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I'm giving Shock: Social Science Fiction my first whirl next week. I think I've got a good handle on the system and the type of game it's designed to create, and I'm very excited, but there's one element I'm not sure I've fully grokked.

The choice of Praxis scales. I really like the idea - you get to define character choice in conflict in terms uniquely tailored for the setting you've created. But, coming to the choice for the first time, I could use some advice as to what we should be considering when we're choosing.

Any insights into this choice? What works well and what doesn't? Examples from games you've run (that worked, or failed to), or giving examples from popular games and media ("In Buffy, a great praxis scale would've been (X)... but (Y) wouldn't have worked well at all") would be very welcome.

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Can you link to something about the game for us? RPGGeek or the publisher's page would be perfect... – C. Ross♦ Jul 5 '11 at 12:00
Sure: homepage and RPGNet review; I've put those links on the "shock" tag wiki as well. – Standback Jul 5 '11 at 12:26
I've played Shock exactly one and don't watch Buffy. Maybe you could provide an example, and we could suggest Praxes? – okeefe Jul 5 '11 at 15:19
@okeefe: Dear me. Dollhouse? Asimov's Foundation trilogy? Song of Ice and Fire? Star Trek: Deep Space 9? Philip K. Dick's "Minority Report"? Take your pick, really... – Standback Jul 5 '11 at 17:54

1 Answer

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I just finished listening to an interview episode of The Jank Cast with Rob Bohl (Misspent Youth) and Joshua A.C. Newman (Shock). The whole interview is excellent, but the parts you might be most interested in are when Joshua describes Blade Runner as an example in Shock.

  • Deckard and the Audience (52:00-57:00)
  • Example Praxes (1:03:50)
    • Compassionate vs. Violent
    • Compassionate vs. Truthful
    • Sex vs. Commerce
  • Blade Runner (1:05:05-1:15:00)
    • Shooting vs. Caresses
    • Responsibility vs. Decadence
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That sounds like the type of answer I'm looking for! ...and as if I wasn't embarrassed enough by not having seen Blade Runner yet... – Standback Jul 11 '11 at 4:34
So here's the thing: he says "here are praxis you can use," but not why those, or what difference they make. What I'm interested in is insights into choosing good and/or appropriate praxis, and how that affects the game - and equally, what to avoid. – Standback Jul 27 '11 at 9:15

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