Gestures

Leaps and bows, curtsies and threats, kisses and farts; these are the wild gestures that gives the Commedia its rude yet archaic feel. Just like in the old days each character in the Commedia has its own set of gestures. Thy limit what the Mask may do and what feelings it may express quite severley. This is all part of the game. Consider the gestures a helping hand in portraying you character and use them in any way you see fit. The gestures have names for easy identification, but do not feel limited to using them in that context. The Harlequin's 'reject' gesture could just as well be a happy dance-step or indication of direction ("Look yonder! A company of Turks are approaching!"); the Captain's 'defense' pose could be a sign of security and contentment and so on. The meaning of gesture is defined by context. If the subject of conversation is pigeons and the Harlequin does the 'Yap Yap', a player mey assume the hands refer to the nibbling of little beaks, especially if coupled with appropriate exclamations of "chirp, chirp!" from the Harlequin.

The six facial expressions are very useful for modifying the meaning gestures, effectivley giving each character a range of 72 gesture/face combinations. Play around with the gestures for a while and find your own uses for them. You can read more about using gestures in the game in the How to Play section.

Below you can find images of all gestures in game to give you a rough idea of how they will appear in the game itself. It may be useful to have a copy of your own gestures at hand during a game if you forget what an icon means.

1. Facial

2. Harlequin

3. Isabelle

4. The Captain