Two Games When PTA Either Didn't Work or Only Kinda Worked

[Judd]

A few games of PTA have fallen really flat and I just wanted to take a gander at them.

The most obvious one first:

I hate television

When someone says they do not like television, put PTA away and play something else.  I know that is really obvious but right after a PTA session created one of the best sessions of gaming I'd ever had, I got excited and forced the session even though two guys at the table flat-out stated that they hated TV and never watched it.

My buddy, Rob had something similar happen also at a con game.

Scene Framing Their Way to the Comfort Zone

I have played this game once with a table full of people who had never played indie RPG's before.  They were a group who had been gaming together for a long time and it was really interesting watching them scene frame their way to a game they knew and were comfortable with.  It was an alright game but the second session of it would have gotten better and the third session would have totally rocked.

But as it went, they set up the game they knew.  They did some investigating, found an enemy and fought him in a big end-scene.  As the big battle approached, I cautioned that PTA did not do big strategic gunfights.

The players were stating what their characters wanted out of the gunfight's conflict and the rookie player who had never gamed before came out with, "My character just wants to seem useful in the coming battle."  And everyone nodded and the fanmail did flow.

[exedore6]

First off, thanks a bunch for starting the thread.

I tried it once (haven't had an opportunity since) with three players (including myself), and if just felt... flat. Scene framing can be tough. I think it had to do with the show and the characters (and us not making them compelling enough).

I've seen a lot of advice that seems conflicting to me. Don't settle for an idea that's just 'okay' to going go into the game with a particular show in mind. Seems like a bit of a catch-22. Especially when it seems that the only way to get it really humming is experience (such as asking "What do I want from this scene?", resolving complex conflicts, and the rest of what makes PTA so compelling otherwise).

[Remi Treuer]

I've seen a lot of advice that seems conflicting to me. Don't settle for an idea that's just 'okay' to going go into the game with a particular show in mind. Seems like a bit of a catch-22.

The Pitch is a system that must be tuned to the Producer. The same Producer would not do both of those things, but one person could be successful with the 'Great Idea' approach while the other (perhaps more of a salesman than the first) would do just fine coming to the table with a more formed idea. Look at your strengths and weaknesses when you facilitate a game, and mold those into your Pitch style.

(I will talk about PTA Fail later)