My First Sorcerer Game: Orccon 2003

[jburneko]

Christopher,

Now, I see the difference in our Con tactics.  You're very honest and upfront about it all; I use press-gang tactics.  Mostly, I try to sell the concept and then spring the game on them when it's too late to go to another event.    "Oh you like Ghostbusters?  Well hey, I'm running a Ghostbusters inspired game called InSpectres at 2:00pm.  What system does it use?  Oh, just a little small press system.  Nothing special.  MUHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

But seriously, you might want to re-think this section:

"You choose what matters most to your character. You decide how he or she pursues that goal. You create a story by the choices you make. There is no scenario waiting for you. Your character's actions are the story.

"BiblioMania

Join Christopher Kubasik in creating Bibliomania, a Sorcerer story."

I know what you're going for but those who don't know the game will read this and think this is some kind of pseudo-larp or round-robin storytelling session.

If you're going to be that upfront about the purpose of play I think you should make reference to the system somewhere in here.  Something like, "Facilitated all by a robust rule system that requires no fudging and no application of 'The Golden Rule'"  That specifically is probably too much of a dig a White Wolf, but hopefully you get the idea.

Jesse

[Christopher Kubasik]

Hi guys, thanks for the replies.

Ron: yes, that's the one thing I typed that made me kinda anxious. But it was midnight, I couldn't figure out a better ending, so there it was.  I think the key is to swing back to the premise somehow.  What I'm going for is the breakdown you did in Sorcerer & Soul: the different kinds of endings stories often end in.  But keeping it, as Fabrice suggested, "like a movie trailer."

The trick is, as discussed in the thread on open ended campaigns, there is and end to a Sorcerer story... And you better know that going in.  I want to offer that up as part of the fun.  How best to offer that up...? I'll work on that tonight.

Jesse: Yes on the up front.  One thing I'm learing (due to GNS, actually), is I might as well be explicit about who I am, what I like doing.  Then the people who like those same things will come toward me, and those who don't won't, and I won't have to spend a lot of time contorting myself to make room for those who have nothing to do with What I Love to Do.

Since all I'm looking for is two to three people, really, for a con session block, I'm trusting that two or three people will read the flyer and have their interest piqued.  "Hmmm... this sounds more like what I'd like to try than everything else that's running.  Never heard of it before, but what the hell."

Excellent point about the rules though.  Since I do see Narrativism as a kind of round-robin storytelling, I can see where this might be unclear.  But adding something about actual, "robust" mechanics at the end of the paragraph would probably clinch exactly what I'm after.

Thanks guys,

Christopher

[Gordon C. Landis]

A minor editing bit: "In Sorcerer you play men and woman  . . . " will be "men and women" in the final ver, surely.

I share the "damnation/salvation" concern, but in general - wow, that reads great!  Wish I was in LA this weekend - and it takes a LOT to get me to say that :-)

Good luck,

Gordon

[Christopher Kubasik]

Thanks Gordon,

I actually didn't catch that.

Here's the revised version.  (And unless there are any glaring errors, this is what I'm going to press with.)

****
Imagine you could summon a Demon.
   Imagine it could give you things you wanted.
      Imagine it wanted things in return.

How far would you go?  What would you do?

Ron Edward's
Sorcerer
An Intense Roleplaying Game
Winner of the 2002 Diana Jones Award


In Sorcerer you play men and women who have tapped unnatural forces to gain their heart's desires.  But there are prices to be paid, choices to be made.  Your very Humanity hangs in the balance.

You choose what matters most to your character.  You decide how he or she pursues that goal.  You create a story by the choices you make.  There is no scenario waiting for you.  Your character's actions are the story.

Using robust rules that require no fudging of the dice, you'll create a Sorcerer story from scratch; a story called "BiblioMania."

BiblioMania

You are Sorcerers in modern day Chicago, obsessively pursuing research that will gain you fame, fortune, love, wisdom—whatever your heart desires.

You are aided in this quest by a demon you have summoned: An ancient book with letters moving across the page; a graduate student newly arrived from a foreign country; or perhaps a burned out and unused laboratory on a university campus.

No one knows of your secret pact with this creature.  But many are affected by it.  For your demon has needs, and it's needs must be met if you will gain what you want.  The question you will have to answer is: Is Knowledge More Valuable Than Other People?

Each of you is caught in a crisis.  As sub-zero winds rush down snowplowed streets, as a blizzard blankets the city, each Sorcerer must decide: How far will I go?

GM: Christopher Kubasik   Location:      Time:


****

Just a side note: more than other games, Sorcerer has me flipping around in Second, Third and First pronouns!  I think this has something to do with Author stance -- which is innately tied to the conerns of thematic premise.  Another thread, perhaps, but it confused me on a few occassions.  I finally decided: top half third person reference to PC, bottom half: you are the PC, and finally, First Person.  Nutty.

[Walt Freitag]

This is about the smallest quibble I can imagine, but since you're going to press and you might care...

For your demon has needs, and it's needs must be met if you will gain what you want.

Should be its, not it's. Possessive pronoun, no apostrophe.

- Walt

[Christopher Kubasik]

Right'o.  Thanks for that.

Christopher

[Christopher Kubasik]

Okay.  Last stop.  Here are my demons for the players to choose from.

I'll be using Ron's suggestion: Desires are defined, needs are chosen randomly.  

*****

BiblioMania Demons

TAMAR is an object demon that looks like an old book.  The pages are covered with a nearly indecipherable text germane to whatever subject the Sorcerer is obsessed with.  It's Telltale is the leather binding: research reveals it is from a skin of a creature never known to have lived on this world.

Stamina: 2  Will: 5  Lore: 4  Power: 5

It's abilities are: Hint, Hold, Psychic Force and Perception (appropriate to Sorcerer's obsession).

It's Desire is to have its cover touched and caressed by different people.


RENEE is a passing demon posing as a hot graduate student "from France."  She's sensual and actually has little interest in studying or research.  Her Telltale are silver fleck in her eyes that, if looked at very carefully, reveal themselves to be alphanumeric characters of one kind or another pertaining to the Sorcerer's field of study.

Stamina: 3  Will: 6  Lore: 5  Power: 6

Her abilities are: Confuse, Fast, Perception (appropriate to Sorcerer's obsession), Special Damage (appropriate to Sorcerer's obsession), Shadow

She Desires Sex, Drugs and Rock and Roll.


CARTESIAN HALL is an inconspicuous demon that usually appears as the burnt out remains of a century old library at the north end of the Northwestern University campus.  Nestled in trees at the border between the campus and hoity-toity suburbs, no one much pays attention to it.  It's Telltale are the strange runes marked out along the floor—they look like burn marks at first, but actually form ancient formula appropriate to the Sorcerer's obsession.  When the Hall vanishes on dark nights, it takes the form a menacing shadow behind the Sorcerer.

Stamina: 4  Will: 7  Lore: 6  Power: 7

The Hall's abilities are: Armor, Boost (Will, for Sorcerer), Travel, Link, Spawn (shadows of rustling pages), Special Damage (cutting attacks that slash across opponent's skin)

Cartesian Hall desires fear


WILLIAM is a Possessor demon in the body of a homeless man named William.  Before the Possession the man was an autistic-genius-fuck-up. During the summoning, the sorcerer put the demon in William to take advnatage of the man's intelligence.  However, the demon not only ramped up William's intelligence and perception, but got fucked up along with the man, and now can't distinguish himself from the man.  He's a fucked up homeless man with demonic abilities bound to a sorcerer.  William's Telltale is speaking in tongues.

Stamina: 3  Will: 5  Lore: 4  Power: 5

William's abilities are: Perception (appropriate to Sorcerer's obsession), Psychic Force, Boost (Stamina, conferred onto the mortal William), Hint

William desires the company of beautiful women


THE EXTRACT is a parasite demon in the form of a drug formulated along the lines of the Sorcerer's obsession.  (In this case, even Literature could be a drug—some sort of mainlining ancient poetry that, once injected, runs through the Sorcerer's mind.)  The Extract's Telltale is a bad smell on the Sorcerer's breath and body.

Stamina: 1  Will: 6  Lore: 5  Power: 5

The Extract's abilities are: Boost (Will, for Sorcerer), Boost (Stamina, for Sorcerer), Command, Hint, Perception (appropriate to Sorcerer's obsession)

The Extract's Desire is Chaos


*****

The one question I have is this: There are a lot of demons up there with Hint and Perception.  This makes sense to me given the Premise of the game.  

That said, I wonder if there should be less of this, to encourage the PCs to seek each other out, work together, or summon more demons once they see what cool things other players can do.

Let me know what you think.

Thanks,
Christopher

Oh.  And one thing I found interesting -- the demon's desires are all very lusty and physical.  It's almost as if they're the repressed side of the Scholar expressing itself as a Jungian shadow.  But that's just me.

[Ron Edwards]

Whoa Nelly!

Most of the Desires you've listed are Needs.

Desires = general, overall, multiply-applicable principles.
Example Desires: Ruin, Mayhem, Amusement, Knowledge

Needs = specific actions or substances.
Example Needs: get covers stroked, get laid, drink blood, watch TV

Cartesian Hall and The Extract have Desires; the others' Desires are better understood as Needs. Although Renee's might easily be rewritten as Sensation.

You wrote,

The one question I have is this: There are a lot of demons up there with Hint and Perception. This makes sense to me given the Premise of the game.

That said, I wonder if there should be less of this, to encourage the PCs to seek each other out, work together, or summon more demons once they see what cool things other players can do.

Nope. That's fine. What you should consider is what you say as the GM, playing the demon, when it is Hinting or Perceiving. That's what you need to monitor and it's where you provide solid meat for them to sink their teeth into.

I'm also a little concerned about the larger context - why do you want them to seek one another out, work together, or summon more demons? I've played tons of successful Sorcerer in which none of these three things happened even to a tiny extent. Are you sure you're not falling into Call of Cthulhu assumptions by habit?

Also, and related, consider very strongly whether Perception is used by the sorcerer or by the demon. It's a big deal.

Best,
Ron

[Christopher Kubasik]

Hi Ron,

Thanks for the heads up.  I had begun to understand the difference between Need and Desire (finally) last night while working on the demons... but couldn't quite committ to what I'd figured out.  You said it it black and grey.

As far as your concerns go... Let them go.  The activites I've listed for the Sorcerers are simply more story -- more activity and goals.  I have no agenda for them to seek each other out, summon more demons or whatnot.

As for the Perception...  I had assumed the Demons do the percieving, so the Sorcerer have to drag the info out.  Also, I don't end up saying, "You feel..."  "You perieve..."

If you want to add anything about this to clarify, that'd be great.

Christopher

[Ron Edwards]

Nothin' else to add, you're all set. Have a great time!

Best,
Ron