radical game idea
Posted: Mon Aug 04, 2008 4:39 pm
I know nobody wants to hear about me announcing online games, but I have a thought....please hear me out.
I would like to co-run an NWOD vampire game with several other people, exclusively online. We would discuss NPCs, plot elements, timing, everything would be planned out as a group, and any one of us could make appropriate posts. We would circulate an email among GMs for this game coordinating plot ideas, listing mandatory talking points for various encounters, and would each write or co-write important characters. Time committment for any single GM for this game would be minimal. I would like at least three people to jump on board with this, at a minimum two others, for a moderate time committment and we would discuss plot points together by email.
Here's the cunning twist, and I've thought about games like this for a while.
Exactly one player. That's right. The usual GM to Player ratio would be reversed. The pro's of this game are:
No player disputes.
The player can explore his own past, merits, relationships with his sire and other kindred, and can develop as a character in the spotlight on his own.
Any fledgling GMs out there can get some more running time, without the worries of recruiting a group of players, or the worries about introducing a bad plot line, plots would be peer reviewed.
The storyline can extend into time, the player might make an Ordo Dracul member, for example, who spends two years in the library studying. No need to account for other people's activities during that time, the GMs can simply consult eachother about time dependent plot lines, and advance the NPCs.
The plot would be character driven, The Player and his decisions would make a profound impact on what the GMs do and do not do, the Player could simply pull up roots and move to a new city. The GMs might need a few days to sort out NPCs and various feuds in the new city, but the Player would be free to do that.
The curse of vampirism and personal horror could be more thoroughly played out, quirks involved in hunting could be the basis for sub-plot.
The player would never know 'who to trust' based solely on the fact that they are playing the game with them, there would be no artificial alliance with other vampires created out of necessity to run a coherent game, the game would be, by definition, coherent.
the cons?
the player must write an interesting character, and the GMs must be satisfied with telling a good story, and playing out a host of NPCs. Which could be fun in and of itself, and might help a player explore various possibilities and angles with their characters, even those that are somewhat scripted.
if GM communication breaks down, the game breaks down. Also if GMs are never online, then obviously...well that's not dependent on this game style at all is it?
All in all, this game would be an interesting challenge to run, and to play, though perhaps very rewarding for all involved.
People please post feedback, and I have already identified a player that I think would be very capable of handling focused attention from several GMs, and is known for making dynamic characters that grow and change with their playing. Cheyne.
I would like to co-run an NWOD vampire game with several other people, exclusively online. We would discuss NPCs, plot elements, timing, everything would be planned out as a group, and any one of us could make appropriate posts. We would circulate an email among GMs for this game coordinating plot ideas, listing mandatory talking points for various encounters, and would each write or co-write important characters. Time committment for any single GM for this game would be minimal. I would like at least three people to jump on board with this, at a minimum two others, for a moderate time committment and we would discuss plot points together by email.
Here's the cunning twist, and I've thought about games like this for a while.
Exactly one player. That's right. The usual GM to Player ratio would be reversed. The pro's of this game are:
No player disputes.
The player can explore his own past, merits, relationships with his sire and other kindred, and can develop as a character in the spotlight on his own.
Any fledgling GMs out there can get some more running time, without the worries of recruiting a group of players, or the worries about introducing a bad plot line, plots would be peer reviewed.
The storyline can extend into time, the player might make an Ordo Dracul member, for example, who spends two years in the library studying. No need to account for other people's activities during that time, the GMs can simply consult eachother about time dependent plot lines, and advance the NPCs.
The plot would be character driven, The Player and his decisions would make a profound impact on what the GMs do and do not do, the Player could simply pull up roots and move to a new city. The GMs might need a few days to sort out NPCs and various feuds in the new city, but the Player would be free to do that.
The curse of vampirism and personal horror could be more thoroughly played out, quirks involved in hunting could be the basis for sub-plot.
The player would never know 'who to trust' based solely on the fact that they are playing the game with them, there would be no artificial alliance with other vampires created out of necessity to run a coherent game, the game would be, by definition, coherent.
the cons?
the player must write an interesting character, and the GMs must be satisfied with telling a good story, and playing out a host of NPCs. Which could be fun in and of itself, and might help a player explore various possibilities and angles with their characters, even those that are somewhat scripted.
if GM communication breaks down, the game breaks down. Also if GMs are never online, then obviously...well that's not dependent on this game style at all is it?
All in all, this game would be an interesting challenge to run, and to play, though perhaps very rewarding for all involved.
People please post feedback, and I have already identified a player that I think would be very capable of handling focused attention from several GMs, and is known for making dynamic characters that grow and change with their playing. Cheyne.