let players spectate for certain scenes
So, this is more a comment in 4+ player games, but I'm in a 2-player game right now for which it's also relevant.
It's not always reasonable that each character will be in every scene, but right now there's no way to handle that except for people to willfully refrain from participating.
That works kind of, but it doesn't alter the available currency for the narrator in the scene. (Or rather, when the "you're spending more challenge points than the players can resolve" message pops up.)
Also, it can be easy to forget when folks are deliberately spectating.
So I wonder if there's value in this being a switch you could press. So the challenge points are calculated for all participating players. And you can have smaller, even single spotlight scenes.
I do worry that this'd create a potential for folks to be waiting on each other overmuch, but I don't know that it's a problem, if the spectating players can still use the Commentary box.
Leonard
shared this idea
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LucyPenrose
commented
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LucyPenrose
commented
Upvoted. I think it should be possible for the narrator to decide which characters participate in a given scene. By default, all characters participate.
When a character is excluded, they may still make moves and contribute to the story if they want (it's up to the host's rules if they are allowed) but they can't play any cards for that scene.
That sounds like the most flexible approach.
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Anonymous
commented
I was thinking this, but instead of retiring characters, a mode for Hosts to put them "Off-scene". That way, they can still talk in Commentary and Green Room, they can spectate the game from the homepage without clicking on "All Games", and if the Host decides to bring them back in, click "Cancel Offscene" in the Characters tab.
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Rachel Wild commented
there's a similar thing here, where Stephen has mentioned that having players read private games along without playing wouldn't require them to be invited/create a character any more. https://storium.uservoice.com/forums/211322-general/suggestions/5299321-allow-invites-and-spectators
the issue with retiring players temporarily to manage scenes or leaves of absence is one that has been mentioned elsewhere, so you might want to transfer your votes to one of them :)