So, way back at GenCon (it seems so long ago already! ) I got to playtest my in-progress work, Misery Bubblegum.  It's a game aimed at getting some of the feel of shoujo manga and anime, and of the playtests that weekend this is the one where things came closest to what I imagine.

I played with two other folks, Alexander (who played Dan Helsing, a recurring character he brought to several of the playtests) and ... urgh ... Lisa?  Was it Lisa playing Jessica?  Darn conventions ... I lose track of names.

Anyway, Dan and Jessica were both at a high school specially dedicated to "integrating" the children of various monster-hunters ... trying to prevent them from growing up into the dangerous, anti-social types that their parents were.  Yeah, The Man wants to suppress all the fun stuff in your life.  After all, it's high school.

Dan and Jessica came upon a taped off police crime-scene in their gymnasium one morning, and being PCs (and teenagers) they egged each other on to break past the lines and investigate.  They found a mystic symbol drawn on the stage, but then were dragged off to the principal's office.

Then the fun starts:  Jessica is, in fact, something of a model student ... she doesn't want to be, but everyone expects her to be and that makes it hard to make her own way.  She thinks high school is bullshit, but everybody thinks she's just "cool," not obnoxious.

Contrariwise, everyone knows that Dan is a trouble-maker ... which, again, not what he wants to be but what are you going to do?  So Jessica was, really, the primary instigator of the various breaches of school rules ... but before the principal Dan jumps in to take the blame, and no matter how much Jessica protests (for the truth!) the principal is all-too-willing to see the situation the way he was pre-disposed to see it.

Naturally, there was dice and stuff going on behind the scenes ... all that "everybody knows" stuff is, in fact, coded into the system.  Don't know if that matters.

So Dan gets suspended, and Jessica's all half-mad, half-grateful.  She doesn't want him to have taken the hit for her, and she's ticked off that he did it over her protests, but also she's grateful that he's looking out for her.

This is the type of complexity I'm trying to get into the relationships ... sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.  Still trying to figure out what to reward, and when, to help people who want to find their way to this kind of thing.

Their investigations are complicated by the fact that Dan now has to sneak onto campus ... but, at the same time, this makes them partners in crime, which fosters closeness.  They see a lot more of each other.

So, naturally, I have the whole "evil plan" aimed to culminate at the Sadie Hawkins dance.  Dan can't go ... unless someone invites him.  He mentions this, off-handedly, to Jessica.  Jessica, of course, doesn't want to be the kind of girl who wants to invite a boy to the Sadie Hawkin's dance, and more she doesn't want Dan to think she wants to be that kind of girl.  So she rattles off a diatribe about how much high school dances are bullshit, and like that ... which hurts Dan's feelings, of course, though he covers well.  This goes round and round a few more times as they further investigate (and come to the conclusion that the baddy is probably Dan's deceased witch-mother trying to claw her way back from the realm of the dead), but Jessica is firm that she's not inviting him, and that's that.

Last scene is that Dan has convinced someone else (NPC) to invite him to the dance, because he has to be on scene.  And, of course, Jessica is beyond pissed that he would want to go to the dance with someone else, and pissed at herself that if she feels this way she was giving him the run-around like that, and so she ends up decking his date and dragging him on to the dance floor.

Slow dance starts.  'natch.  I didn't have to do much as a GM here, so I was ready when my cues came.

They dance.  They look in each other's eyes.  They kiss ... annnnd the hell-fire and screaming starts back at the stage.  While people run by them, they share another moment looking in each other's eyes, then break to face the stage.  Dan's got a crossbow.  Jessica's got a spell-book.  Both have a free hand to reach out and grip the other.

And cut.  Lovely end to a lovely session.  Wish I could get more like them.

So what went right?  I'd love an outside opinion on what elements led to the quiet, fun, dysfunctional romance plot going on there ... so I can see whether I can encourage more of that in future.

That was a fun read.

I would say that one element that "worked" was the simple fact that there were only two players of the appropriate genders present. I think it is a little harder to do romantic plots when there are a bunch of other people in the game, all watching, cracking jokes, and otherwise waiting their turn for the spotlight.

(and now back to my normal, tactical-gamer self) So... how did the battle go? :keke:

Quote from: cmagounI would say that one element that "worked" was the simple fact that there were only two players of the appropriate genders present. I think it is a little harder to do romantic plots when there are a bunch of other people in the game, all watching, cracking jokes, and otherwise waiting their turn for the spotlight.

I agree.  I've seen romance plots work with people playing cross-gender, but it does seem to be less reliable.

Don't know that I can really insist on people not filling in different-gendered roles, though ... at least not if I don't want to end up with a pretty yaoi-heavy genre, given the usual gamer demographics.

Quote from: cmagoun(and now back to my normal, tactical-gamer self) So... how did the battle go? :keke:

We stopped right before the battle.  The last thing I described is the last moment we played.

'cuz, really, the conflict had been all about them anyway ... once that was done, the rest could only be denouement.  Plus, we were all out of cards and character resources

Quote from: TonyLBWe stopped right before the battle.  The last thing I described is the last moment we played.

I know. I was just kidding. Actually, I thought it ended perfectly for what you were trying to do.

Quote from: TonyLBI agree.  I've seen romance plots work with people playing cross-gender, but it does seem to be less reliable.

I find romance hard to roleplay in general. In my mind, romance is quiet, intimate and takes time. All of this is in conflict with the realities of most tabletop gaming which is in my experience, a bunch of rowdy guys cracking jokes and kicking down doors.

Now, I am not sure if this works for you, but have you thought of blue-booking the bulk of the romantic banter? That way, PCs could develop the relationships off-screen while still coming to the table with romantic situations. So, the long, late-night talk (which would otherwise feature only two players) would be done off-screen in the blue-book, while the result, the episode at the dance, would be done at the table.

As far as cross-gender play, it is a deal breaker for me. I have only seen it work once and that was more because of the character and situation involved than anything else. My imagination is not yet developed enough to turn my 120 kg., bearded, sweaty, beer-breathed buddy into a Japanese high-school student... sorry

Curious... Do you have formalized rules for romance?

Also, would you mind explaining a bit more of the nuts and bolts of the game? What cards and resources are you talking about? What are the "everybody knows" mechanics?

Quote from: cmagounNow, I am not sure if this works for you, but have you thought of blue-booking the bulk of the romantic banter? That way, PCs could develop the relationships off-screen while still coming to the table with romantic situations.

In theory it sounds fine.  In practice, this particular game is designed to run from character creation through to the finish of a session in one hour.  Then, if you want to bring back a character (as Alexander did) you create them again (often differently) for the next session.

So, y'know ... blue-booking is a technique that works in a different context.

Quote from: cmagounCurious... Do you have formalized rules for romance?

No, but I do have formalized rules for people expressing their opinion of your character, and that being a resource the character can call upon if they live up to that opinion.

In the session I've been discussing, for example, one of Alexander's early plays (ten minutes in, I think) was to say "Wow, Jessica ... you're secretly a bit of a wild girl, aren't you?" and to back it up with a high card for a bribe.  Lisa enjoyed the concept (and the bribe) and the character developed a "new" facet thanks to interaction with Dan.

I've found that set of rules often (but not always) leads to romance.  I'm not quite sure why.

Quote from: cmagounAlso, would you mind explaining a bit more of the nuts and bolts of the game? What cards and resources are you talking about? What are the "everybody knows" mechanics?

I'm going to need some time to concentrate this down to a manageable length rather than a ramble.  I'll get back to you.

Quote from: TonyLBNo, but I do have formalized rules for people expressing their opinion of your character, and that being a resource the character can call upon if they live up to that opinion.

In the session I've been discussing, for example, one of Alexander's early plays (ten minutes in, I think) was to say "Wow, Jessica ... you're secretly a bit of a wild girl, aren't you?" and to back it up with a high card for a bribe.  Lisa enjoyed the concept (and the bribe) and the character developed a "new" facet thanks to interaction with Dan.

I've found that set of rules often (but not always) leads to romance.  I'm not quite sure why.

This sounds interesting, and I think I know because it works: First, it rewards personality exploration of each other. You state facts about the personality of someone else, and this someone also gains an additional facet to influence the fiction. (Correct me if I misinterpret - it sounds like this way created personality facets give bonuses, like the quirks via confessionals in InSpectres.)
Second, it helps you to invest emotionally into another PC as a player. Players naturally care more for stuff that is molded by their own creativity, so if they can mold a bit another PC they care more for him. A wild girl is the girl of your dreams? Then make this girl PC a bit more wild, and voila, you care more for her.

May I borrow the general idea? It sounds like it could fit into another mechanic of my current homebrew.

Quote from: SkyrockMay I borrow the general idea? It sounds like it could fit into another mechanic of my current homebrew.

Go right ahead.  Have fun with it!