March 2025 AP: freeform dating game at work

Impromptu freeform game with Aalisha and Brentley, two coworkers. I had played one abortive session of Vigil, and one successful session of Basic D&D, with Brentley. Aalisha had never heard of roleplaying before, which is how the game started. We played over a series of three workdays, advancing the situation between pizza orders.

I explained what we do -- we have a conversation about fictional events, with different people responsible for different things within the fictional situation. The fictional events could be anything. For instance, in a recent game  one character, a chad fuckboy, went to bed with a woman much less cool than him, intending a one night stand, but woke up the next morning to find that he was infatuated with her. I asked Aalisha, what do you do in this circumstance? What would the fuckboy do?

She and Brentley both gave guesses and explanations about the fuckboy's feelings and actions. Brentley, it was clear, had a stronger vision for the fuckboy than Aalisha, so I started asking Aalisha what the woman would do, and asking Brentley how the fuckboy would respond.

We named the fuckboy Chad, and the woman Hazel.

Chad and Hazel are college students. Hazel is afraid of Chad, socially, and afraid of his feelings for her, because he's got such a bad reputation. Chad is confused about his feelings for Hazel, but he isn't ashamed of them, and he wants to talk to her openly about them.

Both do some low-stakes social maneuvering, conferring with mutual friends for advice and information about the other.

Eventually Chad tracks Hazel down, and asks her to go on a date, something casual, just coffee. Hazel accepts, because she feels guilty about having sex with him, and wants to redeem the hookup by turning it into a relationship. Still, she's worried about Chad, and doesn't trust him.

The coffee date is in the morning, before Hazel's class. Chad decides to get flowers for the date, but runs late doing so. (This piece of adversity was entirely Brentley's idea; he proposed it and resolved it in a single sentence.) He got to the coffee shop 15 minutes late. Hazel wouldn't wait that long; she had already left.

Both think they have been stood up by the other. Neither one reaches out.

I frame a single scene, a week in the future, where they walk past each other on the street. Neither one makes a move. End game.

Aalisha and Brentley were surprised that the game ended there -- what about the romance? They just leave things on a misunderstanding? On the other hand I was very pleased. Neither character was willing to be vulnerable, make the next move, and admit a mistake, and so the relationship founders. Sometimes you don't get a neat Hollywood ending. The situation has resolved.

My role in the game was quite minor. All I did was ask probing questions, frame scenes, and play the occasional side character.

Aalisha and Brentley have both asked if we will "tell another story", Aalisha's term for the game. I have offered to meet with them outside of work to sit down and play a full game in one session. Brentley is eager (and has already met with me outside of work to play games), Aalisha is unsure. Maybe we'll just do more freeform at work.

I would welcome suggestions for freeform scenarios for two or three players, or rules that are so light we can play them in a busy kitchen.

 

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