Author: David Berkman Category: game Company/Publisher: Backstage Press

Reviewed by Sandy Antunes on 02/06/97. Genre tags: none

It was tempting to run in fear from a game billing itself as a 'diceless universal storytelling game'. What could have been simply a mishmash of the current trendy concepts was given a spin all its own, however, and thus _Theatrix_ delivers one of the most unique gaming systems around. _Theatrix_ incorporates cinematic devices and cooperative gaming; it may not appeal to all gamers, but it's a lot of fun. In addition, it comes with a set of inserts that should be required reading for any referee of any game.

The basic premise is evocative of "It Came From the Late Late Show", in that the players are "Actors" and the gamemaster serves as "Director." It has far greater scope, however, and does work for any genre and any setting. Actors have the basic statistics common to most games (Strength, Stamina, Coordination, Intellect, Intuition, Presence), all cleverly scaled to the world setting in progress such that 10.0 is clearly the best possible in that world (be it mundane or super-powered). Skills and distinguishing characteristics are also created, and then the Actor is let loose onto the world-setting.

Games are structures to follow a plot and a "feel" rather than simply obeying a scenario script. Time does not need to flow linearly-- everyone can cut to the interesting bits, run a flashback to a crucial element from the past, and even engage in "Meanwhile, back at the ranch" sequences which the characters actually would never see. Actors are allowed to draw conclusions and extrapolate scenes which a good Director will then allow-- in essence, rewriting the story in progress. Ultimately, the plot becomes a collaboration between the Director (controlling the setting) and the characters-- the Director controls setting and continuity, and the Actors provide the motives, the reason, and the (yay!) action!

Naturally, there's a section devoted to combat. However, both combat and skill resolution are based on storytelling and plots more often than on die rolls and randomness-- indeed, they recommend you play diceless. To aid in this, _Theatrix_ includes a set of flowcharts for speedy resolution. Instead of cross-referencing numbers, the Director has to decide whether serves the plot and the character's interests. All games ask "is the character Capable of the Action: _Theatrix_ adds in "Does the Plotline require some particular Outcome?" Their excellent resolution flowcharts base the outcome on ability, plot significance, and such ideas as Tension and Pacing.

The idea of plot necessity (which could be interpreted as 'railroading') is neatly balanced by the cooperative aspects of the game. It takes a lot of trust between the Director and the Actors for this game to work. The book clearly states "a Director must control, create, manipulate, allow, reward, and play." At the same time, the Actors can improvise during scenes, including adding to or making comments about the setting ("I swing across the chandelier that is standard for this type of place!") or even the plot ("aha! We spot the man behind the curtin, there is no Wizard!"). They also have (and gain) Plot Points for ensuring that certain actions of theirs succeed. Neither Director nor Actors have complete control over the game until it ends. Improvisational skills is thus very useful. I found that, at least for the first game, running a scenario based on action movies or science-fiction shows (at last, a Babylon-5 RPG?) makes understanding the cinema approach much easier.

Indeed, people into storytelling, roleplaying, and character interaction are naturals for this game. Tacticians are less well-served; the adreneline rush of combat is potent in _Theatrix_, and overrides being detached from the character or logically determining the best strategy. It's a game for people to feel their roles, not think them. The mechanics are simple but the approach is very different from conventional linear-time games; theater junkies will love this. Much of the book discusses vital RPG issues such as creating a plot, serving a player's needs, and maintaining pacing and tension within a game, any game.

As the book is an easy read, even those who wish to discard the cinemagraphic feel and open-ended mechanics would find _Theatrix_ useful in designing their own scenarios. The book contains many good examples of play, and the concepts are easy to grasp despite the radical deviation from conventional RPGs. The illustrations range from cartoony to ultra-realistic, as suits a multi-genre book; their quality unfortunately is equally random. Sadly, the copious table of contents doesn't quite make up for the lack of an index, in part because _Theatrix_ uses its own jargon for many concepts. This is balanced by providing most of the truly crucial material on a set of (pleasantly heavy) cardboard reference cards, a useful production idea that other games should take note of. Thus in terms of production, _Theatrix_ is well designed. The novel mechanics are conceptually bold, but highly playable. And, much of what _Theatrix_ has to say about roleplay and game design in general makes it worth at least a quick glance in the store. Finally, for the die-hard roleplayers looking for a new approach, _Theatrix_ opens a new stage for adventure.

Style: 4

Substance: 5