Dust Devils for the first time

[Per Fischer]

I am running my first DD game this weekend - with people I don't know, and it's my first truly narrative game experience. (I probably used to the a Typhoid Mary and Force-using GM, but I am trying to come clean;)

I will play the sample scenario from the book, and I have a question:
Is all information in the setup shared between all players, including NPCs' Devils, motives and so on from the start? Or is there any story info that is kept from the players at the beginning, such as PC stats etc.?

Per

[DevP]

Hey Per, good to see you around. <g>

I'm not 100% clear of how much of the NPC stuff you should share. Personally, I feel if its best if the players know each others' devils, so they could conscientiously bring each others' into play; for the NPCs, perhaps just have them where their devils on their sleeve and the motives slightly more pocketed.

[Matt Snyder]

Yes, you definitely want the people playing the game to know this information. Absolutely. Remember, they are going to be narrating things about OTHER characters during the game. It's vital they know what makes PCs tick, as well as many NPCs.

In my experience, you need not overtly tell the players about the sexual tensions of the NPCs. Players often either (1) figure this out or (2) ignore the situation entirely and focus on conflicts with the PCs.

This kind of play requires players to know about characters becaue the human beings playing this game are collaboratively telling a powerful, gut-wrenching story. Their characters may actually KILL each other, but the players need to recognize that this may actually be the best choice for this type of game. Competition, "don't mess with me" and similar behaviors aren't necessary, but you also need to explain this very fact with all your fellow players. Make them recognize that the game isn't "about their character." It's about "everyone's story together."

I hope that makes some sense and is useful. I REALLY hope you enjoy the game! Have fun!