create a fictitious character for a role - play game is an acute experience . It ’s thrilling and intimidating — often at the same time — to invent a fictional translation of yourself and send them out on dangerous undertaking . It ’s another thing wholly when the character you ’re making is based on the person in front of you .
Developer Liam Ginty has releasedMirror , a single - varlet tabletop RPG where players make fibre based on their friends or loved ones . histrion write down a serial of four strengths and two weaknesses about the person they ’re sitting across from , which are then used as skills and obstacles to surmount . You and your counterpart ( along with a GM ) then embark on a quest , which can be any RPG campaign in which the biz mechanics set . It lets players see how well their friends and partner know them — something he was in person curious about .
“ One of the inspirations for creating the plot was want to experience this myself , ” Ginty recount io9 . “ I designed this game so I could see what other people think of me and what I think of them . ”
Ginty said he first perplex the thought while developing an RPG where people play as themselves , figuring it would be easy ( and perhaps more interesting ) to play as someone else they have a go at it . Turns out , that in reality might be more of a challenge . Since we often make incarnation that are slightly cooler versions of ourselves , making a character based on a friend or cooperator puts players more outside of their comfort zone .
“ I think that almost every role - playing plot when you ’re making a case you ’re pull in a edition of yourself , even if you do n’t intend to , ” Ginty said . “ Making a graphic symbol that ’s your good friend , the person in front of you , it force you to come out of that outlook . You ca n’t let thing you need to be work the character . It becomes an honorable reflection of the person in front of you . ”
I screen this out with my hubby , represent a forgetful campaign . He took on the role of Beth the Bard , and I was Tim the Tool Man Tailor ( he ’s really good at repairing stuff around the firm , as well as fixing doublet buttons ) . At first , I ’ll admit it was a bit uncomfortable : We ’ve played RPGs together but never as each other . There was a fearfulness that the weakness I wrote down would anguish his feelings , or that I would do something in the game that would make him experience risky about himself . I mean , he ’s a inviolable swell , but hearing your mate lean off the thing they think are n’t cracking about you is an easy way to put you on the short racecourse to to pair ’ therapy . agree to Ginty , this has been a common awe among play - examiner , including himself .
“ It ’s an of import part of the game to write down a weakness or two about the fiber and they do n’t want to be underbred . It was a concern during design that it might be easy for citizenry to louse up the secret plan to write mean , foul weakness , ” Ginty said . “ The factual experience of have someone list out the strengths and weaknesses — not only laying them bear but play them — using my strengths and weaknesses together , it was a really illuminating experience . It was almost like an pretend shop , see yourself lay bare like that . ”
As the game pass away on and we got into it , things got really exciting . I loved seek to figure out how Tim the Tool Man Tailor would respond to place , and how our fictional character could well function together . TtTMT was best when needing to make flock with strangers — which made sense , given my husband ’s great humor and how he ’s never afraid to stop and ask for directions . Beth the Bard , on the other mitt , best-loved action — specifically , her music and “ sweet terpsichore moves ” ( his news , not mine ) . At one point , my husband chose to sing a lullaby to prevent a flying lizard ball from hatching … using one of the strain from my old band , Third Eclipse , which was on his iPhone . I ’ll take on my form of early-’oos tonic punk probably was n’t designed to console the savage fabulous creature , but our GM accepted it and it made me smile .
I leave the secret plan feeling a new and unique connective to my spouse . It almost felt like therapy , step into my married person ’s shoes and go through an adventure through his eyes … while he was doing the same through mine . Ginty say his game is n’t designed to serve as therapy ( since he ’s not a licensed healer or anything ) , but he does see it as a useful tool for those looking to strengthen their adhesion , empathize , or gain new perspective on the people they handle about . That said , he did refer how it ’s of import to make certain you really know the masses you ’re playing with , and that they ’re well-to-do possess their individuality explored like that .
Mirror is currently available on Ginty’sitch.iopage , as well asDrive Thru RPG , as a “ pay what you want ” simulation . Ginty said his next move is to possibly incorporate Mirror ’s dice mechanics into a fresh fantasy slaying secret RPG he ’s been working on , which he call “ Grease meets Twin Peaks . ” It would n’t include Mirror ’s other dimension , meaning the persona macrocosm . But I ’m certain Tim the Tool Main Tailor would completely fit in with the Pink Ladies , and Beth the Bard ’s seraphic dance moves exercise anywhere .
Clarification : former version say “ Greece meet Twin Peaks , ” not “ Grease meets Twin Peaks . ” This has been right .
MirrorTabletop gaming
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