Madness in games?

[Humabout]

I've had minor success using chat clients with individual chats with each player and feeding each one individualized information based in their perception of happenings, but that is extremely taxing even with a small number of players.  It's quite doable in pbp games, as evidenced by underdeep.  Unfortunately, both approaches require online gaming.  I don't have a good suggestion for face to face games.

[Seraph]

I've had minor success using chat clients with individual chats with each player and feeding each one individualized information based in their perception of happenings, but that is extremely taxing even with a small number of players.  It's quite doable in pbp games, as evidenced by underdeep.  Unfortunately, both approaches require online gaming.  I don't have a good suggestion for face to face games.

I mean, there's always handing a note on paper to individual players.   It can be awkward if you haven't had time to prepare it before hand, but it can be done.

[Humabout]

This is true, but they still get a lot of meta information.  I think Steerpike was specifically talking about immersing the player in the same situation his character is experiencing.

To further modify your idea, you could also use texting at the table to give information (results of perception rolls, knowing things others don't, etc.).  God knows a lot of people can't be parted from their phones for five minutes; might as well capitalize on it!

[LordVreeg]

I've had minor success using chat clients with individual chats with each player and feeding each one individualized information based in their perception of happenings, but that is extremely taxing even with a small number of players.  It's quite doable in pbp games, as evidenced by underdeep.  Unfortunately, both approaches require online gaming.  I don't have a good suggestion for face to face games.

I have used the online stuff in face to face games, actually.

[Humabout]

How did it work out?  I've not done much face to face in ages (before tablets and laptops were as common as underwear).  How did you work it?  I'd be curious about how you integrated that sort of thing into a tabletop game.

[SA]

God knows a lot of people can't be parted from their phones for five minutes; might as well capitalize on it!

Don't I know it. Had one player chipping away on his Android all through the session until I started sending his character Apocalyptic Visions via text. He went from oblivious to invested in a New York nanosecond.

[LordVreeg]

God knows a lot of people can't be parted from their phones for five minutes; might as well capitalize on it!

Don't I know it. Had one player chipping away on his Android all through the session until I started sending his character Apocalyptic Visions via text. He went from oblivious to invested in a New York nanosecond.

we do text, but frankly, we also  use IRC. I often precan some text and have them waiting.....awesome response

[Seraph]

God knows a lot of people can't be parted from their phones for five minutes; might as well capitalize on it!

Don't I know it. Had one player chipping away on his Android all through the session until I started sending his character Apocalyptic Visions via text. He went from oblivious to invested in a New York nanosecond.

Haha, awesome. 

To speak more generally about ways of handling madness in games, I can point to Nemesis, which has 4 "Madness Meters."  Now, for those who are opposed to any kind of gauge for madness, this won't be of much interest, but maybe it will add to the conversation somewhat.

The gauges are Self, Violence, Unnatural, and Helplessness.   As you come up against against "maddening" stimuli of any kind, you roll equilibrium to see how you handle it.  Failed rolls accumulate "Failed" notches, while successful rolls accumulate "Hardened" notches.  As you acquire Hardened notches you become essentially immune to the less severe stimuli.  For example, if you manage to keep your cool when someone near you gets blown up by a grenade, seeing someone fire a gun will never phase you again.  It's not on the same level.

Every time you fail the roll, you immediately go into "Fight, Flight, or Freeze" and I forget how which one is decided, but I can look it up.

As you rack up failed notches you also start developing disorders.  These aren't explicitly defined, so it's assumed that these will be made up by the GM and players as needed. 

With regard to the meters:
Self applies to guilt.  Actions that you have to life with yourself for.  Lies, Betrayals, and so forth.
Violence applies to what it sounds like.  The horrors of witnessing that kind of violence, and what that does to your psyche.
Helplessness measures the effects of things like being kidnapped, tortured, raped, and so forth.  So, failure would indicate losing feelings of agency and control.
Unnatural is specific to the fact that Nemesis is "Horror Genre" and expects characters to encounter beings from other dimensions, Great Old Ones, Mythos creatures, and things of that nature.  Though more generally it could be applied to how you handle having what you "know" is "real" shattered.

[SA]

For the sake of bestowing proper credit, I'd mention that the 4 Madness Meters are originally from Unknown Armies, an rpg in which all the protagonists are (in some fashion or another) delusional.

They work well in a Warhammer game: Self=Slaanesh, Violence=Korne, Helplessness=Nurgle, Unnatural=Tzeentch. As you rack up notches in a particular meter, you fall increasingly within the remit of the corresponding Chaos God.

[Seraph]

For the sake of bestowing proper credit, I'd mention that the 4 Madness Meters are originally from Unknown Armies, an rpg in which all the protagonists are (in some fashion or another) delusional.

They work well in a Warhammer game: Self=Slaanesh, Violence=Korne, Helplessness=Nurgle, Unnatural=Tzeentch. As you rack up notches in a particular meter, you fall increasingly within the remit of the corresponding Chaos God.

Ah yes.  I was aware that Unknown Armies had a similar system but was not aware of which system originated it.  And that WOULD work well with Warhammer.

[SA]

that WOULD work well with Warhammer.

I had a long running NEMESIS campaign set in a Hive City that was being slowly infiltrated by the forces of Chaos. Hard notches provided dice for sorcery against mortals while Fail notches provided dice for summoning (daemons are enticed by human vulnerability). Daemons could use your Fail dice to control you (intimidation or possession) or transform you, and you resisted such influence with Hard dice.

[Seraph]

that WOULD work well with Warhammer.

I had a long running NEMESIS campaign set in a Hive City that was being slowly infiltrated by the forces of Chaos. Hard notches provided dice for sorcery against mortals while Fail notches provided dice for summoning (daemons are enticed by human vulnerability). Daemons could use your Fail dice to control you (intimidation or possession) or transform you, and you resisted such influence with Hard dice.

Oooh, very cool.  Something along those lines might be cool to apply to my Infernal Devices setting, which uses NEMESIS and involves spaceships powered by crystal-bound demons.  Bad things happen when things go wrong in the engine room....