Inspired by a chat with Gregor Hutton, I've decided to re-boot my long moribund game of political radicals and secret policemen, Okhrana. The old system (sort of like Contenders and My Life With Master, only with all the good bits taken out) has been junked and replaced with something new, and (hopefully) better.

The players take the role of emigre radicals or political exiles in belle epoque Paris. The most significant threat to the characters is the eponymous Okhrana, the Czarist secret police who were very active in Paris at this time. It uses a somewhat streamlined version of the mechanics from Hot War to achieve its ends. In essence the characters are trying to achieve their political and personal goals, all the while avoiding the attentions of the Okhrana, the Surete, and various other groups and people that have it in for them.

The text at the moment is rough, scrappy, and not even complete. I hope, though, that it gives an idea of where the game is headed. However, I felt the time was ripe to gain some feedback on it. The main things that I'd like to discuss right now are:

The situation creation section: It seems to lack vigour and bite. There either need to be more questions, more structure, or changes to the current questions to give greater focus.

The full explanation of this section is in the main document (attached below), but the basic questions are:

What is the tone of the game? [black comedy, dramatic political intrigue, bomb-throwing action, for example]

Why are the characters together? [family, political group, drinking club, military buddies, etc]

What is the main thrust of the game? [what are the main goals, what is going on?]

Who are our antagonists? [a handful of the big enemies that will crop up in the game]

Who else is involved? [other people, who may turn in to antagonists, but for the moment are colour]

Describe A Photograph Each [describe a scene in the form of a late nineteenth century photo. The scene should be something that you wnat to see in the game]

Consequences of conflicts: There are some new things here that a quite different to Hot War. The main ones are the ability to change a failure in your manifesto (the equivalent of a hidden agenda) to a success on the back of a really good subsequent conflict and the ability to add additional ticks to the manifesto on the back of a really successful conflict. Too much? Do the consequences fit the game? This section is a little lengthy to outline here, so it's probably best to refer to the document.

Additionally, if you have any further feedback on the text, the please feel free to give it. I'll say again that it is in a very early stage, with lots of sections missing, or in very brief note form. You'll find the complete document here. It's pretty brief at the moment (most of the first few pages is historical background and so on).

Cheers
Malcolm