Script Immunity

[David Alex Lamb]

I'm GM'ing a campaign for my kids. The youngest (just turned 9) needs to be
reassured that I won't kill off his character, so I plan to explain script
immunity to him.

It occurred to me that I don't know the origin of the phrase "script
immunity". Is it actually from the theatre or TV environments (where there
are actual scripts to be immune from)?

[Sidhain]

Post by David Alex Lamb
I'm GM'ing a campaign for my kids. The youngest (just turned 9) needs to be
reassured that I won't kill off his character, so I plan to explain script
immunity to him.
It occurred to me that I don't know the origin of the phrase "script
immunity". Is it actually from the theatre or TV environments (where there
are actual scripts to be immune from)?

Pretty much the idea isn't one is immune to a script, but they have
"scripted" immunity--they are immune to things that plague the supporting
cast, not for any other reason than they, are the "hero" of the peice. They
are /written/ to be immune to it.

[Robert Scott Clark]

Post by David Alex Lamb
I'm GM'ing a campaign for my kids. The youngest (just turned 9) needs
to be reassured that I won't kill off his character, so I plan to
explain script immunity to him.
It occurred to me that I don't know the origin of the phrase "script
immunity". Is it actually from the theatre or TV environments (where
there are actual scripts to be immune from)?

I think you're getting it backwards, you aren't immune to the script,
instead the script (or your part in the script/story) priovides you with
immunity.

[David Alex Lamb]

Post by Robert Scott Clark

Post by David Alex Lamb
I'm GM'ing a campaign for my kids. The youngest (just turned 9) needs
to be reassured that I won't kill off his character, so I plan to
explain script immunity to him.
It occurred to me that I don't know the origin of the phrase "script
immunity". Is it actually from the theatre or TV environments (where
there are actual scripts to be immune from)?

I think you're getting it backwards, you aren't immune to the script,
instead the script (or your part in the script/story) priovides you with
immunity.

Makes sense -- but still, does anyone know where the term originally came
from?

[Neelakantan Krishnaswami]

Post by David Alex Lamb

Post by Robert Scott Clark
I think you're getting it backwards, you aren't immune to the script,
instead the script (or your part in the script/story) priovides you with
immunity.

Makes sense -- but still, does anyone know where the term originally came
from?

The oldest mention on Google is in 1991:

<http://www.google.com/groups?selm=1991May16.005458.20423%40nmt.edu>

Looking at the thread, it sounds like it was already an established
piece of slang among internet fandom back then. Did the Star Wars rpg
introduce it, perhaps?

[Warren J. Dew]

Neel K. posts, in part:

Looking at the thread, it sounds like it was already an
established piece of slang among internet fandom back
then [1991]. Did the Star Wars rpg introduce it, perhaps?

I heard the term "script immunity" used in this way when I first started
roleplaying gaming in the late 1970s, generally in reference to gamesmaster
characters, or less commonly favored player characters, whom the gamesmaster
would fudge to save.

Within that group - the MITSGS group - I think it was original with Steve
Swernofsky. However, it's such a natural term that I'd be surprised if it
weren't independently invented multiple times.

Warren J. Dew
Powderhouse Software

[Abrigon Gusiq]

Classic soap opera basically..

Does make ya wonder how close RPGaming and soap opera is.. Space Opera for sure
is much the same in ways.. Dark Shadows started out as a classic soap, but then
did as Charmed and others are now doing, getting into the more super natural side
of things. Or they are out of script ideas. You can only do so much, until you
kill a character, especially when they seem to ask for it..

Now where did my old typewriter go, I need to write Jack back into Sping Hil
Falls I think was the name of the Soap?

Mike

Post by David Alex Lamb
I'm GM'ing a campaign for my kids. The youngest (just turned 9) needs to be
reassured that I won't kill off his character, so I plan to explain script
immunity to him.
It occurred to me that I don't know the origin of the phrase "script
immunity". Is it actually from the theatre or TV environments (where there
are actual scripts to be immune from)?
--
"Yo' ideas need to be thinked befo' they are say'd" - Ian Lamb, age 3.5
http://www.cs.queensu.ca/~dalamb/ qucis->cs to reply (it's a long story...)