Tuesday Night Gaming - Dungeon World,Numenera and more..

One of the problems that I'm sure I share with many players and GMs is finding time to get through all the games that I've spent a fortune on over the years.

For the last few years I've been running games on a monthly basis,and more recently, two saturdays a month. That's been good in terms of being able to plan campaigns and allows for plenty of preparation time. The drawback is that it can be hard to maintain a flow in a story, and this tends to hit players harder if they miss out on a session. Still, it works well in the current format (two parallel games in six month campaigns) but I wanted to expand. I've been playing in additional saturday evening sessions (more on that in a separate post), but it was time for tuesday night weekly games.

The initial plan was to alternate two games every tuesday and just run them for as long as it makes sense too. It's also a great chance to do demo's and oneshots without having to plan as much or require a commitment from a group. I did have concerns about burnout, but if anything this schedule and frequency has unlocked my creative side and I find it refreshing.

I've done three sessions so far, two of which were "Dungeon World". I've played this several times and wanted to experience it as a GM, given that I'm on an "Apocalypse World" binge right now. It has been really great fun, easy to run, with the story growing from the players decisions.

The other session I ran was "Numenera" which I'd posted about previously. I love the game and the setting, but I just didn't connect with it as a GM when I ran it. Part of it was adapting to a different system, part of it was running a published scenario (something that I'm not good at) and also I think I simply didn't understand the game in the same way the group did. I came away with the feeling that I wasn't really running "Numenera".I think I'd rather be a player in that game.

Going forward, "Dungeon World" will wrap up soon to make way for "Eclipse Phase", in which I'll be a player. I will be starting "Apocalypse World" next week, with "Nephilim", "Nights Black Agents" and others on my roster for the future.

Running "tremulus" - Mixed Feelings

My latest one-shot game, "tremulus", was a blend of two of my most familiar gaming worlds. The system is based on "Apocalypse World" and the setting is Lovecraftian horror. I decided to try it out, this time with a small group of three players.

I brought a lot of energy to this one, fresh off "Monster of the Week" which had ran like a dream. "tremulus" has many of the same conventions. The players have playbooks, containing instructions for character creation, moves, attributes and levelling. It has a sanity system as well, a nod to other "Cthulhu" games. The GM (in this game the "keeper") doesn't roll any dice and has an agenda, a list of moves, and moves for the various hazards in the game, such as town elders, townfolk and locations.

The game also comes with a questionnaire about the town, the people and weird rumors. The players pick a few responses and this corresponds to a framework in the back of the book. This gives the keeper two story threads to combine into a unique framework. The threads have two descriptions, one for the players and one for the keeper. The various combinations are fascinating and give lots of story ideas, definitely a highlight of the game.

In actual gameplay, there were some issues that emerged very quickly that I hadn't seen in "Apocalypse World", "Dungeon World" or "Monster of the Week". For example, the "Lore" skill rating was very easy to exploit and accumulate by the character playing "The Chosen" playbook, and could have led to heavy imbalance in a campaign. The Lore moves didn't seem particular inspired either.

The were several times where the characters would do actions that are commonplace in this type of game, but didn't seem to logically map back to a move. The trickiest piece was that "schock", which is really the sanity mechanism, requires two rolls. First to see if you pass the test, and then another to determine damage, even if the first check was passed. It felt awkward at the table.

I will also say that I think games based on AW are at their best when the group is very engaged and active, one of the reasons my "Monster" session flowed so well. In that case I was really like another player in terms of the number of moves I made. In this session I felt like I was having to call on a lot more moves and do more to move the story. I would definitely try "tremulus" again, there's a lot to like in there and potential for great atmosphere, though I would do a preprepared setting and houserule some of the mechanics.

Starting "Monster of the Week" RPG

I started a short campaign of "Monster of the Week" (an RPG by +Michael Sands) over the weekend, to get my 2014 gaming underway. It's been in my hopper of games to run for quite some time now and should run through to July.

Before I had anyone sign up or choose characters I already had a concept for the first session. I wanted something that could tick several boxes, serving as a demo, a throwaway encounter but also potentially a major part of the overall mystery arc. I would decide,with the group, which of those it would be once we'd played the initial session. It turned out that they liked the concept and we'll ride with it.

I wanted to take an old world monster that was known to them, but that I hadn't seen in a modern setting. I went for the Minotaur. He was a shifter, in human form appearing as a strong teenage boy named Chris. He lived on a farm with an older man, thought to be his father, who in reality was his son. Every seven years the Minotaur needed to devour seven people to stay alive.

I added a layer on top of the story to give a hook and also to send the group on the wrong path (old "Cthulhu" habits die hard). In this case, the monster and minion made a crop circle on their farmland. The crop circle functioned as a labyrinth for the Minotaur, the place in which he is invulnerable and feeds. It also lured in a group of teenagers who were UFO spotting, the first set of victims. The UFO angle was also the hook for the players, one of them in particular who played a conspiracy theorist, "the Flake".

We had a good sized group for this, six players,and the mix of characters selected lines up some amazing threads. We had powers ranging from the demonic to the divine, along with murky family relationships and paranoia. All of the players really loved this game and for me it was a true pleasure to run. I felt that some of the options and instructions I was given as a GM in the system made for a more complete and rounded story.

I also had a personal revelation about my own gaming preferences. I've always liked horror games, but genre aside, the thing that made "Monster of the Week" (and another favorite,"My Life With Master") special to me is the cinematic quality. I stated up front to the group to remember that this plays like a TV show. I liked being able to play the game as scenes, without worrying about realism. I liked the way time flows and the structure works. I really liked introducing a "move" that I've never used before, the "cutaway scene", in which I described a scene to the players that's happening somewhere else, to give them insight into the story. That opened things up immensely, as I could reveal some of story to the players without the characters having to be present or directly engaged. I'm excited about the next session and am already thinking about other TV style games....perhaps "Monsterhearts" will be next.

2013 - What Did I Play?

With the end of another year rapidly approaching, I thought I'd take time to look back on the games that I played, as I line up new games for next year. Next time I'll be posting a summary of the games that I ran.

Games that I took part in as a player :

Dungeon World - This was run by +Michael Bay and through the course of various games I played several characters. It was interesting to visit the "Apocalypse World" engine from a different angle, which will help when I run "Monster of the Week" next year.

Apocalypse World - This time out +Tony Reyes was at the helm in a weird, violent (to be expected) mini-campaign. I played a cult leader who steered the group down entirely the wrong path. This game is always interesting but challenging to play, and I never envy the person who has to run it. They seem to be caught between improvised responses and not being allowed to have much influence in the setting.

Shadowrun 5th Edition - A one-shot demo of a game I'd never got round to trying before. Great setting, but far too crunchy for my tastes. I was definitely the only one at the table who wasn't having a blast, so it can't be denied that Shadowrun has a certain "something".

Mage:The Awakening - I finally got to try a "New World of Darkness" game! I thought it was great, much easier than I'd anticipated. The LARP adaptation of the rules and the tendency to stay immersed in character threw me a little, and sadly my schedule got in the way of staying with the game. I'd feel confident running this myself, but there doesn't seem to be an audience.

Savage Worlds - This was a zombie survival game, absolutely not my ideal setting, but I really enjoyed the system. It had enough crunch to make the combat satisfying, something which I feel is missing in the games that I run. Fun, and great for one-shots.

Fate Accelerated Edition - +Scott Acker ran a demo of this and aside from being a fun session, I came away feeling that I actually understood how the game works...always a good sign in a demo! I'm interested in seeing where Fate goes in future settings.

Old School D&D - +john yorio has ran two sessions of this recently and I played in both. It took me back to my childhood and was good old-fashioned fun. Simple rules, deadly opponents and a really great sense of camaraderie at the table.

So there you have it, a decent selection for the year and I didn't realize how much I'd played until I planned this post! I salute all the people who ran these games. All were excellent gamesmasters and I learned something from each of them to take forward into the games that I run.

Playbooks - Making Life Easier

Over the last few years I've been lucky enough to have to played in or ran games from a variety of systems. A personal goal of mine is to have ran a session in every different "Cthulhu" RPG to get a feel for how the rules compare and contrast in a familiar setting.

Now in terms of rules,I'm a lazy GM. I don't want to to wade through hundreds of pages to understand how to run something or have to refer to lots of charts during gameplay. Combat usually frustrates me in this regard. I do,however, like to have some structure..enough to support and add to the game. "Call of Cthulhu" and "My Life With Master" have been great for this.

I also don't like situations where the players need a copy of the rulebook or a long explanation of the rules to be able to play the game. I ran into this when I did a kickoff session for "Unknown Armies" recently. I love UA and the base system. However, for players who didn't have the books it was remarkably difficult to explain the various magical schools, the setting and some parts of character generation. I brought a lot of handouts and cheat sheets to try and make this easier, but I still feel it's an uphill task. Hopefully things will click during actual gameplay. I also had to do a lot of handouts and preparation like this when I was starting up "Trail of Cthulhu" and "Delta Green".

It was then that it struck me, the thing that I really missed. It was the "playbook" approach used in "Apocalypse World" and all of the games based on it. I'd got used to using them in "Apocalypse World" and "Dungeon World", and I'll be seeing them again when I run "Monster of the Week" and "tremulus".

Playbooks are essentially a customized character sheet. For example, in "Dungeon World", there is a "Cleric" playbook. This contains all the instructions that the player needs to create the Cleric, details of the all the things that character can do that are specific to that class, and how to level up. This means no need to look for the rulebook,and each playbook captures the distinct feel of that particular class/role/occupation. The only other thing that's needed is a copy of the general "moves", things that every character can do.

I've used them enough that I miss them in other games. For the "Unknown Armies" session, I realized that I was trying to compensate by making my own cheat sheets...the process would have been so much easier for everyone involved if I could have handed over to each player a single document that had everything they needed to create,start and play.Has anyone else experienced this,and how did you adjust?

Apocalypse World - The Hocus and the Maelstrom

The second part of +Tony Reyes "Apocalypse World" campaign wrapped up last week, and as I've come to expect from this game, you can expect the unexpected regardless of who runs it.

I'm playing a "Hocus", often characterized as a cult leader, though a read through the playbook offers many more angles and options. The real essence of the Hocus is that the characters abilities are derived from their followers, the psychic maelstrom and their own personal charisma.

Having played alongside this class in the past, I wanted to push deeper into the possibilities that this character has, especially with the maelstrom. The beauty of the maelstrom is that it's an open concept for the group to define...it's a "thing" that we can all tap into with our minds. Is it "the Force", the collective subconscious or microwaves? All are valid. In the case of my character, it's seen as the remains of a shield built with advanced technology to keep us imprisoned. Now it is broken and contains pieces of communication channels. I can interact with this mentally, and did so in two major ways.

The first was rather than just interpreting the things I could "see", I pushed the information the opposite direction, to implant information into the maelstrom. The message was that a new character, the "Driver", was an emissary of sorts and totally unaware of his true role. By putting this information in, other people channelling the maelstrom would have an impression of this message, a potent way for the Hocus to shape his own prophecies.

The second was even more mindblowing and came at the session finale. After a disastrous confrontation (I'll swing back to this shortly) which left an entire village slaughtered, I was left looking for my main rival in the game, another leader named "Aristotle". I channelled the maelstrom and with a major success, literally pulled him through the maelstrom itself to our location in a bolt of lightning, where we swiftly disposed of him. It gave a great end to the chapter as all the characters were left to ponder the extent of the Hocus powers...and if he's been telling the truth all along.

As for that confrontation? That was a direct result of another Hocus power, the ability to rile up a crowd. In this example, it was the main gang in our town. They were out of control and my character managed to harness those emotions, inspiring the crowd and redirecting their anger to my rival,Aristotle. We marched on the other town where I attempted the same thing again with the local population, only for it to backfire completely! The result was carnage.

This all happened in the second half of the game session and it was amazing to experience the sheer havoc and destruction that a Hocus can inspire,very quickly and very easily. It's a challenging character to play and well worth it. 

Apocalypse World - Fear and Loathing Pt1

The new Apocalypse World campaign headed by +Tony Reyes kicked off yesterday with a group of four players (soon to be five) and had a nice blend of the new and familiar.

I play a Hocus who runs a hedonistic UFO cult. Jason plays the Brainer, the twin sister of my character. Neil chose the Battlebabe, the cool,distant yet violent assassin. +Michael Bay took the role of Hardholder, the guy who runs the town that we live in.

The town is "The Vault", the remnants of a skyscraper. Business is doing well,but not so well as to be seen as a threat by rival towns. It has a bar and marketplace, which gives it a very different vibe compared to "Circustown", the setting for last time. The dynamic is very smooth as well, our characters get along well and have a relationship very much defined by how we all contribute to the town.

The Hocus and Brainer emphasize the truly weird side of life, and given that we made up half the group it shifted the focus of the game heavily onto the psychic maelstrom. Tony gradually introduced external factors in the form of visions, an ambushed training mission and visitors from another town.As in any first session there is significant time spent on character concepts and history, along with getting a feel for the system and how the characters play.

I thoroughly enjoyed it, though I think I'd like to stir up the dynamic somewhat. The Hocus/Brainer relationship is fascinating and extremely creepy, but I wonder if we contribute too much of the same thing given the size of the group.I might suggest that the opening event of the next session, a mass orgy and psychic channelling that involves every character except the Hardholder, backfires horribly and takes the Hocus out of play. That would totally shift the dynamics and give the other characters a whole new set of challenges to deal with. How would the Brainer handle the sudden responsibility for the cult, for example. I could introduce a new PC shortly after, such as a Skinner. Food for thought, and we'll see what the group thinks when we reconvene.

It was great fun to meet new players and also to have Tony run a game, it was the first time I'd played in one of his. He did a phenomenal job with a challenging, improvisational setup.

Returning to Apocalypse World

This coming weekend I'll be returning to one of the most challenging and unusual RPG's I've had the pleasure of playing, Vincent D Baker's "Apocalypse World". This time round the game will be run by one of my regular gaming colleagues, +Tony Reyes .

Last time he played a "Battlebabe", a fighter who is also a charmer, and was instrumental in some of the trickier storylines. The "Master of Ceremonies" (the GM) last time we played was +Michael Bay , who will be a player in this game. He's assuming the role of "Hardholder", the character who runs the town in which our campaign is based. I played that role last time and it was definitely a challenge, though it did result in probably my most memorable character. The rest of the group are people I haven't played alongside before.

The big challenge for me,as always, is what character should I play? A few appeal and while I want to try something different, there are aspects of the game that I'm drawn to. The "psychic maelstrom" for instance, is a wonderful concept...that "something" lingering over us all that can be tapped into for weird and bizarre inspiration. A few characters are more tied to that the others, such as the "Brainer", the "Hocus" and the "Savvyhead".

I also like idea of taking one of the more overtly violent characters and doing something more nuanced with them. Taking the "Gunlugger" for example and giving him some sort of personal code that he must follow, like a futuristic Bushido. Or the "Faceless", a brutally violent character who has a totally different personality when unmasked.

There are also characters tailored to the social side of the game. The "Skinner" looks fantastic, totally captivates an audience and can be the glue between the other characters. The "Maestro D" runs a social establishment. I was very tempted by this one, the idea of someone running an Amsterdam-style coffee shop where anyone can go to escape the real world for a few hours. That would heavily shape the focus of the game though and doesn't always work.

It looks like I'll try my hand at the "Hocus". This character taps into the weird side of life and at a glance seems like a Manson-like cult leader. I have my own ideas for it though that I haven't seen in play before, more along the lines of Gaius Baltar from Battlestar Galactica. I'm thinking less hippy, more an intellectual with a compelling (if strange) vision and taste for hedonism. I have a feeling this is going to be just as good as last time.