Weird Idea #4: Full Dixit Improv

Disclaimer: This is not a new idea

The Concept: Completely No Prep Game

So I got to test out the "You are a Wolf" game I typed up in a haze of creative energy, and it worked really well. It was very improvisational, which I like. (It did drain me of energy and brain power after 3 hours of full improv) 

It did make me think about what other ways to do a full no-prep improv game. And I just got the idea that maybe we can do this with a deck of Dixit card. I'm not sure if Dixit is still very well known, but ten years ago it was pretty popular as a game (not an RPG), and as a tool for story-based RPG's. Some thought to use it as an oracle, others as a propt for inspiration. I'm thinking the latter, especially with something like Roll 4 Shoes (or Risus, or The Pool, or even Fate) which have room in character creation for interpretation.

This way we could get together, pull some cards from the deck (or go through the deck and choose them, not all dixit cards are equally easy to interpret for a specific situation) and interpret them. But due to the possibly only one-shot nature of these types of game, rolling with the random results seems more interesting (I have a lot of dixit sets, and they all got mixed up). While this could be enough of a prompt for this game, let's see if we can't make up a procedure to follow, maybe with some examples.

The Procedure

Karel, Steven, Esther and Malik come together to play a game. They come together around a table and go over their preferred safety procedures (For this, I suggest the ones from Microscope). Then they will play the game. Karel is the GM and tells us that we are going to make our own setting up on the spot. 

To do this there are two immediate options I can see working. Either he draws one card and everybody interprets one thing about it. This can be a close interpretation or some wild connection you make because of your own experiences, biasses and preferences. The other immediate idea is that everyone draws a card and uses it to fill in some setting details. In both cases there should be the option to pull more cards if you can no longer draw upon the card you have or think it doesn't suit you. This goes on until you have a little prompt and some idea of the setting that can inform character creation. This can happen in a freeform kind of way, or you could use a list of questions to answer. Something like this:

• Where are we?
• When are we?
• What is unique or special here?
• Who are we, generally? (what kind/type of people)
• What are we doing?
• Who or what will challenge us?

Write all of these on some type of setting creation paper. If playing FATE, that system actually has a worksheet for this where you can easily log this type of information. (For Fate, rather than this list of questions, use the form to ask the questions, generating the issues, the faces and places, etc.) While this is fun in itself, try to keep it relatively short, so you can get to the actual playing of the game.

Most of the players know the FATE system, and Karel has experience running it, so they all brought their Fate Dice, pencils, FP tokens and a pad of Post-it's to use for creating aspects etc. He suggests using the Dixit cards as prompts to fill out the empty spots on the Game Creation Worksheet. They draw their first card, and think about what questions it might answer, or what they can fill in just from the card.

The card in question

Karel immediately has an idea for the Setting/Tone field on the Setting Creation Worksheet. Magical Pastoral Steampunk. What that means exactly, we don't entirely know yet, but we know there will be steampunk elements, magic is involved with the steampunk and there is a pastoral feel to it, maybe even Ghibli-esque. Esther notices that the sheep are being transformed into clouds by the machine, and that that might be a problem or issue. The group agrees that this is probably a current issue, not particularly an impending one. Since they are only going to play one session, an impending issue might not be relevant, though if it comes up in the pulling of the cards, this might still give some interesting details. Steven then pipes up that a good place and a good face would be a farm and its farmers. They would probably be distressed. This card doesn't give a lot to go on for working them out, but we write it down as things to keep in mind. We agree that it might be time for another card. We keep this one on the table because it might link up well with another one, but we will pull a new card since not all is filled in yet.

The result of the first card with the second one displayed.

Malik drew it and immediately has an idea. "What is the problem at hand is that the farmer's son has gone on a journey to try and solve the problem, and the farmer is worried. Maybe he doesn't even know why his son has gone, but hey, he has a schoolbag with him, perhaps he never showed up after school? So maybe the 'Sheep are being turned in clouds' is the impending problem, but the current issue is the missing child?" Everybody agrees that this seems like a good idea. Their characters, whoever they are, will probably be searching for the child. Steven reminds everyone that one of the safeties people have written down is children being harmed, so we will keep in mind that the child will be able to be found in relatively safe circumstances, and make the changes to the sheet. Karel asks for a name for the child. Esther offers Jonathan, and it is written down. 

Looking at the faces and places, Jonathan is written down, but the aspect/issue at hand there needs to be filled in. What do we know about Jonathan? Is he brave or stubborn? Is he someone who cannot stand injustice? That last one strikes a chord and is written down. Looking at the other faces and places Steven pipes up again and asks, "So, who are we playing? Are we his family, looking for him or are we somehow hired to do this?" Karel adds, "Well, the pastoral Ghibli type story seems to suggest we're everyday people being thrust into an adventure, right? So, I don't think we're hirelings, at least not all of us. If someone really wants to play one, that is good for me, but I think we should be down-to-earth people. Perhaps his family (and the workers from the farm) or his classmates, having decided it's up to us, because it's clear the grown ups can't do it?" Esther likes this idea. "A mercenary being hired by a bunch of kids, trying to manage them and having more trouble with them than with the actual mission at hand seems like a lot of fun!" The previous faces and places are maybe no longer needed, is decided, and they are erased. And looking at the two cards, two possible locations for scenes are written down as they are clear on the cards. "A giant, thorny, beanstalk to the clouds." and "A cloud making-machine near Jonathan's farm." 

This could be enough to get started on Character creation, following the same method of using the cards to inspire what aspects to make. I think I'd like to at least make one more location, if not two, to have as possible scenes. I think I'd add that there's some type of proof that Jonathan's been near the cloud making machine or something, which as a GM I'd make up as character's are making their own characters. Then everyone would get new drinks, we'd go over characters and the Fate Trio together and get started. I might add that we'd talk about how magical everyone might be, but seeing as it's Ghibli-esque, probably the kids are not and the hireling might be, but doesn't have to be. We'd have to figure out what type of magic, which could also be informed by the cards, etc.   

The final result

The structure of the Fate Game Creation Worksheet really helps, and can really be used for any other ruleset. I'd be down to play this game for sure! There would be a part two "Character creation" to this blogpost, but it would just be more of the same, so I will end it here.

Weird Idea #3: You Are A Wolf

THE FIRST HOWL: In which a wolf howls at the moon to tell her what the general idea is.

Again a picture on social media sparks an idea in my weird noggin, and I can't stop thinking about it. I hope this post will get it out of my system.

I came across this on Instagram on the massive.archive account, which is all kinds of inspiring images.
Do check it out. Apparently the original quote is from ― Clarissa Pinkola Estés in Women Who Run With the Wolves

Anyway. Use this list as a general rule for how Wolves behave and decide how well your furry, toothy, wolfy self fits into that list, or how deviant from it you are. Use a very simple resolution mechanic for play. I suggest something like Roll 4 Shoes or 50/50 and tinker from there if need be. The system isn't the interesting thing here, these general wolf rules for life are. They, and your wolf's interaction with them will provide the drama.

THE SECOND HOWL: In which the wolf ask the moon what it means to be a wolf.

So you're wolves ... now what? Good question, here are some questions in return to help your group decide what they find interesting or important. Decide also if there are things you do not want to see and howl these at each other. Be safe.

• Are you all in the same pack? If so, who is the leader of the pack? What are your roles in the pack? If not, how do your packs relate? What is your history? Roll some dice or otherwise resolve it if no resolution can be found through discussion. The roles in the pack(s) might already be a good source of drama to begin a game.

• Where are you? Probably a forest of some kind, but is it dark, wild and rampant, or is it tamed and being encroached by humanity on all sides? Has a disaster recently happened, like a flood or a fire, that might have changed things or attitudes?

THE THIRD HOWL: In which the moon, from her high vantage point, howls back what's in the wolves' path, for well or for woe.

Let's be a bit fanciful and call the GM the Moon here. Place obstacles, dilemma's or other interesting scenes in front of the pack(s) to see how a fulfilling story emerges from this cocktail. Give them opportunities to live out the General Wolf Rules For Life in the picture, but sometimes make living that Wolf Live challenging.

1. EAT: Give them interesting prey, or sudden strange competition, or an unexplained abundance (or rumors of it further ahead).

2. REST: Make moments of rest opportunities to develop relations and deepen your understanding of the pack and its (perhaps changing) hierarchies. At times, make finding rest difficult, a price to be cherished.

3. ROVE IN BETWEEN: Where do they rove to, what do they find of interest, be it curious, beneficial or horrific? Give reasons to rove. Is the prey dying out? Is there sickness or disease? Maybe Human hunters?

4. RENDER LOYALTY: Give opportunities to the wolves to prove themselves loyal. Test loyalties. Where do your wolves' loyalties really lie?

5. LOVE THE CHILDREN: What does it mean to love the children? Protect the children? Prepare the children? Teach the children? How can things happen to the children?

6. CAVIL IN MOONLIGHT: Have a meeting under the moon where, as in a senate, discussion is had. Let different positions clash, let nervous posturing, growling and pacing take place as the grayest of wolves have differing stances or the younger ones want to let themselves be known. Wolfish politics.

7. TUNE YOUR EARS: Look out for danger or cries for help, from prey, pack or foe alike. Find things out. Hear what others have to say, and what they really want to say.

8. ATTEND TO THE BONES: Especially in the difficult times, when prey is hard to come by, attend to the bones, and eat their marrow. Dig deep and find the hidden strength. Attend the bones as well to sharpen tooth and fang, so as to be stronger and more deadly.

9. MAKE LOVE: Find a mate and raise a litter, make the pack grow. But what is the right mate, and are all pups good for the pack?

10. HOWL OFTEN: Let your voice be heard, communicate, even from afar. 

Weird Idea #2 - Vocalizing Choruses

Michael Hartstein’s “When a Choir Sings, The World Stops and Listens.”

I'm here again with a Weird Idea nobody asked for. Once more it's based on music. I was recently pointed at some strange music group called A Room Full of Teeth and decided to give them a listen on Spotify. I loved it. It's Fantastically Weird, being all vocalizing with maybe some synthesized chords in the background once in a while, but mostly just the voice doing weird stuff, like Tibetan throat singing and Yodeling. 

So I'm listening and my imagination starts running, GM brain activating. This sounds sufficiently creepy to be something to put on when in a strange different place: 

A haunted mausoleum, where all the corpses start singing nonsense, filling everyone with dread, destroying sanity room by room, forcing steel checks, whatever your system. If you fail, the haunt takes control and you join the song ... forever.

A eerie fairy forest where the voices are heard, but not found. (Or what would happen if you did find them?) Some strange type of fairy music magic that tries to capture you, plays with you, for some incomprehensible reason. What do you need to do to escape? Sing a counter-song? Hit the right notes? Hide from any sound? What happens if you emerge from the captivity? Can you even still stand sounds? Have years passed, or just mere seconds? Did your voice change or get stolen?

Inside the dream of a bard or minstrel or other music mage. All the voices are different aspects of their inner self, vying for control, sensing around. Some might even be the spells themselves, in a "Vancian" way. Or is this how a bard finds their special songs, transported via musical trance to a place where songs are real and need to be captured, or understood, or translated to sheet music. The amount of success with which this is done defines the strength of the musical spell?

Anyway. This was this edition's weird ideas.

Weird Idea #1 - The Ear Worm

From Wikipedia.
This is what we call an oorwurm (ear wurm) in Dutch.

Inspired by this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tA6GwfeDYyA

Setting: Completely normal day to day modern day average people.

Genre: Sitcom

The game night is an episode. The problem: An ear worm. There's a catchy tune that slowly worms itself (heheh) into everyone's mind. By the end of the episode everybody is humming it. Hijinks ensue with people trying to avoid it, getting rid of it finally and getting it stuck in their head again by another person. Players try to find silly, funny and somehow relatable ways to deal with it.

Some kind of resolution in the end, where they figure out it might not be so bad after all, or everyone finally got rid of it, but someone mentions that he got rid of it finally and it reminds the others, which starts it all back up.

*laughtrack* 

*image still of people throwing couch cushions at the person* 

*End Credits*

Probably using something like Fate or even make it into a FIASCO playlet? I dunno. This is a weird brainwave. No bad ideas in brainstorming.