The Dictionary of Mu at Dexcon 2006

[Judd]

The proof was in my hands and there is no better con to first show it around.  Dexcon and Dreamation have been important places for the Dictionary of Mu but I'll go into that more when I write a Publishing thread once I have the first printing in my hands.

I should really have an outline on my computer of what I want to go over for Sorcerer con scenarios.  It'd go something like this.

• Introductions and hand shaking.


• A little about Sorcerer: "Game about Sorcerers and their dysfunctional relationship to  their demons.  We will not be discussing theory and I am not here to change your life with this game session.  At the end of the day, Sorcerer really is just a fun game."


• A little about the Dictionary of Mu: "Pulp fantasy that is equal parts Dark Sun Boxed Set, Howard's Conan, Burroughs' Barsoom and the Bible."


• Explain how kickers really work and read kickers and hand out characters.  Explain that if the players want their characters to meet, they should talk to the other gamers at the table about how to make that happen, since the pre-written in-the-book kickers are all over the place.


• Give players a few minutes to digest characters and two entries from the dictionary for each P.C.


• Summoning, Binding, Contacting, etc. overview.


• Dice mechanics and Bonus dice


• Binding Scenes as prelude:  This is a really careful time and I am really careful about picking people who either seem most excited or who I know will rock the description of what they think the binding scene should be.  If all's well, the binding scenes should be chock full of fictional blood and real life wincing and nods.


• Hit the kickers and begin.


• Play.  I usually take two bathroom breaks when the game's rhythm allows in order to look over my list of the Demon's Needs and think on if they are being met.  Playing demons soft is a sure way to end up with a lukewarm session. 


• End the game, usually with some player vs. player violence or a monstrous summoning or the players meeting some kind of accord. 


• Players add entry to the dictionary based on the events of the game.  I wrote this in the book and never did it.  What the heck!?  It is a rocking rule and it really brings a session together.  I forgot to do this for the first game but remembered to do so for the last two and it really draws the session to a close in a satisfying manner. 

I ran 3 games of it this past weekend and they all blur into one another.  Here are some highlights that stand out:

The gentleman who saw the picture of my favorite pre-made P.C., The Kid with the Rock and after talking to Jennifer decided he had to play in the game with that character. 

Rich's portrayal of the Witch King as a bored teenager and seeing him drive that character to 0 Humanity was splendid.  And it was nice to give the 0 Humanity rules a go again.

Interesting conversation with Steve about our game, wherein it became evident that the colliseum of Black Rock was an ark meant to traverse the void and leave Marr'd.  It wasn't in the book, wasn't anything that I had thought about but it just kind of came out of play and I went with it.

After the game, Steve asked me if that was part of the game's metaplot and I explained that it wasn't, it was just a fun fact that brought the game together in a dramatic way.  That fact led to an amazing battle between Nimrote and the Kid with a Rock as Black Rock blasted into the cold void and the Damsel Messiah claimed to her zealots that she, in fact, had banished the evil basalt monument to genocide.

Two of the sessions were from 9am to 1pm, all 3 were pretty packed, the least of which having 3 players, the most having 4 and forcing me to turn people away.

[Andrew Morris]

Kid with the rock is definitely the best pregen PC.

Can't wait to get a copy of the book.

[iago]

My only worry -- and it was one that you deftly solved with demon-generated motive, I think -- in the game was that Black Rock, in being so very firmly stationary (until the end!), and being such a powerful part of Nimrote's arsenal, left me feeling that I was obligated to stand my ground and encourage the races of the world to throw themselves at my walls.  Granted -- that's exactly what happened.  But if it hadn't, I might've felt like an anvil waiting around for absent hammers.

This in the end is a really minor niggle.  If you see what I have to say about Mu over on my longer Livejournal post, you already know how much I loved that thing. :)

[Robert Bohl]

A few things:  I think if you want there to be the potential for heroism in this game, so it's not always who can outevil one another, you need to push that a little harder in your intro, and/or make Humanity rolls more frequent.  Also, like I said, Nimrote has little path to heroism.  Although I do think the Witch King, with his demon-eating, is totally set up to be a hero.  Sure, a Lex Luthor kind of hero, but a hero nonetheless.

[Eric J. Boyd]

Rich's portrayal of the Witch King as a bored teenager and seeing him drive that character to 0 Humanity was splendid.  And it was nice to give the 0 Humanity rules a go again.

Sounds like the setting is rockin' on all cylinders, Judd. Can't wait to buy it at Gen Con. I'm curious whether you did anything different with the 0 Humanity rules this time around. Driving the Witch King to 0 Humanity at Gen Con last year and becoming everyone else's chew toy was damn cool - what happened this time?

[Judd]

Sounds like the setting is rockin' on all cylinders, Judd. Can't wait to buy it at Gen Con. I'm curious whether you did anything different with the 0 Humanity rules this time around. Driving the Witch King to 0 Humanity at Gen Con last year and becoming everyone else's chew toy was damn cool - what happened this time?

The 0 Humanity rules remain the same and yeah, he sent his entire city into the mouth of self-destruction by marching out into the dunes to meet the Khan of Khan's horde on the open steppe.

Another thing that should be mentioned, in every game, and they were all good games, but each session was clearly the prelude to what would have been a truly fascinating second session.  In each game, it would have been the second session that was really, really hot.

But I think that pointing this out, mentioning what I would have done to start the second game with new kickers and such, helped people realize how hot a game Sorcerer is because it wasn't non-fun waiting for fun, it was fun leading to what would have been even more fun.