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Follow

going along with the intention of an offer


When you follow an offer, you go along with the idea behind it.

Garrett pulls out a gun and growls, “Gimme your money.” Royce follows the intention of Garret’s offer by pulling out his cash and handing it over.

One of the big benefits of following others’ offers is that it allows things to happen. Stories are more interesting when things happen than when they don’t. You help stories to progress when you follow other player’s offers.

Going along with others’ ideas requires you to set aside your ego. Following may make your character vulnerable. Garret might picture himself as a tough and fearless character, but when following the offer, he becomes frightened and compliant. If following seems wrong because your character “wouldn’t do that,” consider this: It’s compelling to see characters do things that they wouldn’t normally do. It allows you to discover new facets of the character that live beneath the surface.

Following is especially important when it comes to spects. Going along with their ideas makes spects feel powerful. As a result, they become confident and play better. It’s also part of playing the spect’s story. Following offers allows stories to unfold in the ways that spects would wish.

If spects don’t follow your offers, don’t let it throw you. When spects resist your offers, this is another opportunity to follow. Justify why they’re right and build on that. It’s another way to empower spects.

To be clear, you don’t have to follow every offer that others make. Resistance can also be useful. Just bear in mind that resisting an offer can be easier than following. Practice following offers until you can do it with ease.

Updated: August 22, 2024

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Encyclopedia of Interactive Performance