Once again, I would like to point out the S7S wiki, here:

http://s7s.wikidot.com/

Please add to the 7 Skies -- whatever thrills you, buckles your swash, makes you happy.

That is what is it there for.

Just a little idea I had over lunch.

[This post is part of a series examining Archipelago 2 and what parts of that game might help solve some issues in Do: Pilgrims of the Flying Temple. Previously: Ritual Phrases, Destiny Points]

Ownership
Archipelago: Ownership is pretty cool. Each player controls some aspect of the setting and has veto power over any player's narration when it involves that element. For example, if you control Geography, you can add descriptions of the physical space in a scene, interpret aspects of the geography when they come up in Fate Cards, etc.

Do: I'm uncomfortable with "Veto" rules in games. They've always felt too ephemeral and capricious to me. Maybe it's just my board game experience talking there, but it makes the enjoyment of the game way too dependent on the players. I'd rather write a setting clearly enough that everyone knows the kind of story that will be told. And I would rather design a system actively, concretely encourages that kind of story. It may not work, but at least I'll know I've tried instead of just being able to blame it on a bad group.

There are a couple options that I might be able to work in Ownership, though.

Option 1: I can tie that to the Worldly Name. If you were to say "My worldly name means 'The storms bursting on the shore.'" That means you can incorporate storms, shores, and bursting into the story.

The problem is that worldly names don't communicate ownership as clearly as the flowery metaphorical temple name. Also, it might be loading too much information into one stat.

Option 2: Each letter might have elements of that world that are up for ownership. At the beginning of the session, each player takes ownership of one element, incorporating it into resolutions and troubles.

For example, in "Swallowed Whole," Melanie the letter-writer conveniently lists a handful of elements of the setting.

---

Dear Monk(s)

Hi how are you! My name is Melanie. I come from a very small planet.

There is me, my house, my cat, and two trees (see drawing).

I am not so good, because my planet has been eaten by a whale.

It is a very small planet. I woke up and I was inside a whale. I don't want to get (more) eaten.

Please help!

your freind

Melanie (age 8)
P.S. Drawing is on the other side.
P.P.S. I will make you cookies.

---

I could list the following elements in a sidebar, just as I'd been planning on doing:

• The Whale
• The House
• Melanie
• The Cat
• The Trees

At the beginning of a session, each player picks which elements they want to own this session. If I make things very, very strict, I can even say "No secondary characters may be introduced except those owned by a player." That automatically conserves characters and focuses the cast tightly on the pilgrims and a handful of worldly folks who put them into troublesome situations.

When we playtested this letter at Dreamation, it got super-duper gonzo after someone introduced a pygmy village living inside the whale's blowhole. Was it silly and fun? Yeah, but it was also unfocused and didn't really allow for a natural conclusion to events.