[The Mountain Witch] Gearing Up To Run

[Willow]

Hi everyone, I'm new to the Forge, and Indie RPG's in General.  I'm going to be running a game of the Mountain Witch in about a week, and there's something that I've been thinking about:

I've read here in several places, by the author of the game and others, that the Mountain Witch *cannot* be played from a Gamist standpoint.  I don't get why this is the case.  I identify as gamist, and to me, the fundamental objective (whether you are the gamist or not) is not to kill the mountain witch, but to sucessfully resolve your Dark Fate.

Is it possible to fail to resolve your Dark Fate?  (Maybe, if you get cut down in a duel.)  Is it possible for other people to more satisfactorially resolve their Dark Fates?  What happens when the Dark Fates are finally revealed, and the GM is then able to weave them together, bringing the ronin to a climax where their opposition is clearly no longer the witch, but each other?

In a game that embraces PVP to the extent that Mountain Witch does, I was drooling over the possibilities for nondysfunctional inter-party conflict.  And anyone who thinks that the mechanics don't lend themselves to 'being played,' should take a good look at the board game Diplomacy.

So, if I'm wrong, can someone tell me why?

(And I promise to post a session report!)

[Justin Marx]

In a game that embraces PVP to the extent that Mountain Witch does, I was drooling over the possibilities for nondysfunctional inter-party conflict.  And anyone who thinks that the mechanics don't lend themselves to 'being played,' should take a good look at the board game Diplomacy.

That sounds like good blood opera to me - perfect Narrativism, doesn't sound gamist to me at all. It'd be gamist if you were drooling over the challenge of beating your enemies for the sake of beating your enemies, not making decisions about the result of your Dark Fate - PvP does not mean gamist, not by a long shot. I could be wrong, that's my take. Either way, I think identifying GNS styles before your first playtest of the game is a moot point. Just run it the way it advises in the book and see if you love it. I'd love to hear the play post.