9. Before You Start, Touchstones, and What You Need to Play
One the things that The Better Blog identified early was the amount of respect that AW2e has for its readers, and I think that’s always been a clear expression of Baker and Baker’s approach: Write what you believe, and let those that get it and like it come along. Apocalypse World isn’t concerned with convincing people to play it*, you ask why you should play and AW2e says “because the characters are fucking hot” (AW2e, Baker and Baker, 2016, p14).
*to properly declare this claim would take….more time than we have
Blades in the Dark extends that respect to people who aren’t reading it.
“Tell them it’s a game about daring scoundrels in a haunted industrial-fantasy city. Mention a few touchstones that they’re familiar with (see the list below). “It’s kind of like Peaky Blinders, but there’s also some weird magical stuff and ghosts.” If their eyes haven’t lit up yet, maybe this game isn’t going to click with them. That’s fine. You can always play a different game with that person some other time.”
One of the fallouts of creating and mainstreaming a consent-focused play culture has been the discussion of “safety”, an important but not singular benefit. One of the other benefits that stems from strong consent culture is the centring of enthusiastic consent. Personally, I love describing it in the same language as “heck yes or no” (which I first heard about through Tim Fenriss). “Heck Yes or No” says that we have enough stuff in the world to keep us busy forever, and so much of that is so amazing, so why would we spend our time on the stuff that isn’t amazing?
And that’s the lens that Blades puts around the conversation to play Blades. “Read these touchstones, listen to this song. Are you excited yet? No? Then…maybe this isn’t right for you.” Blades wants to fighting to play it, it was you STOKED, it wants your brain overflowing with desire and questions and ambitions. I think this is key to Blades’ Ambitious Player/Responsive GM relationship. If players aren’t keen, aren’t excited, aren’t biting at the fence trying to tear the metal out of the way so that they can get to the game, it’s likely to falter.
I think there’s a place for games that want to work with players to develop enthusiasm, places that want to help the player to find or develop the enthusiasm. But I love that Blades just says to players “look, I’m about to demand a lot from you. You better be on board now because this train is absolutely leaving the station.”
Sometimes effective onboarding is just offering a chance to get off-board.
Header image is "Slow Train to Seoul" by dok1 is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
