The idea was partly inspired by Jason Morningstar's unfinished game Nine Roosevelts Against the Impossible. And also some mechanics I had in an early draft of a completely different game, where it was used to make a family of people who were similar to each other but not the same as each other.
Viewing post in Unformed, incomplete ideas thread
I like this idea so much. So how can I help it along? I was listenign to the interstitial podcast and I've heard the option for using interstitial to use that to use playbooks to form the different versions of hte same person but I like the way you're approaching it instead. Maybe a combination of this separate section on the character sheet that is also like "how this impacts actions" for example.
So my Mecha-Earhart has the her no buts and yes ands but the next step of chargen is that:
Earhart doesn't eat, has enhanced phsyical ability, flies under her own power now, and is powered by steam and eats it. That might make it interesting. That way the changes go from "quirky observation" to "game effect"
Feel free to take it and incorporate it into any game where it fits.
I would tend to use it in games with simpler mechanisms, where it's just "If you can justify how your coldbloodedness helps Lizard Amelia escape from danger, then you get a bonus die" or something like that. Because then every statement could be relevant, in the right contexts, without additional rules overhead.
But I could see working this into a game with more concrete, spelled out powers as well. (Nobilis 3rd edition tried something similar, with an inspirational phase of character creation and then a more concrete mechanical phase, but it wasn't really successful.)
oh i like simpler mechanisms too. i was htinking as a mental exercise to help someone see how they relate. instead of just "i brood and am lincoln" something about "broody lincoln ends up doing x" in scenes might be a helpful hint. like how the moes work in pbta or belonging. haven't seen nobilis 3. is it worht a look?