My Life with Master: Origins

[Matt Snyder]

Hi
I'm a bit lost trying to figure out is going on (a common condition for me, I admit).

What I think I got so far is that it's a game where you all play the twisted henchmen of an evil mastermind of some form.  I've gotten from this thread that something about the game encourages players to roleplay their characters as the horribly deformed things they are.

Anything else I should know about this game that is  attracting & revolting me in one united action?

Yes, Nick, absolutely some key elements you need to know (and naturally I defer to Paul on his creation!). As a player, you're dealing with three attributes: Weariness, Self-Loathing, and Love. Love is crucial. In playing Albert the Albino, my ambition was to earn enough love through clumsy-but-charming acts toward my master's date to 1) earn her romantic interest and 2) get enough decency to overthrow the master. However, I lost all that love when she died, despite my intentions to save her when no one else was looking. My hapless albino succeeded only in transforming his newfound love into a pale zombie (which made him no longer interested in her, alas -- her radiant skin was what he loved most).

We did not not depose the master in this session, which I gather is the goal of the game, with several epilogues possible for the minions (many of them tragic!). That we didn't achieve this in one session makes me love the game all the more.

The key is that until you're able to overthrow the master, you must do as he says or try to roll to resist his specific orders. I achived this once, but many conflicts during this session weren't so lucky.

[Matt Wilson]

As a player, you're dealing with three attributes: Weariness, Self-Loathing, and Love. Love is crucial. In playing Albert the Albino, my ambition was to earn enough love through clumsy-but-charming acts toward my master's date to 1) earn her romantic interest and 2) get enough decency to overthrow the master. However, I lost all that love when she died, despite my intentions to save her when no one else was looking. My hapless albino succeeded only in transforming his newfound love into a pale zombie (which made him no longer interested in her, alas -- her radiant skin was what he loved most).

Ah, I get it now. That sounds altogether horrible and brilliant. I love the idea that these characters have this faint glimmer of hope that they might one day overthrow the master. That should make their despicable actions all the more heartfelt.

[Mike Holmes]

Yeah, that's it Matt. You're rooting for them in a way. The same way that you root for Dr. Moreau's creatures when they kill him. Because no matter how bad they are, they're really only extensions of the Master's will.

Having once taken out a Master in a playtest, I can tell you it's a joy when it happens. Cathartic.

Mike

[Valamir]

My only regret in that game is that I never got to turn the dishwasher on.

I sooooo wanted to turn the dishwasher on...late at night, going to get a midnight snack...snick...

It would have been for Science.

[Paul Czege]

Hey Matt Snyder,

That's a great summary. Right now I'm just so mentally close to the game that I can't seem to describe it without going over much into the details. Thanks for posting it.

Paul

[Nick the Nevermet]

Good lord, I want this RPG.
Are there any specific comments about the color being comedic versus oppressive?  What I mean is does the game focus specifically on one form, or is a 'dial' put in somehow?

Either way, I like what I'm hearing.  I'm just curious.

[Ron Edwards]

Hello,

Mike, I presume you did not use the Endgame mechanics? Or did you use them, but the requirements were not realized?

Paul, if you don't want me discussing mechanics of the game yet, just let me know.

Best,
Ron

[Valamir]

We never qualified for endgame.  Or more precisely we never qualified for endgame based on what Mike and I could remember about how it worked.

We played the whole game with mechanics from memory so there were likely some areas that were mechanically incorrect anyway.   What I view as the most important mechanic...that being gain a point of love always from any human gesture and then roll to see if you gain self loathing, we ran with pretty well.  Even though we didn't make too many rolls, it was the primary thing that drove most of the actions of the game.  Earning love and then trying to avoid losing it when your connection gets killed.

But its a statement about how powerful the tropes of the genre were that we fell right into play.

[Christopher Kubasik]

Um...

Wow.

I think I'm going to need to order a Forge Booth Care Package this summer and have it shipped out to L.A.  Can such a thing be done?

Christopher

[Lance D. Allen]

$100 (round number, does not attempt to approximate actual value) of all new Forge-endorsed indie games at GenCon, as allowed by availability? That would be kinda cool, assuming they're all ashcans, of some sort.

Otherwise, I would simply say arrange with someone going to pick up some games for you.

The name of the game, and the vague discussions I've heard mentioned prior to this didn't really catch my attention, but this sounded immensely entertaining. If anyone ever wants to try to run a one-shot of this in indie-netgaming on a night I can join in, I'd definitely be game.

[Jake Norwood]

Is the game available online anywhere?

Jake

[Mike Holmes]

The world metrics I kept low and equal so that there was a chance that the players could meet them in one session. And by my reckoning, they got close on a couple of occasions. But not quite there. Which, as Matt pointed out was just fine. We all had a good time, and even speculated what the futures of each character would be in the short run, and how they might eventually get to take a stab at the Master. The following session would have rocked, had it been given a chance to occur.

What I really like about the endgame is that the results seem to follow well the way the character got played. If you have a character that never really tried to redeem himself, and did heinous acts, he'll end up dying a horrible death himself. Those that are pathetic but try may end up adopted by the townsfolk, etc. Basically, whatever the story of that character was, gets wrapped up neatly at the end by the mechanics. Really cool.

Jake, like Paul said above, it's not available until GenCon. So you'll have to wait until then. Afterwards I think he'll be putting it up as a PDF. And if this doesn't get played a lot at GenCon, I'd be very suprised.

Mike

[Paul's Girl]

Not to step on Paul's feet about this (he's been busy getting his game to the publisher) I know that print copies will be for sale at Gen Con (as stated) and he wants to sell the rest thru the Half Meme website. After the print run is done I believe his intentions are to sell pdf only.  

Kudos to playing the game out of the setting, early 1800's eastern Europe, and making it totally work.

I would like to add that yes, you as a player do lots of horrible deeds and the strangest thing is that it is all funny. And not in a psycho-killer kinda way, but a 'my God what a terrible things that makes the story so great' way. My best moment (for those who didn't have access to the play-test forum) involved my 16 year old male character who's more than human was that he was mistaken for a woman, which correlated to the grand stage actor Master. After he had been publicly sodomized by the master then rejected for a young woman, Ambrose had the opportunity to save this girl, the Master's next rape/murder victim.  I had alot of different options here: save her, grope or kiss her (very male) or kill her myself for revenge. But, instead, while she was being restrained by another minion to return her, I took her shoes.  Self centered and telling her she was doomed all at once without a word. Ugh.

[Mike Holmes]

Kudos to playing the game out of the setting, early 1800's eastern Europe, and making it totally work.

I've been saying for a long while that the setting doesn't matter. Horror is timeless, as are the issues that the game deals with. Could have been a castle as easily as an apartment tower, but it wouldn't have made a difference to what sort of actions the characters took. None at all.

So, while the suggested setting is very evocative and moody, and I'd recommend playing in it at least once, I'd also recommend going to different settings as the participants prefer. In fact, if I run again, I was thinking that an island would be cool, perhaps between the world wars, the master with an Art Deco lair, with a superstitious set of villagers on the other side of the island. Some outsiders show up to start things off...I can see it now...

The way I see it, the setting including period, location, the nature of the Village, and the Master's Demenses are all part of creating the stage for the Master and the Minions. I left these things all up to the players, just like the creation of the Master, and I'd want to keep all this the subject of group decisions. I mean, if you want to have a master that's into Chinese water torture, you're going to want the appropriate setting, right?

Hmmm. Eunuchs....

Mike

[Bob McNamee]

What a cool sounding game. Should be on my 'Buy' list.

A stray comedic thought
Tattoo - "Mr. Life with Mr. Rourke" -- the Fantasy Island edition

Edit- Any chance of an indie-netgaming run by you folks?