Cost: $2.99
Page count: 25
Full title: Torture, a story telling game and toolkit © 2012
"human depravity knows no bounds"
The book's dedication:
"I dedicate this to all the hard working podcasters on the "Fear the Boot" show, who are probably horrified to find themselves mentioned in the dedication of a tome such as this."
My Summary:
This is a mini-game with its own system. It can be added as a feature of any other game in place of opposed will rolls or the like. It takes place in five (5) rounds, with three phases each. Each round is progressively worse for the victim (giving the torturer a greater die bonus). There are a set of bonuses that both the victim and torturer can choose to add to their roll, but each bonus can only be chosen once per game and only one can be chosen per round.
The most interesting idea is that three (3) secrets are decided upon (or written in secret), before the mini-game begins. The first is of minor importance, but would give the torturer something. The second is of greater importance, and if this is all the torturer gets, they'd feel it a success. The third is of utmost importance and represents the victim being totally broken and revealing whatever would give the other side a definitive victory (like the secret launch codes or the exact nature of an invasion plan).
The mechanics of the mini-game is just a series of opposed rolls, with the additional modifiers based on what round it is and what chosen bonuses (if any) each player pulls in. When the final round is complete, the victim 'wins' if they have not given up the third secret and the torturer 'wins' if the victim has.
Another interesting aspect of the mini-game is the repeated calls for shared, collaborative narration. While the two players are technically competing, they are both encouraged to add details to the story, including the other's memories or flashback's, to expand the scene. Interestingly enough, the nature of the torture is not specified at all. So, if you wanted to have the entire 'torture' scene play out mechanically with "mystical forces, prying open your mind" or with "the galactic emperor's mind probe rooting through your memories!" then you totally could, it wouldn't change the nature of the game at all.
The only really disturbing thing in the game (to me, anyway) was that the possible scenario's listed included a serial killer torturing a victim, like a college co-ed. This is a common trope in exploitive horror movies, but what didn't feel right is that the goal in those stories is not for information or to 'break' the character but to terrify, humiliate, and ultimately kill the victim. Trying to use these rules with the three secrets and progressively more extreme attempts to extract the secrets - to a situation in which the torturer doesn't really care about secrets, but wants to torment their victim for its own sake, is a cognitive stretch.
Finally, there is a "safety valve" of sorts described at the very end of the book:
"All torture is abhorrent and some people will find elements of it make them uncomfortable. If any player feels uncomfortable, they must speak up and stop the game. In this case fall back on using the mechanics and avoid the narration."
Weaknesses:
This book doesn't address several problematic situations which are actually intrinsic to torture.
1) What if the victim doesn't know? This mini-game assumes the victim does, and there are three secrets to pry from them. But, in real life, that may not be the case. This mini-game does not deal with the issue of a wrongfully accused victim being interrogated for information they don't posses.
2) What if the victim lies? Depending on the nature of the information, verifying it may take too long or be impossible. If the lie leads the torturer (or those they represent) on a wild goose chase, then the real threat plays out without any benefit of the information. (Such as revealing the wrong location for a bomb, or identifying the wrong target of an assassination.)
3) What if the point of torture was to get the victim to admit to a crime or conspiracy? Now we return to the "what if they're innocent?" or "what if they lie?" If the victim is innocent and they are tortured enough, then they may be compelled to admit guilt. But, the real threat is still out there, because this victim was innocent. Or, what if they are collaborators with the intended target and decide to lie and admit to being the rebel leader or the famous terrorist or the captured general, to protect the real one? In both of these cases 'winning' as a torturer is actually a significant set-back for the greater narrative.
4) The issue of going too far and killing the victim is not addressed. Is that one of the possible victory conditions, for the victim? "You don't give up your third secret, because the torturer went too far, you've succumbed to your injuries." If that's a possibility, then shouldn't this mini-game have some "push your luck" mechanic to represent that risk?
5) It doesn't address the many traditional motivations for torture outside of information gathering. Torture has, historically, been used for extreme punishment, to terrorize and demoralize a population, to terrorize an enemy (by torturing those captured), and to prop up brutal regimes. In these cases, getting information or revealing secrets is moot.
Conclusion:
If your group is /really/ interested in playing out a torture scene, as either the one tortured or the one doing the torturing, then this mini-game is better and more detailed than the standard "opposed will check" method. But, it only deals with a narrow set of situations and it opens the possibility of your group crossing a narrative boundary that may make some or all of the players very uncomfortable. With care and judicious use of narrative "veils and curtains" (to keep the narration from taking a turn to the obscene) this mini-game can be a useful tool for any GM. Personally, I'd be very uncomfortable with encouraging players to really get into the narration of an abhorrent act, such as torture, and where that narration can go. So, Caveat Emptor!
|