I will set an agenda for my story board game.
1. Find artists from the German Manga fan scene or from Deviant Art that can do semi-professional work
2. Decide on a setting
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Monday, May 19, 2008
Captain, My Captain - Episode 2 - Scene Overview
Scene 1 (Producer): Plot
A space ship appears and the ship's captain tells that for crossing the Triton sector (where they ended up after the fail jump in the last episode) they need to pay customs to pass. They are undecided.
Waine (and Tali) decide to offer their nemeses as price.
Conflict: ?
Outcome:
Scene 2 (Tali's player): Plot
Captain Xis and 3 of his minions come on board- Tali takes the personality of Captain Bob.
Conflict: none
Outcome:
Conflict ideas afterwards that would have been easier to integrate with the agenda given by the players:
Scene 3 (Algernon's player): Plot
Conflict:
Outcome:
(Added scene:)
Scene 4 (Waine's player): Character
Captain Xis checks out the lab of Waine. After he meets Algernon and explains himself.
Conflict:
Resolution:
Scene 5 (Producer): Plot
Mafalda and Captain Xis steer near the black hole.
Conflict:
Resolution:
Conflict ideas afterwards that would have been easier to integrate with the agenda given by the players:
Scene 6 (Tali's): Plot
They leave the ship and Xis explain the shape changer conspiracy.
Conflict:
Resolution:
New opened plot developments: what influence do the shape changers really have?
Old open plot thingies: the memory crystal with Tali spying on Algernon & Co., the cooks collar of
A space ship appears and the ship's captain tells that for crossing the Triton sector (where they ended up after the fail jump in the last episode) they need to pay customs to pass. They are undecided.
Waine (and Tali) decide to offer their nemeses as price.
Conflict: ?
Outcome:
Scene 2 (Tali's player): Plot
Captain Xis and 3 of his minions come on board- Tali takes the personality of Captain Bob.
Conflict: none
Outcome:
Conflict ideas afterwards that would have been easier to integrate with the agenda given by the players:
Scene 3 (Algernon's player): Plot
Conflict:
Outcome:
(Added scene:)
Scene 4 (Waine's player): Character
Captain Xis checks out the lab of Waine. After he meets Algernon and explains himself.
Conflict:
Resolution:
Scene 5 (Producer): Plot
Mafalda and Captain Xis steer near the black hole.
Conflict:
Resolution:
Conflict ideas afterwards that would have been easier to integrate with the agenda given by the players:
Scene 6 (Tali's): Plot
They leave the ship and Xis explain the shape changer conspiracy.
Conflict:
Resolution:
New opened plot developments: what influence do the shape changers really have?
Old open plot thingies: the memory crystal with Tali spying on Algernon & Co., the cooks collar of
Sunday, May 18, 2008
My 3.5 D&D character - now
While I am waiting for Dungeons&Dragons 4th Edition, and generally think that everyone who is staying behind is an enemy of innovation, I was invited to join a 3.5 game now. Ironic?
Anyways this is my basic character idea. I wanted to fill a niche in a party with a sorcerer and a rogue/sorcerer. Obviously a defender would be needed, but also a healer. So Paladin seemed pretty obvious.
I decided to go for something angsty that is not introverted. I want to have a character that I can't turn into the funny relief guy. Happens too easily with me.
I also try not to go for the lawful stupid archetyp - as a Palladin screams for that.
Rius Diovrie
Rius is the first born of the current generation of a noble family, rulers over a small barony in the borderlands. Rius' parents, grandfather and countless generations before have served as Paladins. So it was pretty obvious since his birth that Rius would one day become a divine fighter too.
At the age of 14 Rius finally told his family he had heard his calling - everyone was already waiting hard if it would happen at all - and for the better part of the next decade he received his training - lessons in swordplay, morale, the arts and especially how to serve Dalanos - the father of the gods.
Sometimes Rius was a little worried that he did not feel many of the things he was told about, like compassion or charity, but he just pushed himself in studying harder to come up for that.
The closer the day of his final test and knightly accolade came, the more it became clear to him that all the studying would not help in front of the priesthood examining his heart. They would see that he just pretended perfectly all the years and that following the code with discipline was not enough.
So that very morning - waiting for the ceremony in his shiniest armor - Rius ran off.
Since this day he tries to do his duty as a paladin although he is missing the divine powers. Rius may look like a paladin and behave like one, but in the end he is just a fighter with a strict code. He follows this noble code the same way a lifeless machine would do.
He wants to be good and believes in divine law, he just does not feel compassion, charity or any of those things that would make him a real paladin. At the moment Rius thinks that if he serves as one, one day he will be "healed".
In the meantime he sometimes pretends to others to be a palladin and sometimes he whines about not being one instead. He also fights his tendencies to be a braggart.
His biggest wish is that one day he will be able to return to his parents' land and prove that he always was a palladin. Nearly a paradox as he would have to lie to a certain degree to prove that.
Important people to Rius:
Reto and Estenda, parents, palladins
his younger real palladin sister Franja, a prodigy,
his left behind (female) squire Sorin
(he also was sent as a kid for some time to other noble families/castles)
Stats:
Strength: 16 +3
Dexterity: 12 +1
Constitution: 16 +3
Intelligence: 12 +1
Wisdom: 9 -1
Charisma: 13 +1
Rius is 190 cm in height and athletic. He wears his blond hair long and bound and seems to be perfectly shaven all the time.
Alignment: LN
Human
Language: Common + 1 bonus
1 extra feat
4 extra skill points (+1 extra/lvl)
Palladin
Skills: (2+int)x4 start; +2+int/lvl
Feats:
Power Attack (double with 2 hands...)
Cleave
Mounted Combat [next: Ride-by-Attack]
Age: 19
Attack Bonus: 6 = 3 (BAB) + 3 (Str): Greatsword (2d6(+4,5) 19-20/x2 Slashing)
Power Attack: Attack Bonus: +3 Dmg: 2d6+10
AC 19 (Full Plate: Armor Bonus 8)
Skills: Rank Skill
Climb 3+3-6= 0 (+6 without Armor)
Diplomacy 3+1 = 4
Handle Animal
Heal
Knowledge (Nobility/Royality)
Knowledge (Religion)
Ride
Swim
Anyways this is my basic character idea. I wanted to fill a niche in a party with a sorcerer and a rogue/sorcerer. Obviously a defender would be needed, but also a healer. So Paladin seemed pretty obvious.
I decided to go for something angsty that is not introverted. I want to have a character that I can't turn into the funny relief guy. Happens too easily with me.
I also try not to go for the lawful stupid archetyp - as a Palladin screams for that.
Rius Diovrie
Rius is the first born of the current generation of a noble family, rulers over a small barony in the borderlands. Rius' parents, grandfather and countless generations before have served as Paladins. So it was pretty obvious since his birth that Rius would one day become a divine fighter too.
At the age of 14 Rius finally told his family he had heard his calling - everyone was already waiting hard if it would happen at all - and for the better part of the next decade he received his training - lessons in swordplay, morale, the arts and especially how to serve Dalanos - the father of the gods.
Sometimes Rius was a little worried that he did not feel many of the things he was told about, like compassion or charity, but he just pushed himself in studying harder to come up for that.
The closer the day of his final test and knightly accolade came, the more it became clear to him that all the studying would not help in front of the priesthood examining his heart. They would see that he just pretended perfectly all the years and that following the code with discipline was not enough.
So that very morning - waiting for the ceremony in his shiniest armor - Rius ran off.
Since this day he tries to do his duty as a paladin although he is missing the divine powers. Rius may look like a paladin and behave like one, but in the end he is just a fighter with a strict code. He follows this noble code the same way a lifeless machine would do.
He wants to be good and believes in divine law, he just does not feel compassion, charity or any of those things that would make him a real paladin. At the moment Rius thinks that if he serves as one, one day he will be "healed".
In the meantime he sometimes pretends to others to be a palladin and sometimes he whines about not being one instead. He also fights his tendencies to be a braggart.
His biggest wish is that one day he will be able to return to his parents' land and prove that he always was a palladin. Nearly a paradox as he would have to lie to a certain degree to prove that.
Important people to Rius:
Reto and Estenda, parents, palladins
his younger real palladin sister Franja, a prodigy,
his left behind (female) squire Sorin
(he also was sent as a kid for some time to other noble families/castles)
Stats:
Strength: 16 +3
Dexterity: 12 +1
Constitution: 16 +3
Intelligence: 12 +1
Wisdom: 9 -1
Charisma: 13 +1
Rius is 190 cm in height and athletic. He wears his blond hair long and bound and seems to be perfectly shaven all the time.
Alignment: LN
Human
Language: Common + 1 bonus
1 extra feat
4 extra skill points (+1 extra/lvl)
Palladin
Skills: (2+int)x4 start; +2+int/lvl
Feats:
Power Attack (double with 2 hands...)
Cleave
Mounted Combat [next: Ride-by-Attack]
Age: 19
Attack Bonus: 6 = 3 (BAB) + 3 (Str): Greatsword (2d6(+4,5) 19-20/x2 Slashing)
Power Attack: Attack Bonus: +3 Dmg: 2d6+10
AC 19 (Full Plate: Armor Bonus 8)
Skills: Rank Skill
Climb 3+3-6= 0 (+6 without Armor)
Diplomacy 3+1 = 4
Handle Animal
Heal
Knowledge (Nobility/Royality)
Knowledge (Religion)
Ride
Swim
Saturday, May 10, 2008
All the RPGs I ever played
=============== 1988-1997 (Carinthia)
1. The Dark Eye 1 and 2
(+DIY TDE1 scifi system "The Black Future Eye" I was 9 when I came up with the name and system...)
2. Marvel Super Heroes (TSR)
3. Shadowrun 1
4. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles & Other Strangeness
5. Plüsch, Power und Plunder (alive teddies RPG)
6. Talislanta
7. AD&D2
8. Rolemaster
9. Rifts
10. Spacemaster (One Shot)
11. Star Wars (WEG) (One Shot)
12. Warhammer RPG 1
(Unisys20, my self created Proto-D20 with heavy GURPS character creation influence and Rolemaster-like critical damage tables - done in 1996 )
Via mIRC: Heroes Unlimited
=============== 1998-2004 (Vienna)
PbeM: Nightbane, Marvel Super Heroes and Risus.
13. Werewolf: The Apocalypse (One Shot)
=============== 2005-2006 (Vienna)
14. Savage Worlds (50 Fathoms)
15. Unknown Armies (One Shot)
16. D&D 3.5 (also Castles&Crusades and Microlite20)
=============== 2007 (Cologne)
17. Call of Cthulhu
18. Universalis (One Shot)
19. Primetime Adventures (Con One Shot, more 2008 in Dublin)
=============== 2007 (Vienna)
20. Marvel Universe RPG (One Shot)
================ 2008 (Dublin)
21. World of Synnibarr (One Shot)
22. Serenity/Firefly (Double Shot)
================ 2009 (Dublin)
23. D&D 4 (online via RPtools.net)
24. Agon (Double Shot)
25. The Mountain Witch (Double Shot where only first half happened)
================ 2010 (Dublin)
26. Doctor Who: Adventures in Time and Spacve RPG
1. The Dark Eye 1 and 2
(+DIY TDE1 scifi system "The Black Future Eye" I was 9 when I came up with the name and system...)
2. Marvel Super Heroes (TSR)
3. Shadowrun 1
4. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles & Other Strangeness
5. Plüsch, Power und Plunder (alive teddies RPG)
6. Talislanta
7. AD&D2
8. Rolemaster
9. Rifts
10. Spacemaster (One Shot)
11. Star Wars (WEG) (One Shot)
12. Warhammer RPG 1
(Unisys20, my self created Proto-D20 with heavy GURPS character creation influence and Rolemaster-like critical damage tables - done in 1996 )
Via mIRC: Heroes Unlimited
=============== 1998-2004 (Vienna)
PbeM: Nightbane, Marvel Super Heroes and Risus.
13. Werewolf: The Apocalypse (One Shot)
=============== 2005-2006 (Vienna)
14. Savage Worlds (50 Fathoms)
15. Unknown Armies (One Shot)
16. D&D 3.5 (also Castles&Crusades and Microlite20)
=============== 2007 (Cologne)
17. Call of Cthulhu
18. Universalis (One Shot)
19. Primetime Adventures (Con One Shot, more 2008 in Dublin)
=============== 2007 (Vienna)
20. Marvel Universe RPG (One Shot)
================ 2008 (Dublin)
21. World of Synnibarr (One Shot)
22. Serenity/Firefly (Double Shot)
================ 2009 (Dublin)
23. D&D 4 (online via RPtools.net)
24. Agon (Double Shot)
25. The Mountain Witch (Double Shot where only first half happened)
================ 2010 (Dublin)
26. Doctor Who: Adventures in Time and Spacve RPG
PtA: Player Thoughts
By accident I stumbled about one of my player's thoughts on the game: It's on the rpg.net boards
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Things we did not according to the PtA rule set
We made some errors again. Different ones than the first time though:
1. We did not properly set up the scene with Agenda, Focus and Place...
2. We forgot that the player with the highest single card tells the output... Instead it was mostly the Producer.
3. The players' did not want to decide up front who would have a spotlight episode when. It seemed like that the want to grow the spotlight out organically. (That reminds me of the way I was very sceptical about the "unorganic" drama model in my first script writing course.)
4. I was really stupid to misinterpret the rules and tell the players that they could only spend on fan mail in each scene. I have no idea, where I picked that up. I reread the rulebook and it is definitely not the case...
1. We did not properly set up the scene with Agenda, Focus and Place...
2. We forgot that the player with the highest single card tells the output... Instead it was mostly the Producer.
3. The players' did not want to decide up front who would have a spotlight episode when. It seemed like that the want to grow the spotlight out organically. (That reminds me of the way I was very sceptical about the "unorganic" drama model in my first script writing course.)
4. I was really stupid to misinterpret the rules and tell the players that they could only spend on fan mail in each scene. I have no idea, where I picked that up. I reread the rulebook and it is definitely not the case...
Captain, my Captain s01e01 Scene Overview
Scene 1 (Producer): Plot
Cook and Assistant take over commando and tell about their ship from back in the Freedom Wars
Conflict: ?
Scene 2 (Tali's player): Character
Meeting of the protagonists in a small room to discuss what to do now
Conflict: Crew member Michael is sent to order them back and wants to convince them to cooperate
Outcome: The protagonists come along, although Waine stays in control of the situation and bullies Michael
Conflict ideas afterwards that would have been easier to integrate with the agenda given by the players: there would have been a NPC like Michael as part of the meeting and he would have discussed with them instead of giving orders
Scene 3 (Mafalda's player): Plot
The pilot tries to steer the ship dispite being drunk
Conflict: will she be able to take it to Zebulon
Outcome: she fails and it goes somewhere random
Scene 4 (Algernon's player): Plot
The ship comes out of hyperspace near a space station that is attacked by 2 pirate ships. It is on collision course.
Conflict: the cook-captain has post war trauma and tries to attack the space station, there will be people injuried
Outcome: they can't stop the cook and the Michael (scene 2) is killed in the crash as Waine is not able to save him
(Added scene: flashback to Waine's and Michael's happy times in the holo deck)
Scene 5 (Waine's player): Character
There is a space funeral for Michael.
Conflict: will the crew blame Waine for Michael's death? especially as he bullied him before?
Resolution: they don't blame Waine
Scene 6 (Producer): Plot
The Federation commander of the space station comes on board to find out who was guilty for the destruction
Conflict: will they offer the cook on a silver plate or play the card that they were able to scare of the pirates and therefore helped?
Resolution: they cook is blamed and receives the Collar of Punishment
Conflict ideas afterwards that would have been easier to integrate with the agenda given by the players: Tali's role as daughter would have been used, for example as an excuse...
Scene 7 (Tali's): Plot
Tali sneaks shape changed on board of the ship and seduces the captain of the station to steal data about the Captain James Herbert
Conflict: can she get the data while the captain wants her to "explore the galaxy"
Resolution: she can
Scene 8 (Mafalda's): Plot
Can Tali escapefrom the space station while Mafalda is able to start the ship despite her alcohol problem
Conflict: straight forward, action scene
Resolution: they can
New opened plot developments: what's really on Zebulon?, 2 space pirate ships running of, the cook's collar of punishment, the data from the Federation's space station
Old open plot thingies: the memory crystal with Tali spying on Algernon & Co.
Cook and Assistant take over commando and tell about their ship from back in the Freedom Wars
Conflict: ?
Scene 2 (Tali's player): Character
Meeting of the protagonists in a small room to discuss what to do now
Conflict: Crew member Michael is sent to order them back and wants to convince them to cooperate
Outcome: The protagonists come along, although Waine stays in control of the situation and bullies Michael
Conflict ideas afterwards that would have been easier to integrate with the agenda given by the players: there would have been a NPC like Michael as part of the meeting and he would have discussed with them instead of giving orders
Scene 3 (Mafalda's player): Plot
The pilot tries to steer the ship dispite being drunk
Conflict: will she be able to take it to Zebulon
Outcome: she fails and it goes somewhere random
Scene 4 (Algernon's player): Plot
The ship comes out of hyperspace near a space station that is attacked by 2 pirate ships. It is on collision course.
Conflict: the cook-captain has post war trauma and tries to attack the space station, there will be people injuried
Outcome: they can't stop the cook and the Michael (scene 2) is killed in the crash as Waine is not able to save him
(Added scene: flashback to Waine's and Michael's happy times in the holo deck)
Scene 5 (Waine's player): Character
There is a space funeral for Michael.
Conflict: will the crew blame Waine for Michael's death? especially as he bullied him before?
Resolution: they don't blame Waine
Scene 6 (Producer): Plot
The Federation commander of the space station comes on board to find out who was guilty for the destruction
Conflict: will they offer the cook on a silver plate or play the card that they were able to scare of the pirates and therefore helped?
Resolution: they cook is blamed and receives the Collar of Punishment
Conflict ideas afterwards that would have been easier to integrate with the agenda given by the players: Tali's role as daughter would have been used, for example as an excuse...
Scene 7 (Tali's): Plot
Tali sneaks shape changed on board of the ship and seduces the captain of the station to steal data about the Captain James Herbert
Conflict: can she get the data while the captain wants her to "explore the galaxy"
Resolution: she can
Scene 8 (Mafalda's): Plot
Can Tali escapefrom the space station while Mafalda is able to start the ship despite her alcohol problem
Conflict: straight forward, action scene
Resolution: they can
New opened plot developments: what's really on Zebulon?, 2 space pirate ships running of, the cook's collar of punishment, the data from the Federation's space station
Old open plot thingies: the memory crystal with Tali spying on Algernon & Co.
ScratchPad
We played the first real episode of "Captain, My Captain" in a meeting room with a really cool gadget, a digital whiteboard. We saved it as a pdf, so I am not completely sure how to make it visible here.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Minigolf Family
I want to use this place to recommend the blog of a friend. She writes in German, but we will turn her adventures of the Minigolfkombinat into a Primetime Adventures show one day. I am sure about it.
She does a very different kind of role playing. Kind of live action role playing with some friends, where they always take the same roles as members of a family. In a way it can be defined as Augmented Reality gaming, as they play it while hanging out in bars or on real mini golf courses or just their living rooms.
Now she turned it to 11 by creating write ups of a fictional TV show based on their Mixed Reality LARP experience. Very interesting.
If you can read German, have a look!
She does a very different kind of role playing. Kind of live action role playing with some friends, where they always take the same roles as members of a family. In a way it can be defined as Augmented Reality gaming, as they play it while hanging out in bars or on real mini golf courses or just their living rooms.
Now she turned it to 11 by creating write ups of a fictional TV show based on their Mixed Reality LARP experience. Very interesting.
If you can read German, have a look!
PtA and Immersion
We played today episode 1 of "Captain, My Captain". Obvisously it turned out completely different, than I planned. We had really cool scenes, but did not go anywhere with the plot - just forcing a little bit of advancement in in the end.
But that is not what I am writing about here. This is more about the fact that one player said, he missed the immersion in the game. Okay, I am the Producer, so for me it is different, but I guess the point of PtA is that players and the Director are not that much different.
Because I was totally immersed into coming up with cool ideas. Okay that is something different than being immersed in character, but for me it feels the same. I want to do cool stuff with my character anyways.
I can't play shy or afraid characters, because that takes out the over the top madness, that I immerse into. If I create one liners for my specific character or for another one, does not matter, as long as I can enjoy creating them.
If my character jumps for a cool action scene feels the same as if I descripe another character's jump.
In that sense I guess PtA is perfect for me. I would just need players that feel the same. And I got some. :)
But maybe it is not even so much the contribution of narrative power that makes PtA different for some people but just the fact, that it is a conflict resolution, not a task resolution (I hope I use the terms right...).
I wonder if we could play with the very same narrative powers, but conflict resolution and how it would feel then.
But that is not what I am writing about here. This is more about the fact that one player said, he missed the immersion in the game. Okay, I am the Producer, so for me it is different, but I guess the point of PtA is that players and the Director are not that much different.
Because I was totally immersed into coming up with cool ideas. Okay that is something different than being immersed in character, but for me it feels the same. I want to do cool stuff with my character anyways.
I can't play shy or afraid characters, because that takes out the over the top madness, that I immerse into. If I create one liners for my specific character or for another one, does not matter, as long as I can enjoy creating them.
If my character jumps for a cool action scene feels the same as if I descripe another character's jump.
In that sense I guess PtA is perfect for me. I would just need players that feel the same. And I got some. :)
But maybe it is not even so much the contribution of narrative power that makes PtA different for some people but just the fact, that it is a conflict resolution, not a task resolution (I hope I use the terms right...).
I wonder if we could play with the very same narrative powers, but conflict resolution and how it would feel then.
Monday, April 14, 2008
A narratish challenge system
Inspired by 4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons, a future challenge system could ask for a certain number of success by the group. A certain number of failures, would let them fail. This numbers don't have to be open to the players.
But instead of only taking into account sucessfull skill checks, there shoule also be a possibilty to manage the clever use of items. Basic manouvres like spillling perfume on a monster are maybe not handled by a skill check (although a trick out of Savage Worlds would work perfectly here), but by loosing of resources. The only question is, how abstract resources should be in this context.
She you literally use perfume from the character sheet, just improvize that this kind of character has perfume along or just tick off one (of for example three) abstract pieces of equipment or - even more abstract - uses of equipment.
Narrative about it is that the players themselves come up with skills to use. What counts is only the number of successes. Most of the rest is decided by the narratively empowered gamers.
But instead of only taking into account sucessfull skill checks, there shoule also be a possibilty to manage the clever use of items. Basic manouvres like spillling perfume on a monster are maybe not handled by a skill check (although a trick out of Savage Worlds would work perfectly here), but by loosing of resources. The only question is, how abstract resources should be in this context.
She you literally use perfume from the character sheet, just improvize that this kind of character has perfume along or just tick off one (of for example three) abstract pieces of equipment or - even more abstract - uses of equipment.
Narrative about it is that the players themselves come up with skills to use. What counts is only the number of successes. Most of the rest is decided by the narratively empowered gamers.
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