winner to describe the victory as they wish, within the limits of the possibilities of the scene and the overarching narrative. This is a "reductive" version of the system, I want you to buy the game to get the full version of the system. But let me make it clear that the factors which influence the success or failure of any given action are directly related to the theme of the game. How fear-inspiring a Master is -- as well as how superstitious a community is -- is contrasted to the level of reason in a community. A perfect tension for simulating a romantic/gothic setting. So too is the amount a minion is loved/can love balanced against the amount a minion experiences self-loathing or how weary a minion is from all the horrific acts he/she has perpetrated. These are the forces that matter in the game, not "how high a minion's dexterity score is."

Most of the decisions which shape the environment of play are crafted as a shared experience by all who are playing. Together, the players and game master create the town. Together, everyone designs the master. And together, the everyone tells stories. Several stories, where each minion is the protagonist and where the Master is universally the antagonist. One of the key innovations of My Life with Master is the way it emphasizes the protagonistic nature of all the player's characters.

GAMEPLAY

There are not many role playing games that I would recommend as a game you use to introduce players to the hobby. Many are too complicated and intimidating for the inexperienced. My Life with Master is one of those few that are perfect for this role. But take note that I wrote "to use to introduce players" and not "introductory game." An introductory game should be both easy mechanically and narratively. 4th Edition D&D meets these requirements, as does Savage Worlds. Both can be narratively complex, but needn't be. They can be played as "kick in the door, kill the monster" games and still be rewarding experiences.

My Life with Master is a completely different beast. It is great for introducing others to the hobby because it protagonizes all the player, the mechanics are simple, and it emphasizes social interaction with other players. The game plays on all of the strengths of the gaming hobby. It does however require a commitment to the creation of narrative. If the players are not committed to telling a good story, the game is not fun. It requires creative investment. Additionally, the new gamer might need "coaxing" to tell their story with some fun detail. As a game master, one becomes a major facilitator in ways other games don't require. The My Life with Master game master is put into the position of drawing stories out of the players, rather than the typical watching players react to your scripted adventure style of play that many rpgs are rooted to. This can be a challenge and requires experience and/or commitment from the game master and players. The game play of My Life with Master is the creation of story during game play, not after game play. Very few games attempt/achieve this goal, but this game does a masterful job. By having the basis of the mechanics in the thematic elements of the milieu, rather than in physical/mental attributes, the game play focuses on describing outcomes thematically rather than mechanically. "I attack for 6 points of damage" is a sentence that makes no sense, thankfully, in the mechanical structure of My Life with Master.

CONCLUSION

This game is one which really tries to meet Costikyan's definition of game -- meaning that it attempts, and I think succeeds, to create art. Though one could argue that some group's play is more art that another group. It also provides a major contribution to our understanding of the artistic ends of role playing games. Czege's proposed contribution, as demonstrated by this game and not including any outside material, is that role playing games ought to create meaningful protagonized narratives.

It can certainly be said that his game, designed with that goal in mind, demonstrates that a game dedicated to creating meaningful narratives makes for a good role playing game.

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*Nicolas Logue is one of my personal favorite role playing game writers, but his material often "waxes Texas Chainsaw Massacre-esque." It is a running joke in my gaming group that when the players are reacting to a particularly horrific narrative description, they say in unison, "we get it...blah, blah, blah, Nicolas Logue...blah, blah, blah." We now use a "Logue Rating" for evaluating horror movies.

Bettie Page 1923-2008

I wasn't going to post today, but the news of Bettie Page's death yesterday deserves special mention. My acquaintance Elizabeth Snead gives a nice nod over at THE DISH RAG.

I'm not one of those comic book fans who has Bettie Page memorabilia around the house, but I am one whose favorite artists draw their women with a tinge of the "Page." I cannot imagine what Dave Stevens', Adam Hughes', or Kevin Maguire's women would look like if it weren't for the modeling that Page did in her youth.

Much of Ms. Page's life was rocky, but thankfully people like Dave Stevens helped her receive some of the financial compensation she deserved (proving that fans are a wonderful thing, particularly when they are amazingly talented fans). In honor of her life, I think I'll rewatch THE NOTORIOUS BETTIE PAGE (starring the wonderful Gretchen Mol as Bettie).

New ARG for 2012

The upcoming disaster film 2012 has an associated ARG that begins at the Institute for Human Continuity. As you know, 2012 is the last year of the Mayan calendar.

Let's take this for a ride, shall we. Who of us will "Survive 2012?"

Hollywood Foreign Press Favors Stoner Movie Over Comic Genius

As you all know, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association released their Golden Globe nominations today. No real surprises when it comes to the Dramatic end of things. One can use the patented "Christian Lindke Globe/Oscar Drama prediction system*" and end up with a list pretty similar to the overall selections in the Drama category.

What is surprising is the love for James Franco in Pineapple Express and the lack of love for Robert Downey Jr. (or Tom Cruise or Ben Stiller) for their highly entertaining, and highly quotable, work in Tropic Thunder. How can they overlook the hilarity? What are they smoking? Oops. Think I just answered the question.

*To apply the patented "Christian Lindke Globe/Oscar Drama prediction system" find the most inexpensive films, starring "serious actors" or directed by "serious directors," released toward the end of the year and create a list. Eliminate any that look "fun" (they can look good, or deep, but fun is out of the equation). If there are more than five remaining, highlight films that cover "issues." By applying this rule, you usually can guess a majority of the nominees by mid-September.

DRAGONBALL teaser trailer

I'm pretty much 50/50 on what I think about this film. But I do have one thing to say. They could have made Piccolo look lame, but I think he looks awesome.

No Surprises in This Year's Toy Hall of Fame Selections

I am a ludophile. I love games and toys...more than I love baseball, and that is saying something. Thankfully, like baseball, games and toys -- well at least toys -- have their own Hall of Fame at the Strong National Museum of Play. Every year, they announce new entries into the Hall. Last year they shocked some people with their selection of the "Cardboard Box" as one of the great toys of all time, they were right by the way, so it should come as no shock that this year's inductees included The Stick. The stick...that universal simple machine that can transport players into fantastic places. Want to be Babe Ruth? All you need is a stick and imagination. Darth Vader? Same. Errol Flynn? You guessed it. Scaramouche? Uh-huh. Robin Hood? Yep. Evel Kneivel? Naturally.

I am actually very impressed with the Strong Museum's commitment to promoting the "original" toys which require the use of our imagination, that greatest toy of all, in addition to those toys we -- or our parents, or grandparents -- cherished as children. We too often forget how little is really needed for a young mind to create joy...and that is what simple tools/toys allow us to do -- create joy.

Don't get me wrong. I think things like the stick and cardboard box should be let into the Hall in the same way that many of the pre-modern era greats were let into the baseball Hall. They should be brought in as a line-up, from ball to rock, all at ones. That is, unless you want people discussing the meaning of play every year. Then you let them trickle in, one by one and remind people how the simple things can provide pleasure.

Press Release below:

Baby Doll, Skateboard and—the Stick! Inducted Into National Toy Hall of Fame® at Strong National Museum of Play®

ROCHESTER, New York—The latest toys to be inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame require no instruction manual. Welcome the Baby Doll, the Skateboard, and—the Stick!

The Baby Doll and Skateboard were chosen from among 12 toy finalists that included Clue®, Dollhouse, Flexible Flyer® Sled, The Game of Life®, Hot Wheels®, Magic 8 Ball®, Rubik’s Cube®, Thomas the Tank Engine™, Wiffle Ball®, and Yahtzee®.
Cradle it, feed it, take it for a stroll. The Baby Doll, with its newborn features and realistic qualities, brings out the nurturing side of pretend moms and dads. Loved by children (especially little girls) since the late eighteenth century, manufacturers have made such dolls ever-more lifelike. Most early baby dolls were made of papier-mâché or wood, followed in the mid-1800s by wax, porcelain, and composition, and in the 1950s by plastic and vinyl. In the mid-1850s, a patented German device allowed dolls to say “mama”; and an 1879 patented design made way for a drinking doll that could hold water in her head and then return it to the bottle. In 1933, Effanbee released its Dy-Dee doll, which could drink and wet. The Betsy Wetsy doll soon followed. Today’s dolls can crawl, cry, eat, dirty a diaper, and—thanks to 1990s microchip technology—talk back via voice-activated commands! While the baby doll comes in hundreds of different styles, it continues to inspire children to imitate parental roles and foster their own sense of identity.

On the flip side, the Skateboard—encouraging speed, sharp turns, spins, thrills, and risks—brings out the more daring side of a child’s personality and has been attracting kids to the sport since the early 1950s. The first skateboarders cruised the beach walks of Southern California trying to imitate the moves of the surfers they watched offshore. Singing duo Jan and Dean’s Top 40 hit “Sidewalk Surfin’” gave the new sport national exposure. Network television aired skateboard competitions, and by the time Life magazine put a skateboarder on a 1965 cover, more than fifty million skateboards had been manufactured. The early contraptions were homemade affairs of roller-skate wheels fixed to two-by-fours but changes in skateboard technology in the 1970s improved traction on asphalt and concrete. Today’s superior technology and improved safety gear provide for a safer, more stable ride. Skateboarding requires creativity, discipline, stamina, and risk-taking. It is now the sixth most popular participant sport in the United States.

And last but not least, one very unconventional “plaything”—the Stick!—has now taken its honored place in the hall. Found in all sizes in nature, sticks inspire spontaneous, unstructured play and can be used in unendingly imaginative ways—to draw in the sand on a beach, or to use as a magic wand, slingshot, light saber, fishing rod, or walking stick; not to mention playing stickball, toasting marshmallows, or playing “fetch” with your dog. Sticks are the original construction toys: children make toy buildings out of sticks and design toy boats with leaves for sails. Many an adult has picked up a driftwood souvenir from the beach, and artists and crafters use sticks in wreaths, chairs, and sculptures. The stick now keeps proud company with another untraditional “toy”—the Cardboard Box—inducted into the hall in 2005. After all, the best toy is often a plaything that’s free, easy to get, and a source of endless creativity.

The National Toy Hall of Fame® at Strong National Museum of Play® recognizes toys that have engaged and delighted multiple generations, inspiring them to learn, create, and discover through play. Criteria for induction include: Icon-status (the toy is widely recognized, respected, and remembered); Longevity (the toy is more than a passing fad and has enjoyed popularity over multiple generations); Discovery (the toy fosters learning, creativity, or discovery through play); and Innovation (the toy profoundly changed play or toy design).

To date, the following 41 toys have made it into the National Toy Hall of Fame®: Alphabet Blocks, Atari® 2600 Game System, Barbie®, Baby Doll, Bicycle, Candy Land®, Cardboard Box, Checkers, Crayola® Crayons, Duncan® Yo-Yo, Easy-Bake® Oven, Erector® Set, Etch A Sketch®, Frisbee®, G.I. Joe™, Hula Hoop®, Jack-in-the-Box, Jacks, Jigsaw Puzzle, Jump Rope, Kite, LEGO®, Lincoln Logs®, Lionel® Trains, Marbles, Monopoly®, Mr. Potato Head®, Play-Doh®, Radio Flyer® Wagon, Raggedy Ann & Andy™, Rocking Horse, Roller Skates, Scrabble®, Silly Putty®, Skateboard, Slinky®, Stick, Teddy Bear, Tinkertoy®, Tonka® Trucks, and View-Master®.

Playthings, the leading trade magazine covering the children’s toy industry in the United States, is a national media partner of the National Toy Hall of Fame®. Founded in 1903, Playthings offers the most current and in-depth information and news on toy manufacturers, retailers, licensing, products, and people. Playthings is published by Reed Business Information, the largest business-to-business publisher in the United States.
For more information on the National Toy Hall of Fame® visit www.museumofplay.org.