Post originally by Dan Davenport at 2003-08-06 05:15:51
Converted from Phorums BB System

I'm glad it caught you by surprise, Larry, because that means I managed to convey just how completely and thoroughly SSZ maintains its facade. (And, truth to tell, I still don't think I did it justice.) The best part is how <u>plausible</u> the whole thing is. I mean, I'm sure there are any number of radio serials I've never heard of, I <u>definitely</u> know nothing about German television, and there are always movies "in the works" that seem to come out of left field.

There <u>are</u> a few slip-ups here and there to be found if you search for information for SSZ, however -- contradictory information regarding the number and nature of SSZ shows. One place, for example, refers to a <u>1930s</u> radio serial, a <u>1950s</u> German TV show, a <u>1970s</u> TV remake. And in his "interview", Heero refers to the hydronauts in his series -- which, according to the rulebook, is the 1970s German version -- despite the fact that the full 1970s "episode guide" makes no reference to them.

Still, the approach works very, very well. In a way that's difficult to explain, using "real" characters as examples in the rulebook just seemed more concrete than using "generic" names. I suppose it's a combination of the archetypal nature of the characters and suspension of disbelief from the "real show" motif.

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Dan Davenport