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The ideas never stop
Feb. 7th, 2020 02:58 pmI was supposed to writing more of my novel this afternoon but instead I’m scribbling down ideas for a roleplaying game designed to be played via email or text chat. It’s called Brain in a Jar and it involves a single player taking on the role of the titular brain in a jar that can only communicate with the outside world via a text interface.
The set up is that a civilisation has decided to entrust key decisions to the preserved brain of their greatest scientist and polymath, secured for all time in a life support system so that future generations may benefit from their knowledge. Unfortunately during the operation to install the brain in the machine the surgeon dropped it and stepped on it. No one being willing to own up the medical team simply grabbed the nearest available brain from the morgue and installed that instead, hoping that no one would notice.
This feels like a fun concept, the player trying to pass themselves off as competent to direct the doings of an entire civilisation as they answer the various messages that come in from the great and good of the world. I like the idea of designing a game which has the limitations of electronic communication built into the system. If I get some proper time to play with it I might see if I can get it into a playtestable state over the summer.
The set up is that a civilisation has decided to entrust key decisions to the preserved brain of their greatest scientist and polymath, secured for all time in a life support system so that future generations may benefit from their knowledge. Unfortunately during the operation to install the brain in the machine the surgeon dropped it and stepped on it. No one being willing to own up the medical team simply grabbed the nearest available brain from the morgue and installed that instead, hoping that no one would notice.
This feels like a fun concept, the player trying to pass themselves off as competent to direct the doings of an entire civilisation as they answer the various messages that come in from the great and good of the world. I like the idea of designing a game which has the limitations of electronic communication built into the system. If I get some proper time to play with it I might see if I can get it into a playtestable state over the summer.
