How to Play Commedia

The Commedia is not a computer game in the traditional sense. It is a digital stage for free-form, renaissance comedy improvisation and roleplaying. There are no demons or nazis to kill. There are no dungeons to clear out, save-points to worry about. No medpacks, crates, experience points or tank rushes. There are no winners or losers - having a good time is all that matters.

Players take on the part of one of three Commedia dell'Arte characters, (traditionally called "Masks") acting them out within the framework of a scenario dictating the outlines of the action, the relationships between the Masks and their individual goals. Using text-chat and controllable 2d avatar-actors as means of expression the game is a first exploration of the boundary between roleplaying, collaborative writing, theatre and computer games.

The game itself is completely improvisatory. You always have the option to use any of your gestures or say whatever you like. The challenge is playing with the other actors to make up an entertaining story.

On this site you will find descriptions of the Mask you will portray, some thoughts on the tradition of Commedia dell'Arte, the setting of the game and the scenarios that will give you a story to improvise around. Everything you need to begin is collected in a print-friendly PDF for easy reference.

As you become a skilled commedia performer you may even write your own scenarios, finding your own unique style of performance. Ultimatley Commedia is a tool for online acting, use it however it suits you.

To start down the path of the Commedian, read and follow the step-by-step instructions below.

For more specific rules, acting tips and guidlines on performance, go to Rules.

Step-by-step instructions

The road to a Commedia performance:

1. Download the Commedia application.
2. Print the PDF.
3. Read the Prologue and Rules (includes guidelines for performance).
4. Look at the Controls and Gestures pages.
5. Fire up the Commedia, try out the gestures and familiarize yourself with the interface.
6. Gather a troupe of interactors to play with. You need three people to get the most out of the Commedia. Get the rest of the Troupe to download the application and check out the info on this page.
7. Do some exercises with your Troupe, play with the gestures and find a style you like.
8. Study the Rules and make sure the Troupe understands them. Make any changes to the rules you like and agree to.
9. Choose your Masks and study them. Make sure you have hardcopies of the character descriptions for reference when playing.
10. Do some more exercises if you want to try out the characters.
11. Choose a scenario and read your instructions for it.
12. Play.

Handling the application

Go to the Controls section of the site to learn the technicalities of the Commedia application. Here you will learn how to log onto the digital stage and control the words and gestures of your Mask.

To get the most out of the game we suggest you start off by finding a troupe to play with. Invite them to a session by sending out an e-mail invitation, an ICQ message, hand written parchment scroll or whatever you find appropriate.

Meet the troupe in the chat-space within the commedia application and decide who will play what character. Summaries of the characters can be found on the main character page.

If you are new to the Commedia we strongly recommend that you run the exercise Scenarios found in the training section on this site. They will introduce you to the form of digital improvisation and warm you up for the more complex scenarios.

Continue by reading your own characters. Reading your fellow performers full characters will spoil some surprises in the game but it is ultimately a matter of taste whether you as a performer want to know more than your character.

Finally choose a scenario and read your characters scenario instructions, be very clear about what scenario is to be played. If the players start to act out two different scenarios chaos and confusion will reign. Ok, chaos and confusion can be fun, but not in this way. Trust me. Also - reading your fellow players scenario instructions is generally not a good idea as they contain secret agendas and hidden motives that are interesting to uncover in play.

Press the button with the name of your character. When all players have done so (the buttons will turn a nice sepia tone to indicate a character has already been selected), press the "raise curtains" button and start the show.

In the training section you can find a number of exercises and training scenarios that will prepare you for the real thing. Use them.

Read the Rules of the Commedia here