Iterating on Scene, Encounter, Intent in Personae

This past weekend was an annual event where my undergrad university RPG group gets together for a long weekend of gaming. Starting in 2002, it was originally held in NJ (where I lived at the time) until 2011 when the guys living in PA/DE grew weary of, well, NJ, and it was decided to relocate to various ski lodges in the Pocono Mountains of PA depending on their availability. While gaming still happens at these annual gatherings, they are also accompanied by the consumption of a variety of recreational substances.

In a haze fueled by an eldritch horror combination consisting but not limited to wagyu steak and more than a few handfuls from a bulk tub of Reese’s Pieces, I had thoughts about scene classification, organization, escalation, etc. in Personae (S&P).

Give scenes type names:

Expository, Discovery, Interaction, Power, Attack

Encounter types: Non-violent (covers Expo, Disco, Inter scenes), Hostile (covers Power scenes), Violent (covers Attack scenes)

Expository: situation setting, chorus providing info to players
Discovery: players learning, sensing, understanding
Interaction: players communicating with other players, chorus-controlled characters
Power: coercion through either words, gestures, body language or threatening w/violence
Attack: Outright violence, intent to wound/maim/injure/kill

Hints at flowchart/gameplay loop Expository -> Discovery -> Interaction -> a/o Power -> a/o Attack

Any of these can loop back to a previous scene type