Week 3 - Cause and Effect.
Preparing for game - Without a Plan.
People were starting to arrive; Adam and I still hadn't had our 'pre-game huddle' and so we snuck off into another room and talked over our game-plan...or rather, the fact that we lacked one for this game. We were wary of a lull during the game in which players might run out of steam or start getting bored, and so we tried to come up with a few scenerio's to take place if that happened. What we didn't suspect at the time is just how self-running our game was...which is good, because it meant that our lack of planning any plot didn't come back to bite us in the ass.
We had one new player, Karl, so we dedicated a little time to show how to make a character and how to get involved in the story, then let him loose in the game. He decided to play a "Good ole boy", aka Cowboy who likes to smooze and booze.
Creating conflict - To Charge or Not to Charge?
During the game, Maria, who plays a 1950's Air Pilot named Cid, came up to me and told me that "Cid" was off exploring Sanctum...and to feel free to mess with her.
I wasn't in the middle of the scene, I wasn't really that busy; I decided against charging, although I could have done so and maybe should have. Her character, Cid was trying to re-build her airship so that she could continue her flight, and knowing this about her character, Sanctum hit her where it hurts...
I told her that while Cid was out exploring, her airship was going to be stolen. I played the Opposition Brief against her as I didn't have a specific NPC for the scene. With a means of "Opportunists" and a ends of "Destroy your Works", I pitted against her own ends of "Rebuild my airship", But we never got any further, because Maria decided that she didn't mind losing this stake as long as she could have the compromise that it wouldn't take her too long to rebuild it; perhaps a couple of weeks at most. I decided this was fine, and we ended the conflict. Cid would come back to find her airship almost completely missing, with only the frame and a few parts that were left behind.
Later on, for no real reason other than I could, I decided to put to use my stage-hand powers once more, as maria's character Cid was talking with her friuends out how to possibly re-build with so much of the aircraft missing. I told the group that they saw a fifteen year old go prancing off in a flashy cape....that looked alot like a few scraps of her mylar baloon. There was an instant reaction as they got wide eyed and vigilante on the boy, demanding answers about where he got his 'cape'. The boy, somewhat stoned and rather indifferent pointed out a small shop and walked off. One scene led to another, and in the end, they managed to not only get most of the aircraft back, but that they came to the realization that there wasn't just Sergei and Vesper to worry about.
Observations: The effects of this particular conflict was entertaining, and it got several characters suddenly involved in a conflict that didn't have to do with previously established SC. There was even an unintended effect that trickled across to the supporting cast when Cid and the other character tracked down the culprit, who they had assumed to be Vesper, only to find that it was just some vagrant teenagers with a 'finder's keepers' mentality, taking advantage that there was no one around to really stop them from doing what they wanted. I think it serves as a reminder that SC's aren't the only characters who can affect the protagonists or the world of Sanctum.
Concerns: The more I think about this one, the more I could have just charged for that first scene. It wasn't really nessisary to promote plot as there was already plenty to go around, but at the same time, that evil little story-teller in me couldn't resist the chance to turn something upside down for the sake of story. I wasn't really that busy, so it didn't detract from the game, but I think I need to be careful about where I draw the line on freebies. In this case, I justified the free plot with that it was really giving the stage-hands an oportunity to wreak havok. Still, I'm going to make sure I am not creating too many scenarios like this when they aren't being paid for.
The First Casualty of Sanctum : Mortality in Play.
Sergei's men took one of Vesper's men out back in an alley and beat him to death...leading to the first fatality of Sanctum. The Clocktower plaques now read ID instead of D, and now the protagonists are left with the question of how to deal with this very obvious murder. Vesper finds out and is enraged, recognizing ring marks on his face and body as ones she associates with Moira (played by Tonya). While she believes Moira is behind this, no doubt with her "Sergei lover" doing the dirty work, there's no way to prove that to anyone without incriminating herself; which she realizes a little to late. Vesper wants to keep her hands clean so this leands to a follow-up scene wtih the film-maker Darius, (Played by Claus) in which one of Vesper's cronies manages to convince Darius that Vesper had nothing to do with Moira's beating..and underneath all the posturing, that Sergei is the one who started everything.
The world of Sanctum strikes again - Using the Opposition Brief in a non-conflict situation.
Adam approaches me at some point and tells me that no one has done anything with the body yet, so we decide that with Sanctum's End of Mystery and Means of Monkey's Paw, The body looks as if it has literally walked off by itself. When Dr Z, (Played by Dave) goes to perform an autopsy on the body, his detective skills finds a freshly dug grave, and a perfectly carved headstone bearing a date of birth, name and the letter I. Naturally, Dr. Z is just a little upset by the fact that there is a lack of evidence to show what could have happened, but he digs up the body, performs an autopsy and then reburies the body once more.
Afterwards, The Zombie Fanatic, Stuart (played by Nathanial), freaks out, digs up the body and decapitates what he is convinced must be a zombie. This is sure to raise a few brows later, whether Stuart is finally validated as the Zombie "Expert" instead of a nut, or if it will convince others that he is unstable and possibly dangerous.
Cause and Effect - Escalation at its finest.
What's a vice-lord to do when someone pisses her off? Get even of course! Vesper retaliates against the death of her cronie by burning Moira's hut to the ground. Tonya, who plays Moira loses her stake and so is helpless to do anything as her hut burns to the ground. She loses an additional stake against Sanctum itself and the secret stash she had hidden under the floorboards is incinerated as well.
Others rush to the fire, and I declare that the hut is burning and is obviously beyond saving. (as Tonya had already lost her stake and lost the hut) I declare that the fire is also spreading now...So there is a mass conflict in which the others are trying to put out the fire and stop it from spreading.
They win this stake, and so it is narrated how they work together using a nearbye fire-hydrant, and a few of Sid's metal rods to put out the flames and stop the fire from spreading.
This causes another stake when they spray water onto Darius's camera, who begins to panic. "Not on the camera, Not on the camera!!!" Darius wins his stake against Sanctum. (ends of "Destroy your works", and means of "enviroment")and so his camera is saved, the fire is put out and Moria's hut is destroyed.
Observations: Everyone seemed to really enjoy the conflicts and there was alot of energy and roleplay that went into them both during AND after. I'm fairly satisfied that we were able to establish so much drama with such little effort.
Concerns: While I think it's a good thing that I drew so much conflict out, I completely overlooked it when the rule of 'convienence' was broken, and I also let the conflict go at a certain point when I could have a few more stakes after the fact, or before the fact. I think we should watch out to make sure we aren't just making it too easy for them, perhaps with some risker stakes for failure here and there; I think more so on my part than Adam's.
As for the rule of 'convienence', that fire hydrant was awfully so, and there IS a rule about that. I'll have to be more observant next time, although technically, nothing was broken since I was there and allowed it to happen. Bad Sara...no cookie! Next time, I'll make them conflict for it!
(In progress - More to come)
I'm just here to say that Adam's Ends & Means system is GENIUS and I love it to pieces already. Our first real game? Smooth as buttah (but not as fattening). It felt as though all the crusty, nasty bits of LARPing had been trimmed away to leave a sleek, streamlined system that really works for just about any LARP setting that involves player-driven story.
I could see that Sara and Adam didn't have to run around and babysit nearly as much as a MET game, which left them more time to really have fun with their NPC's. I appreciated that. I really got to like Sergei, and hate Vesper/Vespa, and actually CARE what these people were doing! They weren't just one-dimensional pieces of furniture that the STs made up on the spot to fulfill some temporary purpose.
So far, all I can say to our lovely Stage Hands is this: Bravo. Bravo. I look forward to the next game. (Comment this)
umbereon2000: See you know what I like about that, I didn't feel worried about putting Trevor into harms way
umbereon2000: at all
Tonya Nall: Me either...with the whole mugging thing...there wasn't even a scene with Sara, she just paid me to muss things up and be weak the rest of the game...not a problem! It was AWESOME!
umbereon2000: It made me happy that I didn't have someone who could just turn me into a grease smear by looking at them the wrong way
Tonya Nall: I love the fact that conflict doesn't take 18 hours of chops.
umbereon2000: that too
Tonya Nall: I suppose I'll have to change my playings style a bit, and actually "act" scared for my character. As freeing as it is to know you can't die, it should still affect the char.
umbereon2000: See dying is just another good piece of drama
umbereon2000: I have several scenarios in my head where it would be cool if trevor died
Tonya Nall: I look forward to the point where I can pay someone to kill me!
umbereon2000: Joy beats you to death with her teddy bear
Tonya Nall: Awesome! I already know how to set her off! Also, I thought it would be harder to be evil, because everyone knows what I'm trying to do, but so far, it hasn't been. I'm giong to be interested in seeing how that plays out.
umbereon2000: I didn't think about it
umbereon2000: I am more worried about obvious evil
umbereon2000: besides
umbereon2000: I am actually capabale of seperating IC and OOC information
Tonya Nall: I think it goes to the fact I'm used to it being such a "taboo" to know things I'm not supposed to play. This is another place where I really enjoy Adam's system.
umbereon2000: It helps a lot to know where other players are coming from
Tonya Nall: In usual LARPs, I'm trying so hard not to reveal things I know OOC, that I let them color my actions. Here, it matters, but in a different way.
umbereon2000: OOC it helps you big time so you won't be dissapointed if your expecting a reaction or something that you don't get.. and you don't feel as if your wasting time.
umbereon2000: But you can still fiddle with the story IC and have great exchanges (Comment this)
Tonya, your concerns about the lack of 'secrecy' are important, and I think I need to add a few paragraphs in the book to address those questions. But you have noticed something important:
The IC/OOC divide is a matter of roleplaying *style*. It's not a divide that's intrinsic to roleplaying itself.
And in my experience, it's perilous to keep a hard line between IC and OOC. It can be done, and done well; and there are experiences you can create no other way; but for the most part, a hard line is simply a stumbling block to good communication.
(And what is roleplaying? Hanging out and talking. *Communicating*.)
A soft or nonexistent line between IC and OOC allows a different style of play. So everyone knows you, Tonya, are planning on instating yourself Queen? Awesome! Isn't it great that everyone knows and can *engage* you in that? Already I think it's cool, because of the way Moira cares for Joy. I REALLY want to see what happens if Moira needs to choose between advancing her royal ambitions, and caring for the "simpleton." Is Joy only a tool to Moira? Or does she spark some human compassion? I think the OOC knowledge of Moira's ambition makes her *more* interesting of a character; if I didn't know, she wouldn't be half as interesting!
Consider: in books and movies, the audience gets to learn things all the time that the main characters don't. It's a great way to create depth and suspense. Why should RPGs be any different?
(Incidentally, I can't take credit for this style. Other games have tread this path before me. I'm just learning from them and making a LARP of it.) (Comment this)