Monday, September 15, 2014

Jobs and Family in High Strung

So I'm thinking now of how to improve High Strung. One of the things my players noticed was that there wasn't much in the rules about anything other than gigging and recording. This is a consequence of my concentrating on getting the core right. I think that's fixed now, so I've been working at honing in the good stuff. There are two areas that I can deal with - Jobs and Family.

Jobs are categorized as either Crap Jobs, Dead End Jobs, or Decent Jobs, and are assigned by age. Crap Jobs are things that are soul crushing, demand no real skill, and are poorly recompensed - thngs like flipping burgers or convenience store clerk. Dead end jobs are a bit better, because the pay is better, but there in no viable path to the future in these jobs. Decent Jobs paw well enough to live on and carry a modicum of skill and recognition, and there are ways to move up and onward if you decide to quit music. Players will have to decide what their jobs are, and name friends and enemies. This will give GMs something to build on and make real to the characters.

For families and friends, I gave the GM a series of questions for the GMs to answer, like "What are your parents like? How do they feel about your rock n' roll lifestyle? Are they proud? Ashamed? Angry? Resigned?" and "Who is your best friend? Why?", and the important "What do you like to do that isn't music?". Again, this will give the GM a base to build on.

Jobs and family are not at the center of this game, but they needn't be desolate wastelands either. Bringing them into the game can only help make the game feel real and immediate to the players.

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