I
hope you watched at least a few minutes of Wendy Davis and her epic
filibuster. I appreciate the rhetorical force of the exercise more than
anything else. At the end of the day, the strength of the filibuster is
not really in what is said but that a person feels so strongly about an
issue, sees it as so important, that she will literally not stand down
in defense. I think having that exercise is important in a democracy
where consensus must emerge from public discussion and rational
persuasion. We all know that rhetoric is not entirely rational, but the
emotional component is an important flag for reason. The investment of
the speaker demonstrates a conviction that counts in favor of revisiting
one’s own position on an issue, makes you look closer at why someone
would feel so strongly. These are important considerations in shaping a
community because we need to recognize the concerns of our fellows as
just as important to them as ours are to us. Wendy Davis demonstrated
that conviction today, and well done.
The current game in our weekly role-playing group is Deadlands. The previous game was Shadowrun. Both rule systems lie closer to the “chunky” side of the spectrum. Shadowrun has a particular reputation for its complex and somewhat cumbersome rules, and while Deadlands has less overall complexity, the system has a degree of granularity that interrupts play more often than it enhances narration. I enjoy role-playing games because I like participating in a good story. The rules system provides a set of constraints for the characters, the setting, and the conflicts. They help give the narrative structure, a background against which the story will take place. Too few rules, and telling an interesting and well-developed story becomes difficult. Too many rules tend to get in the way of individual scenes or events. With the right balance, it’s possible for the game master, usually me, to be sufficiently fluent in the rules system to resolve any conflict without extended consultation of on...
Comments
Post a Comment