Steering & the 10-Foot Rule

We’ve wrote a number of articles on the concept of Steering and other out-of-character best practices like the 10-Foot Rule to aid you as a player in the world of Dystopia Rising. We’ve collected the best of these articles in one place, so we can refer to them more easily and as a reminder of their use to our players.

Steering for better roleplay

AN UNFAMILIAR VOCABULARY

Before we begin on our topic today, let’s first look at some words and phrases we will be using during this article. Several of these definitions are included in the DR Corebook, but I’ll include a short description here. A lot of these terms are used in “Nordic” larps, which I normally associate with low rules and heavy roleplay (most of these larps are in Sweden, but more options have been available in the US over the last few years). Dystopia Rising is definitely inspired by some Nordic concepts, but sticks to a more American ideal of rules-centric escapism gaming.

• Bleed (p. 13) - This is the concept that the mind-set and emotional state of our characters can cross into our actual emotions as a player. You can have positive bleed (such as being happy about something your character would enjoy) and negative bleed (such as feeling depressed because your character experienced a sad moment). There a bunch of articles on managing bleed out there, but one I particularly enjoyed can be found here.

• Negotiation (p. 16) - We touched a bit on this in my articles on CvC, but this is a technique that allows ALL players to have agency, to compromise, and build with one another to turn conflict into a positive aspect. Good negotiation and communication can reduce negative bleed.

• Transparency (p. 16) - We practice this a bunch in DR:TX, but the goal is to clearly communicate as much as possible prior to an event (or action) to make sure that everyone involved can make an informed decision to be involved. Radical Honesty is a goal we strive towards every day as we put our trust in our players to choose what is best for them.

• Steering (p. 17) - Steering is the process in which a player influences the behavior of her character. This is our main topic today, but it is simply making in-character decisions based on out-of-game reasons. Steering can help you be more aware of bleed, and ensures that everyone has a more enjoyable experience.

• Immersion - This refers to a state of mind where a player does not need to actively suspend disbelief in the fictional universe, and where role-playing flows as naturally and easily as if you really were the character. When you are immersed, you can quickly find yourself acting as your character would in the moment. Immersion is often the goal of intense roleplay experiences.

• Coherence - This is a bit more advanced topic in Nordic larp theory, but it is effectively just how your character ‘makes sense’ and your actions back up your character background, strain, motivations, and more. Most players try to at least maintain an outward appearance of coherence, while also trying to staying true to the their internal coherence of “what the character would do”..

Now that we have a baseline for the language I’ll use, let’s look at what the book says about Steering, with a little emphasis of my own.

STEERING AND YOU!

The book outlines a definition of STEERING on p. 17. There’s not a lot of actual RULES for this, so we are going to focus primarily on Best Practices.

Steering is a concept that players individually, as groups, and in relation to staff use to help improve potential quality of their own experience and the experience of participants and staff around them. Steering uses both negotiation and transparency to allow a participant to direct the actions of their character, to negotiate a mutually agreed upon direction for a character with another player or staff member, and to identify that the actions and a direction that a character takes are under the purview of the participants who are portraying the characters. […] Steering not only functions as a means to be aware of potential bleed and ensuring that all involved have a more enjoyable experience, but also facilitates both shared storytelling and the opt-in culture that makes for healthy larp experiences. (p. 17, DR Corebook)

Steering is simply the process in which a player influences the behavior of their character. Any time you make a decision that impacts the game, you are probably engaging in a bit of steering. When we talk about role play, we often tend to separate the player from their character. This helps you remember to not associate negative traits with your friend, helps reduce bleed, and helps you remember that it is just a game we play with our friends.

Steering is often subtle and can happen in the moment. It’s important to note that not every decision you make as a character is informed by your player decisions, and you can still do several things as your character without it necessarily being “steering”. But in actual games, your player decisions seep into your roleplay constantly and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Steering can look like changing up some aggressive roleplay during a scene when you notice the other person isn’t enjoying the experience, or it can be as simple as slowing down or posing when you see our wonderful camera folks nearby so you can capture a dramatic shot for your Facebook profile. It might look like seeking out something to do when you are bored out of character, choosing to heal your friend as they are in Bleed Out despite the danger of the fight, or even simply accepting that the guy across the field with two white boffers and makeup is actually a “zombie” and not your buddy in a costume.

• STEERING HAPPENS NATURALLY, BUT IT IS ALWAYS INTENTIONAL.

You can never steer by accident, and it requires you to make a conscious choice to change your behavior. Steering can be used to create good behaviors, but it can also be used to justify bad behaviors as well. We often practice steering in ways that we forget about once the scene is over, and it can happen without you really thinking about it. But you can generally identify it later, even if you didn’t realize it in the moment.

IT’S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT STEERING IS SOMETHING YOU DO TO YOUR OWN CHARACTER, NOT TO SOMEONE ELSE’S CHARACTER.

Even if you are Steering on behalf of another character, or changing your behaviors to adjust for a scene, YOU are still in control of that behavior. You can’t really control the actions of another player, so it’s up to you to be in control of steering for yourself while you trust your fellow player to control the steering for themselves. Steering can definitely benefit another player, but it’s still something YOU do.

TYPES OF STEERING

Steering can address a few needs in game. Generally, this can be grouped into some general categories: practical needs, smoother play, aesthetic choices, personal experiences, or even ethical (and unfortunately, unethical) behaviors. (Art of Steering, Montola, Stenros, Saitta)

Steering for practical needs might be looking for someone in game so you can get the keys for the car, or making up a reason to go to the Depot because you are hungry and haven’t eaten, or filling up a water bottle because you need to hydrate. It might mean going into the Wasteland because that’s where the nearest toilet is, or not running into the pitch-black darkness at night, even when the Hunter is fleeing because your night-vision isn’t adjusted yet. These weren't decisions your character necessarily made, but ones that the PLAYER made. These are some of the most overt examples of steering, and often the easiest to forget about in game.

Steering for smoother play might mean exaggerating your roleplay to clearly communicate your character’s feelings in the moment, like loudly crying when you are upset or actively playing up your Fracture so others realize something is wrong. This might look like agreeing to help that RRC employee with their lost luggage, even though you the player realize this is simply a hook for a mod, or pretending not to see someone that is using the Stealth symbol. Most importantly in my mind, this includes steering to include Dusters into your roleplay, such as reacting when they call out “I’m too young to die!”, or involving them in a mod or plot even when you don’t really have much reason to do so in-character. This type of steering requires more active behaviors, but can still happen in the moment.

Steering for aesthetic needs can be simply fulfilling your need for a better story for yourself, like using CAPS and submitting a personal plot request or sending the STs a background submission. It can be purposefully seeking out good Bleed by picking a “fight” and arguing with your friend over their character actions, or getting involved in deep roleplay. This might look like finding reasons to hang out with that character who shares your faith in game so you can have them use Faithful Patterns to baptize you and to engage in some faith-based roleplay. It can even involve “playing to lose” by seeking a character death in game, so you can experience a Grave Mind scene, or even just embracing your need for success by wanting to WIN a fight and feel like a badass hero. But remember - even in the most intense scene, you can always use the OK Check-In System to make sure that EVERYONE is still having a good time.

Steering for personal experiences can often be close to the need for aesthetic experiences, and these two categories tend to blend together in my mind. You might simply decide to say “yes” to that mod hook because you are bored and want something to do, even if you have no reason to care about that poor farmer. This can look like getting closer to the weekend plot arc, by actively engaging with mechanics or roleplay that is related to the key events of the game, or it can even be a way to address a change you want to see in your personal game, like seeking out different characters or crews to engage with, changing your character roleplay to give you more opportunities to engage, or just avoiding the same things you’ve been doing. After all, that loner character seems interesting as you write your background, but it can be lonely brooding in a corner and not interacting with your friends.

Lastly, steering can be both ethical and unethical. This type of steering can be used to create both good behaviors and bad behaviors. One example of good ethical steering is using the OK Check-In System to make sure the scene is still ok with everyone involved, or asking for consent to touch another player before beginning medical roleplay on someone in Bleed Out. Other examples of ethical steering is involving a Duster in a scene even when they have no real reason to be there, or setting good boundaries about what type of roleplay you enjoy by working it into the conversation or negotiation of the scene.

Some examples of unethical steering are using your character to stalk another player for out of character reasons, treating a character poorly because you don’t like the player, seeking out romantic role play with someone you are attracted to out of character without telling them about that interest, or seeking revenge on another character because you recognized their player when they killed you or stole something from you despite their use of a Disguise. Most of these examples are also Community Guideline violations, meta-gaming, or cheating, and can be a clear reason for you to receive a Refusal of Service.

By using these types of positive Steering, you can have direct influence on ways to make the game better for everyone. YOU have the power to make your game better by actively seeking out ways to be involved.

“BUT IT’S WHAT MY CHARACTER WOULD DO…”

The last part of our Steering discussion is going to involve a phrase that always makes me cringe a little bit — “but, it’s what my character would do!”.

It’s a common enough idea: good roleplaying means that you should act in a way that your character would. This is a concept known as Coherence. After all, that’s how you become immersed — by reaching a point where you start to act like your character. You take actions as your character because it’s something that helps maintain that illusion that your character is real and the outward appearance of their actions are consistent with how you’ve been roleplaying. Keeping this internal and external consistency is the key concept of Coherence, as it helps tell a better story.

Sometimes, good steering is taking actions that you know are not a good idea out of character, like continuing to walk into the darkness with a Hunter following you, because you don’t have Basic Awareness. Your character in this example is known to not be good at seeing things hiding in Stealth, so you should continue to act as you were before even though you, the PLAYER, knows it’s about to be a bad time when you get Mangled from behind.

However, sometimes this kind of thinking and desire to maintain Coherence gets people to start justifying bad behaviors in the name of their character. It’s not that you are an asshole out of character, your CHARACTER is the asshole so he can’t modify his screaming at you because the other player feels uncomfortable out of character. You stole that critical plot item because your character is Fractured, so clearly we can’t be mad at the player for derailing a scene. You simply HAVE to murder that character in the Wasteland or because they are on the SES List, it’s not something personal — it’s just something “your character would do.”

All of these examples are simply excuses to avoid consequences for your choices as a player, by blaming the action on your character instead.

THESE CHARACTER CONCEPTS OR ACTIONS AREN'T INHERENTLY BAD FOR GAMEPLAY BY THEMSELVES, BUT ANY SORT OF CHARACTER CONCEPT OR ACTION CAN BE MISUSED TO “JUSTIFY” NON-COOPERATIVE BEHAVIOR.

The challenge of this phrase, used to justify behaviors, comes in when you consider a key part of the STEERING definition from the DR Corebook above - that you want to ensure that “all involved have a more enjoyable experience”. Remember, Steering is something you do to YOUR character, not to someone else’s character.

You can play a character that is part of Murder, Inc. and still involve another character in a steering discussion before character deadly CvC. You can play a quirky gremlin character that steals things constantly, but keep it to inconsequential things like tools from the workbench, or minor props that have no cards. You can still play a bad guy character without taking actions that are harmful to other players. You can respond properly to a OK Check In thumbs down and simply end the scene, no matter if you still had a reason to be involved. These types of steering behaviors are ways to improve the game for EVERYONE, even if it means acting in a way that’s against the idea of Coherence.

• YOU ARE IN CONTROL OF YOUR CHARACTER. THE CHARACTER IS NOT IN CONTROL OF YOU.

Period.

You always have a choice when it comes to your character decisions.

Remember the Sainthood of Ashes tenet: “Choose for good, always.” When you prioritize the safety and wellbeing of EVERYONE (including yourself!) involved in your roleplay, you will have a better time. Try to find ways to say “Yes, and..” instead of “but it’s what my character would do.” While it’s important to take responsibility for ways you can steer for your yourself, you should never forget that this game includes more than just you and your immediate circle of friends.

I’ll leave you with a final quote that really stuck with me:

Whenever we see interesting developments that will enhance our story, our experience and our character immersion, we have to jump at the chance to engage with them. Otherwise we’re not doing anyone any favors. In a larp you should be your own game master and help your own character immersion by building a better game for yourself.

- Mike Pohjola, You’re in Charge of You

REFERENCES:

If you’d like to read more about Steering, I’d highly recommend this article. A lot of the terminology I used is clearly outlined here, and it was a great inspiration for my version of talking about this topic.

The Art of Steering - Bringing the Player and the Character Back Together – (nordiclarp.org)

the 10 foot rule

This week is a final discussion on STEERING in practice. We will cover one of these techniques, the 10 FOOT RULE, and how you can use these behaviors to create a better game for everyone.

We also previously covered some similar topics in a blog post, specifically dealing with some best practices for how to be involved in plot. A lot of these suggestions will be similar to my suggestions below. This was published in a series of guest blog posts by Heather Halstead, which you can find here:

• Chasing Plot, Part 1

• Chasing Plot, Part 2

So let’s get into one of my favorite ways to Steer:

THE 10 FOOT RULE

First, the 10 Foot Rule isn’t really a rule in the book, but it’s more of a Best Practice that I recommend heartily. I’d consider this a form of Ethical Steering, for those that read my last blog post. Some might call this “good metagaming”, but I prefer the term Ethical Steering as it kind of separates all the negative associations of the dreaded M-word. This is just a way of purposefully making an effort out of character to impact your in-character roleplay with a positive behavior.

What is the 10 Foot Rule?

It’s simple, and it’s one easy step:

• MAKE AN EFFORT TO ROLEPLAY WITH EVERYONE WITHIN 10 FEET OF YOU THAT IS NOT ALREADY ENGAGED.

There are are few good outside blog posts on this topic, but like last week I’m going to try to talk a bit more from my perspective. The first time I heard of this rule was in retail sales. It was pitched as a way to make sure that you were greeting customers that got within 10 feet of you on the salesfloor. A little boring, but it’s a solid concept, like running zone defense in basketball. My first encounter with it in gaming was listening to some best practices from other veteran players at a Vampire: the Masquerade convention. I’ve read some other articles on the topic since then, and I worked to include it into my own game. Since adapting this steering concept to my own roleplay I’ve seen a positive impact on the people around me, so I’m a firm believer.

The concept is simple enough.

It’s hard in a game that involves a LOT of people to really interact with EVERYONE. It’s not practical, and you’ll probably never have enough time to meet every person at game, much less have a great scene with them. We run game on a big site, and there’s lots of places to explore, and sometimes it can be challenging to figure out what to do as a new player much less even finding other players to engage with.

But, since you can’t control all of those people at the game, one thing you CAN control is yourself.

The 10 Foot Rule is a mantra that keeps me focused on my friends and the other people around me, and it reminds me that most of us are a bit socially awkward. Even the best role players can have moments of crippling anxiety and self doubt, and it’s not always easy to “turn on” the switch for energy and excitement in a scene. Some of us are introverts and don’t have the spoons, or just don’t know what to do to be involved.

Sometimes its a bit self inflicted too. A lot of character concepts seem cool on paper but don’t really give you a reason to engage with other characters once you are at game. I’ll go into this a bit more in a future Ramble on ways to improve your character backstory, but for now remember that this is just one tool in the toolbox for better role playing. Sure, that person sitting alone in the corner may be taking a break or roleplaying an Accensorite meditation, but they may just not know what to do or how to be involved.

The 10 Foot Rule is designed to fix that.

Sure, you may not have an in-character reason to talk to that person. They may not be in your crew, they may be someone you don’t know, or they could even be an NPC. You might be the meanest badass in the San Saba, the person with no friends that is quick on the draw and quicker to kill, and even quicker to push pesky emotions away. You might be the crazed Final Knight preacher literally posting random religious fan fiction disguised as propaganda like a tabloid. You might be a doe-eyed Quiet Folk that is so very polite and neighborly in character that they wouldn’t even think of interrupting another person’s conversation.

So what?

YOU ARE IN CONTROL OF YOUR CHARACTER. THE CHARACTER IS NOT IN CONTROL OF YOU.

You have a choice.

For me, it’s about remembering my first awkward time attending a new game, and feeling a bit of social anxiety, a bit of imposter syndrome, but mostly just feeling inexperienced and nervous. I remember fondly those people that engaged with me, gave me a reason to feel like I belonged, and bought into my character. It gave me the encouragement to come back, and the confidence to keep playing. And I want everyone at a DR:TX game with me to feel like they want to come back, and to feel like they are welcome.

We have a mantra at DR:TX that “it’s everyone’s first game.” We repeat this at the start of every NPC shift. We include it in our opening announcements. It’s just a great reminder to be gentle, forgiving, and most of all, to remember the other people that we are playing with.

The 10 Foot Rule is taking that mindset, and applying it to the concept of Ethical Steering. It’s a challenge to yourself to make sure that you are involving EVERYONE nearby, even someone you don’t really have a reason to engage with. If everyone adopts this kind of mindset, then it will just help everyone feel more included and more involved. And that just sounds neat.

THE 10 FOOT RULE COROLLARY

Now, I have a few personal addendums to the 10 Foot Rule, and the first is a reminder that one of the operating words of the 10 Foot Rule is about EFFORT.

THE COROLLARY: THE 10 FOOT RULE IS A GOAL, NOT A REQUIREMENT.

It’s not going to be something you do successfully all the time. You’re human. It would be silly to expect someone to keep this effort up the entire game, and it would be even sillier to judge folks for not doing it. But the main thing is to TRY. If you have a chance to make the game a better place for everyone, then I think it’s worth the effort.

You aren’t going to always be the best at including people nearby. You might be distracted, engaged in something you don’t want outsiders involved in, or just didn’t notice them. It’s okay to be forgiving of your own missteps and mistakes too. They might have their own scene they are involved in, or they might be waiting on an NPC to come back for the next part of their PFA trial. You won’t be able to include everyone all the time, and that’s okay. That’s why the rule says ‘everyone not already engaged’.

This rule is less about always being “on” all the time, but rather being purposeful with your in-character actions. It’s about the effort. If there’s someone sitting nearby that’s not involved, DO SOMETHING about it. Find a reason to engage them, and bring them into the conversation.

IF YOU PRACTICE, AND WORK AT INCLUDING THE PEOPLE AROUND YOU INTO YOUR STORY, I PROMISE THAT YOU’LL MAKE FRIENDS, EXPERIENCE BETTER ROLEPLAY, AND HAVE A BETTER TIME.

My last addendum to the rule: the 10 Foot Rule is ALSO about making sure that “EVERYONE” near you is engaged, and that includes YOURSELF.

It’s hard to be engaged in a game when you are tired, hungry, upset, in pain, etc. If you are the one having a bad time and not being included, you might need to practice self care first. Get some food. Drink some water. Change your socks. Ask for help. Take your meds. DR can be an incredibly fulfilling immersive experience, but it’s easy to push yourself a bit too far. You can’t practice the 10 Foot Rule and help include others if you don’t take care of yourself first.

Remember, if you are ever feeling excluded or don’t know what to do at the game, you can ask for help. Come up to Ops and ask for assistance. Try out a Contractor Work Order, and see what you can do around the site.

EXAMPLES OF THE 10 FOOT RULE

So I’ve ranted enough, now let’s talk about some practical applications of the 10 Foot Rule. These are a few examples of what this might look like in game, or ideas to spark your own use of the rule in game.

• JONATHAN’S BEST PRACTICE: PEOPLE GENERALLY LIKE TO TALK ABOUT THEMSELVES, SO JUST ASK A QUESTION AND LET THEM TALK.

Just like in real life, this can be a bit challenging if you aren’t naturally outgoing, so let’s consider some more specific icebreakers as examples.

• Start a conversation with an introduction. This can be a simple greeting, or just letting them know your name. It doesn’t have to be complicated.

  • “Hello there, Stranger!”

  • “Hi. Do you require medical assistance?”

  • “I’m Turbo Six, the Mountain That Rides. Who the fuck are you?”

• Talk about their costume. People put a lot of work into their kit, and it’s a great way to involve someone by asking about the outfit they are wearing.”

  • “Where did you get that cool hat? Can I have it?”

  • “Oh man, that’s a badass gun. Is that a Big Hate? What does it do?”

  • “Cool face paint. What does it mean?”

• Talk about the game site. There’s lots to do on Camp Kachina during a game. Exploring the camp is a big part of our Work Orders too!

  • “Oh man, have you walked down to the lake yet?”

  • “Did you check out Rikki’s junk shop in the Depot? They gave me a membership card!”

  • “The Post Office line is long, so I’m waiting for it to go down. What about you?”

• Talk about player-run spaces or events. You can always start a conversation about the different events at the various social gathering points in town. We also have an excellent food culture in Bravado and everyone has to eat sometime.

  • “Are you going to attend the King’s Court event at 3 PM?”

  • “Did you hear that Donnie was seen at that Pureblood party without Rajah? Scandalous!”

  • “The hooch at the Swaying Anker is the best I’ve tried in town, and I definitely haven’t been paid to say that to you..”

• Ask about their backstory. Ask them about where they are from, or when they got to town. You can also recognize a Duster by the blue bandanna too!

  • “Did you come into town on the Oxline, or did you come through Drywater?”

  • “What brings you to Bravado, friend?”

  • “Are your parents still alive, or are you an orphan like me?”

• Ask them for help with a Skill or service. It’s hard for a character to have every skill. Find out what that person can do, and maybe you can find a reason to need their help.

  • “What do you do for a living, pal?”

  • “Can you fix my armor at this workbench?”

  • “You look like you know your way around a boat. Is your name Captain Nemo?”

  • “Can you teach me how to Avoid?”

• Ask them about their friends or crew. Surviving the apocalypse is best with friends, and many players have formed crews. There are all kinds of flags, patches, banners, and more that mark the different groups, and simply finding out if they are part of a team is a great start.

  • “What does that clover patch on your armor mean?”

  • “You sure got a lot of XXX’s on you mister. Is that a Hedon thing?”

  • “Is it true that the Road Royals have every blueprint?”

• Ask about the weekend’s plot. Have they seen the new scary monster or new critter? Think about some of the big plot points we tease in our blog posts before game, and talk about a current event that’s happening during the game.

  • “Have you seen the new Work Orders at the Post Office?”

  • “Did you survive the attack on the Depot?”

  • “What do you think of the capitalistic hellscape that the San Saba Board has created?”

• Ask about the various NPC factions. The San Saba is filled with several powerful factions and NPC faces. Do they have an opinion on the various factions, or have they joined up as a Contracted Partner? Do they have a favorite faction?

  • “What do you think the San Saba Republic should do now that Queen Deb is in charge?”

  • “It’s almost time for Collection Day. Have you settled up your Grave Tax?

  • “Is Felicity Redfield a great CEO of the RRC, or the greatest CEO of the RRC?”

• Bring people along on adventures. Mods are more enjoyable when you have people at your side. Why not find a reason to include that person in your plot hook?

  • We’ve adopted this rule in my local crew, the ROAD ROYALS, as an in-game tradition we call “Lucky Duster”. Anytime we are about to go out on a mod or about to go do something interesting, we try to grab one random new player to drag along with us. We give them some lucky fuzzy dice, and we make sure they are going to have a memorable time. Everyone has survived so far, so the lucky dice are 100% effective!

• Engage in some casual violence. Hold up the “C” for Conflict. While murder and theft are illegal in the San Saba, assault is NOT! Sometimes the best way to make friends is to get your ass kicked! We even reward this behavior through the SES System and the Red Ledger.

  • “That was my seat pardner. I don’t take kindly to strangers at my workbench.”

  • “Did you just say something to me? Do you want to take this outside?”

  • “What does SAME RULES APPLY mean? Why are you meowing?”