[TROS] Situation Driven TROS in Westeros

[johnmarron]

I'm gearing up to run The Riddle of Steel for the first time, and thought I would make some actual play posts covering the game setup and how it runs.  I was inspired to try the system by Ralph Mazza (Valamir)'s rant on RPGNet about detailed character backgrounds, and the follow-up thread posted by Balbinus about practical tips for implementing situation driven play.  Unfortunately, my internet forum fu is not strong enough to include links to those threads, but hopefully some of the more technically capable folks who were involved will do so.  I also want to try implementing some of the ideas from Chris Chinn (Bankuei)'s RPGNet columns on Protagonist play, as well as various Forge GMing techniques such as scene framing, bangs, etc.

    I have not gamed with the two folks who will be playing in the game before.  They are an engaged couple in their 20-30's whom I met through an email exchange after selling the guy an extra copy of Heroquest I had.  We seem to have some similar ideas about wanting player driven story, so hopefully our styles will mesh.  For myself, this is my first foray into more traditional, "crunchy" gaming in a long, long while.  For many years I've been more of an Over the Edge, Everway, Prince Valiant, Puddle kind of guy, but the idea of TROS's Spiritual Attributes and realistic but dramatic combat hooked me, and convinced me to invest the time to learn the system.

    The three of us met over lunch earlier this week and discussed possible settings.  I had a list of settings I'd like to try out the system with, including Midnight, Fading Suns, Middle Earth, a number or renaissance and enlightenment historic periods, and Westeros, the setting for the Song of Ice and Fire novels.  I found the setting included with the TROS rules (Weyrth) to not be very inspirational for me, thus the alternatives.  The consensus was for Westeros, which is a very good fit for the gritty combat and passion driven play of TROS.  Since the setting is also very low magic, this allows me to avoid dealing with TROS magic as well, which I don't care for (not because it is powerful or potentially game derailing, but because the mechanics are a bit involved for me and basing effects on scientific rationales just leaves me cold).

    We are meeting tonight to work out the situation for the game (including timeframe in relation to the novels, geographical locale, etc.), and to make up characters tied into the situation.  From there I plan to work up an R-map and core conflict based on the character's SAs and the situation, work up a few bangs, stat up some NPCs from the R-map and bangs, and jump right into play next week.  If anyone has any suggestions for other prep that is necessary for this style of game, please let me know.  I think with a solid idea of the conflict, NPC motivations and goals, what the players want the game to focus on as shown by their SAs, and some improv tools like a name list, I should be in good shape to run a game that everyone is invested in and that will be driven by the PCs, who will definitely be the protagonists.

    I'll post again after the initial situation and characters are developed.


John Marron

[Valamir]

Hey, I'm really glad you found that rant useful.  I phrased it as a rant, partially out of frustration, and partially because you do tend to have to be a little controversial to get much attention over the shear volume of posts at RPG.net  Ultimately I was very pleased by the quality of the overall discussion that came out of it.

Sounds like your off to a great start.  The only tips I'd add.

Don't go in completely blank slate.  Be sure to have a couple of situation ideas in you hip pocket just to get discussion going.  I'm not familiar with Westeros, but if the books are as good as I keep hearing, I imagine it wouldn't be much trouble to come up with something appropriate.

Don't develop too much, but a few nuggets like "villages held hostage by an unemployed mercenary company turned bandit" or "a dieing lord's heir has not been seen for years, and now outside forces are coveting possession of his land" (suitably flavored for Westeros, of course) can help.  Ideally I'd suggest haveing each of your other players bring a couple of their own, stressing that they are just talking points to start from.

Alternatively, if everyone is a fan of the book, come prepared to discuss your favorite situations from the book and use those to generate the ideas for establishing something similiar (not canonical, but inspired by)

In any event, I find that seeding the brainstorming in this way in advance makes for a more productive session.  Once the framework of the situation gets established (likely weaving in several of the nugget ideas together, while abandoning others), NPC and PC character ideas will just start suggesting themselves.

The details and nitty gritty can then be filled in by you in prep for your first session of play.


My second big tip would be to keep in mind the very important fact that the Game Master (you) is a player too.  Too often, I think, GMs looking to cede some of the creative authority to players feel like they have to cede it all, and their role is reduced to just being a conduit and implementer of the players ideas.  Not so.  Its just as important to have the GM excitedly buying into the situation as the players, so don't be shy about putting your own suggestions and preferences into the mix.

In can be a difficult balance to give ideas and suggestions as a GM and yet avoid the other players feeling obligated to "follow the GM", but it sounds like you're likely well beyond such worries.

[johnmarron]

Don't go in completely blank slate.  Be sure to have a couple of situation ideas in you hip pocket just to get discussion going.  I'm not familiar with Westeros, but if the books are as good as I keep hearing, I imagine it wouldn't be much trouble to come up with something appropriate.

Don't develop too much, but a few nuggets like "villages held hostage by an unemployed mercenary company turned bandit" or "a dieing lord's heir has not been seen for years, and now outside forces are coveting possession of his land" (suitably flavored for Westeros, of course) can help.  Ideally I'd suggest haveing each of your other players bring a couple of their own, stressing that they are just talking points to start from.

Thanks for the tips.  Your sample situations don't need any tweaking for Westeros at all.  If both of those aren't somewhere in the books, they could easily be.  One of the players has already said he has some situation ideas, and I do as well.  I think we're all prepared for this to be a collaborative effort.

Alternatively, if everyone is a fan of the book, come prepared to discuss your favorite situations from the book and use those to generate the ideas for establishing something similiar (not canonical, but inspired by)

We've also discussed that we're not going to be uptight about sticking to the setting as written, and that from whatever time point we choose to start the game, the plot of the novels is out the door, and the game will be our story.  Setting is not the strong point of the novels (I would say character followed by plot are their strengths).  The setting is pretty vanilla medieval western Europe with the serial numbers filed off.  As such, it is accessible enough that we will all feel comfortable in it, and hopefully it will serve as a colorful but unobtrusive backdrop to the story of the characters we come up with.  I cut my role-playing teeth on games like Empire of the Petal Throne and Skyrealms of Jorune, but I think that, while exotic settings are fun to explore, they can overshadow story and character.  I'm looking forward to a game that will actually be primarily about the PCs and their lives.

My second big tip would be to keep in mind the very important fact that the Game Master (you) is a player too.  Too often, I think, GMs looking to cede some of the creative authority to players feel like they have to cede it all, and their role is reduced to just being a conduit and implementer of the players ideas.  Not so.  Its just as important to have the GM excitedly buying into the situation as the players, so don't be shy about putting your own suggestions and preferences into the mix.

In can be a difficult balance to give ideas and suggestions as a GM and yet avoid the other players feeling obligated to "follow the GM", but it sounds like you're likely well beyond such worries.

I certainly hope we're all at a point where we can feel free to contribute as equals to the game.  I'm very excited about the game and our choice of setting.  We're all fans of the books, and TROS captures the feel of the setting wonderfully.  I can't wait to see what situtaion we come up with tonight and what characters they develop, so I can start spinning off juicy conflicts based off of their SAs.

John

[Steven Bishop]

Your idea of a game sounds amazing.  I looked at the site for The Riddle of Steel and I am well impressed with what it says is going on in the game, though I haven't read any of the book.  I have also read the series that you are going to run your game in and that sounds great.  If I could suggest some things about the game then read on, if not stop now.  If you were going to be including some magic into the game then I good place to play would be in the north in the land of the Starks, because they still believe in the old gods and such things as magic and creatures that live in the woods.  But if you are going to stay away from magic then the ideal place would be the south and you could easily throw the characters into a lot of political schemes going on around the iron throne.  If I could help suggest anything else about the game world I would be more than happy to discuss it with you as I have been doing a lot of thinking about the world of Westeros for a strategy game that I'm developing with a friend of mine.

[johnmarron]

Steven – thanks for the setting suggestions.  I want to avoid magic for a while, so we have decided to set the game in the south.

We had our situation and character design session last Friday, and all in all, I'm very pleased.  We decided to set the game in the capital (King's Landing), just after the first big death in the first novel (I'm going to try and avoid spoilers for folks who haven't read the novels yet).  This death will plunge the realm into civil war, which is our opening situation.  I'm not sure if this is too general a situation.  I'm trying to make sure the characters are tied in to the upcoming events, but I think I didn't push enough for a more immediate and personal starting point.

The two characters are a knight (played by Christopher), and a lady in waiting (played by Adrienne).

The Lady (not named yet), Lady in waiting to the Queen:

Priorities:  Race F, Social B, Attributes C, Skills A, Profs D, Gifts E

Social      7      Strength   2
Wits        3      Agility      4
Willpower   4      Toughness   2
Perception   6      Endurance   2
Mental Apt.   6      Health      3

SA's

Passion:  Love of family (Baratheon)            2
Passion:  Loyalty to the Queen (Cersei Lannister)      2
Conscience                     1
Drive:  To find a kindred spirit            1
Destiny:  To be a kingmaker               1

Skills – Courtier 6 / Entertainer 6 (lots ended up at 5, with a few 4's!)

Gifts and Flaws:  Allies (minor) the queen will do her minor favors
Troublemaker

Combat Pool – Dagger 7

Obviously, she's no fighter.  Her player described her as deliberate, thoughtful, and perhaps manipulative.  She's a born courtier (Social 7 and Etiquette 4, Intrigue 5, and Sincerity 5).  Her troublemaker flaw manifests as malicious gossip meant to provoke conflicts rather than the usual fight starting, and this causes her some twinges of conscience (usually after the fact).  Her passions may come into conflict fairly quickly since her family and the Queen's will come down on opposite sides of the upcoming war.

The Knight, Ser Osric Lannister:

Priorities:  Race F, Social B, Attributes C, Skills D, Profs A, Gifts E

Social      3      Strength   5
Wits        5      Agility      7
Willpower   4      Toughness   4
Perception   2      Endurance   3
Mental Apt.   2      Health      4

SA's

Passion:  Love of family (Lannister)            2
Passion:  Hatred of family patriarch (Tywin Lannister)   1
Drive:  To become a lord               3
Destiny:  Hurt the ones he loves            1
?

Skills – Courtier 8 / Knight 8

Gifts and Flaws:  Beauty of Legends (minor), Overconfident (minor), Arrogant about his station (minor)

Combat Pools – Greatsword 14, Lance 12

Obviously, he is a fighter.  Pretty much a combat monster, in fact. His player described him as fairly ruthless in his pursuit of status, but with an almost pathetic desire to be loved.  So far, he's basically a good looking, arrogant, spoiled rich kid with a big ass sword.  He's a cousin of the Queen.


I wasn't as clear as I might have been about SA's while we were doing the characters, which led Chris to have to change some of his to the above.  My next step is to work out an R-map of the court and big players in the war, decide on some opening bangs (n the absence of kickers), and get the SA's into play.  We'll see how the lady's conflicting passions will play out, and how the knight reacts when asked to perform actions that advance his family, but also advance his hated uncle.  Any suggestions for tightening up the situation or good bangs given the above setup would be appreciated.

John

[Steven Bishop]

Well you have one character that is Baratheon and another that is House Lannister and just with that you could do a lot.  You could have an attempt on someones life and maybe have the two houses think the other did it, or maybe both houses are put in danger and they come together to stop the threat as a team.  You could also do something with the Dornish people they are in an interesting situation.  They have an alliance with the king and mutually protect eachother, but at the same time it's its own nation just within the borders of another.  And those two you mentioned sound like interesting sessionsas well.

[johnmarron]

We had our first actual play session last night, and I think overall it went very well.  I'm going to try and avoid spoilers for those who haven't read the novels yet, but if you are sensitive to that sort of thing, you may want to skip this thread.  Also, I believe one of the players may be reading this thread (Chris), and if so, please feel free to chime in with your own observations.

We worked out where the PCs fit into the (huge) cast of NPCs from the novels.  Ser Osric (the knight character) is Kevan Lannister's youngest son, squire to King Robert, Tywin Lannister's nephew, and first cousin of Jaime, Cersei (the queen) and Tyrion.  This allowed the player to start considering how close he is in the succession to inherit his family's lands and become a great lord, his drive SA.  It will be interesting to see which path to becoming a lord he chooses (the two I see right now are shining on the battlefield in the upcoming war or a lot of underhanded scheming and possible fratricide).  Jessamine is a second cousin of King Robert, a young lady not long in the capitol, serving as a lady in waiting to Queen Cersei.  The PCs know each other and have frequent opportunities to appear in the same scenes at court as they are tied to both sides of the royal family.

I decided to roll the start of the game back a little in relation to the books.  We opened with the grand tournament held to celebrate the appointment of the new King's Hand from early in the first novel. I wanted to allow the player of the knight to try out some fighting and allow the player of the lady to get in some social schmoosing time at the feast afterwards.

Ser Osric (BTW - the use of "Ser" instead of "Sir" is an affectation of Martin's in this setting, not a re-occurring typo on my part) participated in the jousting while Jessamine hung out in the royal box and eavesdropped on high level discussions and a royal family tiff.  Ser Osric rode to a draw on three passes vs his first opponent, then sent his next opponent, Ser Lucos Hall, a minor Tully bannerman, flying with a solid hit.  He drew again vs his cousin Jaime Lannister, and was finally unseated by Ser Loras Tyrell (The Knight of Flowers - not surprising).   Osric used his "Love of Family" SA dice on a few of these jousts since the player argued that family pride was on the line.  I found that the level of die rolling and my unfamiliarity with the system led to my focusing a lot more on the mechanics of the game and a lot less on description than I normally would.  I'm guessing that this will become less of a problem as we all become more comfortable with the system.

Ser Loras eventually won the joust by defeating Ser Gregor "The Mountain" Clegane.  Gregor, none too pleased by being beaten by this pansy flower wearer, drew a weapon and approached Ser Loras from behind as he received his prize from the king.  Jessamine was the only one to notice this in the royal box, and her player, noting her conscience SA, decided to call out a warning, despite the potential to gain a powerful enemy in the Mountain.  This kept Gregor from braining the handsome young knight, and earned Jess an SA point in conscience.  I took this opportunity to bring up how SA points are used in character advancement again, and at this point I think I saw a little dawning of awareness of how the SA system works in the players.  Unfortunately, this was the only SA award I made in our short session (2 hours).  I think as the game heats up and we start directing the story towards the player's goals, I'll be handing them out a lot more frequently.  We're all learning how TROS works as we go along.

At the feast that night, Loras asked Jessamine to dance, and thanked her for her aid, giving her a possible connection or ally.  There was more political discussion, royal couple fighting, and Ser Osric became buddies with the knight he had beaten in the joust.  I dropped a few hints about the political scene, but wasn't as successful at conveying the central conflict of the game and who the players are as I would have liked to be.  The central conflict is "Who will rule Westeros?", and the stakes are control of the land, people, power, and wealth of the kingdom.  The main factions contesting this are the five major noble houses (Baratheon, Lannister, Stark, Tyrell, and Greyjoy)

We tried out the hand to hand combat next, and Ser Osric went on to half-sword an unfortunate man at arms' knee to a bloody pulp in the next day's melee.  That night, the queen approached Osric in Jessamine's presence, and asked him to make a peace offering of two skins of fine wine to the king on their hunt the next day.  Jess picked up on the fact that the queen meant for the king to come to some harm, and Adrienne, Jessamine's player, immediately saw that this was a moral dilemma for her character.  Does her love of family (the king is her cousin) prompt her to warn him, or does her loyalty to her benefactress the queen make her keep her mouth shut?  We broke for the evening at this point, but I have to say that I was very pleased with the way TROS prompted the player to face a meaningful decision about her character.  Either way, she'll garner some SA points, but the decision she makes will say a lot about how the player sees her character, and help point the direction the rest of the game will go in.

One final observation and I'll stop rambling (I promise!).  I found that we were all falling a bit into the trap of trying to be too true to the setting as written (myself in particular).  We've discussed the fact that we're not uptight about being perfectly accurate in regards to setting details, and that we fully expect (and want) our story to diverge from the novels, but it was hard not to try and get the "facts" of the setting right.  If you've read the novels, you know that there is a cast of hundreds of interrelated NPCs, and a fairly detailed and interesting (if not particularly exotic or innovative) backstory to the setting.  I think this is a problem with playing in any "licensed" setting, and again, I hope it is a problem that will fade into the background as we all get into the groove of our game.

John

[Valamir]

Sounds to me like a perfectly splendid beginning.  I particularly like how you didn't hesitate to make the characters nobility and built in a bunch of blood relations.  From what I've heard that's pretty much the hallmark of the novels, but is an excellent option for play in any setting.  I love breaking the stereotype of PCs having to start out as peasant farmboys and work their way up.

This kept Gregor from braining the handsome young knight, and earned Jess an SA point in conscience. I took this opportunity to bring up how SA points are used in character advancement again, and at this point I think I saw a little dawning of awareness of how the SA system works in the players. Unfortunately, this was the only SA award I made in our short session (2 hours). I think as the game heats up and we start directing the story towards the player's goals, I'll be handing them out a lot more frequently. We're all learning how TROS works as we go along.

Outstanding.  And no need to worry that it was the only one.  First of all for a first session you get a free pass anyway, and secondly if you started right off the bat handing out half a dozen, how many would you have to give to make the climax seem climactic?

One tip I think works well is to remember (as you did here) that a lot of times the same situation that allows dice to be used also can earn a die.  My personal screen for whether to give a die is:
1) whether the use of the die actually has the potential to make things more difficult for the character in the future (as yours did) or was something that really signals a fresh spurt of commitment.
2) if the die gained was something of a stretch, pushing the boundaries, I'd award one but not the other.

I dropped a few hints about the political scene, but wasn't as successful at conveying the central conflict of the game and who the players are as I would have liked to be. The central conflict is "Who will rule Westeros?", and the stakes are control of the land, people, power, and wealth of the kingdom. The main factions contesting this are the five major noble houses (Baratheon, Lannister, Stark, Tyrell, and Greyjoy)

Haven't your players also read the books?  I would think they already know what the stakes are.  Perhaps they were just roleplaying their characters as oblivious so the they can then roleplay their shock and outrage later.  Playing the part of naifs drawn in instead of dedicated conspirators.

If this isn't the case it wouldn't be any great problem to have some advisor (honest or manipulator) pull them aside and confront them directly spelling out "what the score is".

We tried out the hand to hand combat next, and Ser Osric went on to half-sword an unfortunate man at arms' knee to a bloody pulp in the next day's melee.

Have you talked with you players about the possibility of J- spending alot of time on the sidelines while 0- fights.  Especially with a war coming up, have you considered the techniques you'll use to help share the spot light?

One suggestion, when O- is of fighting and J- waiting for the next cutscene to come back to her, let her play an opponent or two.  Keeps her involved and lets them both learn the system.

Similiarly you can let O-'s player roleplay some of the folks at the parties that J- interacts with.  It can also be an effective way of getting some OOC information (that the individuals O-'s playing would know) into the hands of the players to let them Author Stance it into their actions.

One final observation and I'll stop rambling (I promise!). I found that we were all falling a bit into the trap of trying to be too true to the setting as written (myself in particular). We've discussed the fact that we're not uptight about being perfectly accurate in regards to setting details, and that we fully expect (and want) our story to diverge from the novels, but it was hard not to try and get the "facts" of the setting right. If you've read the novels, you know that there is a cast of hundreds of interrelated NPCs, and a fairly detailed and interesting (if not particularly exotic or innovative) backstory to the setting. I think this is a problem with playing in any "licensed" setting, and again, I hope it is a problem that will fade into the background as we all get into the groove of our game.

How are you tracking this cast in your game?  I'd bet given the popularity of the books that someone has put a list of characters out on the internet that may serve as a useful summary of them.  

By focusing then on the little blurb of information provided in the summary rather than everything you know about the character from the story, it may help 1) to "reset" the character back to more of a blank slate, and 2) help organize all of the names.  

Might make for a good handout to the players too, since in their position they'd likely know most (or at least many) of the names on the list.

If you reformat it to give room for notes, you can keep track of important game stuff about them as it happens and they can keep track of their own notes on who did what to whom and such.

Or maybe you already have something like this.


Great game write-up BTW.  A good blend of character action and mechanics used.  In the future I'd like to hear your observations about what the players felt too.  For instance was J- fidgity while the tourney going on?  Did O-'s player look disappointed or pleased that his character eventually lost after putting on a good showing?

[Steven Bishop]

How are you tracking this cast in your game? I'd bet given the popularity of the books that someone has put a list of characters out on the internet that may serve as a useful summary of them.

This is a very good point.  If you look at the back of the books there is a long section on all of the houses and some of the main characters inside the house.  That would be a good place to start for information.

It sounds like you guys are going to have a great time with this, maybe I should stop by when I go home from college for the summer.  Think about it, it would great to meet with you and your group to see how you guys do it.

[CPXB]

I supposed I'd be the player that is reading.  I'm Ser Osric's player.  :D

I agree that the game went well -- I think part of what was going on, at least for my own part, was hesitation.  It was the first time that I gamed with John and I wanted to see how he'd do things.  As much as I try to be mature about things like character deaths, I'd've had some chagrin if I leapt into combat, greatsword swinging overhead, only to be chopped down like a stalk of wheat in a thresher.  Now I've gotten a better measure of things, I think, so I'll be more likely to take chances.  Part of it definitely was, y'know, the reasonably imposing setting.  I KNEW that things would happen if I just let them.

Indeed, next session I'm sorta planning to kill the Mountain; psychologically for my part it'll be a clean break from the books and the characters will, obviously, be out on their own.  (Alternately, I might be making a new character, hehe -- I even have a vague concept, so its all cool.)  I think this will fit in well with his SA, a Passion that he hate Tywin, by killing one of Tywin's most useful servants, and as part of his plot to become a lord, so I might squeeze in TWO passions.  Anyway, by next session I hope to have gotten into the right mindset enough to play my character as passionately as I want, now that I've seen how John GMs as well as am aware of how the setting has been oppressing me.

[CPXB]

Great game write-up BTW.  A good blend of character action and mechanics used.  In the future I'd like to hear your observations about what the players felt too.  For instance was J- fidgity while the tourney going on?  Did O-'s player look disappointed or pleased that his character eventually lost after putting on a good showing?

I was pleased that Osric did so well.  He's a better swordsman than jouster, and it was nice to see him doing fairly well.

Things I remember -- after jousting to a draw with his cousin, Jaime, Osric went rode over to Jaime and said, "I would have had you on the next pass cousin." as a jest.  This though Jaime had clearly dominated the contest, often just wholly parrying Osric's lance while Osric was barely clinging to his saddle.

On whole, Osric was pleased with his performance.  He drew to a tie jousting two of the greatest knights of the land -- Jaime Lannister and Sandor Clegane -- while being unseated by the tourney's winner, Ser Loras.  Not bad for a guy's first tourney.  :)

[Steven Bishop]

I know this is the Actual Play section, but it kind of deals with gaming.  While you guys are all driving around in Maine you should stop by my old stomping grounds in Belfast and try to find a place entitled "The Game Loft" it is above a gaming shop entitled "All About Games".  I used to help run both places and helped create The Game Loft.  I have a friend there named Ian Howard and he and I are working on another game based in Westeros.  Its a nice little town with its own little gaming community its cool.

[johnmarron]

Ralph,

Thanks for the comments.  Since you initialy inspired this project, it's nice to hear what you have to say about it.

Sounds to me like a perfectly splendid beginning.  I particularly like how you didn't hesitate to make the characters nobility and built in a bunch of blood relations.  From what I've heard that's pretty much the hallmark of the novels, but is an excellent option for play in any setting.  I love breaking the stereotype of PCs having to start out as peasant farmboys and work their way up.

We definitely wanted the PCs to be movers and shakers in the setting, on a par with the characters in the novels, and TROS's social standing priority handled this perfectly.

Haven't your players also read the books?  I would think they already know what the stakes are.

Yes, we've all read the books, but some time ago for the players and I'm halfway through the third novel.  I think I just wanted to make it explicit that the power strugle is the central conflict that will inform the game, and that the PCs stories will weave in and out of that larger tapestry.

Have you talked with you players about the possibility of J- spending alot of time on the sidelines while 0- fights.  Especially with a war coming up, have you considered the techniques you'll use to help share the spot light?

We talked briefly about not maintaining the "party" mentality with the two of them traipsing around together.  I expressed the hope that each character's story would be engaging enough for all of us that it would make watching the other player's scenes entertaining.  I think we do need to talk about this a bit more,, and your suggestion of having them play NPCs is a good one.  As for the future of the game and J's role with a war looming, I hope to cut back and forth fairly frequently between the military action and the politics.  The novels are structured as a series of chapters, each from a different character's viewpoint, and I think the we can get the game to reflect that structure and feel as well.  At least I'm going to try to do so.

How are you tracking this cast in your game?  I'd bet given the popularity of the books that someone has put a list of characters out on the internet that may serve as a useful summary of them.

There is an amazing resource for the setting on the web at www.westeros.org which has a massive collection of references from the novels broken into categories such as history, legends, various regions, culture, faith, food, etc.  Unfortunately, they haven't completed their character section yet.  Thankfully, each novel has appendices listing the cast and their relationships, although it doesn't contain anything about their personalities or goals.  I've been working on a guide to the main NPCs that the players will have dealings with initially, and will work it into a handout with space to add notes, as per your sugestion.  

Great game write-up BTW.  A good blend of character action and mechanics used.

Thanks.  I find I personally don't get much out of "fictionalized" transcripts of game sessions, but do enjoy synopses that point out where the games strengths and weaknesses showed.  I'll try to keep future posts about the game in that format.

In the future I'd like to hear your observations about what the players felt too.  For instance was J- fidgity while the tourney going on?  Did O-'s player look disappointed or pleased that his character eventually lost after putting on a good showing?

One thing I should mention first is that we are playing in a game store on Friday nights, not the most tranquil environment.  Still, we seemed to be able to focus pretty well despite the teen CCG players all around us.  The players (Chris and Adrienne) are kind enough to provide dinner for me since I live an hour away and drive to their town to play.  J's player was crocheting during the game, which I have no problem with.  She was obviously engaged and following events, although I think she glazed over a bit while we tried out the hand to hand combat.  During the Jousting, I tried to cut back and forth between bouts and dialogue in the royal box, so I hope she wasn't too bored.  As Chris posted above, he seemed quite pleased with his character's performance in the joust, and while the player grimaced about shatering the man-at-arms' knee, the character shrugged it off as an occupational hazard and didn't seem to give it a second thought.  Osric is shaping up to be a fairly self-centered, arrogant schemer, but we'll see if he changes as the game progresses.

Thanks again for the comments.  Im really enjoying the game so far, and have high hopes that it will continue to be fun.

John

[Adrienne]

Hi, I'm Jessamine's player.  I'm enjoying the game quite a bit, and don't mind that there is frequent scene-switching.  I generally find Osric's parts entertaining (although it's true that I glazed a bit during the hand-to-hand stuff).  I do have a couple of small concerns about how gameplay is shaping up.  Given the very cooperative way that things have been going so far, I hope John won't mind if I post them here.

In the most recent session, Jess earned four new SA points:  two in each of her passions (love to Baratheons and loyalty to the Queen).  Without giving away details that John might be intending to post in a summary, right now she's trying to juggle these two conflicting passions.  However, I realized that I can't recall actually using SA dice at any point in the game so far.

I'm not remembering to check my SAs before I make rolls.  The character is engaging in a fair amount of deception right now, mostly to protect Cersei, and I didn't think to ask about adding SA dice to those skill checks.  Generally, I was wondering if people had suggestions for including SAs.  Do I just need to form the habit of scanning the list before I make rolls, or is there anything else I should do?

The second problem is a little broader, and it has to do with both character design and playing style.  The Westeros setting, particularly as the struggle for the throne progresses, is pretty brutal.  There are likely to be a number of important things being accomplished by force, and non-combatants (such as my social-heavy character) are not immune to violent fallout from these events.  Already, I'm beginning to get the sense that Jessamine is being swept along with little control over her fate.  Meanwhile, Osric can defend himself physically and seems to be making better progress at socially advancing himself.

Part of this stems from a difference in play style.  Chris is very aggressive and quick-witted, while I tend to be more cautious and don't think as fast on my feet.  The other issue is that Osric's SAs work mostly in harmony, while two of my character's Passions are in near-constant conflict.  While I enjoy playing it, my character's waffling is holding her back from gaining the benefits of choosing a side that Osric seems to have.

Anyway, reading back over that, I apologize if it's long or confused.  I guess I'm curious whether folks who've played TROS before have any advice to offer on conflicting SAs--are they a bad idea in the long run, or just as workable as a more focused character?

I'm already looking forward to next week's game.  Fun stuff.  :)


Thanks,
Adrienne

[Brian Leybourne]

I'm not remembering to check my SAs before I make rolls.  The character is engaging in a fair amount of deception right now, mostly to protect Cersei, and I didn't think to ask about adding SA dice to those skill checks.  Generally, I was wondering if people had suggestions for including SAs.  Do I just need to form the habit of scanning the list before I make rolls, or is there anything else I should do?

The concept of SA's is such that they're the most important things in the world to your character. (If they're not, or they're not anymore, time to change 'em).

As such, everything your character does should generally be done with your SA's in mind. Rather than just playing the game and occasionally checking to see if your SA's might apply, play the game as if the SA's were vital to you, driving you, guiding you (because to your character, they are/should be). That way, you wont need to check if they apply in any situation, because you'll know they do.

This is the main reason why group character creation is really useful (almost vital) in TROS play. If the characters' don't have at least some complimentary SA's, things get very hard for the players and GM.

I guess I'm curious whether folks who've played TROS before have any advice to offer on conflicting SAs--are they a bad idea in the long run, or just as workable as a more focused character?

Conflicting SA's are a little more work, but can make for some really amazing play. Most people have had conflicting desires in their life. Ever fancied a friends partner? Ever wanted to do something you knew was bad for you? Deliciously fun, 'aint they? :-)

Brian.