[The Mountain Witch] Angst Ascendant pt. 2

[MPOSullivan]

This is an AP of the second half of Act One from my play group's MW game.  You can find the write-up of the first half over here.

In this installment I'll summarize the rest of the session and discuss my reactions to the system in play and how I felt it impacted play.  There may be some other odds and ends as well.  I guess we'll find out when I get that far.

I will also preface this by saying that a very large part of the game experience for our group has been the developing interrelationships of the players' characters and how this arose from moments in play.  For this reason I feel that, in order to do the game justice, I will probably have to write some fairly long, maybe even exhaustive, play summaries. 

The Play

Ozuki and Takenochi found themselves lost in a vast field of white.  They looked about for their partners but they were nowhere to be found.  Takenochi pulled herself up from the terrible snow and looked down at her waist.  Other Dan, Takenochi's player, decided that the prayer scroll that Takenochi used to ward off evil spirits would have been tattered and destroyed during the fall.  Takenochi pulled the scroll away and hid it, not telling her companion that it had been destroyed. 

They were lost.  Ozuki was unable to figure out which direction they needed to head.  After a couple of minutes of discussion Takenochi decided to use her scrying ability and see if she could divine a way forward.  Dan, the GM, declared his stakes were that, should Other Dan fail the Mountain Witch would take command of her vision and place in her a false one, guiding them down a wicked path.

The dice were, of course, on the side of the Witch and Ozuki and Takenochi found themselves travelling down a path blazed by the Witch.  They wended their way up a small road, through a craggy valley and found themselves at the foot of a long rope bridge hanging over vertiginous depths. 

Elsewhere on the mountain Ryuji and Baba-sama had found a man-made cave carved into the side of the rock face.  In that cave they found the crushed and frozen body of a child.  Baba-sama looked down at the body and saw only her own boy, taken from her by vicious hands.  Tears started streaking down her face as a wicked, baleful wind whipped up from the valley below us.  Floating on these winds was a woman, dressed in a wife's kimono stained in blood.  Her face was twisted in anguish as she floated closer to us and the child. 

"I have to protect my child," Star, Baba-sama's player said.  The dominoes fell and both Dan and I had stakes that opposed hers.  I wanted to hold Baba-sama back and keep her away from the child and the Snow Maiden.  Dan wanted the Snow Maiden to flit down and take up the child's broken remains.  Dice clattered on the table and Dan and I both came up with a partial success against Star. 

Dan narrated his part, saying that the Maiden lighted down on the wind and reached out for the boy.  My hand lashed out and grabbed at Baba-sama's wrist as she lunged forward to the boy.  I held her back just long enough for the Maiden to take the boy up in her arms.  She fell back in the air and floated for a second, stroking the child.  Baba-sama wailed and wept.  I pulled her into my arms and away from the haunting sight, whispering into her ear over and over "he is not yours, he is not yours."

While I held Baba-sama in the cave, Takenochi and Ozuki approached the bridge.  At each end of the bridge were large wooden arches, and on each arch hung an antique mask, beaten and worn by powerful winter winds.  As they travelled, Ozuki and Takenochi reminisced on the past.  Takenochi spoke a little of her love, her fallen master.  She asked into Ozuki's past and he told her of his regret, how he had stolen from his master and had been banished for it.  Yet, something in his demeanor said that there was something much more beyond this.  .  Ozuki headed off first, carried on by bitter determination.  More wind blew through the valley, sharp and cold, and on it words were carried.  A thin whisper of "Liar", repeated over and again, found it's way to Ozuki's ears.  At this he only grew more angry and pressed further on.

Baba-sama sat against the cave wall for another moment.  I looked over to her.  "Where to now, Baba-sama?"

She looked up at me and smiled just a little bit.  "Namie."

I paused for a second.  It had been so long since someone had felt that close to me, and so quickly as well.  I extended my hand to her.  "Where to, Namie?" I said, an awkward smile on my face. 

She took my hand in hers and pulled herself up.  "Onward," she said quietly, holding my hand for just a moment more than she needed to. 

"Then perhaps I shall lead for a little while."  I pulled up a torch and walked carefully into the blackness of the cave.  It was not longer until we were out the other side and standing on a well-beaten path, gigantic wooden poles marking the sides of the road.  From each pole hung tatters of white fabric dancing lazily in the wind.  Further up the path we could see the summit of the mountain, a desolate place marred red and black.

Takenochi stood at the foot of the bridge.  She gathered herself for a moment and reached out with her mind, once again trying to use her mystical powers to divine where Ryuji and Namie were.  Dan asked if it were alright that, since they were closer to the Witch now, that Takenochi would receive the vision, win or lose, but the vision would be distorted by the horrible magics of the Witch.  Though, should Dan win the role, the vision would be completely perverted by the will of the Witch.  Other Dan liked it, as did we all, and the dice were rolled.  Other Dan won with a partial success and started narrating, describing where Namie and I were at the marked road.  I was struck with a vision and spent a Trust token to take over narration. 

I described how he saw the two of us stepping out of the mouth of the cave, winds blowing thick white flakes of snow around.  Then the image slowed to a stop.  Snow hung in midair and hair that danced moments ago seemed to be made of steel.  Then I turned my eyes toward Takenochi and smiled wide.  I turned and walked toward her, my smile growing ever wider.  As I approached I reached out with my hands and slowly, tenderly wrapped them around her throat.  As i crushed the air from her, blood, dark and thick, trickled up my arms, across my chest, climbed up my neck and face and started to pour into my own eyes.

Takenochi awoke gasping at the foot of the bridge.  She could see Ozuki further ahead, pressing forward.  He mentioned something about voices on the wind and Takenochi said that she could simply banish them with her prayer scroll, the scroll which had been destroyed. 

Takenochi stepped forth on the bridge and heard the word "Liar" whispered in her ears.  She walked forward and the words grew more persistent, first whispered, then spoken, then shouted at Takenochi.  She and her companion looked up as the masks adorning each of the arches were lifted up by a shadowy arm that grew directly from the face of the arch.  More shadowy arms appeared from the same spot, some bearing fists, others bearing swords.  On each side of the bridge now stood a beast made of shadow, a tangle of arms reaching and grasping in all directions at once, fronted by a horrible mask yelling "LIAR!"

Ozuki squared his stance and drew his blade.  Neil declared that he was going all out and that his stakes were to kill the monster coming at him.  Other Dan wanted to attack the one to the rear.  Dan stated his stakes were that each beast would hurt their respective PCs.  Dice were rolled and Other Dan got a full and partial success, Neil got a partial success and the beasties got nothing. 

Other Dan narrated that He struck out with his blade and cut the one beast to the ground, its body ripping into tatters.  He then turned quickly and let fly a shuriken that cut into the other beast.  Ozuki then came forward and lashed out, lopping off one of the arms of the creature. 

The next round Neil attacked again, this time with the help and Trust of Other Dan.  Dan couldn't bare the attack and the beast was vanquished.  As it tumbled over the edge of the bridge it yelled out "LIAR!"  Ozuki turned down the bridge and began running, growling the name "Ryuji!"

I looked ahead and decided to get a better view of the land.  I leaped up into the air and landed on the top of a tall tree.  Here I wanted to introduce more of my character's Dark Fate, so I narrated that I looked forward and could see the honour guard of Harumaki-sama marching forward, a couple of hours ahead of us.  I blanched for a moment and my hands grew slippery with fear sweat.  I jumped back down and wrapped my arms around Namie, "I've something to show you."  I jumped back to my perch atop the tree, Namie in my arms, a gasp escaping her mouth.  I pointed ahead to the marching guard.  Then I gingerly dropped back to the ground. 

"That is trouble that I fear that I have brought, Namie."  She could see that I had turned pale. 

Namie put her hand on my shoulder and squeezed ever so lightly.  "That is not what we are here for.  We have come for the Witch.  Do you understand?"

After a moment I nodded my head.  She turned and led us forward.  As we walked away the ribbons of cloth hanging from the poles marking the road turned against the wind and whipped out at the two of us and wrapped around our throats.  Dan stated stakes immediately, trying to choke us.  I pulled out my Princess Mononoke and said that I wanted to shoot the pole with an arrow and cut it down completely, in the same absurd way that the archer character from that movie could behead other characters.  Star wanted Namie to slice through the ribbon with her katana.

With the stakes set we rolled and I really freaking failed.  Thankfully, Star didn't and got a full and partial success.  She narrated that she cut herself free and then me, though I was cut free violently and the ribbon slashed a deep wound into the sides of my neck.  As soon as I was free I ran to Namie and scooped her up in my arms.  "Hold tight," I said and then took to the air, jumping on tree after tree until we were well clear of the deadly ribbons. 

When we touched ground again we nearly crashed right into Ozuki and Takenochi.  In the surprise of it Ozuki drew his blade against me.  I lifted mine half from its scabbard and blocked the attack.  Ozuki's hand was steady and held his blade against mine.  We were frozen for a moment, Ozuki glowering at me.  "It's alright," I said.  "It's me, Ryuji."  After another moment Ozuki finally drew his blade back and resheathed it. 

We stood for a moment in silence.  I turned and said "Where next, Namie?"  I was becoming more comfortable saying her given name and smiled when I did.  Ozuki and Takenochi were struck by the familiarity that had started to blossom between Namie and I and stared at each other for a moment. 

"Onward," she said. 

Just as night fell we stood at the edge of the summit, looking on to the Witch's terrible fortress.  I could see the banner's of Harumaki-sama flying just inside the first gate.  I reached my hand out to Namie's shoulder and squeezed tightly.  She placed her hand upon mine. 

The Thoughts

I've been aware of this game for a long time now.  Back when it had first come out of it's Iron Game Chef I can remember Ron saying to me in an email how much he loved the game, so I had to have a look.  Been following it for a while now and I'm glad to say that I've had two very enjoyable sessions so far. 

As a guy who is well-accustomed to the GM role in trad RPGs, I found that I very easily came around to how the system works.  Just about everyone in the group understood the game's approach and how it allowed us to interact with and change the SIS pretty damned quickly.  Even Other Dan, who has only been playing RPGs for a little while now grabbed on really quickly. 

The dice mechanic served its purpose quite well; resolve conflict in the direction of the narrative and then get the hell out of the way.  It added some great little things to the narrative as well.  The relationship between Namie and my character probably wouldn't be what it is if it weren't for that first roll of the game to set up group leadership.  And the Abilities mechanic is quite simple and eloquent.  It's also an amazing way to add detail to a character as every ability a character has is a way in which that character is different from all of the others. 

Dan, our GM for this, also seemed to really love the system, as it expressly forbade him from doing too much setup.  His role in the game is to constantly ramp up the tension between the characters, a role that can't be pre-written.  Dan's the kind of guy that likes to put a lot of forthought into things like this, so I get the impression from him that this experience was rather liberating. 

It's got a simple currency and everything about it can be taken at face value.  I also appreciate that the book spells out how a player can gain more power in the narrative rather than holding that back like some esoteric secret.  Knowing that Trust is essential to narrative power right out of the gate helps the game do what it does best. 

I'm also a huge fan of taking some little, minor bit of character control away from a Player.  Not deprotagonizing, mind you, just a mechanic or rule that says "Okay, yes, you are all of those things, but you also have to deal with THIS, too!"  You can see it in my own design for Vice/Meltdown in Criminal Element, as well as the Demons in Sorcerer, and it's evident here in the Dark Fates. 

Though, to be fair, I think that the Dark Fates were the only real stumbling block for our group.  Star and Other Dan seemed to know what to do with theirs immediately, while myself and Neil as well, i think, floundered for a bit until we saw the light.  I started introducing elements that could construct my Deepest Fear Fate fairly early on, but it didn't really feel like a Dark Fate until my character started developing a relationship with Namie.  As soon as that happened I realized that my Fear was that my past would come back to hurt those that I care about. 

I can see though that not knowing where you want to go with your Fate can hamper your game enjoyment a little bit.  Without a defined Dark Fate in your head, you as a player can't exert the same amount of narrative control that other Players can with more defined Fates.  For this reason I suggest using a sort of 'shotgun' approach.  Just fire off with small things that could imply a direction for or a definition of your Dark Fate.  Introduce weird moments that don't resolve themselves for a while.  Then, when you do have that idea bite you on the ass, just look at all of the cool imagery you employed without direction and shape and form it through your future narration. 

Now that we've had the first session under our belts we know the system and we have some great relationships started between the characters.  Next up is Act Two: House of Wolves. 

So... comments?  Questions?