ghost court – Sean Nittner

Actual Play – Philadelphia County Ghost Court (11/18/2017)

Players: ALL THE PAX FOLKS!
System: Ghost Court

The One Shot Network started a game of Ghost Court in the Bully Pulpit room and there wasn’t enough space for all the players. Not nearly enough. Thanks to Andy Munich, the Pax Enforcers, some very helpful hotel staff, and patient players, we setup a new room to house the Superior Ghost Court of Philadelphia County.

I thought we might get 10-20 people. We had over 40. Holy crap PAX, your crowds. This was so much fun to setup and of course, our judges were amazing.

I even managed to slip between the two courts, play case myself and made it back!

Here’s some pics!

Actual Play – Big Bad Outreach at UVA (9/29/2017)

GMs: Ezra Denney, Colin Fahrion, Beth Daggert, Matt Klein, Karen Twelves, and Sean Nittner
Players: The kids at University Village at Albany (UVA)
System: Paranoia, D&D 5E, Ghost Lines, Parsley Games, and Ghost Court

It was a lot to wrangle but we did it. We ran five games for the kids at UVA… and we had a blast.

Pizza, games, kids, adults. A few ringers but mostly kids who had were playing for the first time… and oddly had requested larps! How cool.

Matts game ended up not firing off, but it worked out great as we needed someone to keep track in Action Castle!

We’re excited to do this again next year!

Here’s pics from the event:

Actual Play – King County Ghost Court (7/7/2017)

Players: Me, Alice, and many other silly humans and ghosts.
System: Ghost Court

Note that applies to the next six months of Actual Play reports: I fell way behind on my AP reports so these are written many moons later based off my notes. The accuracy will likely vary greatly! Also, this is just transcribed from my notes. Things may be out of order!

Before Go Play this year I asked Tony what would be useful for some Go Play veterans to do so that we could help folks get into more games. He said “run lots of games in the donut” so that was our plan! Even better, running BIG games in the donut. I started with Ghost Court, and though the pictures don’t show it, I think we had 15+ players. Woot!

I had fun playing my usually sassy judges (including wig worn backwards) and then shuffling out to let other, more qualified justices serve in my stead. This game was a hoot and I think we made it through half the cases before adjourning!

Actual Play – Ghost Court, Marion County (8/4/2016)

Players: Many, living and dead
System: Ghost Court

As Hot Guys Making Out wrapped up we quickly transitioned into a game of Ghost Court!

All Rise! Again!

As always Ghost Court was silly and fun and silly. James had managed to round up a wig, and we used a black tablecloth as the judge’s robes.

As expected… Ghost Court was wonderful, thought that case of the half-ghost child custody still confuses the heck out of the plaintiff! (Perhaps as intended!)

What Rocked

Jerry’s amazing Brittish accent as judge… and with the shroud over him!

Kristin’s great life coaching (or in this case death coaching) for the plantiffs and defendants.

Ross. Judge Cowman is imposing indeed!

What Could have Improved

Kate and I were supposed to have a trial with each other but she had to run out and take a call. My case ended tears. Coincidence? I think not!

Actual Play – Ghost Court, Alameda County (10/16/2015)

GM: Sean Nittner and others
Players: Others, living and dead
System: Ghost Court

Tagline: Ghost court is a game about ghosts, and people, and all the dumb ways that ghosts and people can’t get along.

The fact that I was not only playing in a game, but running a game at Big Bad Con says two things:

The support I’ve gotten from our staff has been amazing. It was fantastic to host a con where so many thing went so well all on their own. Even when something went wrong (a finger smooshed, a table broken, a room left in disarray) the response was calm, cool, and collected. We did great!
The game is ridiculously easy to run. And Ghost Court is. I mean, it’s so easy to run that halfway through the game Oscar Simmons caught me in the hall and asked “aren’t you in a game right now?” My response was “I’m running a game right now.” Pretty gosh darn awesome!

For folks who weren’t there to experience the hilarity, Ghost Court is a larp that emulates daytime court TV. People’s Court, Judge Judy, etc. It does so by giving two people a single card with their case (as plaintiff and defendant) and giving them each a minute to please their case before the judge, clerk, and bailiff. Because the cases are so masterfully written and because people know the parts to play, the whole thing fits together wonderfully.

Oh, and some of us are dead, and some of us are not. All the more fun to be had.

What rocked

I was a pretty good judge. People laughed. I got some good ghost puns in the mix. Overall, a solid B+ judge. Jennifer Miller, however, she was just amazing. She channeled the self assurance and moral authority of the best judges out there and delivered her sentences with sass. She was Judge Judy DisIncarnate!

I got to be judge, bailiff, audience member, and plaintiff. Not bad for a single session! I even had to be escorted out of the court for disorderly conduct, and that’s when I was the bailiff!

What could have improved

I wasn’t sure exactly when to end the game. I think we got through about 15 cases before we were all tuckered out. I opted to have one more case with Jennifer (judge Alex Miller presiding) and called that the end. Seemed like as good a way as any to wrap it up.

As soon as this game is out, I know a half dozen living and dead who will be snatching it up!

Actual Play – Ghost Court, Cape May County (9/5/2015)

GM: Jason Morninstar and others
Players: Others, living and dead
System: Ghost Court

Tagline: Ghost court is a game about ghosts, and people, and all the dumb ways that ghosts and people can’t get along.

Sean’s thoughts: This is the best LARP ever.

Why is it so good?

It only requires five people (judge, clerk, bailiff, plaintiff, and defendant) to be “playing” at any given time. That means the rest of the time we’re all audience, who can boo or cheer or moan or rattle chains, or just have drinks and talk to our friends.

Each trial is five minutes long, ensuring lots and lots of different shenanigans. And the shenanigans are so good. Jason has written up twenty cases, I believe all based off real life cases, and they are hilarious to behold and even more ridiculous to preside over!

You want this game to come out, and when it does, you want to play it with all of your friends. I know I do!