My buddy Kyle Burger and I played a social matrix game, a kind of storygame with
incredibly simple rules:
Start with the mystery. Set the scene by describing the episode’s problem.
Say what happens next. Anyone can add to the story, there’s no turn order. Build on
each other’s ideas.
When an outcome is uncertain, state the odds and roll a d6. Lower means it
happens.
Finish when the mystery is solved.
Simple? Exactly. Anyone can do this, anyone can jump in, anyone can listen along.
Just put on your proverbial storytelling-dancing shoes and let’s get to it!
Here’s a link:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/07GvoLbsto5sKIuf4Pk4GR?si=3Xj
mpvQeQoKL–IkHzzLyw
Reflection
So do you need a game with more rules? Actually, you might even get away with
fewer. As with these kinds of experiments, we had no idea where this was going
next and one big surprise was never using the dice! They were Chekov’s dice,
mentioned at the beginning of the episode and promptly <forgotten> about. Ah well,
if anything the episode benefitted from no pauses to consult the oracle. Nothing
must’ve been uncertain!
But if it’s not obvious, Burger is an incredible improviser and such a character. I felt
that it was my job to feed him somewhat interesting questions and we went in crazy
directions. We “started” in the same place as one of the Scooby-Doo episodes but
ended in a completely different place! Just by being open, asking questions, and
saying what happens next, we could tell an original story!
All I had to do ahead of the session (aside from setting up the podcast) was write
out the mystery headline, the character names and roles, some locations, and a few
ideas of moments we could shoot for or completely ignore. Then it was just a
conversation game (h/t Tim B’s blog).
Scooby-Doo was a classic first choice. The characters are SO archetypal, they’re
like Greek Gods with so many iterations but a central gravity of characteristics that
make them easy to use. Leveraging the Scooby mythos meant we didn’t have to
create “OCs” that we and others could get attached to. They were the first
touchpoint we could all get behind and had so much fuel for the episode.
Are there more possibilities? More genres? Absolutely! This is an ill-explored space
in my estimation, leaving lots of room if you’re interested.
We’re frontiersmen, you and I!
What’s next?
Burger and I have no expectations for this, we just agreed it was a blast to do! It’s
fast, and super engaging to play, especially with only two players. It’s like tennis,
back and forth and back and forth with a similar intensity to a one-on-one game with
a GM and player. But I view this as an absolute win as I love that flow-state and
despise that dead-air.
I do want a better microphone for this and I’ll be using my game funds to procure
one. If you like the podcast and want to see more, you can support me and get
yourself a game by going to my itch page: https://dreamingdragonslayer.itch.io/. I
recommend Skorne and Adventure Hour! as fan-favorites and chock-full of fresh
ideas and old advice.
I’m curious what a guidebook would look like for such a game. If you’re familiar with
Dungeon World and the exceptional Dungeon World Guidebook, I’m thinking along
those lines: a set of training wheels for GMs that make them excellent emulators of
the genre. Imagine a Powered by the Apocalypse set of principles and moves that
players can use as guardrails, training them to be better storytellers. Then they use
the guide less and less and finally take flight on their own. Fascinating.
My internal pitch of Primetime Audioventures was to double-hand spring off of
familiar TV show concepts as a starting point and jump right to telling stories. It’s
tight, it works. Have a favorite show with unexplored scenarios?
● Did Firefly cancel too early for you?
● Did you watch too much Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or Pokémon as a
kid?
● Think you could write a better episode of Teen Titans Go?
● How about a what-if scenario in Star Wars to re-write the sequel trilogy?
● Want to further explore the Batman mythos, this time set in Duskwall?
Because when did it become “not cool” to use characters we all know and love like
perfectly charming Happy Meal action figures?
I’ll take Scooby over an edgelord OC any day of the week.
Comment here or email me your thoughts!
