I sent out the material for the final playtest of Serial this morning. I’ve had several volunteers from new friends and old who have never played the game before. They’ve offered to print out the forms, listen to the audio, and let me know how well this format teaches the game. Getting help is truly a great thing!
If you wanted to playtest the game, but did not receive an e-mail this morning, let me know in the comments.
I’m not sure which part of this intrigues me more, the insight that some players like some games based on specific parts (and it doesn’t matter what the other parts are as long as the game, shall we say, scratches their itch), or the idea of a semi-mundane, largely social/cerebral activity presented with the same mechanics as one of the most action-oriented games around.
Given that long ago I couldn’t dislodge the idea of the “superheroes engage in space combat for valuable prizes” game, I’d say it’s the latter.
What would it take to refit the game that way? Instead of hit points and armor, you’d end up with abstract concepts like persuasion-resistance and self-interest and such. Or maybe I just need to read up on the Burning Wheel interaction system some…