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British Invasion
The concept:
British Invasion is about rock and roll bands changing the world. Player's create their characters by prioritizing the Archetypes and Temperaments they'd like to have in secret. Once revealed, these priorities determine how the band works together and why they're famous. The role-playing part of the game begins after the first show of the band's debut U.S. tour in 1964 or 1965.
Ingredients:
I think the ingredients I'm going to work with are as follows:
"The game must involve a randomizer that is neither dice nor cards." There will either be no randomizer at all, or it will use a spinner divided into quarters with each section a different color (red, yellow, green, and black; the colors of the four temperaments. See below). "No Numbers" might even apply in the second case, though the prioritization part of character creation involves ordinals...
"Opened" and "Second" will both be involved both mechanically (the bidding mechanic?) and in-fiction (e.g. "We opened for The Who; the rest is history," "Second album syndrome/Sophomore Slump"), I think.
Design History:
This is the first idea for a game that popped into my head after I had my initial conversation with Stephen. A few days later, I saw The Beatles first appearance on the Ed Sullivan show and knew I had to run with the idea.
A couple of entries on TV Tropes - "Five Man Band" and "Four Temperament Ensemble" - informed character creation and the resolution mechanics.
Later, I remembered an independent PC game that Greg Costikyan talked about on Play This Thing. I haven't checked out the game, but reading the review again is helping me refine my design.
Earlier today, I ran across the Wikipedia article "Social Effects of Rock and Roll," which has a ton of material that I wouldn't necessarily have remembered on my own.
Other Stuff:
For some reason, I want to appeal to Old School sensibilities; make a game that would be seen in a favorable light on Grognardia, maybe.
Thoughts?
British Invasion is about rock and roll bands changing the world. Player's create their characters by prioritizing the Archetypes and Temperaments they'd like to have in secret. Once revealed, these priorities determine how the band works together and why they're famous. The role-playing part of the game begins after the first show of the band's debut U.S. tour in 1964 or 1965.
Ingredients:
I think the ingredients I'm going to work with are as follows:
"The game must involve a randomizer that is neither dice nor cards." There will either be no randomizer at all, or it will use a spinner divided into quarters with each section a different color (red, yellow, green, and black; the colors of the four temperaments. See below). "No Numbers" might even apply in the second case, though the prioritization part of character creation involves ordinals...
"Opened" and "Second" will both be involved both mechanically (the bidding mechanic?) and in-fiction (e.g. "We opened for The Who; the rest is history," "Second album syndrome/Sophomore Slump"), I think.
Design History:
This is the first idea for a game that popped into my head after I had my initial conversation with Stephen. A few days later, I saw The Beatles first appearance on the Ed Sullivan show and knew I had to run with the idea.
A couple of entries on TV Tropes - "Five Man Band" and "Four Temperament Ensemble" - informed character creation and the resolution mechanics.
Later, I remembered an independent PC game that Greg Costikyan talked about on Play This Thing. I haven't checked out the game, but reading the review again is helping me refine my design.
Earlier today, I ran across the Wikipedia article "Social Effects of Rock and Roll," which has a ton of material that I wouldn't necessarily have remembered on my own.
Other Stuff:
For some reason, I want to appeal to Old School sensibilities; make a game that would be seen in a favorable light on Grognardia, maybe.
Thoughts?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Ron Stanley on -
This has a lot of good possibilities. Start off with a scrubbed-clean image. As the 60's continue, drug use and orgies give you bad-boy cred, but they can also lead to overdoses, getting dumped by your record label, and trouble with the Man. Girlfriends could try to break you up. Record labels could swindle you out of royalties. They could also use you as a songwriting factory, handing off your music to more acceptable or more popular bands. But there's always that possibility of superstardom.
The tensions between what the band members want to do is also going to drive this... some people might want to experiment with folk rock, others want to go for a bluesier sound, still others will want to go out on jazz, pop, or experimental limbs.
The greatest rock bands have always been those, like the Stones, the Who, and the Sex Pistols, who turned their members' hatred for each other into a vicious energy in performance and songwriting.
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Permalink Reply by Ron Stanley on
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I think Four Temperament Ensemble got Paul McCartney and George Harrison mixed up, though. In their songwriting at least, Sir Paul is definitely sanguine and George melancholic. (Think Silly Love Songs v. While My Guitar Gently Weeps) But that just proves the point of the article... it works.
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Permalink Reply by George Austin on -
George also contributed "Ah, look at all the lonely people," opening and bridge line to Eleanor Rigby if wikipedia is to be believed.
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Permalink Reply by George Austin on
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Sorry for the lack of responses and updates. There's something not right with the dog I'm pet-sitting so I've made a veterinary appointment. I may have to upload a much shorter submission than I originally intended...
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