Topic: [Polaris] One session data point
Started by: JC
Started on: 12/12/2007
Board: These Are Our Games
On 12/12/2007 at 1:44pm, JC wrote:
[Polaris] One session data point
hey all :)
just a data point, for those wondering if you can play Polaris in one single session: that's exactly what I did last Saturday
in 11 hours:
- I explained the rules to the other three players (one of which was completely new to story games)
- we had lunch
- we created characters
- we played some
- we had dinner
- we played some more, and finished the cycle
one character was at 4 Weariness, while the others were not quite there, when the world was destroyed
all characters had an appropriately tragic ending
we used the rules-mod for faster play from the book, where 1-3 is an advance, and 4-6 is a refresh
oh and I'll add two of us were insanely lucky during this game, winning a handful of rolls with 1/6 odds
had we failed some of those, the game would have been quicker
On 12/13/2007 at 5:04pm, Filip Luszczyk wrote:
Re: [Polaris] One session data point
in 11 hours
Uh, JC...
That's a whole day of gaming. It's relative of course, but that would be 2-3 standard sessions worth of time for me. About how much out of these 11 hours were eaten by out of game activities? Again, it's relative, but judging from my experience I'd estimate that normally about 20% of session time disappears due to unrelated tabletalk, system explanations and stuff.
That said, I'd really like to still be able to play 11 hour marathons ;)
On 12/14/2007 at 5:33pm, GreatWolf wrote:
RE: Re: [Polaris] One session data point
At GenCon, Ben, Alexis, and I played Polaris. We used the three-player rules (obviously), and Ben didn't have a protagonist of his own.
Two hours, baby.
Boo-yah!
Now, this worked because we were generous with experience, but it did work.
On 12/14/2007 at 6:22pm, Ben Lehman wrote:
RE: Re: [Polaris] One session data point
Jesus Mary and Joseph! An 11 hour session? I'm glad you like my game that much.
yrs--
--Ben
On 12/15/2007 at 10:43am, JC wrote:
RE: Re: [Polaris] One session data point
Filip wrote:in 11 hours
Uh, JC...
That's a whole day of gaming. It's relative of course, but that would be 2-3 standard sessions worth of time for me. About how much out of these 11 hours were eaten by out of game activities? Again, it's relative, but judging from my experience I'd estimate that normally about 20% of session time disappears due to unrelated tabletalk, system explanations and stuff.
That said, I'd really like to still be able to play 11 hour marathons ;)
hey Filip :)
well, there was lunch and dinner, that took about an hour each
and a couple of very brief phone-calls (my washing machine had just died on me)
apart from that, I'd say we were focused on the game the whole time
but you have to factor in the fact that I was the only one who'd played "Polaris" before
oh, and rereading you post, let me clarify that there was quite a bit of discussion about the rules (including checking stuff in the book from time time to time)
On 12/15/2007 at 10:44am, JC wrote:
RE: Re: [Polaris] One session data point
GreatWolf wrote:
At GenCon, Ben, Alexis, and I played Polaris. We used the three-player rules (obviously), and Ben didn't have a protagonist of his own.
Two hours, baby.
Boo-yah!
Now, this worked because we were generous with experience, but it did work.
our record for a single scene was three experience rolls
how generous were you guys?
On 12/15/2007 at 10:49am, JC wrote:
RE: Re: [Polaris] One session data point
Ben wrote:
Jesus Mary and Joseph! An 11 hour session? I'm glad you like my game that much.
yrs--
--Ben
we had a blast the whole way through
I was a little afraid I'd OD, since I'm playing in an IRC "Polaris" game at the moment, but the two games were nothing like each other
one very important reason this session was so great is that we really went for the throat as Mistaken
On 12/16/2007 at 12:32am, GreatWolf wrote:
RE: Re: [Polaris] One session data point
JC wrote:
our record for a single scene was three experience rolls
how generous were you guys?
Um, I seem to recall six or seven for a particular scene. Though, we used the list as something of a checklist. If something was "sympathy for a demon" and it was also "despair", then we would award it two experience rolls, not just one. At least, this is how I'm remembering it. Does that sound right, Ben?
Just for data purposes, one of the knights became a demon, and the other one was killed immediately following her flip over to Veteran. Killed by the Solaris Knight, in fact. How's that for a dubious honor?
On 3/3/2008 at 11:42pm, Frank Tarcikowski wrote:
RE: Re: [Polaris] One session data point
We took about six hours and a half to finish the cycle with six players, including making protagonists and explaining the rules. Four protagonists died, one of them joining the mistake before he did, the fifth was walking into an army of demons singing the swan's song she had been destined to sing as the scene faded. The sixth one never even got mentioned, so he doesn't count. In order to do so, however, we transcended the rules. So I guess we were cheating. ;-)
- Frank
Forge Reference Links:
Topic 25864