[CoS] A Conspiracy of Ravenloft

[Matt Wilson]

Keith has been saying that Conspiracy of Shadows would be a kickass game for playing in the world of Ravenloft, and yesterday we committed to taking the challenge. I figure we'll play this for multiple sessions, maybe until we all perish.

This'll be maybe the third time I've played in a game with Keith, and the first time I've been in a game with Matt and Monica, who are a couple and who have known each other and gamed together in a regular group for quite a while, though they can fill in the details.

We mat at M and M's place at 1230 or so, and did game related stuff probably for 4 hours or so, followed by some general theory discussion which was mostly Keith talking about various things being bullshit.

Play started with a discussion of how to apply CoS to Ravenloft and have it work really well. Keith's concern --with which I mostly agree-- was that the presence of generic fantasy stock races, like dwarves and elves from D&D, would cheapen the spookiness of the various fantastic elements in unveiling the conspiracy. Like how scary is it to encounter a non-human being, really, if the bartender is already one?

We created the cell, came up with a kicker, and maybe played out a half hour of the first "episode."

Oh, and here's some more background on the players. You probably know who Keith is. He wrote the game. He says "bullshit" a lot, in a really satisfying way. Matt is Matt McElroy of www.flamesrising.com. He's a long-time larper and a fan of Eden Studios and White Wolf, as well as Obsidian and various gothic horror games. I think he's done a lot of playtesting for Eden's games, though I think he plans to contribute to this thread, so I'll let him provide a better bio than I can. Monica plays regularly and has GM'ed some con games (A|State?). I don't know if either of them has played any games created by folks who have forums here. Maybe InSpectres? I know they're both interested, so we'll probably be doing a lot of one-shots of various games in the weeks to come.

In the character and cell creation bits, and maybe just a bit in play, there was some clash of trends. I always find that in a new group. I think I'd find it with people whose preferences match mine 100 percent. No tension or anything, or not that I noticed. Just some pauses and backtracking and explaining and such. You never know what you need to work out beforehand, so stuff is bound to come up in play. It was civil and grownup and cool, like it always ought to be.

Man, I haven't even talked about the characters yet. My character is modeled on Luke Crane. Mwahahahaha. No small thanks to the rules, they're very cool and engaging. These are characters whose stories I want to see unfold. And the villain already sounds like a real dick.

In all, I'm pretty jazzed about the group, and what we've created so far is really excellent.

As for the actual game itself, I think it's a pretty good package of traditional elements mixed with some of that wacky Big Model stuff. I like the descriptors, the trigger, and the group kicker a whole lot. I used a destiny point to help me convince some loser to let me see the bishop, which was cool and very satisfying in its support of player control. With the way descriptors give you extra dice, I can see how destiny can really help you set up a killer die roll, and I'm looking forward to trying it out more often.

Since Matt and Monica both wanted to contribute, I'll stop here and give them and Keith some room.

[Matt-M-McElroy]

Hey folks,

The other Matt here...some folks know me some don't...as menioned above, I run www.flamesrising.com, I also own www.twilight-games.com and have been gaming for some time. I've played Sorcerer, a|state and I've run sessions of Conspiracy of Shadows (first edition), Little Fears, Inspectres, Obsidian: the Age of Judgement (and as mentioned a variety of Unisystema nd World of Darkness games).

It did take us a bit to figure out how our characters were going to fit together, but once we made some progress there I think we created a pretty solid group. I'm playing a former soldier who is hoping to somehow atone for the violence and evil he has done over the years.

Working up some interesting Descriptors and deciding on the Cell Assets really helped me develop a personality and direction for the character. It'll be interesting to see how that plays out over the next session and beyond. I think we've got a really good group (Players and Characters) and can't wait to see what sorts of Conspiracy/Ravenloft twists happen next.

Regards,

Matt M McElroy
"What Are You Afraid Of?"
http://www.flamesrising.com

[daemonchild]

Hi,

I'm sure a lot of you don't know me. So a bit about my background...I'm a freelance writer/editor who's gamed on and off until a few years ago when I started getting into the industry side of things through Flames Rising. I've been running con demos for the past two years for lots of different games (Angel, City of Heroes, A/State, Blood Games, etc), and game/review on a pretty regular basis. Came to know the Forge through Mike Holmes; we've had some really good game theory discussions. :) My current projects include; designing a futuristic game, working on getting some editing/writing assignments, and trying to figure out how to open up a cat discplinary school for our crazy kitty, Zak. I met Matt Wilson through the other Matt, and Keith through GenCon at the Forge booth. Will never forget those cool shades. This was the first time all of us have gotten together to game...

...my thoughts on the subject? There was a lot of different dynamics going on; from building personal characters to creating the 'cell', to becoming familiar with a new GM style and a new group dynamic. It was a bit much for me (I'm using any and all of my gaming experiences to fuel my own presentations and projects), but Mr. Senkowski was very suave about it all. My favorite part was the brainstorming for the "kicker" and the character creation. I felt that, collectively, there was a lot of creativity floating about that made the plot both interesting and compelling. It took me a bit to get used to Keith's freestyling GM style, but (as always) he's a GM you want in your group because his accents are "to die for." My own style is not "the dwarf must come with you" nor is it "anything goes", but somewhere in the middle. So it was interesting to play in a game where we drove the plot.

My character has an enigmatic past, she just found out she is a changeling. How much or how little she doesn't know, but she's slowly discovering that her "powers" (Witchblood), are not "evil" persay--they're something else. The thing that draws me to this particular game is the element of a longer-term character within a setting I've never played before...this isn't a one-shot sally that dies tragically. This is a character who has a mission...should she choose to accept it...we'll find out.

Regards,

M

[Keith Senkowski]

Dig.  I think things went well for a character creation/intro to the game sort of thing.  Like Matt said, this was a kinda feeling out period as folks got used to everyone elses personal preferences/agendas and shit.  I don't think there was any sort of tension, but I would say that Monica wasn't entirely comfortable in her shoes with the whole player driven thang.  Anyway, it was a positive experience and I think the two conflicts that we resolved were right on the money for introducing folks to the game and style of play I roll with (meaing I don't want to do any work, the players have to do it all).  It helps to get the awkward first time gaming together over and done with.  I anticipate when next we get together, folks will be more comfortable an shit...

That's all I got. 
Keith

[daemonchild]

I don't think there was any sort of tension, but I would say that Monica wasn't entirely comfortable in her shoes with the whole player driven thang.

No, actually I wasn't. Maybe that's because of the group dynamics I normally deal with (here's a cattle prod, now go do something); maybe that's because I have a lot of creative energy and don't want to take over the game. I'm sure it will get better next time.

-M

[Judd]

I don't think there was any sort of tension, but I would say that Monica wasn't entirely comfortable in her shoes with the whole player driven thang.

No, actually I wasn't. Maybe that's because of the group dynamics I normally deal with (here's a cattle prod, now go do something); maybe that's because I have a lot of creative energy and don't want to take over the game. I'm sure it will get better next time.

-M

This isn't a red light, but a green, yellow and red flashing all at once like a disco-ball.

Those sentences above say to me, "You are going to rock this game; you are cool enough not to step on anyone's shoes for ever having thought this kind of humble thought but dont' let that humility stop you from spending Destiny Points at critical moments and changing the entire campaign on a dime and making every gasp at home cool your input was because they will be spending Destiny Points too and it will all come together."