[generic] What are we running and playing
- Thread starter Guvnor
- Start date
Back to The One Ring, using The Darkening of Mirkwood campaign, at MK RPG. The good news is that this is a continuation from the previous eight-week block; the bad news is that I've only got one player returning from that game! It must be something I said. (Though, to be fair, one of the previous players is new to RPGs has only played beer-and-pretzels D&D before, He joined the last block as an experiment with a different style of game. The One Ring's not to his taste, but kudos to him for giving it a go!)
Last block saw the PCs chase a fugitive from Beorn's justice to discover he may not have been as guilty as it first seemed, and he redeemed himself by betraying a large band of outlaws he'd fallen in with. They then rescued some Woodmen traders who'd been ambushed by orcs then rescued by wild hobbits around the Gladden Fields. Turned out the orc warleader had found the necklace chain used by Isildur to carry the One Ring, but the Ring had corrupted the very mithril of the chain. They killed the orcs, rescued the Woodmen, and ignored the problem of hobbits being in league with the orcs. They then took the necklace to the Woodland Realm, insulted Thranduil the Elvenking, but persuaded him to destroy the chain. Finally, in the Great Moot, they argued against recognising Mogdred of Tyrant's Hill as a Lord of the Woodmen.
They're currently investigating Dol Goldur and the PCs are getting their first significant taste of corruption and madness.
I've also run one session of Blades in the Dark for a table of six utter newbie roleplayers. Using the "War in Crow's Foot" situation, they allied with the Lampblacks and agreed to steal a painting owned by Klev, leader of the warring Red Sashes. To complicate things, the painting was a major item in an exhibition of Iruvian art organised by the Iruvian Consulate, and the PCs decided to steal it during the opening night. They carefully sneaked in, stealthily reconnoitred, then released a bunch of spirits to cause chaos while they just snatched the painting and escaped through a sewer.
They've asked for another session, so that's all good!
Last block saw the PCs chase a fugitive from Beorn's justice to discover he may not have been as guilty as it first seemed, and he redeemed himself by betraying a large band of outlaws he'd fallen in with. They then rescued some Woodmen traders who'd been ambushed by orcs then rescued by wild hobbits around the Gladden Fields. Turned out the orc warleader had found the necklace chain used by Isildur to carry the One Ring, but the Ring had corrupted the very mithril of the chain. They killed the orcs, rescued the Woodmen, and ignored the problem of hobbits being in league with the orcs. They then took the necklace to the Woodland Realm, insulted Thranduil the Elvenking, but persuaded him to destroy the chain. Finally, in the Great Moot, they argued against recognising Mogdred of Tyrant's Hill as a Lord of the Woodmen.
They're currently investigating Dol Goldur and the PCs are getting their first significant taste of corruption and madness.
I've also run one session of Blades in the Dark for a table of six utter newbie roleplayers. Using the "War in Crow's Foot" situation, they allied with the Lampblacks and agreed to steal a painting owned by Klev, leader of the warring Red Sashes. To complicate things, the painting was a major item in an exhibition of Iruvian art organised by the Iruvian Consulate, and the PCs decided to steal it during the opening night. They carefully sneaked in, stealthily reconnoitred, then released a bunch of spirits to cause chaos while they just snatched the painting and escaped through a sewer.
They've asked for another session, so that's all good!
Yes, this is the new Modiphius version. I am new to it as a GM but I have played it. As a player, I first thought it a little forgiving, but now I have had another read of the rules and thought about what Star Trek is meant to be I have come to the conclusion the game is not about whether the characters succeed or fail, but HOW they succeed or fail.
If you have any suggestions, advice or considerations please send them my way. I have another session this Saturday.
If you have any suggestions, advice or considerations please send them my way. I have another session this Saturday.
Without a doubt, every session should have a moral predicament. The action and drama is always best based around that predicament, but that stuff is all window dressing. As long as your sessions have that dilema, it'll feel like Star Trek.
Ones that I've included in my campaign are
- Would you be willing to sacrifice yourself to save a stranger
- Would you tell a race of androids who believe that they are biological/alive the truth
- Would you kill one stranger to preserve the Prime Directive
- Would you act to preserve life, even if the species is little more than feral space piranhas
- Would you assassinate a stranger to stop a war if asked to do so from somebody you trusted intimately
Ones that I've included in my campaign are
- Would you be willing to sacrifice yourself to save a stranger
- Would you tell a race of androids who believe that they are biological/alive the truth
- Would you kill one stranger to preserve the Prime Directive
- Would you act to preserve life, even if the species is little more than feral space piranhas
- Would you assassinate a stranger to stop a war if asked to do so from somebody you trusted intimately
My lot helped deliver a great game / story in Dolmenwood last night. They headed into Lankshorn all set to just pass through and fight a dragon at Dreg, the next town along. After being ambushed by a lurker in Lankston Pool, got stoned with miss dwarfs and cat girls at the Hornstoat's Rest, offered their services to a very Jason King apothecary, they got quite dazzled by the blizzard of rumours and quest hooks.
The Pirates of Drinax has started for my Wednesday night online group. We're half way through session 0, if you see what I mean, and so far we have:
- a peasant from Asim who was forced into an arranged marriage while at university.
- two Vespexser nomads from the Drinax wastes, one of whom is the prophesized messiah (and graduated university with honours), and the other ran away to space to become a pirate.
- some bloke from Tech World who flunked out of uni because he was too busy learning to use his psionic powers.
So I ran the Alien RPG Cinematic Starter Kit, ‘Chariot of the Gods’ for the Derby Mongrels over the last couple of weeks. Two sessions of approximately three hours each including pizza 🍕 munching.
They liked it and seemed to enjoy themselves too.
They really liked the consumables roll for air, ammo, power, etc. That mechanic works nicely.
The stress mechanic was liked as well as it did help to ramp up the tension. They pushed plenty of rolls. Though during the second session it seemed that every time the players rolled to do something they ended up rolling a ‘1’ on their stress dice and triggering a panic roll. Trouble is that the results were either a twitchy eye or just holding it together. A bit repetitive when it happens twenty odd times during a session.
The cool thing is the players went for an Alien3 vibe and got the ‘creature’ to chase them down the ship’s corridors to be caught in a trap.
The players also played up on their secret agendas, a few sent me messages but they mostly told me what they wanted to do at the table. The other players were so caught up in what they were doing that they each missed what different things they were all doing. Each of them managed to survive at the end though, each in different locations.
They liked it and seemed to enjoy themselves too.
They really liked the consumables roll for air, ammo, power, etc. That mechanic works nicely.
The stress mechanic was liked as well as it did help to ramp up the tension. They pushed plenty of rolls. Though during the second session it seemed that every time the players rolled to do something they ended up rolling a ‘1’ on their stress dice and triggering a panic roll. Trouble is that the results were either a twitchy eye or just holding it together. A bit repetitive when it happens twenty odd times during a session.
The cool thing is the players went for an Alien3 vibe and got the ‘creature’ to chase them down the ship’s corridors to be caught in a trap.
The players also played up on their secret agendas, a few sent me messages but they mostly told me what they wanted to do at the table. The other players were so caught up in what they were doing that they each missed what different things they were all doing. Each of them managed to survive at the end though, each in different locations.
I “ran” a game of 5th Ed last night. A one off for new players - two of whom know more about the game than I do - before the proper GM turns up to start a campaign next week. (I’ve signed on to a campaign to learn the game.)
I ran the same adventure as in the 1hr live Roleplay now on YouTube but at a more relaxed pace. Though only 1st level (The characters from the Phandelver pack) the characters seemed like beasts BUT the opposition (Goblinzes) are also turned up as well.
Party got over confident. Split. Experienced player (he died first) advised the newbie to take her Hobbit into the cave that the goblinzes were trying to WALL UP. (Big Red Button). (She died second - cremated). Most of the hostages died. (WHY do people think that bad guys WON’T off their captives if they threaten to and you STILL attack?). The Dwarf cleric died next.
The two fighters escaped with 1/3 of the people they were sent to rescue.
MASSIVE fun! AND I got to channel my inner Cumberbatch.
I ran the same adventure as in the 1hr live Roleplay now on YouTube but at a more relaxed pace. Though only 1st level (The characters from the Phandelver pack) the characters seemed like beasts BUT the opposition (Goblinzes) are also turned up as well.
Party got over confident. Split. Experienced player (he died first) advised the newbie to take her Hobbit into the cave that the goblinzes were trying to WALL UP. (Big Red Button). (She died second - cremated). Most of the hostages died. (WHY do people think that bad guys WON’T off their captives if they threaten to and you STILL attack?). The Dwarf cleric died next.
The two fighters escaped with 1/3 of the people they were sent to rescue.
MASSIVE fun! AND I got to channel my inner Cumberbatch.
Onward to the Manse Tonight the party marched though a blizzard from Lankshorn towards the Manse of Malbleat. All thoughts of Puck and Triple Sod cigarillos, of grimalkin lovers, or the Wyrm of Dreg, were put aside as they set off one Eggfast morning. Heading first on the Ditchway East they skirted North and West to throw off any spying eyes. With their new compatriot: Capitan Robert the Ribbon Pirate: the day started well.They fought and slew goatman scouting parties, and the accompanying swarms of bats, they met the Old Man of the Woods, had their fortune told, got lost in a blizzard and almost ran into Zothar the Sightless Beholder. Bivouaced through the night they awoke to a crisp Sunning day. Finding the mere that the Old Man told them of, they swam into the Catacombs and defeated a room of Vargouilles before holing up to rest.
So the Derby Mongrels has a go at the Card Game RPG Zombie World based on a simplified version of the Apocalypse World game engine.
Everything is on the cards, the character sheets, playbooks, levels of success, character Archetypes, NPCs, relationships, locations, everything.
You pick your Archetype randomly and select your stat pattern. You also draw a past occupation card and a current trauma card.
Then you draw relationship cards with each player and also draw an NPC card to be your ally.
You then draw a location card and develop your enclave together.
Then you pick a name for your character (or not as they will die anyway) and start play.
Moves are dictated by the playbooks (this really emphasises the issue in have with Apocalypse World games) and you draw from a deck to see the level of success you get, Triumph, Edge, and Miss.
A lot of fun for a filler game but no real long term run time. The cards are actually stacked against you as there is only one ‘Triumph’ card in the deck but multiple ‘Miss’ cards. I didn’t draw a single Triumph card all game but often drew three Miss cards together. Though it is a fail forward game it gets a bit whiffy at times. It makes you avoid making any plays at times.
Everything is on the cards, the character sheets, playbooks, levels of success, character Archetypes, NPCs, relationships, locations, everything.
You pick your Archetype randomly and select your stat pattern. You also draw a past occupation card and a current trauma card.
Then you draw relationship cards with each player and also draw an NPC card to be your ally.
You then draw a location card and develop your enclave together.
Then you pick a name for your character (or not as they will die anyway) and start play.
Moves are dictated by the playbooks (this really emphasises the issue in have with Apocalypse World games) and you draw from a deck to see the level of success you get, Triumph, Edge, and Miss.
A lot of fun for a filler game but no real long term run time. The cards are actually stacked against you as there is only one ‘Triumph’ card in the deck but multiple ‘Miss’ cards. I didn’t draw a single Triumph card all game but often drew three Miss cards together. Though it is a fail forward game it gets a bit whiffy at times. It makes you avoid making any plays at times.