[Polaris] Live Playtest

[Ben Lehman]

Right now, four people are playtesting polaris and I am live blogging.  Players are Dav, Ted, Henri and Heather.

Dev: And so it was that the knight Corvus (Henri) was escorting a soul back to the underworld, and the soul did not cooperate, and this was embarrassing, because his student Columba (Ted) followed him.

Henri:  Let's say we're in a cavern of ice that goes deep, deep into the polar ice sheets, and at a river of salt water river with chunks of ice of it.

Dev:  The soul stops and complains, and this summons a demonic advocate (?)  

They talk.  Apparently the soul is "somewhat said."  Nietschze is the demonic representative (Heather)  He is rather lawyer-like.

I mention challenge mechanics.

They argue for a while.  The demon claims that his client has been clearly misserved.  If he returns to the land of the living, he will become a wraith.

The soul tries to leave.  Conflict time!  Henri spends his Office (Psychopomp) to say make Dev offer something else.  Dev offers that he destroys the soul.  Henri agrees.

Corvus tries reason one last time.  Then draws the sword and throws it into the souls back.  It evaporates.  Is this Experience?  Henri says it's like shooting a bomber when you should be negotiating.  Yes it experience!

He rolls an advance.

He explains to Columba that this is a failure, and not good, despite the fact that the boy was impressed.  Better to kill, he says, than to allow a wraith to escape.

and so it was...

[Ben Lehman]

Heather's character is Kin-yu, the goldfish, a socialite and fashionable girl.

And so it was that kin-yu was riding around on a seahorse in the south of the city (some argument about south vs. west.  There is no west.)  A dark large, knight in spiky armor, a nasty fellow (Ted).  "Goldfish, we meet again.  You're family is not around to protect you this time."  She immediately stands up and grabs her magic sword thing.

"Goldfish, you want to join us, the world is ending, the knights are over, it is time for the rise of the dark knights.  Don't you know?"

"Horrible fashion malfunction versus right way of light and justice, huh?"

"You will turn."

They draw.  He has a black hole sword, that's totally black.  The sword is called Event Horizon (Dev).  They stare at each other for a while.  There is some doubt about how to use the system.  Kinyu charges.  Arrakis (Henri) maneuvers around behind him.

X-1 steps aside and hamstrings her legs as she charges.  Arrakis gets to cut his head off.

We describe it.  There is trouble about who says what here.  Ted wants to describe what Arrakis does.  Henri wants to describe what X-1.

Arrakis places the wounded Goldfish on a seahorse, and they ride away home.

And so it was.

[Ben Lehman]

(I need to remind them about "and so it was.")

And so it was that Delphinus (shared fate) was schooling Suhail (Dev, Heart) and Vela (Henri, Mistaken) in the ways of naming children.  "You must pass your final test to be worthy to name the souls of the innocent.  But only one of you will pass the test.  The test is..."  What do you think the test should be, guys?  They talk about the test.

Suhail doesn't like it that.  Vela scoffs.

Delphinus says two namers can make two names that would split his soul.  Vela taunts him.  Suhail wants to share and cooperate or alternate days.  Delphinus considers this.

Vela says that this is traditional.  Delphinus scoffs.  They should both be tested for worthiness.  What is the test?

We all think of stuff.  Heather decides that they must have a race, travelling around having a scavenger hunt, travelling from place to place, to test speed.

Okay, can this just be a scene, or can it be a focus on the scene?  Dev wants to extend it throughout scenes.

Suhail convinces Vela to cooperate?  Hah!  It's a conflict!  But only if you do what I say.  But only if I'm clearly more competent than you.  Suhail gains the the trait "more competent than Vela."

So they head out to the town of southreach to search for the first clue.

And so it was...

[Ben Lehman]

Virgo has a lover who is a commoner, and just had a big fight with his family, then had a big fight with his family, and then Delphinus arrives and...  Tries to seduce Virgo?  Virgo is a guy.

No!  You aren't framing the scene right!  Use and so it was.  No.

Virgo goes to train to try to forget his problems.  The training field has horses and things you can hit with sticks, and lots of sweaty men.  Delphinus in there, but in his office.  Virgo tries to get this out his mind.  He comes to speak to Delphinus in his office.

He comes and tells Delphinus about his problems with his lover, Aquaris, and his family.  Delphinus closes the door.  Virgo has been engaged to one of high rank, and is not willing to do so.

Delphinus tells him that he must conform.

"But surely I can do something."

They talk about obedience, and what one must do.  They are very uncomfortable with the seduction.  I talk about governance and how you don't have to play the character the way someone else tells you.

Delphinus says he has great potential, but needs to exploited.  He doesn't want them minglingwith non-knights at all.  He explains about how he wants Vela and Suhail are alone together and how he wants them to hook up, and then looks lovingly at him.

"I hope that I could form such a bond in the future, sir."  Virgo is clueless.  Delphinus gets flustered, and tells him to look at his own companions.

"Maybe it is time to put selfish things aside."  He leaves.

And so it was...

[Ben Lehman]

Oh, he totally had Experience for thinking about abandoning his lover, Virgo did.  Advance!

We discuss the vast amount of gay going on in this game.

Maybe it's sort of like the ancient greeks?

Wow, this game is gay.

And so it was that the psychopomp was returning to the town of southreach with his young ward.  As you both ride into town, Columba sees her close friend Pavo and runs off and hugs her.  

Okay, that was a false start.

Corvus sees a gratuituous, vicious death of Pavo.  She is broken and stuck with needles.  Pavo has a horrible cough.  Columba describes the last scene she was sad.  They go to get ice cream.  Pavo keep coughing.  Corvus suggests Pavo should get in when it is warm and eat warm soup.  They settle on hot chocolate.

They go out and have hot chocolate.  It is delicious hot chocolate.  Dev describes it in purple prose.  Apparently it is from the moon.  Pavo starts talking about the nasty work conditions in the mill outside, how they breathe dust, and cannot take breaks.  There is no labor unions after the Labor Protection Enforcement act was passed last year.

Corvus sets out to do something about it.

And so it was.

Scene with the same character.

And so it was that that they came to the ice cutting factory outside of the town.  He sees outlines of needles in most of the people around her.  He finds the foreman and the foreman butters him up and pours him wine.  Don't take the wine! says columba.  He sips at the wine and says the conditions are abominable.  It is because of the demands of the house of the Knight Kinyu.  They are planning a wedding.  Corvus points to the air and how terrible it is.  The foreman talks him down.  He has no authority.  He escorts Corvus and leaves.  Challenge!  Corvus leaves, but only if he gets a name of who is exerting pressure on the factory.  But only if you ruin the wedding.

And so it was...

[Ben Lehman]

Last time -- she was wounded in the legs.  Was that Experience?  I say no.

They skip "and so it was."

a few weeks after the black knight died, Kinyu is still resting in bed.  Arrakis is totally cuddling with her.  They are off away from civilization, together, to heal.  They are out in a cabin alone.  Does Dev play a doctor?  A family member.

Now he gets to "and so it was."  Pretty much the same thing.  Their mother is with them to be with her daughter, and make sure nothing untoward happens.

The guard dogs start to dark, high pitched and fearful.

"Demon!  Demons I tell you. Give me my sword!"

"Now, dear, you're just imagining things.  It's just the dog."

Dev is holding his knitting needles backwards.

"Arrakis, bring me my sword."

"Arrakis, you will do no such thing."

Arrakis knits.

Kinyu takes the knitting away and sends Arrakis to get her sword.  There is the sound of bones crunching and an arc of blood sprays through the window.  "Ice Queen save me."  There are very loud footsteps.  Wine shakes out of the demands.  Servants die messily.  A head flies in.  The mother is cowering.  Arrakis barely can hold her sword.

"Throw her my mother!"  Is the Experience?  We go over it again.  Check!  A refresh.  Nothing happens.

A deep voice "Arrakis... you're going to die...  You will suffer as none as ever suffered."  Kinyu cannot stand.

"Oh, but wedding" says the mother.

Two giant arms and a foot smash through the wall.  In strides a headless figure, with a black hole sword, and great patch of darkness in the head.

Kinyu can barely move, but flings herself at the black sword, and they explode as matter and anti matter.  They are flung against the wall and dazed.  Kinyu drags herself off on her knuckles "Arrakis!  Run!"  Arrakis escapes.  Is it a conflict?  Yes, if... we discuss various options.  Huh.  Conflict mechanic is awkward.  Okay, if Arrakis has emotional issues.

X-1 has issues.  "Arrakis, you will never escape!"

How about the mother has demonic powers?  Uh..?

Okay, so the mother pulls out a locket which will return them home, and runs towards her daughter.  Black Knight runs through the mother just as they disappear.

And so it was...

We discuss the various ways that the mother dies.

[Ben Lehman]

Where did he get another sword?  He must have had a backup.

And so it was that the first quest that Suhail and Vela had to perform from their master Delphinus was the travel to the town of Southreach and name the newborn child of a woman named named Ain (Ted, Suhail's ex-girlfriend).  

Is the child his?  We don't know.  Neither do they.

Ain is a commoner.  "Typical.  It is you who can to name my child."

They argue.

Vela is impoper and short.  Suhail is fussy and nervous.  The child is in its crib.

The child is named Puppus, the poop deck.

Uh, no.

Ain wants the child to have a new name.  Suhail argues.  Conflict!  The name is final, but only if the Vela bumbles it up in some other way and breaks the child's name.  But only if Ain blames it on Suhail.  But only if Vela takes a life, in this room.  But only if Corvus gets to escort the dead one to the underworld.  And the person who was killed was going to the wedding.

They go back to talking.  Can Vela do it?  Has she finished the circle?  She renames it Akila!  No, Pictor!  Crash!  The child's soul is shattered in three parts.  It's terrible!  Ain is distraught.  The lover comes in.  "Honey, you need to kill both of these people."  The husband and Vela have this giant fight.  Suhail tries to split them up, but fails.  Vela swings to finish the fight.  Ain jumps in the way and meets the sword, killed.

The boyfriend tries kill Vela.  Vela kills the boyfriend.  Challenge!  Suhail says no.  Challenge!  Dev wins the die roll!  Boyfriend doesn't die, but is maimed.

Corvus enteres.  "What is going on here?"  Vela gets passed off to Ted.

"I didn't mean to kill her, I meant..."  The boyfriend goes to kill him again.  Suhail gets in the way.  Boyfriend cuts off his hand!  Challenge!  You ask too much.  Okay, how about you kill him?  Okay, but only if Corvus helps.

Corvus cuts off his arms.  The boyfriends starts to whine.  "stop your whining!" Suhail cuts off his head.

Vela says "You have fallen!"  Suhail smacks him.  Suhail and Corvus make plans.  Corvus says he will deal with the bodies.  Vela: "Our master will hear of this!  You are fallen!"  Suhail: "the child has three souls, we need to carry it until it can be fixed."

And so it was...[/i]

[Ben Lehman]

Now they're getting the game.  Bloody fucking mess.

"We don't need demons," Henri says.  Yup.

So now we have a scene for Virgo again.  Recap.

And so it was that you were walking morosely back through town when you saw your girlfriend going into a tavern with a big beefy guy.  "Aquarius!"  You notice with your demon lore that he was demony.

"Aquarius, I need to talk to you."  Guy intervenes.  Aquarius cuddles up to him, the demonic guy.

"I must speak to you alone!"  Aquarius whispers in the other guys ear.  Virgo accuses him of being a demon.  The big man beats up Virgo and goes into the bar with Aquarius.  No!  He must ask a lower price.  Beats Virgo into pulp, no girl.  Ted is still uncomfortable with this.  But only if no one else sees it.

Okay, so the demon grabs him, takes him to a distant mountaintop, beats him to a bloody pulp, and leaves him there.  We talk about the mountain.  It is the family cabin.

And so it was.

[Ben Lehman]

So Corvus has to take the souls back to the cavern.

And so it was that the knight Corvus and the good woman Ain and her betrothed were again at the shores of the river of the dead.  Corvus said to them: "And now the time has come to cross the yonder shore.  But, before you cross, if you wish, I can perform the ceremony of marriage for you."

Roles are divided up.  "Do you Acrux, take this woman... yadda yadda in the lands of the dead until the death of the sun."

"What about it?"

"The death of the sun!  It's in the ceremony."

"no!"

"Okay, forever."  No, they still get it wrong.

Frustration!

"Do you, Ain..."  The exchange rings.  You may kiss the bride.

"Wait..."  A disembodied voice.  The man grabs his wife and kisses her... No!  They're frozen.  No conflict.

The figure who spoke is dressed in a white suit with black trims.  He walks across the river.

"My name is Obedience, and I want to speak very briefly to Acrux.  You must know this one thing before you kiss."

"You were killed wrongfully.  You can come back as a vengeance thing."

Corvus banishes the demon.  Acrux marries her.

And so it was...

Hey, that ritual was done wrong!  I point out.  We don't know what to do with that.

[Ben Lehman]

When we last left Goldfish, she had teleported back to her family estate, with her mother's corpse.

(And so it was? No! Ted always skips it and launches into description.)

No!  We are confused about time!  Ted, I say, frame the scene right!

And so it was that goldfish was transported back to the palace, and it has been a few days since then.  Mother buried, a very tearful funeral.  The family is really unhappy with her.  She is still wounded, but she can get around on crutches.  And, out in the garden, working out her feelings.  Her father enters (henri).  Your mother's brother is antagonistic (ted).  (we did the roles wrong, previously!  Suck!  Dev should have been Arrakis.)

She talks with her father.  Her uncle wishes to speak with her.  "how did you mother die?"

She is snippy and sarcastic, rude.  He is indignant.  Her father lashes out at her.  Be respectful!

(Dev says: this is like kung-fu jane austen.)

Her uncle accuses her of having to do something with her death.  Kinyu says it is their fault, she couldn't protect her own mother.  Her uncle says that it is still her fault, she killed her mother.  Kinyu plays the poor defenseless cripple card.  She is snarkier.

Her father accuses her of being inhuman, griefless.  Kinyu says her mother never cared for her.  back and forth.  Bitch bitch bitch.

C'mon, guys, is there a challenge here?

Her father disowns her.  "Great, I can leave!"  Uncle says that she is going with nothing.  Kinyu says that they are her belongings.  They argue.  Guys, it's a conflict!

Only if they give her money.  Only if she gains the disowned Office.

And so it was that she set off in search of Arrakis.

[Ben Lehman]

Characters sheets will be typed up tomorrow.

yrs--
--Ben

[Judd]

Could you describe a conflict that happened and the dice mechanics that go along with it?

[Ben Lehman]

Could you describe a conflict that happened and the dice mechanics that go along with it?

Uhm... I think that there was only one conflict in which dice were rolled.

The conflict in the last scene goes like this, roughly:

Father says: "You are no longer my daughter.  Leave!"

Players begin to argue in character.  Someone says that this is a conflict.  It is.

First statement, from the Mistaken:  You are exiled from your family.
Rebuttal from Heart:  Okay, but only if they give me 500 golden coins, more money than I will ever need.
Rebuttal from the Mistaken: Okay, but only if you are also disgraced and gain the Office "Disowned."
Heart: Okay.

No dice were rolled.

Here is a conflict where traits are spent, in one example of what you can spend a trait for

Virgo is arguing with Aquarius and her new, bigger boyfriend.  The bigger boyfriend bops Virgo on the head.  There is a bit of tussle about "No, Heather, don't just state an action.  What do you want to get out of it?"  Finally, we get to:

Mistaken offers: He waps you on the head, you fall down, and he goes into the bar with his arm around Aquarius.

Heart responds: *spends his Ability, which is appropriate 'cause it is Lore of Demons and this guy is*  You ask too much.

Mistaken makes a second offer:  He just beats you to a bloody pulp, no going off with your girl.

Moons confirm that this is a reasonable lesser offer.

Heart responds: Okay, but only if no one sees me get beat up.

Mistaken: Done.

Here's a conflict where dice are rolled, the only one of the night:

Boyfriend: I hack of Vela's head.
Suhail: I get in the way.

Conflict.

Mistaken's opening statement: Vela is killed by the boyfriend.
Heart's response: No, it shall not come to pass.
We go to dice.
Dev (the heart) rolls at a disadvantage, because he was the one who went to the dice.  He needs to roll equal to or under his Ice score, which is a one.  He rolls.  It's a one!  Incredible!  Vela is saved.


I notice that, in all of these, the Mistaken starts the conflict.  It can go either way, at least by the rules.  Huh.

Does this make the process more clear?

[Judd]

So it is a bidding system in which the players kind of action of what it is worth for them to succeed?

Example:

I knock the knight from his horse.

If you do, your joust splinters and takes out one of your eyes.

So be it.

I know nothing about the rules, haven't read them yet but I'm picking up hints from your AP threads.

[Ben Lehman]

So it is a bidding system in which the players kind of action of what it is worth for them to succeed?

More or less.  Your example is a good one for a no-trait, no-dice conflict.  You have a few more options in terms of bidding, taking away choice for the other player and adding it for yourself, which can get pretty important.

Also, I noticed that above all the stakes were causally connected.  They don't have to be:


Heart: I kill the demon.
Mistaken: Okay, but only if your wife leaves you.
Heart: *spends trait* You ask too much.
Mistaken: Okay, but only if a crevasse opens in the earth and sucks in most of Southreach.
Heart: Okay.


But yeah, that's pretty much it.