Hello there! We're here to talk about structured freeform. So, what the heck is that?! If you haven't read the Welcome thread, please check that out. It gives background on sources and goals for the discussion on this site.
But once you dive in, there is a world of new words and terms to wade in. Freeform, jeepform, bird-in-ear, telegraphing, close to home and so on. Plus, we are bringing our own experiences that are very different from the Nordic points of origin of these styles. So, we've got a wiki under construction which will bring together many of the definitions of terms already established by the jeep community and others, with new ideas that we may add to the conversation.
Links to our wiki and other sites with definitions will be posted in this thread, along with some of our initial thoughts and baseline concepts.
To make the wiki grow, feel free start threads to work with others to formulate definitions for concepts you want to learn more about or develop. Asking questions is especially encouraged. Then put it into practice. See how it works in play. Once you have something you feel is well established, add it to the wiki.
JEEPFORM TRUTHS--NORTH AMERICAN REMIX/REDUX Starting point thoughts, adapted by Jason Morningstar.
DESIGN
Trust your players. Assume they can handle difficult forms, complex stories, and that they are interested and motivated to create the best possible experience for themselves and others.
Restrictions foster creativity.
Create a very clear, easily articulated premise and build your game to address it.
Characters and story should be made to support each other.
Setting is not story. Nobody cares about setting.
There’s no reason to be equitable in distributing spotlight time.
How you tell the story is as important as the story itself. The meta play is as important to the game as the actual play.
Tailor form to benefit the story you are telling. Don't be afraid of patch-work stories.
Form should support good flow with few interruptions. Rules for resolution are generally not needed, but must obey this principle where they are.
The most important aspect of a story is how it affects the characters in it, not whether the characters manage to save the world in the end. Everyday drama is more interesting than epic drama.
Transparency is important to facilitate collaborative play. Don’t allow secrecy.
Keep the number of players low and keep them close together. This enables you to do cool things with the form, helps keeping a unified vision and facilitates telegraphing.
PLAY
Again: The most important purpose of a story is to facilitate player interaction.
A high degree of player freedom is good. That said, always make sure that the players know what they are playing, and where the story should be going. A game that is not a railroad is no excuse for a lousy story.
Character ownership is optional; a character can be played by multiple players. Role monogamy is optional; a player can have more than one character.
The inner thoughts and feelings of the characters should be expressed in the play using appropriate techniques.
Keep meta discussions and meta information out of play, unless they are a deliberately designed to affect actual play.
You cannot go wrong by letting people succeed, which doesn't require players to do so.
Encourage players to focus on the story, which takes precedence over both total immersion and play-for-show.
Shorter games are often better than longer. It is OK to end a game early if it has run its course. A game that stinks should be wrapped up and then discussed.
More than one GM is usually a good idea, especially in a complex game. GMs should not also be players.
Actual props and well-prepped gaming locations are usually bad things, as they become obstacles to the immersion and prevent the game from moving outside the prepared location.
There are very few situations where the GM should be playing the extras. In these cases extras are good but NPCs are not.
FINALLY
Breaking any of the rules above is only allowed in order to make a point.
Some terms I used in this thread, and my stabs at what I mean by them.
Ad Hoc Extras: The creation of non-player character extras in a scene (waiters, police officers, passersby) that any players not already engaged at the moment can portray.
Canned Text: Pre-scripted dialogue or description; used to set a tone or deliver specific information.
Freeplay: Encouraging players to explore a scene.
Inspiration Downloads: Short ideas that the GM can insert into the story to spur character reaction and action.
Interstitials: Scenes where the players step back from their primary characters, and play another set of characters, often discussing the actions of the primary characters. Used as a "breather" or to gain distance or perspective on the story as it stands.
Play Areas: Dividing up the physical location of play into various areas that have specific qualities. Examples include Past/Present/Future, Happy/Sad/Angry/Sorry, Out-Loud/Inner Voice, etc.
Private Knowledge: Knowledge that some characters have but others do not; all players may or may not have access to Private Knowledge.
Scene Interrupts: Any technique that permits the unfolding scene to be paused in order to play out another scene to add context, detail, contrast, comparison, or texture to the first.
Shared Knowledge: Knowledge that all characters have access to.
Ten Years Later: Usually a denoument technique, in aiding perspective, summary, final shaping of a character's story, and distance as play unwinds into post-game.
Time-Stop: A technique that stops all "action" in the game; however, the story might continue unfolding throughout a Time-Stop.
Tokens: A physical object in the game used to represent something (physical, mental, emotional, esoteric) within the story.
Whispers: A technique where another player or GM represents a character's inner thoughts, current emotional state, current sense perceptions, and so on. The player does not have to accept thoughts and feelings as true in all games; they could just be passing thoughts ("She's kinda pretty"). It is more likely that direct sense perceptions ("Look out for that tree!") will be accepted. Whispers can either be heard by all players, some players, or just the player being Whispered to, depending upon the game.
They wanted to distinguish themselves from freeform, so they chose a silly name: jeepform. They talk about it here too. And then it makes a nice backwards pun for other Nordic folks who say: I go by Fiat. :)