This newletter is dedicated to Matrix Games and other wierd ideas. It is a forum for introducing developed MG (Matrix Game) ideas and weird submarginal MG ideas. I don't see it as a place where game development work will take place. I'm afraid that the internet offers no copyright protection to individual designers. Do your work here and you are giving it away. This may sound like an inexpensive way to spread an idea, but in the marketplace of ideas if you do not value your own idea high enough to protect it most other people will not value it enough to consider it (unless they are looking for rabbits to eat)!
So, the MGer will contain thought provoking philosophical essays, articles on scenarios, game reports, how peices on making accessories (I make really nice sculpted terrain now, so I'll be certain to tell you all how you can do it). I will include articles submitted to me by email (I decline to type someone elses work in from a hard copy) and exerpts from messages sent to me. I really don't know what else I'll include, the content will emerge as we go along.
MEANWHILE IN SUBMARGINAL GAME LAND...
So far this year I've written first drafts on adventure MGs, spy MGs, crime MGs, master crime MGs, ghost chaser MGs, battle MGs, and quest MGs. I think all of these have some market potential. I even think that political and military campaign MGs have some potential (but really not as much - sorry guys - chicks don't dig wargames, and women are the next great untapped market for games.) But now I am into the realm of the submarginal projects. Boy are they neat but I guarentee you they will never see the light of day.
THE CAMPITALIST ECONOMY MG: The political and military campaign MGs use a simple economic system that looks a lot a like a command economy (ie the worker turn over their wealth to the state, whose leader spends it as he will). All nice and fine for wargamers, but useless as a similation. So I tinkered with the structure and added in lower levels of wealth, control and position that "Capitalist" can fight over. As the game goes on, these capitalists literally recreate the structure of society (where the workers work and what they do) much like happened in the 19th C. It would be interesting to see if it could model the present computer revolution. Hummm...maybe someone lese will do it.
THE ROMANCE MG: Mind you I am interpreting "romance" very broadly. Romance ranges from Harlequin romances (for women) to James Bond movies (for men). They are about any story that focuses on human sexual realtionships. This can be courtship, seduction, rape, on going relationships, betrayal, anything. I first experimented with this kind of game in 1997. They work but did not spark the players attention. Then this spring I was doing a murder mystery MG in which one player ignored the mystery and concentrated on courting the murdered man's daughter (and heiress). I lacked a clear matrix, but this was certainly a romance game.
Now I have a glimer of a matrix. First of all romance is about establishing and maintaining a sexual relationship (or at least an intimate relationship). It is a protracted negociation about the terms of the social contract. So in a way romance is economic (Marx would be proud of me). The transactions of romance are all about crossing thresh holds of trust. The first date, the first kiss, going home to meet Mom and Dad, sex, the first fight, engaged to be married, the cerimony, moving in together, odious personal habbits, etc.
Players make arguments to prepare to cross these thresh holds and then argue to cross them. This triggers a conflict, in which the player in the dominant position argues for the outcome is. So the matrix centers in of thresh hold barriers (which are magnets that tell players what they are suppose to be doing), preparing to cross the barrier - making certain that you and not the other guy are in the dominant position. Then actually crossing them - which involves power and its interplay with human dynamics.
I know, I know, submarginal as a game, but fascinating as a model for human relationships. I do a lot of marital therapy in my psychotherapy practice and I see how this model might help me out in future cases. Who knows, maybe this game will help me jump into the educational game market.
THE FAMILY MG: This is a continuation of the romance game, except the threshholds are different. The "kid" players work on developing their characters and becoming more independent. The "parent" players try to protect their children and make them grow up the way they want them to (eventually this will put them in conflict with the kids). Other players take on the role of "amorphous evil" and give trouble to all involved. Meanwhile, all the players have to contend with their character's internal matrix (which consists on their character traits - pulled from previous arguments, and secrets - also from previous arguments, and possibly even secret from the player!) The game goes ambling along with no real direction except for what the players give it. In other words, like life.
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© Copyright 1999 by Chris Engle.
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