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”And driving home from Connecticut recently I got ideas for not one but two new freeform. I’m excited, since I’ve just been writing larp and tabletop of late. The second idea is very personal. It will be the stories of four women who are friends. They each have come through some major life change, and are in their late mature years (“mature adult” from the other game!) One has just gotten married, one has left an abusive relationship. One has left a failing business, the other has been reunited with a child she gave up for adoption when she was young.
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There is a framing story, of the women helping one of them work on her house. They go through stages of breaking down and re-creating the house in a new form: demolition, framing, finish. The women tell the stories of facing being at the later arc of their lives, and embracing the changes they’ve gone through. There may be some element of drawing the plan of the house, too. I think the name of this may be Remodel.”
Remodel is a role playing game in the American Freeform style, inspired by Jeepform
Sa
m
games (jeepen.org) and Nordic Freeform.
For another “house” game, see The Kick Inside by Martin Brodén and Kristoffer Lindh. < http://jeepen.org/games/kickinside/>
for the women in my life & the farm that I miss
Thanks to my generous playtesters: GenCon 2012: Danielle Lewon, Terry Hope Romero and Lizzie Stark. Dreamation 2013: Andi Gastonguay, Kat Miller, Melissa Cohen, Michelle Mishko, Sarah Williamson, Helen Yanolatos, Patty Kirsch and Anna Westerling.
© Emily Care Boss, 2013. Black & Green Games, Greenfield, MA [email protected]
23
Table of Contents
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INTRODUCTION...................................................................... 4 THE WOMEN...............................................................................4 OVERVIEW OF PLAY................................................................ 5 ABOUT THE TALE.................................................................... 5 THE HOUSE................................................................................. 6 ROLES............................................................................................. 7 GROUND RULES........................................................................ 8 WARM UPS.................................................................................... 9 PLAYING SCENES......................................................................10 ABOUT THE SCENES...............................................................11 OTHER TECHNIQUES............................................................ 13 CHARACTER CARDS............................................................... 14 ROLE CARDS............................................................................... 15 CARPENTRY FOR THE GAME............................................ 17 FLOOR PLAN MAP OF HOUSE........................................... 18
3
Four women work together. Helping each other, and helping themselves. Introduction
At the start of a summer, four women get together to help remodel one of their homes. Each woman is near forty years old, and each has gone through a major life change recently. Some good, some bad, but for each of them it is a moment of taking stock and charting a new direction. The women are friends, and have the opportunity to be there for one another, in small ways and in large. Each woman has reached the middle part of her life, not yet at menopause if that is something she will experience, but with a major portion of her life gone by now. Goals she has sought to reach have been attained, or passed her by. But this time brings new challenges, new joys and unexpected beginnings.
file
To tell this story you will play a role playing game. Four players take the roles of the women and the group will play out events. You’ll also play other characters in the womens’ lives, exploring scenes earlier in their lives and throughout this summer of change.
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The Women
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m
These stories are just four possible stories of the many and varied experiences that women have, be they cis-gender (acknowledged and affirmed by society as women from birth) or transgender women (who have likely gone through a process of transition to become acknowledged as women in the world). The characters were written in part, with much room for personal inspiration to complete the portrait. Players, people of all genders who may take these roles, are invited to have the women be whom they find them to be, inspired by their own imaginations and experiences. Straight, gay, asexual, bi- or polysexual (being attracted to all genders). Cisgender, transgender, or other beautifully nuanced expressions of what we call “gender”. These characters are an invitation for us to meditate upon the lives of many women, none a universal story, but part of a broad palette of the people who live their lives in the experience of femaleness and womanhood, with acknowledgement as well of differing ethnic heritages and economic situations.
The Carpenter
Reunited with the child she gave away for adoption.
The Homeowner
Left her abusive spouse, and wants to re-make the home they shared.
The Businesswoman
Left a business she founded, which has now gone under.
The New Bride
Newly married, learning about sharing a life together.
45
m
Sa file
”And driving home from Connecticut recently I got ideas for not one but two new freeform. I’m excited, since I’ve just been writing larp and tabletop of late. The second idea is very personal. It will be the stories of four women who are friends. They each have come through some major life change, and are in their late mature years (“mature adult” from the other game!) One has just gotten married, one has left an abusive relationship. One has left a failing business, the other has been reunited with a child she gave up for adoption when she was young.
ple
file
There is a framing story, of the women helping one of them work on her house. They go through stages of breaking down and re-creating the house in a new form: demolition, framing, finish. The women tell the stories of facing being at the later arc of their lives, and embracing the changes they’ve gone through. There may be some element of drawing the plan of the house, too. I think the name of this may be Remodel.”
Remodel is a role playing game in the American Freeform style, inspired by Jeepform
Sa
m
games (jeepen.org) and Nordic Freeform.
For another “house” game, see The Kick Inside by Martin Brodén and Kristoffer Lindh. < http://jeepen.org/games/kickinside/>
for the women in my life & the farm that I miss
Thanks to my generous playtesters: GenCon 2012: Danielle Lewon, Terry Hope Romero and Lizzie Stark. Dreamation 2013: Andi Gastonguay, Kat Miller, Melissa Cohen, Michelle Mishko, Sarah Williamson, Helen Yanolatos, Patty Kirsch and Anna Westerling.
© Emily Care Boss, 2013. Black & Green Games, Greenfield, MA [email protected]
23
Table of Contents
Sa
m
ple
file
INTRODUCTION...................................................................... 4 THE WOMEN...............................................................................4 OVERVIEW OF PLAY................................................................ 5 ABOUT THE TALE.................................................................... 5 THE HOUSE................................................................................. 6 ROLES............................................................................................. 7 GROUND RULES........................................................................ 8 WARM UPS.................................................................................... 9 PLAYING SCENES......................................................................10 ABOUT THE SCENES...............................................................11 OTHER TECHNIQUES............................................................ 13 CHARACTER CARDS............................................................... 14 ROLE CARDS............................................................................... 15 CARPENTRY FOR THE GAME............................................ 17 FLOOR PLAN MAP OF HOUSE........................................... 18
3
Four women work together. Helping each other, and helping themselves. Introduction
At the start of a summer, four women get together to help remodel one of their homes. Each woman is near forty years old, and each has gone through a major life change recently. Some good, some bad, but for each of them it is a moment of taking stock and charting a new direction. The women are friends, and have the opportunity to be there for one another, in small ways and in large. Each woman has reached the middle part of her life, not yet at menopause if that is something she will experience, but with a major portion of her life gone by now. Goals she has sought to reach have been attained, or passed her by. But this time brings new challenges, new joys and unexpected beginnings.
file
To tell this story you will play a role playing game. Four players take the roles of the women and the group will play out events. You’ll also play other characters in the womens’ lives, exploring scenes earlier in their lives and throughout this summer of change.
ple
The Women
Sa
m
These stories are just four possible stories of the many and varied experiences that women have, be they cis-gender (acknowledged and affirmed by society as women from birth) or transgender women (who have likely gone through a process of transition to become acknowledged as women in the world). The characters were written in part, with much room for personal inspiration to complete the portrait. Players, people of all genders who may take these roles, are invited to have the women be whom they find them to be, inspired by their own imaginations and experiences. Straight, gay, asexual, bi- or polysexual (being attracted to all genders). Cisgender, transgender, or other beautifully nuanced expressions of what we call “gender”. These characters are an invitation for us to meditate upon the lives of many women, none a universal story, but part of a broad palette of the people who live their lives in the experience of femaleness and womanhood, with acknowledgement as well of differing ethnic heritages and economic situations.
The Carpenter
Reunited with the child she gave away for adoption.
The Homeowner
Left her abusive spouse, and wants to re-make the home they shared.
The Businesswoman
Left a business she founded, which has now gone under.
The New Bride
Newly married, learning about sharing a life together.
45
