GCG

I see! Many thanks for the clarification. I agree with you.

This is great to read, and I want to see the final decisions for the characters, especially the tally.

Alessandro, the Google-translate version of your name is hilarious.

It is alive!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/847190685/circle-of-hands

Clarifications.

#1: The GM may refuse to permit an NPC from becoming a Relationship only if that NPC has been designated with a name in the GM's preparation. Otherwise, the GM does not have that privilege. Also, in regard to named NPCs, the GM could possibly say "yes" as well as "no;" he or she does not decide prior to play.

#2: The setting is not high fantasy. A village of humanoid plants is not within the rules. The GM begins by deciding whether trolls, humans, or both are present in the chosen location.  He or she then decides what the Stakes are. Any magical or surreal elements are then added only to reinforce the importance of the Stakes. The text is very clear about this important point.

Best, Ron

Hi Moreno,

What you wrote in that particular post is against the rules, unlike your previous posts which were very enlightening and helpful.

Regarding your example about the infidelity, everything you said is OK. The responsibility lies with the player for the principal to have cheated on his wife and not told her or anyone else about it. So it would probably have to be some other infidelity than the ones established so easily in the fiction. The reason behind that secrecy could be either minor or major as the player sees fit.

As long as the requirement for the Trespass is met - secrecy - than the rule will work fine. Please note as well that the Trespass is not intended to be some terrible twist that horrifies everyone at the table. It only matters that the principal - for whatever reason - does not want to tell anyone.

Best, Ron

Moreno is right.

A person's turn in this game is best understood as adding image for a moment. No one person "plays a scene" or is responsible for scenes as a whole in any way. In retrospect, yes, as many as twenty turns may have contributed to what became a scene during play, or more, or less. When your turn begins, the best thing you can do is think of the two fictional situations at the table, and make one of them just the tiniest bit longer or more detailed, then pass the turn to the next person. If you find yourself struggling to decide what to put into the situation, then you should stop and not do anything at all. In one of our groups, we call this "It's raining," or "It's foggy and smoky," because those are very frequent descriptions in spy novels set in Berlin.

Alessandro, you are also correct that your turn is not your turn to "be your character," but rather to add to the fiction. It's true that if you feel like adding actions and attitudes for characters as you way to add content at that moment, then you are technically playing a character at least for that moment. But remember that there is no true character ownership in Spione. You or any other player may well find yourself playing a different character every single turn. And similarly, if you look back over the last hour of play, you should be able to see that each character was actually a composite of all the different players who chose to speak and act for him or her throughout that time.

Best, Ron

Clearly, I am not very bright. Alessandro, how do I find what you are talking about? Or is it something I knew about already?