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Old 03-12-2016, 03:34 PM   #61
tshiggins
 
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Location: Denver, Colorado
Default Re: Campaign: Facets

(...ccontinued)

The members of the group agreed they had three options. Firstly, they could take the nunnupi up on their offer of assistance, and meet with whomever it was the faerie women had in mind. Beatrice and Sunmi objected, again, and everybody else agreed it was a bad idea.

Secondly, they could jump back through the portal, in two weeks, and try to disappear into that world – where a vampire lay in wait and war was about to break out.

Thirdly, A.J. said they could take their findings to the Academy Club, and try to forge an alliance with the Columbine Lodge.

After a bit of back and forth, everyone agreed with A.J. that the third option offered the greatest change for a positive outcome, so they decided to make the attempt. The group decided that, since Frank dare not go (he was under scrutiny and badly needed to keep his nose clean, for awhile), Henrietta and Aurelia would make the initial contact and ask for a meeting. The two women had the best social skills of the group, except for Frank.

That’s where the session ended, with the Autumnal Equinox two weeks away, followed immediately by a full moon, which meant the Dark Canyon portal would remain open four days, in a row.

###

Funny Quotes

Beatrice (realizing every cop in Denver was headed right for the scene of the firefight): Houston! We have a problem!

Randy (imagining the story he’d have to tell the Emergency Room about Aurelia’s injuries): Uh. She fell off a step-ladder…
GM: …right into a box of explosives.

A.J.: We’re on the radio guys!
Beatrice: We’re on the TV, too!

Aurelia (regaining consciousness): No hospitals! No hospitals! (Her eyes focus, and she’s Randy holding a rock in front of her face.) No rocks in my ass! You’re hilarious. Where’s the dumb bitch so I can kill her?

A.J. (discussing how best to deal with Darla): She can tell the truth, and she can turn us into goats!

Frank: We’re past “ethical.” Let’s water-board her, and it’ll be fine!

Randy: We’re going to be walking on egg-shells with these people. We can’t trust them!
Frank: I’m about to go to prison! I’m done with egg-shells!

Frank: Now, Jimmy, we need you to watch this lady closely. If she gets up or says anything, you shoot her, and if she doesn't stop you keep shooting her until she does, you got me?
Randy: Frank. The kid is an honorary Apache tribesman. If there is anything that we don't need to instruct him on, it is probably how to kill people.

Randy: So, we normally like to do Good Cop / Bad Cop in this situation, but you blew up our Good Cop. So now you get a Bad Cop, a Worse Cop, and a Guy Who Really Wants to Beat You Some More. Let's talk.
Henrietta: We're going to take the duct tape off, now. If you say anything that's not in English, this guy is going to break your jaw and we will do this in pencil. Nod if you understand.
Randy: I mean anything. Ennui... Naive... Buffet... Anything...
Darla St. Cloud: [very firmly nods]

Randy: Rel? Rel? What're you doing!? Wait! Wait! This is seriously going to change how I think about you- Oh ****! No... ****, this isn't... I think I'm gonna be sick...

G&AInc (OOC): Randy is basically just moping around the head shop for a few days, staring at the wall in the meditation room for hours, talking to JoCat about what really happens after somebody dies, and acting like he's severely depressed and just doesn't give a **** anymore.
Kyle (OOC): On the bright side, if Randy just doesn't give a **** anymore, he'll be able to do some pretty sick stunts on his bike. Think about it: Nothing left to lose, and the adrenaline's the only thing that can make you smile...

Jimmy: That lady ain't hardly wearin' nuthin'!
Randy: [patiently] Those are called bike shorts, Jimmy. It's normal here. [snaps fingers] Hey, hey, don't stare!
GM (OOC): If you stare, they'll stop wearing them...
Mike (OOC): We're teaching him right!
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Old 03-15-2016, 10:57 AM   #62
SionEwig
 
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Default Re: Campaign: Facets

I'm loving the synopsis of your campaign ts, it's really a joy to read. Thanks for bringing it to my attention. There are certainly several ideas I can use in it. If you've got any questions about the areas slightly to the west of your area of operation, pm me and I'll fill you in. I just wish I could find a Gurps campaign like this in my area.
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Old 03-15-2016, 11:31 AM   #63
Gold & Appel Inc
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
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Default Re: Campaign: Facets

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Originally Posted by SionEwig View Post
I'm loving the synopsis of your campaign ts, it's really a joy to read. Thanks for bringing it to my attention. There are certainly several ideas I can use in it. If you've got any questions about the areas slightly to the west of your area of operation, pm me and I'll fill you in. I just wish I could find a Gurps campaign like this in my area.
We of the GURPS are truly lucky, here in Denver. Not only do I get to co-organize, GM, and play in the largest and most-active GURPS group that I know of in the entire frickin' world here, but there are at least four other groups of varying size and activity here that I am aware of because of a presence on this site or others (including one primarily-focused on dating). And I moved here for the climate! :]
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Old 03-15-2016, 07:47 PM   #64
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Default Re: Campaign: Facets

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Originally Posted by SionEwig View Post
I'm loving the synopsis of your campaign ts, it's really a joy to read. Thanks for bringing it to my attention. There are certainly several ideas I can use in it. If you've got any questions about the areas slightly to the west of your area of operation, pm me and I'll fill you in. I just wish I could find a Gurps campaign like this in my area.
Thank you very much for the compliment. This is the most complex setting I've ever run, and it definitely demonstrates that PnP RPGs are a collaborative endeavor. If I didn't have such awesome players, this campaign would've died a long time ago. I certainly couldn't run it with a group this size, if they weren't patient and mature enough to let things develop, and trust that everybody will enjoy plenty of spotlight time.

They allowed to me to lead them, a bit, until they figured things out well enough to start to exercise agency in a meaningful way. That really came through, in the latest session, where they worked through everything that had happened, and decided what they needed to do next.

I spent the last bit of the session kicked back and listening. Heck, I mostly did that while they decided what to do with Darla St. Cloud, although I tossed in a fun little snarl with the offer by Hops About. :)

I figured they'd decline the Faerie offer, but I wasn't sure if they'd choose to approach the Columbine Lodge or just decide to disappear through the portal. Fortunately, I'd done enough background work to be able to handle any option they chose (and even a few they haven't figured out they've got, yet...).

(At this point, I have to express my appreciation to Michele Armellini for his outstanding work on the Tsar-1 setting to which I contributed a bit, and then swiped and adapted as the world on the other side of the portal. That helped a lot. World-building absolutely has to be its own reward but, man, does it ever come in handy when you've got a campaign like this.)

http://forums.sjgames.com/showthread...ghlight=Tsar-1
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Last edited by tshiggins; 03-15-2016 at 08:11 PM.
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Old 03-15-2016, 10:09 PM   #65
SionEwig
 
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Default Re: Campaign: Facets

The quality and commitment of the players really shows. Plus the rather large amount of work that you've put in yourself.

I've started reading the write-up on the Denver Gurps forum. Very interesting the way you introduced the campaign, clearly outlining what it was about, what you expected for characters (along with lots of advice), and other of your style in running. I've especially enjoyed the various "sample" characters presented and the way that you and G&A helped Beatrice develop her character. That should serve as an example of how to bring in new players to Gurps.

Really wishing I was up in Colorado.
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Old 03-16-2016, 07:03 PM   #66
tshiggins
 
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Default Re: Campaign: Facets

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Originally Posted by SionEwig View Post
The quality and commitment of the players really shows. Plus the rather large amount of work that you've put in yourself.

I've started reading the write-up on the Denver Gurps forum. Very interesting the way you introduced the campaign, clearly outlining what it was about, what you expected for characters (along with lots of advice), and other of your style in running.
I kinda learned my lesson on that one, the last time I tried to set up a campaign.

I picked GURPS: Castle Falkenstein, and it was new and different enough that I did a short demo adventure up front. That involved a trek across South Africa in 1860, and involved a nifty shoot-em-up on a dirigible owned by a Mad Scientist, for control of a huge diamond deposit. Very "high-adventure" Victorian Pulp with wild magic.

That went over well enough that I started my own campaign, but I set it in London and made it a mystery-oriented thing, at first. As such it had a very different flavor, and it violated the expectations of the group. It didn't last very long, because of that.

So, this time, I knew I would have a mix of experienced players and n00bs, and modern-day campaigns with experienced players, all too often, start to resemble a Quentin Tarentino film -- especially with these veteran players. :)

Now, that's fun and all, but not really what I wanted, this time around -- especially since cops and legal consequences wouldn't be nearly so absent as in most of Tarentino's movies. Mages keep magic secret for lots of reasons and, as Harry Dresden once noted, a marksman with a high-powered rifle can really do a number on even the most powerful of wizards.

Moreover, a team full of good guys is a lot more accessible to new players, anyway, and the struggle to retain one's moral center while growing in power and dealing with increasingly grim and desperate situations is just an awesome campaign theme, because it's immediately familiar to everyone. It's a classic for a reason.

So, I worked really hard at what a group of old friends of mine once called the "software compatibility" of the GM and the players (I know, I know; most of 'em were computer geeks and now they help rule the world...), but which I call "synchronizing expectations."

It seems to have worked out pretty well, so far, although things got pretty dark, this past session. However, the response (I think) was a keen awareness that they'd stepped out beyond the pale, and they'd get lost if they couldn't find the help they needed.

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Originally Posted by SionEwig View Post
I've especially enjoyed the various "sample" characters presented and the way that you and G&A helped Beatrice develop her character. That should serve as an example of how to bring in new players to Gurps.
That also worked, really well, and G&AInc did the lion's share of that work, although Anten built his own and seriously reworked Debbie's character, Henrietta. Now, we're teaching them the system as we go, and they're picking up what they need to know, as they need it.

We're definitely following the rule, "When in doubt, roll and shout," though, rather than constantly consult the rules. That keeps things rolling, during the session, and then we check to see what the rules say should've happened, discuss that with the players at the start of the next session, and then implement the proper approach from then on.

For instance, we'll do "explosives against partially-armored targets" the right way, next time (although, the blasts were small enough, this time, that it probably wouldn't have made a huge difference). Also, Randy should have taken some damage in that situation, too.

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Really wishing I was up in Colorado.
Thanks, man! :)

The table's getting a little crowded, but there's always room for a good player.
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Old 03-17-2016, 06:45 AM   #67
Gold & Appel Inc
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: One Mile Up
Default Re: Campaign: Facets

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Originally Posted by tshiggins View Post
So, this time, I knew I would have a mix of experienced players and n00bs, and modern-day campaigns with experienced players, all too often, start to resemble a Quentin Tarentino film -- especially with these veteran players. :)
Hey now, Randy's probably the most ethical guy on the team at this point (other than a bit of wiggle room about who the books really belong to...) If there's one thing that I learned in Mark Skarr's High School Supers campaign, it's that I actually kind of enjoy and can be pretty funny playing one of the good guys. Y'know, for a change. ;]

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The table's getting a little crowded, but there's always room for a good player.
Yeah, I would never even attempt to juggle nine players, even ones that spend more time entertaining themselves than I do, and I still kind of think of Tod managing ten capably in the Trek game like the successful completion of the Labors of Hercules. Three to five is my sweet spot. Hat off to you, Sir.

Quote:
Originally Posted by SionEwig View Post
The quality and commitment of the players really shows.
Thanks! This is one of the all-around best batches of players that I've had the pleasure to game with, which is somewhat surprising considering that I'm the only experienced GURPS player (that I know of) who stuck with the game, and only one other (that I know of; Aurelia's player) has any RPG experience at all (with Werewolf: the Apocalypse of all things). Beatrice's player also has extensive improv comedy experience.

tshiggins and I did do most of the heavy lifting where the stat part of character creation was concerned, but other than that the group (which is quite diverse, ranging in age from mid-teens to mid-fifties) has uniformly been a bunch of intelligent naturals at the table who intuitively get intermediate concepts like accurately describing who you want to play in the abstract, fire-walling, speaking in character, etc, and we threw them straight into the deep end of the rules without starting them on GURPS Lite or anything like that. Take that, anybody who says GURPS is hard to play.

Last edited by Gold & Appel Inc; 03-17-2016 at 07:27 AM.
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Old 03-17-2016, 07:23 PM   #68
tshiggins
 
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Originally Posted by Gold & Appel Inc View Post
Thanks! This is one of the all-around best batches of players that I've had the pleasure to game with, which is somewhat surprising considering that I'm the only experienced GURPS player (that I know of) who stuck with the game, and only one other (that I know of; Aurelia's player) has any RPG experience at all (with Werewolf: the Apocalypse of all things). Beatrice's player also has extensive improv comedy experience.
Beatrice's player spent a big chunk of her teenage years playing AD&D with my friends and me, so while she has zero experience with GURPS, she has a lot of (albeit long-ago) experience with RPGs.

Anten (who plays A.J.) ran his own AD&D games, for awhile, and was familiar with GURPS, although he'd never had much of a chance to play.

Doc Bascher's player is also a long-time WoW player, which helps, too.
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Old 03-17-2016, 08:08 PM   #69
SionEwig
 
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Default Re: Campaign: Facets

I finally got caught up with all the posts over on the Denver Gurps site and I found that the character journal posts were very interesting. The somewhat different viewpoints and very different "voices" made for a fuller read of each of your recap posts. Good job to all.

I'm curious about one thing. When you were describing the campaign to th prospective players and recruiting them, how much emphasis did you put on the probability that they would be able to learn magic? I saw it get mentioned a little bit when the characters were being drawn up, but was not sure how much got mentioned in just talking to them.
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Old 03-18-2016, 05:18 AM   #70
Gold & Appel Inc
 
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Default Re: Campaign: Facets

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Originally Posted by SionEwig View Post
I finally got caught up with all the posts over on the Denver Gurps site and I found that the character journal posts were very interesting. The somewhat different viewpoints and very different "voices" made for a fuller read of each of your recap posts. Good job to all.
Thanks! I try to have fun with it.

Quote:
Originally Posted by SionEwig View Post
I'm curious about one thing. When you were describing the campaign to th prospective players and recruiting them, how much emphasis did you put on the probability that they would be able to learn magic? I saw it get mentioned a little bit when the characters were being drawn up, but was not sure how much got mentioned in just talking to them.
Not much discussion took place prior to the game outside of the forum thread on my end. I think it was the second or third session before I even realized that the setting is drawing heavily on Cabal; we witnessed monsters and a time portal in the first, but no spell-casting that I recall until much later. That said, I did build some of the samples with high IQ partially with the thought in mind that the potential for the party to learn magic could exist.

ETA: Upon a quick re-skim, tshiggins nearly explicitly indicates this in reply #30.

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