Donjon Harry Potter

[Russell]

Just wanted to point out that a few of us are discussing this over at RPGnet:  http://forum.rpg.net/showthread.php?s=&postid=1052451#post1052451.  Thoughts?

[Mad-Eye Moody]

Hmmm.  Very interesting.

I've only recently become a fan of the Harry Potter books.  While I think there great, it seems a vast majority of gamers about these parts consider them childish and wouldn't seriously consider playing in such a setting.  It's a shame really.  But I'm sure that an IRC game could be russled up if one can't find local players.

It's hard to say what would work well for HP as far as styles of play go.  Harry Potter involves evil wizards making long, and oft convoluted plans.  It might make things difficult if the players are constantly defining things to have these large over-arching plans that unfold in each book.

[Russell]

While I think there great, it seems a vast majority of gamers about these parts consider them childish and wouldn't seriously consider playing in such a setting.

This is one of those things where mileage varies.  All but one of the eight people I game regularly with (in different groups,  obviously),  are huge Harry Potter fans.  Some of them have even done HP roleplaying before.  So,  I'm more worried about mechanics than players. :o)

It might make things difficult if the players are constantly defining things to have these large over-arching plans that unfold in each book.

Just let the players invent most of the bad guys' plans for themselves.  Same tactic that generally works with Donjon-  it's worked pretty much perfectly in my mini-sessions and in the ongoing campaign.

[jdagna]

It's hard to say what would work well for HP as far as styles of play go.  Harry Potter involves evil wizards making long, and oft convoluted plans.  It might make things difficult if the players are constantly defining things to have these large over-arching plans that unfold in each book.

I haven't read the books, but I have enjoyed the movies.  I must say that at the end of the second movie, my gut feeling was that the "long convoluted plan" was really just a GM tying random events together with barely plausible masterplan.

In other words, you take whatever the players make up, with a perhaps a few of your own items and create any explanation that ties it all together and puts it at the feet of the Big Bad.

This is actually a valuable skill to have in any game system...

[Russell]

In other words, you take whatever the players make up, with a perhaps a few of your own items and create any explanation that ties it all together and puts it at the feet of the Big Bad.

This is actually a valuable skill to have in any game system...

With my players,  this is a necessity,  even when we're not playing Donjon.   This is one of the things I love about Donjon-  it takes D&D and crosses it with an improv game in wonderful ways.

[Clinton R. Nixon]

Apologies for coming into this a bit late. I just read the write-up on RPG.net, and think it would work well.

A point to remember, though: because Donjon is skewed towards (a) competition and (b) humor, if you want it (I find it hard to keep out of Donjon games, although I've pulled off a few serious ones), it's going to be hard to tell an interesting thematic story with it. It won't be impossible, but that's the only place I think HP would trip up with it.

[Valamir]

I think the easiest way to keep Donjon less silly is to use Universalis like tenets.  Basically start by making a list of everything that makes Harry Potter, Harry Potter.  Mood, color, factoids, that sort of thing.  Then define a few key HP locations and creatures like Uni Components.  House Elfs, Whomping Willows, Diagon Alley, various parts of Hogwarts.  Then do the same for key NPCs.

For magic, you could go one of two routes.  You could basically use Donjon Magic and just substitute HP sounding words...i.e. Donjon words translated to Faus latin.  Or you could try

Then its simply a matter of making sure the Donjon Facts stay within the parameters set above.  You could easily use some variation of Unis Challenge mechanic to enforce this, or since Donjon has a GM just leave that up to the GM to do.

[Mad-Eye Moody]

I haven't read the books, but I have enjoyed the movies.  I must say that at the end of the second movie, my gut feeling was that the "long convoluted plan" was really just a GM tying random events together with barely plausible masterplan.

Chamber of Secrets definitely didn't reveal a lot right until the end.  However, some of the other books did.  Goblet of Fire had a lot of "screen time" on the villians plotting.  It could still work to just tie random events together, but I'd be thinking about it as things went and be ready for a change that causes you to switch to another barely plausible master plan.

In other words, you take whatever the players make up, with a perhaps a few of your own items and create any explanation that ties it all together and puts it at the feet of the Big Bad.

This is actually a valuable skill to have in any game system...

I quite agree.  I guess I have a bit of unlearning to do from years of heavily simulationist scenario design :)

[Russell]

I think the easiest way to keep Donjon less silly is to use Universalis like tenets.  Basically start by making a list of everything that makes Harry Potter, Harry Potter.  Mood, color, factoids, that sort of thing.  Then define a few key HP locations and creatures like Uni Components.  House Elfs, Whomping Willows, Diagon Alley, various parts of Hogwarts.  Then do the same for key NPCs.

Good idea.

For magic, you could go one of two routes.  You could basically use Donjon Magic and just substitute HP sounding words...i.e. Donjon words translated to Faus latin.  Or you could try

I prefer making them work based on the ability system.  Harry,  Hermione,  and Ron don't have substantially different "themes" to their spells.

[Bailywolf]

I would go a step further- define the setting, and when players state details which fall within or enhance these details, reward them with some kind of metagame currency- beans or whatnot.  These act the same a successes, and you can then roll them over into importiant action later on.  When you take more potter-esque actions, your character gets a boost.  

-B

[jdagna]

I would go a step further- define the setting, and when players state details which fall within or enhance these details, reward them with some kind of metagame currency- beans or whatnot.  These act the same a successes, and you can then roll them over into importiant action later on.  When you take more potter-esque actions, your character gets a boost.  

Even better - assign points.  Competition between houses is built into Harry Potter, and students receive points for doing appropriate things.  I'm not even sure these points need to be a metagame currency, depending on the group.  You could certainly tally up points at the end of every game session to allow tangible victory more often than once per school year.

Mad Eye Moody wrote:

Quote:
In other words, you take whatever the players make up, with a perhaps a few of your own items and create any explanation that ties it all together and puts it at the feet of the Big Bad.
 
This is actually a valuable skill to have in any game system...

 
I quite agree.  I guess I have a bit of unlearning to do from years of heavily simulationist scenario design :)

This is actually a skill I learned as part of Sim scenario design.  Sim players demand that everything makes sense and remains consistent... but every GM forgets a detail, overlooks an inconsistency or gets completely blown out of the water by a great player idea.  I just learned to make it look like I had it all planned from the start.

I've had more than one player throw me a complete curveball, but believe I had planned for that idea during my prep time.  One even suggested that I'd given him hints that he should do it!  Naturally, I take credit for all fortuitous accidents :)[/quote]