Actual Play – Page 56

Actual Play – Alien coming to town (5/25/2012)

By Sean Nittner May 28, 2012actual play, kublacon, monsterhearts

MC: Jackson Tegu
Players: Sean Nittner, Chris Bennett, Karen Twelves, Joe Mcdaldno
System: Monsterhearts

I pretty much knew I wasn’t going to really game at KublaCon. Kids in tow, there is virtually now way to set aside three or four hours to play without them constant interruption. So my brilliant plan was to “pre-game” the con by playing a game at Karen’s house (while the kids were sleeping) before the con. Yay.

Homeroom

Our game was set in the 80’s, somewhere in the Dust Bowl.

Zachariah Goldstein – My Jewish gypsy child who traveled with his family in RV caravans from place to place. He was a Serpentine, commanded his grandmother (Baba Goldstein) to rebuild he powerful connections they used to have. He wanted to be liked at school, wanted to settle down, but still wanted to appease his family’s wishes. The “lived” in the parking lot outside an old abandoned theater.

Enoch – Karen’s Hollow. A demon who inhabited a child named Enoch. The demon had no self-awareness (knowledge of being a demon, or how it got into this boy’s body). It just new it was here now, in a strange and foreign world.

Rufus – A Ghost whose mother walked into the kitchen one morning while he and his father were eating breakfast and shot them both dead. Joe played Rufus as a very proper young man. He liked order, and justice, and rules. After he died, and came back, his family relationship was strained but nobody talked about it. Mom moved out (I think they will site irreconcilable differences in the divorce settlement) and he and his father have been figuring out life (or unlife) without his mom for the last 6 months.

Sean – Chris played a Mortal that was in love with Zachariah. Most people didn’t like Sean, because they suspected or knew that he was gay. Sean liked cars though, he had an eight-seater Oldsmobile and got some street cred for that. It was also convenient that could drive everyone around. The fact that he played a character with my name was not problematic at all.

Actual Play – Blue Gene – Season 2 – Hell YEAH! (5/24/2012)

By Sean Nittner May 25, 2012actual play, blue gene, primetime adventures

Director: Leonard Balsera
Cast: Rich Rogers, Scott White, and Sean Nittner
System: Prime Time Adventures
Show: Blue Gene

This game only happens when we manage to schedule it, and with our crazy schedules, that isn’t very often. But when it does…damn this thing is digital gold.

Talking about the game.

Part of why I love this game so much is that we all talk about it a lot outside of game. And it isn’t the kind of after game gloating “oh shit…remember the time…” (although we are sometimes prone to do that too). What we talk about is what the “show” needs to make it great. This season we need to focus on Franks backstory, where does he get his influence. This season we want the romantic relationships to be positive, as they were such a struggle last season. We’re upping the SFX budget and we needs some big shots of the city. We need reminders of the damage done last season when Wendel wrecked the station. Lets have construction crews. We need to legitimize the intensity of our antagonists, and give them some screen time. We need to show why things are so hard for Siddig in this new life of his. The list goes on. We jam over email, and skype, and gchat.

When we’re doing this I don’t feel like we’re players or GMs, but more like screenwriters that know they have a group of Harrison Fords that are going to improvise not matter what script we give them. We know that we won’t be able to control where the story goes, but we need to throw all the elements on the table and make sure actors and the director have internalized their importance before the shoot starts. We create a space where our collective imaginations can come alive!

Setup for Season 2

Here is the new mind map for Season 2

Actual Play – Life without Moya (5/23/2012)

By Sean Nittner May 24, 2012actual play, burning theorsa, burning wheel

GM: Shaun Hayworth
Players: Sean Nittner, Justin Dhiel, and Noam Rosen
System: Burning Wheel
Setting: Burning Theorsa

Kristin was stuck on a job and so couldn’t make the game. We endeavored to carry on without her.

The Aftermath

After the battle, our characters set off to fulfill their own agendas.

Afon, in the guise of helping to tend the wounded, scavenged loose coin and trinkets from the soldiers, collecting a pouch of baubles worth 1D cash.

Ayernand, in an attempt to retain his stations as “just a soldier” managed to offend a veteran warrior that wanted to offer him drink and lodging. He didn’t want to kick someone out of their house and the veteran took this as a sign of him been too good for soldier’s hospitality. The “Troll Slayer” is too good for us.

Baldric directed troops in preparing for the wounded, the hungry and the prisoners. He summoned the newly appointed quartermaster Leon and sent him off to a nearby village Duskwood to commission supplies. He placed the mayor’s sigil in his possession so that he could prove his authority to the locals of Duskwood. Martin the Mayor saw this and of course was infuriated. “You can’t just hand out my office. Who do you think you are?” Baldric tried to be civil for a bit but eventually pushed the now ex-mayor in the mud and told him he was a coward for fleeing when war was at his gates.

Actual Play – Journey to Dissapearing Lake (5/19/2012)

By Sean Nittner May 22, 2012actual play, dnd, dragon tree, gaming with kids

GM: Sean Nittner
Players: Three kids 10 and under
System: Dungeons & Dragons 4E

We picked up the Dragon Tree campaign with the funeral of Nadaar. The girls told me me a couple cool things about the world. First, that the king’s advisor “Andraste”, who was an Eladrin Wizard was very old, very wise, and a good person. This meant by default that the king’s son (the prince) was a real jerk.

The also told me that fallen heroes are sent off on a barge on Disappearing Lake, where they, no surprise here, disappear.

A quest

We opened with the king in mourning (all dressed in white) and Naddar’s body being prepared (his armor cleaned, his sword placed on him, and his body preserved for the journey to Disappearing Lake).

While this was taking place Andraste summoned the heroes an asked that they accompany Naddar to the lake. She mentioned that he was trying to set the dragons free and that there were people who did not want that to happen. She talked about the darker times, but it seemed the kids weren’t very interested, so we quickly moved the conflict…

Actual Play – Hillsdale High (5/18/2012)

By Sean Nittner May 20, 2012actual play, apocalypse world, monsterhearts, newport high

GM: Scott White Players: Sean Nittner, Rich Rogers, Jack Nolan, Adam Robichaud System: Monsterhearts Well,…

Actual Play – Ayernand “Troll Slayer” (5/16/2012)

By Sean Nittner May 17, 2012actual play, burning theorsa, burning wheel

GM: Shaun Hayworth
Players: Sean Nittner, Kristin Hayworth, Justin Dhiel, and Noam Rosen
System: Burning Wheel
Setting: Burning Theorsa

We finished this “session”. It only took three weeks. But it was very satisfying. It felt more like an “adventure” than a typical Burning Wheel session as well. Travel to a place, rally the troops, and fight a huge battle. And we did it, all of it.

As per the last session, we streamed this episode, all 3+ hours of it on youtube. If you’re particularly fond of actual play, check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPCM_Ms5oK4

Actual Play – That is “Sir” Blue Blood (5/9/2012)

By Sean Nittner May 10, 2012actual play, burning theorsa, burning wheel

GM: Shaun Hayworth
Players: Sean Nittner, Kristin Hayworth, Justin Dhiel, and Noam Rosen
System: Burning Wheel
Setting: Burning Theorsa

Action – Reflection – Response

Yay! First off, very fun game. In response to my previous game write up, we started this game having some discussion of intent and expectations. I mentioned the ideas that I had namely that I want everyone to play bold, getting into danger characters, and that I want us to shine the spotlight on our characters with a sympathetic eye. Just like heroes of stories, the lens that we view our characters through makes all the difference.

Shaun pointed out that all characters in Burning Wheel are like Walter White. They are melodramatic, and it is their successes (and failures) that drive the story forward, not an external plot.

Noam also established some expectations for his character, namely that he wants the payoff of a showdown with Baldric or Moya (or both) to be something he builds up to. My hope is we can have many “minor” squables along the way.

Recording

Wow, everything on the internet is forever. Our games are now streamed on youtube. Sadly my video decided to die when we started this. We actually had lots of technical difficulties. It’s sad because I get pretty crazy eyed and emotive during play, especially tonight. Hopefully you’ll be able to see my pretty mug in the future.

To see this game (and others) hit up Shaun’s youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/shayworth

Actual Play – The Nut People (5/6/2012)

By Sean Nittner May 7, 2012actual play, endgame, fiasco, nut people

Players: Xander Matthews, Mia Blankensop, Karen Twelves and Sean Nittner
System: Fiasco
Playset: Nut People

Well, of all playsets to be the first one I’ve played twice, I didn’t expect it to be the Nut People. But, when life hands you a pile of pecans, make pecan pie I guess.

Notable quotes

“Forbidden love nuts.”

“Saving is for ugly people.”

“You good at trying to, or are you good at fixin?” “…Yeah.”

“You slept with my Sugar?” “It wasn’t sleeping, it was just hate’n”

Actual Play – The battle of Redvale (5/2/2012)

By Sean Nittner May 3, 2012actual play, burning theorsa, burning wheel

GM: Shaun Hayworth
Players: Sean Nittner, Kristin Hayworth, Justin Dhiel, and Noam Rosen
System: Burning Wheel
Setting: Burning Theorsa

Hah. I loved the beliefs that we have for this game. Baldric and Moya are up to their their normal conflicting beliefs.

Baldric: I can no longer live without Moya. She detests me because of my actions in Kashkyr, most of which is a drunken haze. To make amends, I must first find out what I did. I’ll get the information I need from Afon.

Moya: Baldric’s affections are overbearing and unwanted. I will involve myself with Ayernand to put him off for a while.

Actual Play – The Dragon Tree (4/29/2012)

By Sean Nittner April 29, 2012actual play, dnd, dragon tree, gaming with kids

GM: Sean Nittner
Players: Three kids 10 and under
System: Dungeons & Dragons 4E

My daughter and her friend have been asking me for a while to play Dungeons & Dragons. Not TSoY, not Dungeon World, not Burning Wheel or Mouse Guard. Dungeon & Dragons. Like Ron years ago, I lost to the cultural icon of D&D.

We stated by talking a little about Dungeons & Dragons as a game. A little about the setting (fantasy setting, magic, dragons, etc) and then a talk about what kinds of things they wanted to do. What I got from the three of them was: Explore dungeons, Solve mysteries, and train dragons. I told them that D&D is built on fighting monsters, so a lot of the game would be trying to achieve those ends and enemies trying to stop them. They were pretty down with that.

I wanted to build the world around locations and events, so I pulled out a blank piece of paper, write down dungeons, mysteries and dragons on it and then told them to start drawing major landmarks and naming them.