New to the Pool

[The All Powerful Yeti]

So my gaming group has decided we've become dissatisfied with only playing what has basically been a Simulationist game, so we've decided to give the Pool a shot with your's truly as GM.  The plan is that it's going to be a fairly long campaign, like probably at minimum 6 months, once every other week (roughly 12-15 session minimum).

I've read the rules and the majority of the threads in this forum about the Pool, but I just wanted to ask some advice about some ideas I'm going to try.

1)  We're pretty much making a world setting from scratch.  There are 5 of us (myself and 4 players), and I've asked all of them to give me a few paragraphs of setting and I'm going to try and meld them all together.  I figured if it's a whole world, there's plenty of room for everyone's ideas as long as they aren't too different (i.e. This place is sword and spell, but their neighbors have nukes).  I've also asked them for a more indepth character history, separate from their character story to help flesh out the world.  For example, if they claim to be a member of the Temple Guards of ImAGod, I asked them to give me some background on the groups and ImAGod.

2) Just as part of the plot I am looking to run with, I am considering actually doing something similiar to a "prologue" to the story via email narrations between single characters and myself.  Then after these are settled, the story would go forth as normal.

Any advice as to potential problems, or do these seem like they will work fine in the context of the Pool?

We've never played the Pool, before so I just want to make sure I'm not making some horrendous mistake.

-Yeti

[Ron Edwards]

Hi there Yeti,

Welcome to the Forge! James only checks in with this forum once in a while, but we have enough Pool nuts around to help out, I think.

) We're pretty much making a world setting from scratch. There are 5 of us (myself and 4 players), and I've asked all of them to give me a few paragraphs of setting

I think that melding the setting parts together isn't as important as making sure that you use the setting elements in a fun way. These are two very different concepts. I'm suggesting that whatever the players give you about the setting will indicate what they'd like to see, and that no one really will care about how well or thoroughly you make the parts consistent among one another, beyond the absolute minimum.

I've also asked them for a more indepth character history, separate from their character story to help flesh out the world. For example, if they claim to be a member of the Temple Guards of ImAGod, I asked them to give me some background on the groups and ImAGod.

I suggest that this is actually a bad idea. I suggest instead that you use the character paragraphs as inspiration for you to flesh out that stuff. They gave you "little x," and now you use it to make "big X" as seen in play.

2) Just as part of the plot I am looking to run with, I am considering actually doing something similiar to a "prologue" to the story via email narrations between single characters and myself. Then after these are settled, the story would go forth as normal.

This is a pretty good idea ... until everyone gets invested in "playing before they play." Make sure that the stuff that happens in the prologue only sets up interesting decisions and conflicts for later, rather than turns into a play-by-email story of its own.

Best,
Ron

[The All Powerful Yeti]

Thanks for the suggestions Ron.

I think you're probably right about the idea of having them create those longer character histories.  I think I might still have them think about it and I might use those ideas a suggestions but I'm not going to make it law.

As for the prologue idea, it will basicallly be a very short sequence of events that will basically set up things that will be addressed later once the group (in the game) finally gets together.  For example, and this is all theory since they haven't made characters yet, if one of the PC's is a warrior, I was thinking of doing a quick email intro in which he is the middle of a battle.  People all around, sowrds clashing, etc etc.  Then he would see someone who doesn't belong there that only he can see, and that person gives him a message that he must travel to X place, where he will learn more.  And knowing my group, they'd bite on that and head to X place.

Thanks for the advice.

-Yeti