Narrativism in GURPS

[LemmingLord]

GURPS is a great toolkit and could do well to have a GURPS: Narrative book to expand it to include a few more ideas about extending narrative control.

Here's a few options:

Story Based Character Creation By Consensus
The game group comes up with the genre and the premise of the story. Players agree what characters are needed and who will play each character.

Go around the table, each player declares a character element: attribute, advantage, disadvantage or skill they want to add to the character sheet to best emulate the character needed for the story (as already agreed upon by the players). If there is no objection, the character gets the element. If there is an objection, the player addresses it and comes up with something else, or a lower level, until their is consensus.

Story Based Resolution (Consensus Based)
At the beginning of every scene, the gamemaster describes the scene and asks the players where they think it should go. (i.e. let's assume in a Serenity style game, the players agree that the bar scene should end up with them finding a new contact who might have a job for them.)

With a general agreement in mind, the gamemaster goes around the table and asks each player what is most important to her for the story for the scene.

Mr Power Gamer wants his Mercenary/Companion/Assassin character to dominate in the battle and pick up a new gun.

Ms. Buttkicker wants her Pilot/Shaolin Shepherd to enjoy a good old fashioned bar brawl.

Dr. Tactician is playing the greedy captain, but he really only wants to make sure his characters escape before the authorities arrive.

Mrs. Specialist is playing the troubled psychic kid, she wants to steal something exciting or embarassing off someone during the fight.

Mr. Method Actor is playing the alcoholic mechanic, he'd really like to get to interact with the barkeep and then during the fighting, he wants to get his hands on other people's drinks.

Ms. Storyteller is playing the psychic boy's venerable grandfather looking for the psychic kid's dead beat father, she would like to see the psychic boy end up in trouble to add to the pathos that the psychic boy may end up like a lowlife like his father.

Mrs. Casual is playing the street doctor of the group. She's good with what everyone else is described, but suggests that the group not get too beat up.

If there is no objection, each player gets what she wants. The gamemaster's job is to raise an objection if someone wants something out of touch with the established characters, scene or premise. If there is an objection, the player addresses it and comes up with something else, until their is consensus.

Mrs. Specialist objects to Ms. Storyteller wanting her to get in to trouble. She wants her character to get away with things scott free. Ms. Storyteller suggests that if the character is captured by someone with an interesting bauble, that she might find even mroe riches or something even more interesting and tha lair she would need to escape or be rescued from. Mrs. Specialist agrees as long as there is a chance for her to later escape AND that she is not tortured.

The gamemaster objects to Mr. Power Gamer finding a nice new gun.. The bar has great detection grids to prevent anyone coming in with a gun. Mr. Power Gamer suggests that the bartender may have something behind the bar.. The gamemaster counters by saying, if it is a really cool gun its going to be trackable and have safety circuits to prevent others from using it right away and will need to be taken apart to avoid the trouble that might come with it. Mr. Power Gamer agrees.

There are no other objectiions so the gamemaster proceeds.

The gamemaster notes all the story needs, and with the help of the players, ties all the needs described into a cohesive scene narration.