Games night

[caddyman]

Well, games night is now a Monday, with a revised cast of players. The first session went off well enough, creating some Serenity characters and getting going.

Shiny.

I wouldn't say that things played out badly plotwise, but by the end of the first session, we were minus our ship. Now we have to work out how the hell to get it back.

We ain't even left the planet yet.

Pyen juh duh jiou cha wen!

Comments

[binidj.livejournal.com]

I've been watching Firefly today and am jealous of your game. More to the point I'm trying not to convince myself that going to the Serenity LRP event is a good plan.

By the way, is there a lexicon of appropriate Chinese phrases online anywhere that you know of? I ask because ... well, you just used one.

[caddyman.livejournal.com]

Try this as a starter. It's not perfect, but it will give you some phrases used on the show and movie.

[drjohnsilence.livejournal.com]

Well at least you weren't naked.

The characters, I mean.

I hope.

Urgh. Can open, worms everywhere...

[smokingboot.livejournal.com]

We had a weekend long game, and it was excellent; my only misgiving would be as to how varied a campaign would be, cos I'm just not sure what one can do with it beyond the five basic stories, apart from letting the players sort out their own da shiong la se la ch'woihn tian.

[jfs.livejournal.com]

I don't see Serenity as more limited than most other games - it's still about how people interact with each other and with their environment.

Admittedly if I wanted to run a high social status, Core World game, I'd need more information than there in the book at present but that's largely because the film / series didn't have time to develop that side of the story, and there's enough there for me to get started.

What sort of plots do you think you wouldn't be able to run?

[jfs.livejournal.com]

I'm having trouble parsing your second sentence. Are you booked for the Serenity LRP? Cos myself and s0b are.

[jfs.livejournal.com]

A really good reference for the game is http://www.browncoats.com/ - there's costume resources, language, episode guides etc.

[binidj.livejournal.com]

No, it's the week after a Maelstrom so I'll be tired already and if I do another event I may well get quite seriously ill. Plus I can't really afford it.

That doesn't stop me wanting to go though and being a bit moany about not being able to ... please bear with me =)

[binidj.livejournal.com]

Naked you say? Worms everywhere you say?

[caddyman.livejournal.com]

Don't know if it's just the office browser set up and all, but there doesn't appear appear to be any links, just a statement of intent...

[jfs.livejournal.com]

Whole menu full of links on the left hand side?

They're a weird javascript based thingie though, so it may well be an issue with your browser.

[jfs.livejournal.com]

Fair enough :-)

[binidj.livejournal.com]

Many thanks for the links gents.

[caddyman.livejournal.com]

Nope, nothing here.

I'll take a look on my trusty java-enabled Firefox tonight.

If'n I'm sober enough...

[smokingboot.livejournal.com]

Good question; I think it would be a potential lack of options, rather than plot per se, but this may have more to do with my lack of background/confidence with sci-fi as opposed to fantasy/ history.

An example: Crew have large case of something, don't know what's in it, need to get it from planet a to planet b and are being pursued by either

a)some tong
b)some other criminal cartel
c)some medical cartel
d)some disturbed monks/a cult
e)alliance hunters
f)bounty hunters
g)any combo of the above with added reavers for in-flight blues.

Doesn't feel very varied to me. I suppose the way around this would be to give very little info, listen to what the pcs may think is in the box and why they are being pursued, and go with the most interesting theory.

I can never work out whether that's cheating or not...

[agentinfinity.livejournal.com]

Jamie and I were considering running this at some point, and were very much intending to rip off every wild west plot and cliche going. And anything remotely related.

Then you've got the oriental side of things as well.

[jfs.livejournal.com]

I call it Heisenburgian plot - the decision isn't made until the box is opened, and it's a perfectly valid (if somewhat scary) way to run plot.

I think it's something that can be overused - after all, if the players catch on that's what you're doing, then it stops being as fun for them. On the other hand, if you're sparing with it, they get the buzz of 'we worked it out' with less effort / preparation on your part.

With regard to plot in general, I like answering Kipling's Six Honest Serving Men to see where the plot is going, and I'm not sure that the genre of the game affects that particularly.

So with the example of carrying a case from A to B -
What are they carrying?
Why?
When does it have to be there by?
How are they going to get it there?
Where does it have to go?
Who are the interested parties?

By the time you've answered all those questions (and if you want to vary the plot, have different answers to the questions the next time) you're a good way along to sorting the plot.

SF isn't really a different genre - Seven Samurai becomes Magnificent Seven becomes Battle Beyond the Stars. The technology can change - katanas become six shooters become laser guns, but the stories you tell can be just as valid.

*grin* I do go on sometimes, but I think that my point is that if you're an imaginative Storyguide (and I'm certain sure that you are) the genre isn't really an issue :-)

[smokingboot.livejournal.com]

YOu're not going on at all:-) it's all useful stuff; good for helping me think outside the box, and of course, you are very right about the migration/evolution of story lines. It's too easy for me to freeze on Sci-fi stuff because though I love watching it, my first experiences of it in roleplay were via Traveller *shudders at memories of crew arguing over the ship's salary structure*

[smokingboot.livejournal.com]

Sorry, excuse those gratuitous caps; keyboard's distinctly dodgy!

Shanghai Noon in Space?

[smokingboot.livejournal.com]

Sounds fantastic!

[jfs.livejournal.com]

Well .... *looks at floor* I might have had a very long discussion about a similar sort of thing in an Ars Magica game once (Grog wages :-)).