game three of
Three Quick Games About the Human Heart
Under My Skin
love and faith under fire
introduction tabletop ~ free form ~ sheets
tabletop version
characters
You play a character of your gender and sexual orientation.
Choose a name.
Choose a Core Issue for the character. This is a rocky emotional issue that is central to the character. Something that has been at issue in the person's life. A core wound from their past.
Examples:
Honesty, Rage, Trust, Abandonment, Fear, Neglect, Vulnerability, Sacrifice.
For each Core Issue, all of the players suggest an area or realm in which this issue may arise in the character's present life.
For example:
Honesty:
Money-Work-Infidelity-Integrity
Anger:
Vulnerability-Shortsightedness-Violence-Spite
relationships
Choose partners among the characters. It may be spouse, long term relationship, live-in, some time of regular partner.
These characters get shared stats.
Intimacy is knowledge or shared experience with the other.
Passion is sexual attraction and compatibility.
Commitments are specific ongoing shared activities.
Roll a six-sided die for their shared Intimacy, Passion, and Commitments. Once a number has been rolled, throw out that response if it comes up again.
For example:
Kurt and Fran
Intimacy 2
Passion 3
Commitments 4
The three numbers give you a profile of the relationship. Interpreting these numbers gives you a relationship that is more about the external aspects of things.
For example
Interpretation of Kurt and Fran's stats:
They've probably been together a long time--have kids and house etc. The sex is still pretty satisfying, but they've come to take eachother for granted.
play
Elements to be included:
- You chart out the progress of scenes, sketching a rough map of boxes representing scenes.
- You may play out two different versions of the same scene: a best case and worst case scenario of how a situation plays out.
- There may be flashbacks to past situations that shed light on current issues as reflected in the game.
- Characters accrue drama points which can only be gotten rid of by triggering other characters.
- Self-knowledge provides an alternate path somehow. This may be just too didactic and be left out of the game in the end. We'll see.
Scenes and resolution:
- A pair of characters has a scene together, their characters set up what is happening, the other non-involved players suggest some stress, conflict or source of tension that can enter in.
- Decide, somehow, which character is going to come off as the bastard in this scene. (Joshua's term, very appropo).
- The player of the "bastard" offers up so many drama points that will be taken away from their character.
- The other players suggest how the character screws up.
- The one whose suggestion is not chosen does not get given the drama points. The other player gets hit with them.
What is important about the scenes--and the game as far as I'm concerned--is the issue of lines. Sort of like lines as in lines and veils, but rather than about what topics or issues set a person off or make one uncomfortable, the lines here are about what triggers a threat to a person's sense of safety in their relationship and trust of their partner. Where is the line of betrayal? Kissing someone else? Holding their hand? Talking long into the night? Having sex? Taking them to a beloved and special restaurant, or telling them a story about your childhood? What are the invisible boundaries of the sacred space of your relationship, and who can be let in?
It will be the non-bastard character's player who will be responsible for suggesting what the line is that is crossed. They get to say and explore what is the arena of the betrayal. An opportunity to look within. Then the others flesh it out.
free form
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