Polaris is a game known for use of ritual phrases to negotiate the fiction. In an RPGNet thread, Ben Lehman clarifies the key difference between two of the phrases, “But Only If…” and “And Furthermore…”
Heart: I walk across the street.
Mistaken: But only if a giant ice worm eats your beloved.
Heart: It was not meant to be. Seriously, dude, what the fuck?vs.
Heart: I walk across the street.
Mistaken: And furthermore a giant ice worm eats your beloved.
Heart: Ahw, crap. Now I have to deal with this. Uh… It shall not come to pass.
The rest of the thread is also useful, with actual explanations and discussion of the 5-player variant.
May 4th, 2006 at 2:46 am
“Seriously, dude, what the fuck?” should be a key phrase in the next edition.