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The Radio Effect
Role-playing and radio share something in common. Both rely upon the use of verbal descriptions to build the images in the mind of the audience or participants.
In radio the absence of direct visual images is used for great comedic effect, where an audience's expectations and perceptions are toyed with by radio performers. The Hitch-hiker's Guide to the Galaxy used the radio effect very successfully by suddenly and surprisingly revealing that Zaphod Beeblebrox had an extra head and an extra arm.
Because they hadn't been mentioned, nobody knew they were there, and the audience subsequently assumed that Zaphod had two arms and one head until they were told otherwise.
To capture the spirit of radio, and also to keep things fun, the Guide and his players should be encouraged to fully exploit the radio effect at all times. Examples are as follows:
Example 1: The Guide might describe everything around a character as totally dark, causing panic and confusion when in fact they player had announced he had woken up but not that he had opened his eyes...
Example 2: The Guide might deliberately omit to describe a really important feature of a room or building until such time as he is directly asked a question by the players, as in:
Of course, using such tactics should in no way result in harm coming to characters. Well, not permanent harm.
Example 3: Players should be encouraged to retrospectively acquire properties and things that weren't previously written down on their character sheet. This might include obvious things like extra heads, limbs, very big things being dragged behind them and so on.
The only rule is that it shouldn't contradict any fact previously presented (so if someone has described himself as having one head it would be difficult for him to suddenly have a second head.
However, if he were to later reveal he had been carrying a bird cage on his shoulder for the entirety of the adventure, then he could later go on to reveal that there is a second head hidden inside the bird cage, assuming that nobody had tried to look inside).
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"You enter a corridor twenty or thirty feet long with a door at the end."
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"I run along the corridor."
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"You run along the corridor. It smells warm and fetid."
"Yeuch. I'll run straight on towards the door."
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"You can't get to the door."
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"Why not?"
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"There's something in the way."
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"What?"
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"A ravenous bugblatter beast of Traal!"
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"What? Why didn't you tell me?"
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"Well, you didn't ask, and besides, it's looking the other way, so if it can't see you I assumed you might not be able to see it."
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"Gee, thanks!"
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Metabaron |
Latest page update: made by Metabaron
, Sep 17 2007, 6:39 PM EDT
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