The Ties That Bind

by DSB

The Ties That Bind
by Tobie Abad

Sometimes, you will want to have games where the players themselves have interconnections with one another beyond what their character concepts were originally planned to be.  Most of the time, players seem to be happy with just having characters that were created to stand alone with their own stories and their own back stories.   Here's a little something I thought of that can help you add a dash of inter-connecting ties between your players' player-characters.

The Bonds People Know
Start by having each player roll a six-sided die on the following table in relation to another player.  The information here is clearly shared as things everyone typically knows.

1 - Resents... because of...
2 - Admires... because of...
3 - Respects... because of...
4 - Fears... because of....
5 - Trusts... because of..
6 - Supports.. because of..

For example, between players Adam, Burke and Charlie, you have Adam's character rolling once for Burke and Charlie, and likewise for the others.  You may end up with Adam admiring Burke's character for a reason that is appropriate of the character and Adam trusts Charlie because of another reason.  Smart players can use this table to build interesting interconnections.  Burke might admire Charlie, for example, but Charlie might fear Burke for the same attention he gets.

The idea, however, is it adds a nice layer of interconnections by encouraging the players to build some back story history between each other.  Whether the characters are family members, old classmates, co-workers, or practically strangers, players can develop nice ties that shape new role-playing opportunities between them.

The Bonds People Don't Know
Like above, you roll once again for each character, however this time, these are things you note down in secret.  Why?  Because we always have secrets that we won't reveal.  And are afraid to reveal.     The roll represents the minor and major offenses you have on the other character that the other is not aware of.

by that guy who's going places

Minor offenses can range from simply lying about being sick for a party or event, to claiming accomplishments which aren't really yours, while major offenses can include everything from cheating in a relationship with someone the other character is related to, or having committed murder, rape, etc.


1 - one major offense/lie/betrayal
2 - two minor offenses/lies/betrayals
3 - one minor offense/lie/betrayal
4 - none so far
5 - one major  offense/lie/betrayal and one minor offense/lie/betrayal
6 - two major offenses/lies/betrayals


While the other character might not know about these offenses, you are required to share these with the storyteller however.  The storyteller now has a pot of ideas and additional hooks to draw upon to expand on the game.    The storyteller can always throw in a non-playing character who knows some of the character's secrets.  Or maybe even bring in a plot which forces some characters to admit the secrets they've kept from another.

Not to mention, the storyteller might want to expand on some of the results with the other player in time.  Or, since the storyteller knows the results of BOTH tables, work the details to tie in to each other for a much more comprehensive web of drama.

Like in the example above, Burke might have a major offense, and might decide that he once secretly spied on Charlie's character while in the shower.  Charlie might roll a minor offense towards Burke and the storyteller may suggest (knowing what Burke got in his roll) Charlie might have noticed Burke spying on his character while undressed one time (to connect to his fear of Burke's attention) and might have just pretended not to have noticed... but deep down now fears him.  In a super hero game, maybe a telepathic villain uncovers these secrets, and throws at the players' faces to taunt them.  In a game with magic, the said secrets may be uncovered when a cursed item reveals a character's greatest shame.

And suddenly, the drama between the players gets even more awesome in the game.

Faeredoom : Changeling the Lost : nWOD

08/2011 - 12/2012
FAEREDOOM
nWOD : Changeling the Lost

Mike Laird, struggling writer, and Martin Gray, former athlete, discover how the world they live in is far more insidious and stranger than they believe.   In a world where myths become real and monsters exist, the two discover how their lives have caught the attentions of something called The Collector and learn truths about themselves which they can never ever forget.

Mike Laird searches for a story.  Having sought to be a writer all his life, Mike struggles to find inspiration.  Almost as if to answer his search, he hears the sound of a small object hitting the floor.  A quick check leads him to finding a tooth, a human molar, resting on the floor panels.  Before he could do more, another tooth clatters down.  And another.  Soon, he realizes he is looking at a trail of teeth leading to a hole under the couch.          A hand suddenly emerges from the hold and takes the teeth he gives it.  When he takes the hand, he finds himself pulled into a strange world with piles and stacks and towers of teeth.  He awakens and discovers he's found his story, and he begins to write.

Martin Gray's story begins while attending rehab with a nurse named Jenny.  Martin lost the use of his legs when he fell from a wall-climbing event.  Nightly he meets with Jenny for rehab and the two begin to form a strong relationship - marred only by the fact Jenny is seeing an uncouth jock of a boyfriend named Brad, and the disturbing presence of a stalker who might not even be human.  Sadly, though the growing feelings he has for Jenny seem real, he soon uncovers a horrible secret:  He is not real.  His life is merely a simulacrum, a copy of another person's.  He is a Fetch, and the stalker is the man whose life he has stolen.

In the five sessions that follow, both characters discover how their lives have been forever changed by the Gentry known as the Collector.  Soon, Mike learns of the Fetch that has replaced him, gained the fame and happiness he sought, and conspires to kill him.  Martin on the other hand discovers the Martin whose life he had replaced seeks revenge, and finds himself kidnapped for some strange ritual that was to be performed.  But plans go awry and the real Martin is mortally wounded by others.   Just before death, Martin is given a choice, to accept a strange Goblin Contract that would have him switch lives with the real one.. or accept the life of being a false person.  Martin accepts.

By the end of the story, Martin and Mike form an unlikely friendship, both having lives that were seemingly torn from their control at the same time.  Mike rediscovers his Summer Court mantle as King and claims his weapon, the mythical spear of Destiny back.  They also discover that Mike's Fetch knew it wasn't real and had been writing books to exorcise the strange visions that he has been seeing.  But when word reaches them that the Collector is coming to recapture them, neither the Autumn nor Winter Courts present are willing to help them.  Mike's mother, on the other hand, is willing to help now that her son has returned, and steals away a child to use in an Autumn Contract -  one which would entail terrifying the child to death until the fear is sufficient to sate the Gentry's hunger.

The two rush to stop his mother, and eventually find themselves forced to face off with the Gentry on their won.  Martin uses the Contracts of Stone to rip the Gentry's armor aside, and Mike uses the Spear to grievously cripple the godlike monster.  Martin realizes from Mike's Fetch's book "Faeredoom" that the Collector despises "imperfections" and offers himself to the Collector in exchange for the rest of them.  Mike realizes Martin isn't "the real Martin" and decides to play along, forging a Pledge from the Gentry to leave the city in peace in exchange for its life.  The Gentry agrees and as she returns to the Hedge, she suddenly senses Martin's "difference."  The difference resonates upon her like poison and she is forced to throw him out of the Hedge in fear of her own survival.

The two defeat the Gentry and find years of peace following their lives, so long as they choose never to leave the city.

On the other hand, the young child that was being tortured and saved, grows up and finds himself obsessed with uncovering the truth about the Gathering Man and why the books seem to be hiding a secret truth.  And the game ends with the young child cutting a hold under the couch and holding out a tooth towards it.

And he waits.
To see if something will respond.
Something does.

* 

I thank Dennis and BJ Recio (who has made d20 books based on Filipino mythological beasts. Asuang: Shapechanging Horrors and Tikbalang: Guardians of Kalikasan) for being players in this game series.  It was a great run!

Encouraging Role-playing

by ralphrepo

Encouraging Role-playing
by Tobie Abad

We've all heard it before:  "My players don't like role-playing.  They prefer to just roll the dice."  But sometimes  a storyteller needs to look deeper to the real source of the problem.  After all, if there is any absolute truth to gaming, that truth is the game must be fun for all players involved.  If you have players who seem to be having trouble role-playing, then determine first the roots of this issue.  Once you realize what the real root of the issue is, you will be able to find the solution necessary.

Is it because the players in question do not like to role-play their characters?  
This, of course, is a problem only if the game is already ongoing.   Everyone has their own gaming styles, after all.  Typically, every player enjoys the cathartic experience that a role-playing game can give.  But how that catharsis is achieved does vary.   Some people love the chance to wear a whole new skin, and portray a personality that interests them.  Some people seek the thrill and rush of a fast paced combat sequence.  Some people indulge in the brain-gasms that a tactical scenario throws at them.    And all these things are among the joys delivered by a table top role-playing game.  But clearly, not all of them require the player to speak like an actor delivering their lines.  So yes, you must learn to accept the fact that not everyone wants to role-play a personality.

How then does one fix this issue?  If the game has not started yet, you always have the option of clarifying with the players what expectations they have and clarifying whether or not the game will be heavy on role-playing or not.  There's no harm in setting expectations early, after all.  In fact, if you share that a game is expected to be one that explores political maneuvering and social manipulations among Lords and Ladys, for example, you won't end up with players who create characters focused on sword fighting and leading crusades.  Mapping out the expectations of a game help the players tailor their concepts to capitalize on and explore the game's themes.

But again, if the game is already ongoing, it is very hard.  Because imposing on a guy who loves the rush of battle in a game to start getting into a romantic scene might just lessen the fun for the player.  Just as a guy who indulges in the passion plays of an emotional moment might feel lost in a heavy battle scene.

a) An option therefore is throw some additional incentives the players way. 
Most games, such as Dungeons and Dragons and the World of Darkness storyteller system provide the option to throw in circumstantial bonuses which allow you to throw in a few extra boosts to player rolls.  So a basic approach is to note down each time a player pushes himself outside one's comfort zone, and for every moment he does so, you can later award an equivalent bonus to later rolls.  The player therefore gets encouraged to explore more and as a reward becomes even more awesome in things he normally does.

b) A second option is to remind the players that the lack of a character's social stats does not mean the character cannot have a notable social trait.  
Televisions shows, comic books, and movies are full of characters who exemplify this:  Jayne Cobb of Firefly, for example, is clearly not a social character by any means.  However, his lack of actual social graces is clearly represented with his foul-mouth and terribly rude approaches towards women.  Braniac 5.1 of the Legion of Super Heroes is a character who clearly represents an incredible intellect, and his social failures are nicely reflective of his poor stats there.  So feel free to tell the combat-monster player that his character doesn't have to shy away from all social scenes.  You can even suggest to him, "What would Jayne Cobb do?"

Is it because the players in question find it hard to embody the concept they chose?
At times, the player character's concept might seemingly be fun at first, but later then be discovered to be harder to portray than expected.  I once had a player in an Exalted game who wanted to be a fast-talking sly shape-shifting Lunar wanderer, but as the game progressed he started to realize that he just didn't really have the skills to fast-talk in character.  As the game progressed, he started to always respond to social challenges  with this general statement, "I fast-talk my way out of it" followed by a handful of dice clattering on the table.

Given that just retiring or killing off the character then creating a new one isn't an acceptable option, consider the following ideas you might want to suggest to your storyteller.

a) Events CHANGE the character
The fast-talking Lunar becoming too hard to role-play?  Maybe you can suggest to your storyteller that the Lunar receives an aggravated wound to the throat and even when healed sadly strips him of the ability of speech?  Other than wounds, you have many other options at your disposal: magic, super-science, alien technology... you name it.  Personality shifts can also happen as a response of trauma.  So maybe if your character witnesses or experiences something overwhelmingly traumatic (his whole tribe being murdered before his eyes, or a week-long torture sequence, etc) the events can scar him psychologically enough that he starts acting (and therefore being portrayed) a little bit more different.  As deux ex machina as if may feel, consider it as the Storyteller dipping in a finger into the universe to change it just enough, that the player doesn't feel like his character isn't working out for him.

by toastyken

b) Player choices CHANGE the character
Using the same example, maybe the Lunar hero fails in a major undertaking and as self-punishment, vows to never speak until he finds a way to right his failure?  Or maybe the character begins to "grow up" and starts to realize how he approaches things hasn't been working for him.   Sometimes it doesn't need a major traumatic event to change a person.  Sometimes it could simply be an eventual change in one's outlook.  Maybe the character learns more things about the world that changes his perspectives?  Or maybe the character simply realizes how he lives his life is not helping and it is time to try to be someone else.   The character then becomes something you can portray better, and the storyteller gains a new plot hook to use.

Is it because your players are shy?
Then show them there's no reason to be shy.   This tends to be a problem only with new players.  An easy clue to spot this is when players tend to shift to a third person narrative when trying to describe their actions. "My character will approach him and then my  character will say, 'I don't like you at all.'"  The lack of willingness to commit to the character is easily reflected when a player makes it a point to indicate the separation in his choice of words.  Players more comfortable with role-playing would simply state their character's actions as if they were their own.  "I grab the weapon.. You bastard!  How could you betray us! I hold the blade to his throat."   Even better, they know how to shift their tone just enough so fellow players and the storyteller can tell when a question or statement is said in-character or as a player.

The best solution to this is to tell them outright at the start, "Don't feel shy about portraying your character.  Know I'll let you know if anything might be out of character or too much."  Build the beginnings of trust between the player and yourself by showing them how you role-play the characters without needing to separate yourself as well.  During interactions, talk to them as if you were the character.  Act a bit if you are comfortable with it.  Let them know that while the game is going, the "stage" is set and you are allowed to be someone else and have fun.

Crash : The Shotgun Diaries

11/04/2011
CRASH
The Shotgun Diaries

Zombies make a huge screamfest in this one-shot session using John Wick's incredibly mood building game called The Shotgun Diaries.

Survivors of a plane crash in New York City find themselves having to deal with a zombie menace as they try to make their way to a sanctuary.  Five players graced this game with two playing for the first time under me:  Mika and Patton have played in my Orpheus game (link to follow), Anton and Paolo were playing under me for the first time ever (and frankly I hope my gaming style and antics did not freak them out too much), and of course there was Rocky whose character was Terry O'Quinn from shows such as Lost and Millennium.    The group was making their way to the apartment of another player when they chance upon Terry O'Quinn already hiding out in the place with a pregnant woman named Bethany.  Bethany turns out to be a Lost fan who met Terry O' Quinn during a convention and ended up sticking close to him to survive.  Of course, when her mania reaches frightening levels, one in the group is forced to sacrifice her for his own survival.

The group eventually venture out to gather more supplies, witness a biker dude who gives up on life and blows himself up to kill off a large number of zombies, and learn that this game has frightening monstrosities similar to the fiends of the computer game, Left4Dead.  There was the tongue lashing wall-walker that had much similarities to the Smoker and the Resident Evil monster in the movie.   The Hunters were present too, but never had a chance to attack the players (none of them traveled alone).  I changed the concept of the Boomer, however, and it instead was a vomit-spitting monster that caused the Walkers around it to turn into Runners when its acidic spit burned their legs up.    Finally, the game reached its finale with an appearance of a Tank.

And ended with their escape car being slammed by the other car the Tank had thrown at them.

The game was pretty crazy, with players hitting as high as four Fear counters at this point, and sadly none of them ever got to use an explosive (one tried to create a Molotov to throw at the zombies, but ended up rolling a fear success, and he decided to keep it with him for safety.)

I wonder if there will be others who will dare play a session of The Shotgun Diaries.  For fun, I decided to keep the current Diary, and in future sessions have others add to it, so it becomes sort of an artifact of all the Shotgun Diaries sessions that I've run.

The Job : Psychosis

02/05/2011
The Job
Psychosis

Chameleon Eclectic Entertainment once released a Charles Ryan game called Psychosis.   When I first heard about the game, I knew I just had to find a way to play it.   In the game, there are no character sheets.  No dice are used.  The game basically uses Tarot cards to represent your "character sheet" and to resolve any events that happen in the game.  You see in Psychosis, you can't even trust who you think you are, until you uncover more and more clues to the truth in the game.

Think of it like the Tarsem Singh movie "The Cell" but add role-playing elements and a hint of madness into the pot.  Yes, and you're a bit closer to what the game can be like.

I was able to run a game for some friends using the system, and let me say this:  Psychosis really challenges one's preconceptions on what is necessary for a role-playing game to be fun.   In games like this one, the very experience of the narrative unfolding becomes more paramount than anything else.

Simply put:  Every game session is for the player to figure out and make sense what is really going on.

I can't wait to run more Psychosis sessions for others.
Someday.

Two kids: Schauermarchen

10/02/2011
Two Kids
Schauermarchen

This game is one of those games I wish I thought up of.  Here's a few words from John Wick, the creator of the game itself:

The Village is made of rust, oil and steam. Every corner is jagged, catching and ripping clothes. Thick black clouds of smog keep the sun and moon far away from the Village and no waves ever roll up on the shore. The sea sits like a corpse, its dark waters still and silent. Iron clocks hang over the streets, clicking away the hours, but none of them tell the same time.
The children are not alone in the Village. There are two others. One of them lives in the tall house on the hill, sending a deep shadow across the center of the Village. The children hear the tinkling of an out-of-tune piano and the garbled voice singing along with it. Songs of gleeful murder, songs of graveyard dances.

Then, at night, he steps from the front door, his hat on his head, his cane in hand, and he walks through the Village's cramped streets..

Schauermarchen is a roleplaying game of children trapped in a nameless Village, hunted by a nameless horror. It is not intended for children.

      Taken from John Wick's marketplace.

Let me say this:  He is not joking.

Schauermarchen is a dark disturbing fairytale with a very light system that allows you to focus on the horror. Mahar and Rocky had a taste of the game and sadly we had to cancel the game mid-way due to a family matter that required Rocky's attention and Mahar realizing he couldn't go on playing this alone.

It is hard to say more about the game without spoiling it.  But I will say this, if you go into this game not allowing yourself to be afraid, you will not enjoy it.  If you go into this game with a mindset of "winning the game" you will not enjoy it.  But if you enter the story with the mindset of a child, the horror will be there, then if you develop that fear into a powerful source of hope, you will soon discover there is a way to escape living in a nightmare without having to wake up.

The session had me designing a simple character sheet (with places for six kids, so if one dies, you can have a record of how many casualties have happened) and wrote an article about running horror games too.  Absolutely worth the purchase.

Contact : DC Heroes

09/25/2011
Contact
Mayfair Games' DC Heroes

We had a Sunday free, so Mahar, Rocky and I set up a gaming night to try the long defunct D.C. Heroes (Mayfair Exponential Gaming System) session.  Supposedly a third player was joining us, but seemed to be unavailable on the night of the game itself.

With three players, what better way to fully appreciate the D.C. Heroes system than to play the BIG THREE. With Mahar taking the role of Wonder Woman, Rocky as Batman and the third guy who was going to be Superman, I decided to come up with a game which 1) got my favorite superhero team into the game 2) had them face off with an enemy which may seem insurmountable without being cliche.  3) allowed me to have a take on why a new DC Universe was about to happen.  By the time of the game, the new DC Universe, with the younged-up cast, the removal of all existing Crisis Events, and the reduction of the superhero history to a mere five years had not happened yet.  So in hopes of coming up with a cool reason why it will happen, I mapped out this story.

Superman at the JLA Tower is informed by Martian Manhunter of an incoming threat.  Superman flies off to investigate.  It is currently somewhere just past Pluto.  Wonder Woman is in Themiscrya and is dealing with her murder of Maxwell Lord.   She is playing out the fight over and over again with a training illusionary device from the Gods.  Batman is watching Wonder Woman, concerned and aware of her growing obsession over her own guilt.  Both Wonder Woman and Batman get the distress beacon and head to JLA tower as well, to learn of the incoming meteor the size of a city, that has accelerated its approach to Earth.  Not having a way to fly to it, Batman goes back to Earth to study how the nations that are aware of the planet secretly planning to deal with it.  Wonder Woman on the other hand tries to talk to the UN to warn them of it.

They uncover an alien plot observing the events, and soon learn that a smaller missle has been launched from the comet and is travelling faster towards Earth.  The alien plot claims they are observing the events because they are vital, but refuses to give any additional info.  When given a chance, the alien escapes through a strange shimmering doorway.

With Zatanna's magick, something Batman sorely struggles to accept after the events of Identity Crisis, Batman, Zatanna and Wonder Woman are magically brought to the "missle" and discover it is actually a man.  They confront him and learn his name is Apollo, the comet is their "Ship" and they were attacked by some alien thing.  The two decide to board the comet with Apollo and discover the attackers are the xenomorphs from aliens.  With the Shiftship having literally a small country of refugees, the aliens are fast empowering their ranks.  And it is only after Batman successfully re-engages the Engineer to active the defense systems of the Ship, and Wonder Woman finds herself in a one-on-one fight against the Alien Queen.  In the end, Superman has alien DNA in him, as the Queen successfully impregnated him with a facehugger.  Zatanna is forced to magically remove it, inadvertedly making him younger in the process.  Batman decides to focus on living life rather than lamenting his parents' death.  And Wonder Woman returns to her island, uncertain if her Gods ever helped her, unaware that they always have.

Definitely a fun game, although Mahar seemed to have trouble channeling Wonder Woman's sense of honor and charisma.  But man, I have to admit I loved revealing how The Authority was taken down by the xenomorphs.

Timey-Whimey : Serenity and Dr. Who

10/09/2011
Timey-Whimey
Margaret Weis Productions' Serenity and Dr. Who

An old schoolmate named Chris contacted me on Facebook, telling me how much she missed hanging out and how she missed gaming.  In a heartbeat, I asked her if she wanted to have a game come weekend and her excitement could only grow even higher when she was told it would be a game based on Firefly.

Before you know it, she and another old schoolmate named Charles were coming over for a Sunday game at the Sietch.  Character options were offered and Charles decided to go for Jayne.  Chris on the other hand reminded me of the fact her Plurk profile picture always shows artwork of Kaylee.  Finally, Rocky decided to join the fun and I told him his options were either Mal, Simon or Shepherd Book.  His choice would ultimately determine what time-setting the game would have.  He opted for Mal.  So the game was set post-movie (meaning yes certain people were going to be dead.)

Oh no Jayne, you're not doing it again?!?

But then I realized Chris, Charles and Rocky were also fans of Dr. Who.  So all I had to do was hit two birds with one stone.    I grabbed my DVD collection and decided the best episode to use was an episode where Jayne and Mal were at best odds:  Ariel.  In the episode, Jayne betrays the Tam siblings to the Alliance, and Mal nearly throws him out of the airlock for doing so.    To revisit that timeline would have been an awesome opportunity to embrace characterization and internal struggles.  For Kaylee, on the other hand, the best way to make a Kaylee player squeal would be to let her use her techie stuff big time.  Now imagine this:  Kaylee with a Sonic Screwdriver.   Kaylee (who in the RPG is given the ability to "talk" to machines) chatting with the T.a.r.d.i.s?

"Spoilers!"

Everything quickly fell into place.  There were two doctors.  There were two Rivers.  All that was needed was a threat that would have the crew thrown into the past.  So imagine a job where Mal, Jayne, River and Kaylee have to transport a box and the client insists to open it.  The box shatters as it opens, revealing its walls were mirrors.  And then they black out and awaken in Ariel, confused and disoriented until they realize WHEN they are.

A Weeping Angel was the cargo.  And it had just thrown them to the past.

I quickly suggest River was the first to have been thrown into the past, and the PCs quickly decide to search for River.  They eventually discover a "River" who turns out instead to be River Song.  She explains about the angel and warns them not to try to change history.  But when their own actions threaten changing the past, can the crew do what is necessary to keep the past intact?  What if changing the past means Wash never dies?

Those were the questions the players had to tackle.  And trust me, they had fun!

A huge question though would be "Where did the weeping angel come from?"  Given how the Weeping Angels arc was resolved in Dr. Who, I had to simply connect the two Weeping Angel episodes to get my answer.  In the second episode, they introduced the idea that the image of a Weeping Angel is an angel as well.  In the first episode (the infamous episode called Blink), Sally Sparrow takes notes and photos of the Weeping Angels in order to create a file to warn the Doctor.  What if those photographs "woke up"?

So yeah, the Weeping Angels reawaken when the lone angel imprisoned in Serenity successfully lures River Song to bring the T.a.r.d.i.s. over.   The players are forced to fight around SIX of them, with them trying to "kill them while their eyes are closed, so they aren't unkillable stone."  And in classic Dr. Who fashion, River Song opting to help the players?  That's because she "remembers" in her notes that Kaylee someday rescues her from the Dark Ages.

All in all a fantastic timey-wimey game.

And noteably, Jovan was sad she wasn't able to reprise her role as Kaylee.

Imagine going against SIX of them!