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SETTING A m'Yth Is" vf cvu.-se., nvt a faii"'Y stvi"'Y. It Is the Presentatlvn vf fa.:ts belvnuino tv vne c;ateQVI"'Y In the idlvms aoPrVPriate w anvther. T () exolvde a m'Yth Is accvrdlntiiY. nvt tv deny the facts., but tv re-allvr..ate them. Theatnx is capable <strong>of</strong> great versatility A Theatrix Setting may take place in any context, anytime, any where However, the 'Core Rules' as presented in this book make up only the skeleton around which you'll hang the flesh <strong>of</strong> your Setting. You'll need to create the geographical, social, political, and dramatic environs <strong>of</strong> your Setting as well You may also need to create secondary guidelines to handle the specifics <strong>of</strong> your Setting. Such guidelines may encompass, for example, the learning and casting <strong>of</strong> mag1c, the development and use <strong>of</strong> psiontc powers, or the creat1on <strong>of</strong> movie style mart1al arts These may entail providing new Skill Lists, creating new Advanced Resolution Flowcharts (a repro ducible blank is provided), the detailing <strong>of</strong> new Setting specific Descriptors, or the formation <strong>of</strong> new rules for character generation. Such guidelines may be tailored to your specific genre. For example, rule modifications made to handle the feel <strong>of</strong> mag1cal spells in one Fantasy Setting may dtffer greatly from the modifications needed to handle them in another Depending upon your genre, th1s whole process may require several hours work However, we feel that such dedication easily pays <strong>of</strong>f in your increased enjoyment <strong>of</strong> the game. The sections <strong>of</strong>this chapter will take you through the process <strong>of</strong> creating a good Setting, one step at a time. These are, in fact, the same steps we use in creating the Theatrix Setting Books carried by your local gaming or hobby store. wherein you may find completely detailed genres ready for your use wtth all the work outlined below already done for you GETTING STARTED - Gilbert Ryle The proper starting pomt for the fonnat1on <strong>of</strong> your Setting is an idea The Idea can be as simple as a smgle word, such as 'Esp1onage', or as complex as the repro duction <strong>of</strong> an existing senes <strong>of</strong> flct1onal works We'll handle the translation <strong>of</strong> this idea into a fully functional world in the following sections. For now, JUSt hang onto your idea and write it down. Putting everything down on paper as you go will help keep this process on track, and with some refinement, will serve as a guide to your Setting when you're done THE STAGE Every Scene in every Episode takes place upon a particular Stage. This Stage is the scenery, the sights, the sounds, and the people with which the Main Cast may interact. We've urged you to use your mind's eye to the fullest in describing these moments. For example, an alley is much more real With the smell <strong>of</strong> bacon and hamburger grease dnfting down it, and the sound <strong>of</strong> heavy foot falls splashing into puddles <strong>of</strong> water, echoing <strong>of</strong>f old brick walls and metal fire escapes, than simply as 'an alley'. This is just as true for the Stage <strong>of</strong> a Setting, le the scenery which composes an entire genre. Take your idea and start imagining. Write down some notes on your world. Try to write down the look and feel <strong>of</strong> it Try thinking about the books and movies you admire, and about exactly what made them so powerful. What you're fann ing is an environs The machinery behind the Chronicle You'll want to be describing in detail your Setting's geography, politics, values, people, and dramatic con text. The last, the dramatic context (see the sect1on titled 'Dramatic Context', coming up tn lhts chapter), Will be the most important, and contains elements <strong>of</strong> all the others Theatrlx - The Core Rules 115
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()eslan: David Berkman, Trav1s Eneb
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1J [Bll f)f tf)J[1J§ c INTRODUCTIO
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Downtime Pregaming APPLAUSE JELLYBE
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8 Theatrix - The Core Rules
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10 Tlleatr1x - The Core Rules
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Chapter V- Lights ... Camera ... Ac
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pretend to be this other person tha
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¢ A league of super-powered heroes
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c;> her tormenting her employees wi
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edge to their characters (which mea
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Sequence that they're dreammg. The
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edge represented by that number may
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Books If you're creating your own g
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Coordmation is Important in fightin
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¢ A character who can ignite herse
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Example Skills The following page c
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Personality Trait Activation In add
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Ace of Aces -The persona was practi
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Descriptor Activation Like Personal
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CONCEPTION The concept for your cha
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co ; I -i ::::r C'D () 0 ro ::u c:
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50 Theatrix- The Core Rules
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Failure, based upon how difficult t
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1:0 Creativity -If the easy solutio
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Easy - Ahh, an old style electronic
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The final Difficulty of such action
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same is really just as true for the
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The first set of ovals deals with w
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