The Encyclopedia of Interactive Performance

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reinterpreting an offer so it fits within the story

Sometimes you need to change a spect’s offer. They may have blocked a critical story element or introduced an anachronism. Instead of blocking the offer, which disempowers the spect, reinterpret the offer in a way that makes it appropriate to the story.

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to respond to an offer as though it were false

Blocking is the opposite of accepting. Accepting supports the truth of an offer; blocking contradicts it. When offers are blocked, players have to negotiate what’s true and what’s not before they can continue to play in a shared fiction.

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getting stuck trying to come up with an idea

Trying to come up with an idea can cause your brain to lock up. The harder you try, the more stuck you become. If brain lock occurs, take your time, breathe deep, and focus on what is present. Respond to that. You can also break mental logjams by doing a physical action or speaking before you know what you’re going to say.

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using a spect’s offer to get to a scripted story element

When playing from a scenario, you also follow the spect. This may take you far off the scripted path which is a good thing because it puts spects in the driver’s seat of the story. However, sometimes you need to get back to a scripted plot point or introduce an important story element. Bridging is a way to do this while making it feel as though it was the spect who got you there.

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adding detail to an offer

When you respond to an offer by adding details, that’s a build. The additional information builds out the context of the story. You can build using verbal or physical offers.

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addressing undesired behavior in an in-and-out-of-story way

Sometimes spects’ behaviors spoil the process of play. When inappropriate behavior becomes an issue, you may need to address it while remaining within the fiction. This is where a call-out is useful.

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ending a scene by calling out the word, “scene”

This convention is used in training, rehearsals, and theatrical performances. The word “scene” is called out to indicate that the scene is over. This may be done by someone observing the scene or by an inter-actor playing within the scene. In theatrical performances, the stage manager calls the scene in the booth to bring down the stage lights.

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the role in a story that a player plays

Character is a multi-faceted topic. There are too many facets to cover them all in a single entry. Below are some character-related entries in this encyclopedia that you may find useful.

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Encyclopedia of Interactive Performance