The Dinner Table

Vitor Boeira Moreno

VISA 312

Describe the CATS from class on 11.28.

• Concept: A tabletop roleplaying game that combines elements of Blackjack with family dinner table dynamics
• Aim: To create a playful and light-hearted exploration of family conflicts while drawing parallels between gambling strategy and family interactions
• Tone: A mix of tension and civility, balancing serious family dynamics with wholesome conflict resolution and a bit of comedy if the players so desire
• Subject Matter: Family relationships and conflicts, specifically explored through the lens of a Christmas dinner table conversation

Why did you make this game? The answer cannot be "because I was required to." Even if this is something you wouldn't have naturally done on your own, there's still a reason you made the particular thing you made.

I made this game because I thought it would be fun to create a playable experience that bridges two things I find interesting, and that are in a way kind of similar, gambling and family. Lately I have been learning a lot about the game Blackjack. I find it fascinating that different from any other gambling game, Blackjack can be beat by the player given that| they play it properly. With that in mind, earlier this week after having a tense conversation with my parents, I realized how during conflict people tend to act very much like they would playing a high-stakes card game. You don't want the opponent to be able to read your expressions, and you want to be strategic with your moves. Especially something like Blackjack where it is all about how far you can go before going too far. You want to say something hard-hitting, but that won't go as far as too permanently destroy your relationship with the person. In my eyes, the two things are quite similar, so I wanted to join the two ideas into this one game.

What elements of your Magpie book did you use and why did you select them?

My game is fully centered on the theme of family. I took that from my Magpie entry #8 as a lot of the joys I wrote down were related to my family. I already knew how important family is to me, but when I was looking through my magpie book when brainstorming, I realized a family-themed game would be an interesting concept. The other element I wanted to play with in this game was the idea of having negative emotions hidden underneath the appearance of niceness. I took this from my entry #2 where I listed the show Breaking Bad as one of my obsessions. In that show, the main character treads the line between being an extremely violent and dangerous person, while maintaining the appearance of a family man. The way I incorporated this was by having the combat setting be one where a certain level of civility is expected—the dinner table.

What themes are you exploring in your game and what craft elements did you deploy, both in visual design and in mechanics, to support that exploration? What inspired your thinking on, particularly, the mechanics?

In order to explore the theme of family, I needed a family story to work with. I thought that the game experience would be much more involved if the players were to create the details of the family together. To do this, I have a dedicated page in the zine that has questions for the players to answer. One that I think is particularly fun reads "Describe to the other player what was the 'Snow Incident.'" This seemed to work well during the playtesting because it leads the players into some specificity, but lets them interpret it however they would like. I borrowed this question-asking game mechanic from Wanderhome and Dream Askew. My game also used the game of Blackjack as a mechanic. This aligns well with the general atmosphere of the game as a big theme of it is controlling your emotions and gauging your moves, all while keeping a sort of "poker face".

What do you hope players walk away from the game having experienced?

First of all, I hope the players walk away having enjoyed the gaming experience. This is meant to be fun, so I hope they find it enjoyable. Another goal would be to create a sense of playfulness and bring a light-heartedness to what is usually a very tense situation to be in—the Christmas dinner table talk. I hope players can explore a version of this scenario that results in a wholesome conflict resolution.