Tag Archives: session planning

A Bizarre Ritual of Mine

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I wish I was more organized with my note taking, preparation, and storage of character sheets. I don’t believe Matt has forgiven me for losing one of his characters – alas poor Spike X, we barely knew him.

I now have a system for character sheets – it involved purchasing an accordion binder and placing everything in there. But other information…there’s a notebook somewhere.

I never picked up good study habits, because I always felt as though things came naturally for me. Most of my notes from class were often doodles. And now, as I balance the reality of full-time job, remarriage, and teenage children, I wish I were better at my note taking and preparation.

I find that my hand written notes are much easier to remember than anything I type. However, this creates a challenge, because I don’t always write them in a reasonable notebook and they can inevitably get lost in the shuffle.

I would turn to the computer, but for me, it represents my workspace. And as I said earlier, I know that there are better ways to store the information – I could create an ontology and begin mapping the information for storage and retrieval. But would I rather work on a game? Or work on the meta-game?

Over the past three weeks, I’ve been in somewhat of a funk. I started a new job, learning from and helping others. I’ve been mentally drained as I stepped out of the marketing environment of content management and into the library environment of cataloging, archiving, and discoverability – There are similarities, but there are real differences as well. There is a lot to learn.

What I realized today, as I was picking up a birthday present for my daughter, is that I buy a new notebook and pen when I’m ready for a change.

There is some catharsis in choosing a new notebook. A whole new opportunity to record thoughts in a blank book. A book devoted solely to whatever idea is trying to break forth from my skull.

Inevitably, the notebook’s original intent, which was likely not very clear, gets muddled. With its initial purpose sullied, the notebook languishes. For some reason my brain abandons this once promising virginal book to undertake a stygian journey of mindlessness.

For now, the notebook is new and fresh. I know there are ideas to come, so now, it is time to sit with pen and paper and capture those thoughts.

And I’m looking forward to reading “Never Unprepared: The Complete Game Master’s Guide to Session Prep.” I’m certain there will be some helpful advice.

Planning Diaspora: The Precious Few, Session #5

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Well this is no good.  I’m about an hour and a half away from running The Precious Few campaign.  The last session, which we played more than a month ago, found the crew of The Precious in New Florida.  My notes from the previous session suggest that I need to hammer on the Wealth stress track.  As I see it, looking for a doctor to work on Billy’s implant is a likely course of action.

Given that a Fate game is driven by the aspects, it makes sense to review the character’s aspects when planning.  I’m going to create three couplings of character aspects; Two will be in tension and one in cooperation.  Quickly scanning the character aspects, I’m going to have:

  • William Nigh’s sheltered socialite will be in tension Mason Widmore’s reclusive nerd.
  • Timothy Heizerman’s well connected will be in tension Martin Patel’s feels no guilt.
  • Timothy Heizerman’s everything must add up will be in cooperation with Mason Widmore’s I can’t work with these morons.

Some ideas I’m rolling around are having the players need to confront a doctor at a social event.  The doctor is interested in Mason’s work, but being the recluse, drawing him out is going to be a bit difficult.  William, being the sheltered socialite is trying to secure the doctor for surgery.  A social combat where Mason is trying to conceal information from the doctor and William is trying to get the doctor to agree to the surgery.

In the case of Timothy Heizerman, bring an NPC into play, perhaps the doctor, and see about forcing Martin’s hand regarding keeping the doctor alive; After all the doctor knows that Billy may very well know is wanted.

I believe the third Fate pairing may very naturally arise from the other two conflicts.

Of course, all of this can easily fall apart if the Precious Few does not agree to seek the help of a doctor.  After all, players are a fickle bunch.  But I’m not prepping specific scenes, just themes and character interactions that I want to see.

The above is based somewhat loosely on Dresden Files RPG‘s suggestion on making aspect connections, either Tension-based or Cooperation-based connections.  This does not account for non-player characters that may be a part of the campaign.  But, given the history of the two disparate groups aboard the Precious, I believe that the internal tension has more than enough story to explore.  Of course, when all else fails I may just send in the ninjas.

Planning Diaspora: The Precious Few, Session #4

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Taking the excellent advice of the gentlemen that wrote Diaspora, I opted to create a character in the campaign:  Billy Sadan, a gun happy former agent of New Florida.  This upcoming session, Joe is planning on running the campaign.  The crew of the Precious is on the run, and needs to get to New Florida.  Who knows, perhaps Billy will try to clear his name; After all William has the keys to do so.

The Diaspora rules lend themselves to this.  Unlike other Fate games, which ask that you guess a non-player character’s aspect, Diaspora encourages aspects to be public knowledge and collaboratively created.  After all the Game Master knows a character’s aspect, why shouldn’t the player know an opponent’s aspect.

I like the idea of enabling a player’s public knowledge to help drive the character narrative via the Fate point economy.  Some of the mystery, and possible “big reveals,” can certainly be more challenging to pull off, but I believe the trade-off is fair.  If I want the players to interact with someone diabolical then why not let them tag or compel that aspect; I’m sure they can come up with truly wicked things.

So it is with little reservation that I had the keys of the Diaspora campaign to Joe; After all he created the Vulcan system and William, the ship’s scientist.

I also believe that sitting on the other side of the table, as a player, will help give me some insights into how I can run my next FATE session.

So instead of focusing on this week’s campaign, I’ve thought a bit about the H-series The Bloodstone Pass Saga adventures, and how I might translate that to FATE (either Diaspora or Legends of Anglerre).  What follows are two unit’s I created for the Diaspora Platoon Combat.  Note: If I were running a Fantasy combat via the Platoon Combat, I’d likely grant each unit an additional stunt, and likely give “magical” units an additional stunt.

Begin OPEN GAME CONTENT

Dwarven Militia

Dwarven Irregulars x6, Dwarven Graybeard x1

Dwarven Irregulars (T-3 Infantry)

Specialist (sink) 3, Hand to Hand 2, Armour 2, Command 1, Observation 1, Direct Fire 1
Morale: OO
Command Range: 1*
Out of Ammo
We know how to use our hammers!
* – Command Range of 1 due to leader’s Battlefield genius.

Dwarven Graybeard (T-3 Infantry leader)

Veteran 3, Command 2, Hand to Hand 2, Armour 1, Signals 1, Specialist (sink) 1
Morale: OOO OOO
Command Range: 1
Battlefield genius: units can be one zone further from the Leader than otherwise allowed.
Out of Ammo
This is the oldest trick in the book.
I’ve seen it all before.

Ogre Headtakers

Ogre Skullcrushers x4, Ogre Chieftan x1

Ogre Skullcrushers (T-3 Infantry)

Armour 3, Hand to Hand 2,  Movement 2, Indirect Fire 1, Veteran 1, Command 1
Morale: OOO O
Command Range: 0
The chieftain demands blood!
Out of Ammo

Ogre Chieftan (T-3 Infantry leader)

Command 3, Hand to Hand 2,  Armour 2, Indirect Fire 1, Veteran 1, Movement 1
Morale: OOO OO
Command Range: 0
Large-Sized: Platoon may use Hand to Hand skill to attack adjacent zones
Crush the puny weaklings!
Ravage the archers!

End OPEN GAME CONTENT

Planning Diaspora: The Precious Few, Session #2

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As my slew of prior posts might indicate, I’ve been spending some time thinking about our upcoming Diaspora campaign…In particular the opening scene. The characters naturally started in two different groups: Billy and Martin are now partners in smuggling, hoping to someday find William to help them clear their name from the wanted list. Mason, William, and Tim are doing their best to avoid “the Man” in their hot T3 prototype ship.

Billy was once tasked with kidnapping William and bring him to New Florida to face trial/questions/employment for cracking New Florida’s cyphers. To complicate the first encounter, Tim had once threatened to kill Martin for getting Tim’s girlfriend hooked on XX. Needless to say the first encounter should be charged. Layered on this is the fact that Dynamic Solutions, a company based on Exxon, wants its T3 ship back…and quietly.

My thought is that the scene will start with Mason’s ship, and skeleton crew, in the middle of it’s response to an S.O.S. being sent from Billy and Martin’s ship. And they aren’t the only ones responding, they just happen to be the first.  The challenge becomes how will they respond to the growing understanding of the situation.

I’ve poured over the Diaspora rulebook, Dresden Files RPG and Spirit of the Century, in particular the amazing section Tips and Tricks of Spirit of the Century. One of the things is thinking about the Pulp Plot Framework:

  1. Endanger the Characters
  2. Reveal the True Danger
  3. The Pursuit Encounters Complications
  4. Certain Doom
  5. The Twist
  6. Final Showdown
  7. Breakneck Escape (Optional)

Obviously the first scene is going to be the Endangerment; Followed by a scene that will reveal the True Danger.  I’m anticipating a handful of directions the first scene might go, and the corresponding True Danger for each path.  Much like a Schrödinger’s Cat if a path is not chosen that path’s True Danger will likely never manifest nor necessarily exist.

I’m also reviewing each character’s aspects (at least those that have given me theirs) and tried to pair them up with other character’s aspects.  I’ve looked at three pairings, and one pairing is complimentary while the other two are contradictory.  This is a track straight out of the Dresden Files RPG.  Establish a reason for them to work together as well as establish points of potential conflict.