This Years Plans

Ok everybody, its a new year and we have had a little turnover, losing Justin, and some erratic time off for the holidays. Its time we put some concrete things down as to what everyones opinion is for the future. Post it all here, I suggest we do it all anonymously. Lets just talk frankly about who likes what, where we want to go, and how we should get there.

Important Questions

Do we continue WHFRP after this arc?

I believe WHFRP is beginning to heat up. I dont know how unified our prupose is, but I think it needs at least a few more sessions before we decide to scrap it.

I think that WHFRP was in a rut for a while: basically from our departure from Athel Loren through our capture of the brothers, but I think last session was very good: "Intrigue" whatever that means, has always struck me as something difficult to run, but Matt pulled it off nicely last session. The bottom line is that I think that WHFRP is taking off nicely, and we should definitely continue with it.

--Edmiao 16:38, 16 January 2007 (MST) I'm not feeling the groove with WHFRP. seems like we finished a large arc in Athel Loren and since then we have been wandering aimlessly. I think that Ambrose was a major plot motivator in the game and we lack direction without him. Heck, we are settling down on a farm! Maybe I'm just bored with my character. I would vote to end the game after the current arc. Before the game ends, i would like to see the following characters run out of fate points and die for poetic reasons: vonTeumar, Robert, the Northman. Maybe they can all jonestown it.

--Matts 19:07, 16 January 2007 (MST)I am game for canning WHFRP, but I'm also game to continue it. I'll warn you guys that the end of the next arc is coming soon, and is a big cliffhanger, but I was going to change a bunch of things after that anyways. I'll do this: we'll finish up the next arc, hopefully next session, and the session after that we'll start the 'next' one, and if you guys don't dig it or think it's a good time to stop, we'll switch to something else.

Do we continue PA after this arc?

PA has become very convoluted, everyone is separated and arcs are having trouble resolving because of attendance issues. This is not fatal as long as everyone is committed to it.

I agree that PA is scattered, and although this wasn't accidental or without purpose, it has put the game in a rather rocky spot. If we can one of the two games in the near future, my vote right now goes to canning PA.

--Edmiao 16:38, 16 January 2007 (MST) I have always liked PA and continue to enjoy it. This new split has proved interesting with the added alt characters to spice up the game. there was the problem that Sarah was integral to the plot at a time when Gabe turned into a pussy (or was more interested in pussy). I think there is a potential for the implementation of the flexible group system that Jason has mentioned before, where each person has multiple characters and uses one at a time in each story arc.

--Matts 19:14, 16 January 2007 (MST)I've had some trouble with PA, mostly because of my character; he sits around and broods a lot of the time. See my comments below.

Players

Do we find someone to replace Justin, or is our current level ok?
I think we have enough players.

I agree that we have enough players: besides, justin comes back occasionally. I would add that if Brandon (who has one-shotted with us a few times) requested to join, I would be for welcoming him in: he's an excellent role player and a really nice guy.

In a few months when Matt#2 moves up here I am going to start gaming with him, whether he joins this group or I start a second group with him I dont know.

--Edmiao 16:38, 16 January 2007 (MST) I agree that we are fine and don't need to actively recruit, but there is room for one more.

What do we want? or Waxing philosophical about gaming

What do all of you want to see from a game? This can be as specific or as general as you wish. Also see the previous Questionairre

--Matts 19:32, 16 January 2007 (MST)I want to play in a game where everyone's interested in the setting and their characters, because I don't think it's happened much in the past. There's always someone (or a few people) who wind up not being as intricately bound up in the plot or world or story as others, and it makes it difficult to play. In Space Opera, for instance, Antares Darkeye was sort of a quintessential space pirate, so any kind of space piracy fits him like a lotioned glove. In WHFRP, Gabe's characters have had a hard time gaining traction, while Ben's has fit right in. It's a difficult balance; not only do you need to feel comfortable enough with the setting (something that's tough in WHFRP, and that I regrettably made tougher by throwing out established lore) so that you can make an appropriate character, but the settting needs to mean something to you personally so that you'll actually be able to play your character.

I think I make this hard for myself sometimes, since I deliberately choose character concepts that I'm not sure I can play well. Antares was a success, but Wik, so far, hasn't been so much of one, at least to me.

We've been trying to capture not-easily-roleplayed themes in our games as well: Robert went insane, and I didn't do a good job of establishing drama for that. We could have asked, "what does this matter to robert or the group?" and turned it into a story-arc of its own, but I was too concerned with advancing my plot, giving you guys a scare, and honestly, "making an example" (something I never should have done) of Gabe's character for breaking the rules.

Something I lose sight of as a GM is that the game is fundamentally about the players, and that no matter where the players take the game, there's worthwhile gaming to be mined from it. If they 'break' the game (see "submarine plane" and "sub-zeppelins" and "nazi hunting"), then it's up to the GM to decide if he wants to continue or not, but I think it'd be better if we were less afraid of breaking games, even if it meant consistently pushing them to the limit. The players need to get comfortable and to a place where the game means something to them.

Fundamentally, gaming is the most fun when everyone is interacting and interested - it means more roleplaying, more high-drama moments, and more cool moments. Anything we can do to get people involved is a plus in my book.

Games on Deck

Ben: I want to see Gabe's character get Ulrich's furied (hit in the vitals for twelve points, head shotted for four sixes, take your pick/system). Again.
In all seriousness (at least 30% seriousness. at least) I'm pretty much "game" for whatever when we switch. Seems like a natural place to try out Ed's game, since he hasn't GMed yet, or we could go straight into the Supers game, since people seem pretty psyched about that. I don't think there's much else on deck, although I know a couple people are concocting things as we speak (myself included).

--Edmiao 16:38, 16 January 2007 (MST) I'd love to try out my Jin Dynasty game (estmated 6-8 sessions). Interspersed with one shot exemplars and starting Jason's exemplars game after that.

An idea to combine with Ed's suggestion above. After we have concluded the current arc, we can play Jin and do the periodic one-shots as necessary to set the stage for Exemplars. But to address what Matt said below, I think Ed should make the characters and give them a descriptive name and we choose those. Then maybe allow us to customize them up to 25 points or so (plus disads). This addresses the problem of characters not fitting the setting. Hopefully the Exemplars one-shots will address that for that particular game. Then when Jin has concluded, we pick up whichever of PA or WHFRP we miss the most (or we start a new idea, or whatever).

--Edmiao 10:59, 17 January 2007 (MST) That's a good idea. I think if a player has an idea for a character that is fine and will be easily worked into the game, given that the character buys in to the premise; ie signs up for the mission. For others, perhaps I will make a bank of backstories, and if players are interested in a semi-pregenerated character then they can choose from them and modify at will.