One advantage of Jubensha is its tightly woven plot, involving every character intricately. However, one downside is that each character holds a pivotal role, and the absence of any character can create significant gaps in both the plot and the discussion. The player count for a Jubensha game is typically fixed, offering little room for flexibility.
Nonetheless, there are titles that allow for a limited degree of flexibility, accommodating one or two additional players. This feature broadens the game's accessibility, sparing players the need to scramble for replacements or to resort to a backup game with fewer players.
However, introducing flexibility in player count poses a challenge, as it contradicts Jubensha's strength: ensuring each character maintains prominence while being playable or absent.
Considerations arise:
Will players feel relegated to side characters when playing certain roles?
How will the absence of characters be managed, both in terms of interaction and conveying their information?
What impact will this have on game balance and the deduction process?
Let's explore how different games address these considerations:
GM → NPC: This mechanic involves the Game Master (GM) playing the role of an NPC when there's one fewer player. Typically, the NPC enters the scene post-incident (often as the detective), contributing to the investigation and discussions.
Key points:
The detective NPC is inherently innocent, arriving after the incident.
Players who enjoy investigation over suspicion may prefer this role.
The GM's active involvement increases, serving as both facilitator and participant.
Player → NPC: Alternatively, missing characters can be represented as static NPCs in games without a GM. These NPC roles are predefined and do not require GM intervention.
Key points:
Maintaining game balance is crucial with fewer players and less support for one side of the deduction process.
Various mechanics can address this, such as allocating additional action points thematically or introducing special NPC cards for added or replaced character information.
Incorporating player count flexibility is a deliberate decision, demanding additional effort from the designer. Moreover, it fundamentally alters the original plot and presentation of Jubensha. Designers must weigh the benefits of flexibility against the integrity of the envisioned player count.
Comments