Et scenarie om familie, forventninger, sociale roller og den helt specifikke form for tortur det er, at spille Matador med sin familie i time efter time.

I Matador træder spillerne ind i de fire roller af en kernefamilie – Mor, Far, og to børn. Familien skal spille Matador, og kødet på spillet ligger egentlig der; i oplevelsen af at spille et frustrerende, dårligt brætspil med sin familie, time efter time. I løbet af spillet vil spillerne sætte scenen op til flashbacks og flashforwards, der langsomt bygger en dybere og dybere kontekst op for den centrale scene – familiens brætspilsaften.
Spillet er socialrealistisk familiedrama helt ned til knoglen, og er enormt spillerdrevet – der kommer kun de twists og turns som spillerne selv lægger op til, og rollerne er i stor grad op til fortolkning, både før og efter workshoppen.
Scenariets mål er ikke så meget at være underholdende, som det er at give en unik oplevelse, der måske grænser til det ukomfortable. Scenariet forsøger at fange spillerne i et fængsel bygget af familieroller, forventninger, og dårlige brætspil – spillernes job er ikke at bryde ud, men at leve i fængslet.

Content notes

Socialrealistisk familiedrama er ikke for alle. Hvis man har det svært med at eksistere i de konstellationer, skal man helst ikke spille med.

Spillertype:
Spillet egner sig til spillere, der er klar til at spille proaktivt inden for rammen. Det virker bedst for dem, der kan leve i de ukomfortable scener, og som gerne vil spille en narrativ der er enormt jordnær. Hvis man gerne vil have action eller ikke kan holde familiedrama ud, skal man måske kigge andetsteds.

Spilledertype:
Spillederrollen er enormt lille – man skal have læst scenariet på forhånd, og man skal lede den indledende workshop. Efter det er man en spiller på lige præmis med de andre, med én undtagelse – man har ansvaret for at aktivere scenariets afslutning, hvis bølgerne i familiedramaet nogensinde går for højt.

A scenario about family, expectations, social roles and the very specific form of torture that is playing Monopoly with your family for hours on end.

The players step into the four roles of a generic family – Mom, Dad and two kids.
The family is playing the danish version of Monopoly; Matador. The meat and potatoes are there – in the experience of playing a frustrating, bad board game with your family, hour after hour. During play, the players will set up both flashbacks and flashforwards to slowly build up more and more context around the central scene – the board game night.

The scenario is realistic family drama to the core, and is extremely player driven – the only twists and turns are the ones the players bring to the table, and the roles are very much up for interpretation, both before and after the workshop.The goal of the scenario is not so much entertainment as it is to give a unique experience, that may border to the uncomfortable. The scenario is trying to capture the players in a prison built of family roles, expectation and bad board games – the player’s jobs aren’t to break out, but to live in that prison.

Content notes
Socially realistic family drama isn’t for everyone. If you have a hard time existing in those kinds of situations, I recommend looking elsewhere.

Type of participant:
Matador is best suited to players that want to play proactively inside the frame. It works best for players who can live in the uncomfortable scenes, and who want to play a narrative that’s very down to earth. If you’re looking for action or can’t stand family drama, you may want to look elsewhere.

Type of game facilitator:
The GM role is extremely small – you need to have read the scenario up front, and you need to lead the introductory workshop. After that, you’re a player on equal terms to everyone else, with one exception – you’re responsible for activating the scenario’s ending, if the drama ever spins out of control.