The Riddle in Marsui Again

[Judd]

Ran another game of the Riddle.

The first game was 8 hours long and it felt just about right.  A good blend of blood, politics, swashbuckling and heroism.  The players were pushed the whole game and it felt like a balls to the wall roller coaster with enemies everywhere.

This game was 4 hours long and as a Seneschal/GM/Storyteller...whatever I never felt like I found my legs, which is frustrating.  I think I put exciting choices out for the players but I just didn't quite push it hard enough to make it terribly exciting.

At the end of the game when I looked over the Spiritual Attributes I had tapped it came up really short and two of the characters' SA's had never been touched at all.

It felt like a transition game, a game in between the greater and more exciting parts of the story.

A frustrating afternoon for the Riddle but I think it will segueway into a more exciting chapter to come.

For future reference, I will make more time for the next game to come up with an encounter or event or something for each of their SA's.

[Judd]

I guess if this game brought out any questions or issues it was this:

Does anyone else find some games are transitions, either because things just don't seem to click?

What is the different between the happening and big games and the tweeners?

Can tweeners be avoided or are they a fact of the medium?

[Ian Charvill]

I don't think it's any more reasonable to expect every gaming session to be great than to expect a football team to be on top of their game every time.

It's a group creative endeavour and sometimes things aren't going to work as well.

Of course, there's a big difference between a game session being so-so and one which is appalingly bad, but you seemed to be describing the former.

My advice would be don't agonize over it unless it becomes a habit.

edited because the lurgy I currently have seems to have taken my ability to write coherent english.

[Tor Erickson]

What is the different between the happening and big games and the tweeners?

Hi Judd,

I remember a similar situation in my first Sorcerer campaign.  The first session was a blast, firing on all cylinders, what have you, but the second session just seemed to drag on and felt rather muddled.  I could recognize it as it was happening, but felt helpless to do anything.

After the game was over I looked back to see if I could isolate the difference and what it came down to was this:  (1) going into the second session the bangs that I had prepared were weaker and less defined than in the first session and (2) as a result, I was much more tentative about scene-cutting, letting several of the scenes drag on for way too long.

That was it.  Does that sound familiar at all or am I way off track?

Tor

[Jake Norwood]

Also, you don't need to account for every SA every game. Plus, your players should be looking for it, not waiting for it.

Jake