Rebuked but undeterred

[Sacha]

Hello again.

Having been gently rebuked for starting a thread that wasn't about actual play (sorry about that), I'm going to try again. I'll also avoid using any Forge speak as I'm clearly not sufficiently au fait with the terminology.

My current gaming group has been together for 6 or seven years. I've been gaming for roughly 23 years and spend 90% of my time running games. As a GM I emphasise story and character development but frequently have my own story to tell, with the help of the player characters. Since reading this forum I've been interested in expanding my horizons and have picked-up copies of MLwM, BW, TRoS and Inspectres. I ran a one-shot session of Inspectres where I had no idea what the outcome would be. I established a rudimentary haunted house type scenario but let the players tell the whole story themselves. It was an interesting experience that has caused me to question the way in which I run games.

One of the other players has now decided to run a BW game, using the Kingdoms of Kalamar setting and I plan to post here when we have had some actual play. I don't know where we each fall in terms of Forge classifications. As a group we enjoy participating in a GM's story as long as we can have some input and impact on the world.

I have just finished running a Glorantha campaign where I wanted to tell the story of young hunters growing up and slowly exploring their world, whilst becoming aware of the larger world around them. I scripted various adventures in response to players' desires and focussed on what they found interesting, whilst developing my story arc in the background. From time to time the players' interests intersected with my story and we enjoyed some dramatic moments. The campaign finished with the small Lunar garrison being sent packing back to the Empire. This occured off-camera as the PCs were busy wrapping up their own loose ends and dealing with some recurring villains who had been present since the early days of the campaign.

I'm interested in telling collective stories with my group and would like a solid, not needlessly complicated rules system to support that aim. I hope BW fits the bill and I will let you know once we start playing.

Cheers,

Sacha

[Ron Edwards]

Hi Sacha!

Quick clarification: you are doing just fine - it's the other folks on that thread who got the swift kick.

I'm interested in learning more about your Glorantha game. What you've described so far sounds a lot like some of my experience/approach with Champions, some time ago.

What system did you guys use? Also, when you talk about some dramatic moments, am I right in assuming that one or two players would be "hit" per session, at most, and the whole group would be so "hit" about once every four or five sessions?

Finally, maybe I misunderstood something that made me blink a little ... when you say 90% of your time, are you talking about 90% of role-playing, you're the GM? Or literally 90% of your own, personal, waking time is spent on role-playing or related prep? Or ...?

Best,
Ron

[Sacha]

Thanks Ron, sorry for grasping the wrong end of the stick.

To clarify, 90% of my gaming time is spent as a GM. Although I do spend an awful lot of my waking life thinking about/reading/preparing games. My wife has the patience of a saint.

With the Glorantha game we used a hybrid of RQII and RQIII. It's not perfect but I've been a fan of RQ for a great many years. Over time a number of modifications have arisen and we play quite fast and loose with the rules.

As far as dramatic moments go, you're bang on the money. I gave each character a spotlight moment every other session or so and then shone that light on the group every 3 or 4 sessions. One character was particularly adept at using his time in the spotlight to engineer story developments that would envelop the whole group.

One of my favourite moments was my wife's character playing through a heart-rending scene with her younger sister who had decided to adopt the Lunar way of life and abandon her hunter heritage. The followup scene was more intense as she then had to explain her sister's decision to their Father, who promptly had a huge "I have only one daughter now" type of fit. By the end of the two scenes tears were in my wife's eyes and I was pretty choked too. It was an awesome experience.

[Hans]

One of the other players has now decided to run a BW game, using the Kingdoms of Kalamar setting and I plan to post here when we have had some actual play. I don't know where we each fall in terms of Forge classifications. As a group we enjoy participating in a GM's story as long as we can have some input and impact on the world.

Ah, Kingdoms of Kalamar.  My only claim to fame in the RPG world (if you can call it that) is credit as a playtester on their first couple of adventures and the Player's Guide.  

What is BW?  I can't find any two word game system name with those initials.  I know I will hit my head and say "Doh!" when you tell me.  

Hans

[Sacha]

Burning Wheel.

Cheers,

Sacha