Re: What's it like talking to a spirit?

From: Chris Lemens <chrislemens_at_...>
Date: Sun, 10 Feb 2013 20:08:12 -0000

Peter Larsen wrote:
A bunch of stuff I agree with and

>

> Requiring ritual behavior is also a good trick -- I had a game where a
> character became very agitated if asked questions. The players were first
> annoyed, then they really got into how to quiz a witness about an event
> without asking any direct questions.

I think this is one of the keys to playing out spirits. There are some things that will offend them. For characters in a long term relationship, this will become a matter of taboo. Then there are some ting that will induce a positive response. These will become a matter of ritual. Then there are some things that confuse the spirit or make it unresponsive or whatever. These thing are neutral but useless.

If I were narrating a game with lots of spirits, I would put each on on 3x5 cards or the equivalent. I would write down its name, a short history, powers it can grant, information it might know, things that offend it, things that please it, and the ways that it prefers to interact with people. And I would add to it as I go (especially history, powers and knowledge).

Chris