The Prisoner. Unexciting title, right? Certainly doesn't suggest much
in the way of roleplaying, does it?
Surprisingly enough, The
Prisoner packs a powerful roleplaying punch, introducing
some fresh and previously untried angles on the games we play with our minds.
For those who've been eagerly awaiting GURPS
Illuminati, GURPS
The Prisoner takes
an illuminated world to the extreme -- not only are they watching us, they're
playing with our lives any which way they want to.
Designer Notes are usually the author's thoughts on writing the book. However,
the most interesting things I have to say in that respect are included in
the book's Introduction, so I'll spend a few minutes here describing the
book to you and perhaps convince you to check it out.
Briefly summarized, the worldbook is based on the British television series
of the same name, starring Patrick McGoohan. He is a spy who suddenly resigns
without explanation; he is soon kidnapped and taken to The Village until
he reveals why. The Village is an idyllic resort in many respects, with
one major flaw. You can't leave. Ever. (Oh, they may promise, but. . .)
In some respects, The Village is restricted as a roleplaying arena -- it
is less than half a mile across, its buildings and people are fairly mundane,
and PCs don't have access to much in the way of magic, superpowers or firearms.
All of these are in the hands of the masters (played by the GM). Roleplaying
here addresses the basics of PC and NPC relations: Who do I trust? To what
extent? Which PCs are on the masters' side? What
can I accomplish on my own, without a fireball to blow away any petty resistance?
Players must use their heads, rather than a sackful of handy gadgets.
This is a radical concept -- that you can roleplay without spells, powers
or automatic weapons to back you up -- but one that appeals to me a great
deal. I am much more pleased when problems require clever solutions, than
when they have to be treated with fire, lightning or a cloud of death. And
I find multi-hour combat boring, with lightning bolts, Fists of Thunder
and plastique constantly bouncing off walls and into super-absorbent characters.
The Village, then, is just the kind of world I like to GM and play in --
a world where roleplaying, not power-tripping, is emphasized. Which isn't
to say that I'm looking down my nose at all other roleplaying genres. I
enjoy occasional doses of fantasy and superpowers -- perhaps you power-trippers
out there will enjoy an occasional trip to The Village.
The Prisoner worldbook should be available as
this issue of Roleplayer hits the stands -- look for a flashy gold
bike (the universal symbol for The Village) against a dark red background.
(And, of course, my name at least half an inch tall!)
And, as I write this, Steve Beeman and I are finishing the first of what
we hope to be three adventure supplements. This first one, "The Schizoid
Man," is based on the television episode of the same name. However,
there are significant differences between the adventure and the episode,
so even if you've memorized the episode, you'll still experience this adventure
properly -- never quite sure what is real or who you can trust. It is a
combination solo/GMed adventure; the storyline is broken into scrambled
paragraphs, like a solo, but there is also a chapter filled with GM notes,
an adventure flowchart, and an index to help you run it for others. This
is the first time SJG has tried combining the best aspects of solo and GMed
play -- give it a shot and tell them what you think. As usual, the solo
adventure doesn't require the worldbook for play, but if you GM it, you'll
probably want to refer to the worldbook, also.
Frankly, a solo adventure of this sort is a pain to write; we hope the effort
proves worthwhile. In essence, we're having to write a mystery, leading
the PC to answer such questions as "Who do you trust?," "How
can you decide?," and "What are you going to do about it?"
We've introduced two potential confederates to the plot. If both are trustworthy,
the PC's planned escape goes much easier, but can either one be trusted?
Which one? Both? Meanwhile, a double for the PC has entered Village life,
as part of No. 2's plan to crack the PC by convincing him he isn't who he
thinks he is. (And who knows? Maybe he isn't . . .)
The second and third adventures are tentatively based on "A, B and
C" and "It's Your Funeral," two other television episodes.
With the "A, B and C" adventure, we'll be trying to address one
of the most difficult problems in roleplaying The Prisoner:
how to persuade players to stop acting as a unified party and start questioning
each others' loyalty. We'll be presenting a variety of situations in which
PCs should suspect each other (rightfully so, in some cases); several of
these situations will be applicable to your own campaign.
The "It's Your Funeral" adventure will be the most straightforward
of the lot (if anything in The Village can be said to be straightforward).
A situation and potential allies are presented to the PCs; they must each
decide who they can work with in solving the problem to their best advantage.
So far, roleplaying in The Village has been a two-man effort, first with
my world book and then with the adventures Steve and I are writing (abundantly
aided by plenty of editors and playtesters, of course!). We've enjoyed writing
them; I hope what we've written will prove to be just as entertaining for
you. If you're inspired, take a shot a writing an adventure yourself and
I'll see if my own PC can survive in a Village run by some other master.
Be seeing you!
(Back to Roleplayer
#17 Table of Contents)