The Encyclopedia of Interactive Performance

When one offer makes another offer seem untrue, that’s a block.

Picture yourself in a scene where you say, “What a beautiful night,” and the other player responds, “What are you talking about? It’s the middle of the day.” This is a block because the offer of daytime contradicts the offer of night.

Players block for all kinds of reasons—they have a different idea, they don’t like your idea, they’re trying to get a laugh. Whatever the reason, it doesn’t feel good when someone blocks your offer.

The real issue isn’t what blocking does to the story; it’s what it does to you. When you take blocking personally, it feels like an attack. That mindset isn’t helpful because it leads to frustration. There’s a different perspective that will serve you better.

Think, “That’s right!” – If you find yourself frustrated when your offer is blocked, think, “That’s right!” It may not feel right, but thinking those words puts your mind in a better creative state. Expand your perspective. Assume there’s a way that both offers can be true, and find it.

June is at the airport to pick up her uncle. When she sees him coming down the walkway, she calls, “Uncle Joe!” and runs up to give him a hug. The player pushes June away, and says, “I’m not your Uncle Joe. I’ve never seen you before in my life.” June thinks, That’s right, and she becomes immediately apologetic. “I know we’ve never met, and you aren’t really my uncle, but dad said it would be OK.” “Well, it’s not.” “Gotcha. Well, Mr. Feldman, did you check any baggage, or are you ready to go?”

The solution often lies in bending the block. Reinterpret it in such a way that both offers can be true. It’s not always easy, but it’s worth the effort. When you recondition your reflex response in this way, dealing with blocks becomes kind of fun.

It may help to remember this axiom:

The only person who can block you is you.

There’s a way of dealing with blocks that’s best to avoid. Don’t question the sanity of spects. If you assume them to be crazy, off their meds, or waking from a dream, some spects fight harder for their “truth,” while others give up because they’re “wrong.”

It’s wise to remember that not everything that feels like a block actually is one. If a spect preempts an idea that you haven’t established, it may feel like a block, but it’s not. Until story elements are explicitly defined, the truth of the fiction is up for grabs. If you need to establish locked story elements, do it early, before the spect establishes something else.

It’s also good to remember that blocks and resists are different things. A block treats an offer as untrue, while a resist only goes against its intention. If you announce, “I got us tickets to go to Italy,” and the other player responds, “You know I can’t go. I have to work,” that’s a resist. The defined elements of the offer—the tickets and the travel plans—are still true. Only the intention to travel to Italy together has been resisted.

When others block your offers, don’t take it personally. Look for ways in which both offers can be right. If you can’t find such a solution, justify why you were mistaken and follow the other player’s offer.