In it, the sort-of-GM (called the Prince) has a PC of his own - the fearsome tyrant of the land, whatever land that might be. It’s up to the Prince to push and pull the players, when and as needed, with Laws - proclamations that limit the agency of non-protag. characters, and thus require more creativity and self-reliance from the protagonists, at times.

I think the biggest reason why my play tests have gone so well is that I have a group of friends who totally “get” the idea that we’re all there to tell stories together, riff on each other… we’d make an excellent blues band, to put it one way ^_^

These techniques and tactics and suggestions are excellent, and I hope to help to spread them far and wide!

Very exciting! The Society of Dreamers; sounds like a game I’d play. Of course, I think you know I’ve tried and enjoyed Archipelago (on the short list of my storyband’s favorite games).

As far as combining the trance angle with “conscious” techniques (”make each other look good”); I continue to work the bugs out. But I will say, “hypnosis” and “trance”, as described by practicioners, often deepen as one crosses the boundary between them and ‘ordinary’ consciousness. The back-and-forth rhythm seems to accelerate the depth of trance, kind of like whispering in a conversation, then speaking loudly and animatedly, then going back to whispering intimately, then loudly and excitedly again. You may have experienced this effect before.

This approach sounds almost shamanistic, trance-like, which means I like it a lot. However, do you find it easy to combine with conscious use of techniques - such as “Make each other look good”, which to me seems to require a conscious and reflexive awareness of other players’ stories?

I’m interested in this approach - currently my group is doing something similar to story-jamming with Archipelago, and I’m going to be taking some inspiration from your animal tracking/seeing, not inventing ideas to another design I’m working on, The Society of Dreamers.