All this talk on the Dailies at Panhistoria about the difference between roleplay and roleplay (and a very useful talk it is too) reminds me of the other kind of roleplay. I mean the pseudo-pychological crap inflicted on you as part of those work training courses where they think humiliating you makes you a better manager or more docile employee. I was sent once on a course on to learn to be a better supervisor. I thought it was a odd idea since I wasn't a supervisor in the first place so unlikely to become a better one, but it was a day out of the office soooooo.......

Anyway, the afternoon of the course was spent with five bright-eyed self-improving supervisors and one cynical minion (me) roleplaying a situation where a factory boss had to lay off half his staff. The Factory Boss was played by a very nervy girl, I somehow got elected as the Trade Union Steward, and the other four were the Sacked Workers. The problem was, some of the trainees got into their roles too well. One of the Sacked Workers must have been a fan of method acting. Before long the Factory Boss was weeping on the Trade Union Steward's shoulder while the other three Sacked Workers berated their colleague for his insensitivity. Afterwards, the tutor just looked at us wearily and said, "I don't suppose anyone wants to tell the rest of us what they learn from that exercise?" Smartarse Sacked Worker: "Never trust the union steward to back yer up if the boss is crying down his neck."

I much prefer the kind of roleplay I do at Pan. And I haven't played a Trade Union Steward here yet.