ELOQUENCE and POETRY SLAMS

Now I think the central focus of this game needs to revolve around this:

Eloquence and one-up-manship, in the spirit of Poetry Slams, but closer on the heels of the other. A kind of escalation, where players reward each other for particularly well delivered and heart-felt declamations.

This eloquence directly serves to maintain and build the relationships to the human and non-human family network. I focus on this because I want this game to develop LANGUAGE and ORATION skills, not just make pretty stories.

I think I could represent this network by using cards, each card representing a relationship with an entity (or group of entities). By using a version of a Relationship Map, per Ron Edward's Sorcerer and Soul supplement, one represents one of four kinds of relationship with a card: Blood (family), Bond (Friend), Trade (Associate), and Outland (stranger). This works with humans and non-humans (I'll only say that once - all relationship rules apply to everything).

In parallel to this, one has something akin to a Humanity/Machine score, where the more one compromises with the Machine world of civilization, by driving, watching TV, etc., the more one loses one's empathy and Humanity. So Humanity directly means the ability to court another being, using skills of empathy, etc. This also means that one can use pretty language and get bonus dice, but that if one's empathy/Humanity sinks too low then one doesn't have the sincerity to back it up.

The Machine, in the game, directly tempts the players to co-opt themselves for power, for safety, for influence, out of fear and a desire to control their lives. The Machine must seductively do this whenever possible.

Eloquence battles and relationship-building occur in four distinct ceremonies:
Funerals: someone or something has died
Christenings: a birth
Mootfeasts: a reuniting of friends or family
Seekings: a one-on-one sacrifice to open or renew a relationship, somewhat like a VisionQuest

The more people you can bring to your ceremony (besides a Seeking), the more powerful your ceremony.