Coordinating Pause

(related to the Pause game.)

Structure of a Story

As stated earlier in the manual, the primary focus of Pause is that both the Players and the Coordinator – the person controlling the elements that are not the Players' characters – create a story. With this in mind, it is important for a Coordinator to become familiar with the traditional structure of a dramatic story. Please note that all stories do not require this particular format, but this synopsis could be a good reference if the Coordinator is having trouble forming the basis of the story.

Exposition

The exposition is usually the beginning of the story. It serves as a way for the audience – the Players in this case – become acquainted with important details about the story. Characters, setting, mood, possibly a conflict.

It was a long, hot summer day in the city. The air was thick enough to cut through with a knife, and the tension leading up to the news conference was about as much. Just why did the police let that creep go anyway? He butchered all those little girls. They even have the evidence to put him away! I wouldn't know what the Commissioner can say that can make any sense out of this.

Impetus

After the Players become familiar with the important details about the workings of the story, this is the moment that puts the story into motion. This may be the first conflict or maybe the discovery of something that is amiss.

I had to turn up the volume to drown out the hum of the air conditioner. The news conference was starting. But just as that fat, bald mess of a Commissioner was about to say anything, the picture just froze. No motion. No sound. No nothing! I was just about to reach over to smack the television some to get it to work, but I suddenly felt really heavy. Even the air felt heavier than I thought it was. I thought I was having a heart attack or something.

But then I looked out of the window and saw that a pigeon was suspended in the air. In mid-flight. I wasn't having a heart attack – I was going crazy!

Rising Action

With the conflict in motion, other factors come in to complicate it: secondary conflicts, obstacles, antagonistic characters, so forth and so on. During this part of the story, lesser antagonists and side problems can be introduced to make the characters closer to the core conflict of the story.

I had to get out of the apartment! Of course, the elevator wasn't working, so I had to take the stairs down. After what felt like an eternity, I made it down to the lobby. The sight was something that could put anyone in a mental hospital, not just me: a crowd of people just stopped into place. The sound though... that was even worse. Deafening silence.

It was a silence that was only broken by a little girl's giggle. I looked everywhere for the source of that giggle, but only found the passing shadow of... something... weaving through the crowd. I wasn't too thrilled, but it seemed like following this thing was going to be the only way out.

Climax

This is the turning point in the story. Characters begin to truly understand the situation around them. Their fortunes also tend to turn at this point – one of the forces gains the upper hand in the conflict. Bear in mind that the climax does not always mean that things will go well for the characters. They just may get worse.

Following that damned shadow I found myself outside on the street. Everything was frozen in time, from people to birds, even to the plastic bags caught in a now still wind. As I continued to look around, the shadow wasn't there anymore, but rather a small girl in a dress was standing in front of a twisting pillar of blinding light.

I felt something sinister from the girl, and even more so from the light. Was this the cause of whatever stopped everything in place? In any case, I was somehow able to move when everyone else couldn't. There must be something I can do about it.

The next thing I know, I am holding a spear of some sort. There's definitely something I can do about this!

Falling Action

After the climax, the conflict heads toward a resolution. The forces of opposition square off against each other in some way. In due time, the direction of the action will become clear as resolution nears.

I approached the girl and the light with the spear tight in my fist. With each step, it feels like my very existence is becoming unraveled more and more. It wasn't a criminal at all who was killing the little girls – they were just defending themselves from what only looked like little girls. Their existence was at risk... not just their existence, but that of everyone else as well.

This thing was very clever. Sacrifice itself over and over again and dwindle down the numbers of those who can fight future threats. I can't just aim for the girl. But also the light. The light has to be killed too.

I lift the spear over my head and throw with all the faith I can muster. Existence itself is on the line and I'm the one who has to make this shot count!

Resolution

The action winds down to a conclusion. Sometimes the conclusion can be that of accomplishment or even victory over the opposition. At others, it can lead to catastrophe where the characters are even worse off than before. It can even only answer one or some of many questions, leading into other stories in the future.

I trembled as my hand let go of the spear, time seemingly slowing down even further as I watched the pole sail through the still air. But somehow, despite all of this, the point of the spear hit its target tried and true. With a crunch, the spear jutted into the girl's chest, the force of the blow enough to bring the spear into the light as well.

What followed the deafening silence of the moment was the equally deafening wail of the girl as the light swallowed her whole. But before the light disappeared, I heard the girl's voice.

“Thank you,” she said. Perhaps she wasn't behind this after all.

Elements of a Story

In almost all stories, especially dramatic stories, there is some sort of meaning which can be gleaned. Here are some elements to keep in mind when coming up with a story.

Theme

The theme is an overriding idea which can be found throughout the entire story. It can be simple, such as “Defend those who cannot defend themselves,” or complex, such as “Life may be finite, but existence is eternal.”

Themes do not need to be obvious to the Players. Rather, it should be something that becomes clearer and clearer to the Players as the story progresses. Start a story with very subtle and obscure hints to it, revealing bigger and bigger clues as the characters delve deeper into the story.

Setting

The setting is the time, place, and events in which the story takes place. It serves as a frame of reference for everything from what would be considered appropriate behavior to what information a character should pay attention to.

As explained at the beginning of the manual, the default setting for Pause is a modern-day city. This is so because it makes it easier for both Players and the Coordinator to get right into it. However, the setting can theoretically just about any time or place where events deal between people.

Mood

The mood is the general feel of the story. It is the collective emotions and sensations Players experience during the story. Movie genres serve as a good analog to the concept of the mood. For instance, a comedy has a lighthearted mood while film noir espouses a dark and gritty mood.

In Pause, the mood would be akin to that of a thriller, but with supernatural elements. There should be suspense, but also a growing sense of understanding as the story unfolds. Like the setting though, the Coordinator is free to use a different setting, if it means creating a great story to share with the Players.

Plot

The plot is the actual sequence of events that transpire throughout the story. It is the vehicle for delivering the theme, setting, and mood throughout the structure of the story, via the actions of the characters.

Generally speaking, one event usually leads to another, although there can be multiple events going at once. However, it is best to keep the events organized, each event appropriately moving on to the next, be it gradual or sudden.

Conflict

A dramatic story is nothing without conflict. Be it between a character and an antagonist or between opposing ideologies, there is usually something that someone or some group is against.

The ideas posed in Pause present an opportunity for characters to explore conflicts both internal and external, both against a malicious force and against the evils within themselves. These conflicts can be static, such as the case of a villain or mastermind, or they can be fluid, such as one's emotions or other abstract ideas. Conflicts, their participants, and their values may change throughout a story as well.

Planning a Story

There are near-infinite ways for a Coordinator to come up with a story. However, this section will focus on creating a story in which multiple voices lend to it – both the Players and the Coordinator.

Inspiration

There is always something that gives someone the idea for something else, be it an event he or she has witnessed, a value or moral that is held dear, the sight of something unforgettable, so forth and so on. The same is true with creating a story. Something, somewhere can jog up an idea worth exploring further.

This nugget of information may lead to developments elsewhere: the location of the story; the nature of the characters; the link between the normal Time Flow and the Pauses; the reason for the Anchors' functions. The possibilities are endless, but try to keep them organized as not to create a convoluted mess that none of the Players could follow.

Premise

Before writing a single word of the story, the Coordinator should consult with the Players beforehand. What are their characters going to be like? Do they do well in social situations? Do some of them have a criminal history? What are their goals and aspirations in life?

The answers to these questions, along with the inspiration, may help a Coordinator in many ways: to understand how the characters will react to a Pause; to figure out how to get the characters together over time; to fine-tune how the elements of a Pause work in relation to the characters; so forth and so on.

Details

Stories written by singular authors tend to go into extended detail about the characters, the events, and the world encompassing them. That is usually because the authors have a lot of control over the elements of the story. Coordinators do not share that luxury due to the Players' participation in the story.

As such, it is best to simply outline where the Coordinator wants to go with the story. Offer a basic sequence of events which can be edited at any time – the Players will likely do something, at some time, which will not at all be predicted. Allow the Players to fill in the blanks and the story could perhaps go to greater heights than originally planned.

Bangs

One way to maintain a minimal set of details and still manage to keep the story moving is through the use of bangs. A bang is an important choice between events which the characters can make that can significantly change how the events of the story progress.

For instance, the characters have come to a point where the usual means of closing a Break have failed. They have to think fast because the Aberrations they defeated are again showing signs of life. One of the characters comes up with the idea of using themselves to put his or her Anchor into the Break itself.

However, doing so will surely cost his or her life. The rest of the characters need to decide whether to let him or her go through with the plan, or to stop him or her from doing so and come up with an alternative somehow. Either choice will lead the story in an entirely different direction than the other, while also allowing the characters to put in the fine details of the moment.

Encounters

While the world beyond the Time Flow can be a dangerous place as in the previous example, the danger should be incremental in relation to the story's progress. Initial Pauses should be more about the characters discovering what makes a Pause work rather than throwing a bunch of Aberrations at them from the start. Later on as the characters get a handle on how a Pause works, they can use that knowledge to deal with the more dangerous enemies which come to oppose them.

A Coordinator should break up the combat once in a while during the Pauses as well. Instead of making the characters fight enemies all of the time, perhaps present a difficult puzzle once in a while to allow the characters to build upon the knowledge they gained during the story.

Length

The length of a story can vary from story to story. There are some stories which can work well as a one-shot, meaning that the entire story from beginning to finish can take only one or two game sessions. Others can go on over a longer period of time, meaning that it can go over weeks or months worth of game sessions.

Creating a one-shot is noticeably easier than a longer story. As such, if a Coordinator chooses the latter of the two, it would be useful to divide the action by game sessions. Think of each session in terms of a chapter or two in a novel. There is a definite series of events in each chapter, as well as a place to begin and a place to end in the chapter.

Again, keep the details reduced to those which must absolutely be explored. When planning a longer story, keep in mind where the story should lead, but considering the unpredictability of the Players, detail out only a chapter at a time and work on future chapters based on the actions of the characters in the previous chapters.

Coordinating a Story

In many pen-and-paper role-playing and storytelling games, the role of the person in control of the actions is usually called something like a dungeon master, game master, or a storyteller. These terms tend to suggest that the person in this role has most of the say in the story and that the Players are only his or her pawns in executing the story he or she wants, and little more.

There is reason that the term Coordinator is used in Pause: the Coordinator may be in charge of running the story, but is also subject to the whims of the Players in terms of creating the story. Making a story in Pause is a cooperative affair. The Coordinator's role then is to facilitate the creation of the story without letting it either wither away or to grow out of control. Coordinators can employ a variety of techniques to achieve this task. Some suggestions are as follows.

Environment

The environment the Coordinator and the Players play in is paramount to the success of the story. First and foremost, there should be as little distraction as possible. The easiest way to maintain this is to focus all the action around a central point – usually a table. This keeps the Players focused on the action most of the time.

Other than focus, the Players need to be comfortable. They will not want to be around if their seats are rigid and make them sit uncomfortably. Too bright or dim a light and things become difficult or unbearable to read. An air conditioner set too hot or too cold will make them sweat or shiver too much to focus on the story.

Game sessions usually take anywhere from a couple hours to all day, depending on how long and how interesting the story becomes. Keep refreshments on hand, or perhaps suggest the Players to bring their own. Hunger and thirst can reduce the quality of the story, as well as to interrupt it so that the Players can go out to feed themselves.

Ambiance

When the playing environment has been established, the Players can focus on the story. However, adding some elements to the environment that relate to the story being created can help the Players focus even more.

Music and soundtracks are an easy start to adding ambiance to the environment. Perhaps an a low-volume recording of the sounds of busy streets can help settle the Players into an urban atmosphere. Unsettling sounds can get them into the feeling a Pause brings upon the characters. Appropriate music may make significant events in the story even more so.

Props can also help bring the story to life. Perhaps the Players can base their characters' Anchors on real life objects of their own and thus bring them to sessions with them. Miniatures representing the characters and the enemies can also give the Players an idea of themselves and what they are up against. Even dim lighting and the use of candles can set a somber mood for a corresponding scenario.

Narrative

As the Coordinator leads the Players through the important events in the story, as well as playing the role of all the characters that do not belong to the Players, it is important that the Coordinator can present the story in a compelling manner.

Description is key here. Whether it is detailing a new setting, explaining new ideas, or introducing new characters to the Players, the description should be eloquent and detailed enough to give the characters a sense of what is being described. However, there is a point where the description becomes overkill and thus loses the interest of the Players. Keep it explanatory, but succinct, effective and to the point.

Speech skills are also important. Even if the Coordinator isn't gifted in altering his or her voice for each character played, he or she can employ inflections in the voice, as well as use hand and arm motions to emphasize what the Coordinator's character would want to convey to the Players' characters. If everyone the characters encounter in the story talk in the same tone, the same inflections, the same emphases, the Players will likely lose interest very quickly.

Pacing

A Coordinator must also have a feel for how to time events during a story. Take too long with something and the Players may want to take their time and energy elsewhere. Take too short and the Players may lose an important detail that will be needed later.

As easy as it is to time events wrongly, it is just as easy to get it right. Important events which require a detailed explanation where the characters can glean clues and hints from should be given more time than the events in between which lend little or no substance toward the story. If there is a discovery that can lead the characters in the right direction during their investigation, give it more time than a stretch of days in which the characters live their normal lives between Pauses.

Flow

As with pacing the events of the story, the actions taken in the story need to be consistent and smooth. One good way to do this is to disregard dice rolls whenever possible, especially between Pauses.

This can be done through a simple comparison of trait scores. If the score is exceedingly higher than what would be required to achieve a task, let the character achieve it. Same thing if the score is really low – automatic failure in that case.

Another way to achieve this is through the use of role-play. If a character can come up with a creative, yet feasibly logical solution to a problem, and it ends up being better or more effective than a more common solution, let the character succeed with it. However, if a character tries something too off the wall, make him or her pay for it.

Flashbacks

A useful tool for recapping important events from the past is the flashback. When it is appropriate for a recap – for instance, a puzzle that requires knowledge from a past scenario to solve it – let the character who has said knowledge to remember it, or at least give clues that may jog his or her memory.

Cutaways

Sometimes the characters are split from each other, but are participating in separate events at the same time. It is good to alternate sections of these events among the different groups, especially if the different events tie into each other somehow as the events progress.

Foreshadowing

Another way to help the characters along the story is to play out important future events which the characters will get to regardless of how they act in the present time. This technique can offer a sense of inevitability and tension where just playing in one continuous time-line cannot.

Encouragement

As much as the Coordinator can do to enhance the story, it is still ultimately up to the Players to keep up their end of the story's creation. Some Players will be naturals at role-playing their characters convincingly and lending to the story. Others however, will not.

This is where the Coordinator comes in. The first thing he or she can do to encourage Player participation and narrative is to offer incentives for good role-playing. These incentives can be in many forms: help with identifying clues and hints before and during a Pause; bonuses and re-rolls during the Pause; or extra character progression after a Pause for instance.

Another way to encourage role-playing is to introduce situations where the problematic Player's character needs to do something else other than to watch. However, try to gauge the Player's enjoyment of the story at hand before forcing him or her into this sort of situation, as it can easily backfire. As such, this is a technique which needs to be reserved for special situations where the incentives do not work.

Conduct

Sadly, not all Players get along from the outset. Also, the Coordinator should not force the Players into anything they do not want to do. There needs to be a fine balance between Player enjoyment and story control.

The easiest way to manage this is to keep the Players involved in their characters. When the Players are focused on doing whatever they can to keep their characters alive and to keep learning more about the mysteries at hand, the less they can derail the story from the tracks. Conversely, the Coordinator should not be forcing the Players into playing their characters one particular way or to only progress the story in one particular direction. Essentially, keep the Players engaged and interested, and they will likely return the favor.

Another means to maintain this balance is to limit out-of-character talk while the story is in progress. While the Players may know information which the characters, in theory, do not, it is important that the Player's knowledge does not factor into the character's actions when the character does not know the information. However, it is okay if a Player consults with the Coordinator or other Players if he or she does not understand a rule or needs a recap of events to bring him or her up to speed.

Confidence

Ultimately, a Coordinator should be a person confident in both the story he or she is helping craft as well as managing it along the way. Too little confidence and the Players will either trounce through the story without much role-playing, or they will simply lose interest altogether. Be too arrogant about it though and the story will go nowhere, and the Players will likely leave as well. The confidence a Coordinator expresses is the x-factor that can make or break a story, even before it gets started.

Continuing a Story

Eventually a story has to come to an end. However, new stories can arise from the same setting but with new characters. Sometimes a new story can come from the same set of characters, building off of their previous story.

In the first case, the new characters may end up discovering a Pause for the first time, but with the help of the veteran characters. This may lead to the collaboration of the old characters' knowledge with the new characters' fresh approach to tackle even deeper mysteries surrounding the Pauses and what forces are behind them.

The second case offers an opportunity to explore the lives of the characters beyond the end of their first story. Perhaps they continue their investigation from the previous story. Maybe they already nixed the problem and are willing to share their experiences with others. A new threat could have arisen while they were exploring the Pauses in the previous story.

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