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I've found that long standing characters that players pour a lot of time and energy into become borderline...not sure what the word is. Not quite servitors, not quite god forms, not quite "fiction suits". I've always just called them "masks". It's a totally different personality and skill set, and sometimes mystical outlook, to overlay over yourself. To be honest, I'm not really sure where I draw the line between using a character's mask and invoking archetypes in comic book form, but then again that's just me.
Your idea sounds interesting, but I'm not entirely sure how much fun it would be for the players and the GM. It seems like what you're looking for is almost a simulation of the changes you want to enact. That is, turning the game into a microcosm of reality and then using the simulations inside said microcosm to affect macrocosmic reality. Sort of a modern version of taking on the roles of the gods in a ritual drama.
While this all works in theory, there's a certain natural flow that comes out of RPGs that setting this sort of task to them just wouldn't quite work out, I think. Having the players lives mould the in character universe is often the opposite of what people want to see.
Now, my suggestion is for the group to focus on one set of events that they want to change, and for the GM to meditate on an allegorical/metaphorical situation to represent this set of events (lets call it the "target" for simplicity's sake, and the GM's meditation we'll call "the game"). The purpose of the game, thus, is to represent the target in a metaphorical sense, with the PCs being represented as metaphors for individuals, concepts, or actions that are central to the target. I'd then further suggest setting up the general area, and trying to use the flow of the game to induce a focused state in which the game becomes a center point for the reality of the target. Then...as above, so below.
That'd be my theory on how to do it, at least.
For game systems, I'd suggest nothing too complex. Perhaps something diceless, or that uses very little dice. A simple system where the focus is on the story itself...unless you want to try and use the system itself to directly influence the target, which I could see being useful as well. I'd suggest things like Buffy/Angel (using Unisystem-Lite), Nobilis (diceless, with a very similar air to the basic idea discussed herein), Unknown Armies (similar to Nobilis, but also very weird and chaos-magicky on its own), or something of that sort. I'd suggest staying away from rules heavy systems like anything Storyteller, d20, Deadlands, Tri-Stat, or the like. Though "Little Fears" by Key 20 could also work...but that game is so dark I'm not quite sure just how it would influence things.
Alternativly, create your own system. Build the system itself as part of the sigil, or even AS the sigil. An entire game built as a hypersigil to invoke real change...
...now I'm just rambling, and I need to get to class. But now my thoughts are all jumbly. |
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