unforum

[Tablesaw]

Behind the Curtain, in Front of the Scenes.

[jamesi]

One of the best posts I've ever read. Period. Nice work, Tablesaw.

[SpaceBass]

I agree with jamesi; this post was extremely well thought-out and written, Tablesaw.

I can't argue with any of your points. It seems like you've nailed the paradigm that Aware is built around. It's oriented more toward role-playing and intra-community competition than any previous ARGs.

Personally, I prefer to foster community growth, collaboration, and bonding. I'm not sure what the advantage is in splitting the collective into teams or even individuals, all competing with each other.

As I understand it, there are three teams in this game and it is possible for only one team to win. Where does that leave the other two teams? How will they feel about playing another game after they lose this one? Or will it be possible for everyone to win somehow, as has always previously been the case, in that winning was merely enjoying the story through to its conclusion?

And if you do win, Tablesaw (and I'm rooting for you all of a sudden), what do you win? Is there an actual tangible prize, or is it enough that you made the story end up the way you wanted it to end? And would you ever really know that it ended your way only due to your influence, and not because that was the plan all along?

This is definitely going to be interesting to watch, regardless of the eventual outcome.

[Liqidcrack]

Nice

[vpisteve]

APPLAUSE!

Excellent stuff, Tablesaw! Best job of quantifying this whole shebang I've seen in a long, long time.

The only thing I'd point out is that in The Beast, in addition to the Mike Royal phone calls, the players affected the end of the story with their votes.

[Tablesaw]

[Marduk]

Yes! Great posts, both of them. You annunciated clearly what I've been getting at in a couple of the AWARE threads. Right now, AWARE players exist in a very gray space. They are in competition with each other and at the same time are all playing the same game together. They have been drawn in past that boundry that separates audience from participant.

It is essentially a new form of ARGing. Yay!

But... we still have all of the old tools in place. We have unfiction here, where we discuss everything. Then there was a problem with the different factions sharing information "in game" with each other, so Immersion Unlimited was created as a safe space for us to communicate in game. But the discussions here at unfiction continue and the issue has, for me at least, not become "can these three teams coexist and communicate without sharing information," as in the MIT Hunt example, but "what's the point of having three teams if they all have access to the same information, share information, and cooperate in solving each other's puzzles?" It's almost like we've been artificially divided into three teams but we ignore that and behave as we have in all other games, dating back to the Beast.

If we're going to have three teams in true competition with each other, shouldn't they stop sharing information? Shouldn't we remove any incentive for them to do so? Shouldn't we have any easy way to tell who is on each team [esp since the PMs have proscribed espionage]? Shouldn't we encourage puzzle solving in three seperate, private spaces?

[Fi]

I have to confess that recently I seem to have had this problem... Whenever I read a long post with the word "meta" in it, my eyes started closing and my head droped until my chin rested on the spacebar and my eyelashes stuck to the beer I spilt on the keyboard last week.

But Tablesaw you have restored my faith in the meta-genre by posting something that is clear, concise, relevant, insightful, non-reactionary and just all round groovy.

Thank you!

Fi

[Guest]

[kxmom11x]

Table, I really like your perspective on this and appreciate the fresh view. Much of what you've said, I agree with.

However, your points still remind of the old threads surrounding what's in game/out of game, who can post where, etc., etc., etc. Although AWARE is clearly a new style of ARG, which by the way I'm very excited about, I still believe that forums like Unfiction, the late ARGN, Collective Detective, etc. are seperate communites from the ARG itself.

Within UF, as an example, spoilers are "blacked-out" for the benefit of those who prefer autonomy in their immersion. Visiting and posting to out-of-game forums is strictly voluntary, a player need not share information with the community if they don't want to.

It is apparent to me that the PM's of AWARE are definitely encouraging individual team work and have done a fine job of setting up "in-game" communities which will help preserve player sovereignty. Those who wish to strictly immerse themselves in the competitive aspects of the game will be able to do so in-game. Those of us who might enjoy watching the "greater picture" unfold can do so through an out-of game forum, withouth jeopardizing the integrity of the plot.

My point is this: AWARE is different from Lockjaw which was different from Plexata which was different from The Beast...and I'm sure Project Syzygy will be different from all of the above. The forums of UF etal are the communities which bind these ARG's together...I don't believe splintering the community, changing "etiquette" or worrying about what information is posted within an out-of-game forum is either necessary or appropriate.

Just my little ol' opinion.

/me returns to "rubberneck/lurk mode"

[konamouse]

Applause, Applause, Applause!

[imbri]

I just want to echo the others. Great post and I'm glad that you've jumped back into the fold.

Good luck in winning Aware... you've got quite a few people rooting for you now

-b