A Realization & Explicit Social Contract

So, I’m starting to read Keith Johnstone’s Impro, as per the recommendations of several folks (including our own Paul Tevis).  I’m only around a quarter of the way in, but a seriously thought has occurred above all others:  I need to rethink not my mechanics (well, maybe that too, but still), but I need to rethink what I’m not telling the players.  In other words, I’m telling people the mechanics of the game but not how to actually interact with each other in the roles of Amnesiac & Chorus.  It’s like I’m building this vehicle that works dramatically differently from a car, and I’m telling people that the foot pedal is the stereo volume control and the nose pedal is the pitch, but I’m not telling you how to actually drive the vehicle as a functional motorist alongside others driving the same type of vehicle.

I’m handing people a hovercraft with a manual on what the things on it do, but without lessons on how to co-operate.  Or something like that.  In any case, what this means is that some of the pressure of the game should be places of explicit social contract for this weird little game of mine rather than attempt to come up with some 100% mechanical solution.

This is something I’m going to chew on for the next playtest.  Previously, I was less comfortable with this idea because it felt like I was telling people how to role-play or some ivory tower crap, as if I’m some expert.  Now, I’m seeing it as a necessary element to achieve something closer to the effect I want — especially if that makes the game work.