Dark*Matter 0: Everything You Can Think of is True
So, as it turned out, the DM-player ratio at the RPG club today was such that I decided to begin my d20 Modern Campaign (see an earlier post for the hook). My to my surprise, my brief description attracted a not inconsiderable amount of interest (but more on that later), so I find myself DMing for six players. I've decided that, whether y'all like it or not, I'm going to post session summaries on this here LiveJournal. The formal will be like this: I'll describe the session in narrative form with DM notes in italics. Today little more was accomplished than character creation, which was good considering that I have yet to write a campaign. Here's the cast of characters:
John Miller- This smooth-talking 25 year old man is a professional negotiator. He's made a small fortune hiring himself out to corporations and even governments to work out deals and treaties. He is useless in combat, but if combat has broken out, most likely he has already failed. He became interested in the secret workings of governments as he slowly began to realize throughout his career that there was more going on in his negotiations than he was being allowed to know about. I haven't yet decided if John Miller's player, Keenan, is a blessing or a curse. He's one of the higher-ups of the club, and wields a great deal of influence. On the one hand, this influence helped draw many of the players to my game (his enthusiasm was truly impressive). On the other hand, the idea of a power struggle between player and DM pleases me not. Also, how he will roleplay remains to be seen. His enthusiasm is encouraging, but he may be a liability to party cohesion.
Liesel Mandel- This woman of 18 years (and German descent) follows the unique path of the prostitute-assassin. You read that correctly. Her feminine wiles are second only to her ability to take out targets with surgical precision. For reasons unknown, she also has above average ability in both driving cars and piloting aircraft. Yeahyeah, but somebody had to have them. Her brush with the bizarre occurred as she went through the pockets of a deceased and de-breeched target, only to find evidence of strange, paranormal occurrences. Why is it that so many girls want to play whores as there first character? Janessa is relatively new to the game, but it looks like she'll pick up the rules fast. Did I mention thank god for the pilot and drive skills....?
John Salazar, formerly Evan Ross, hacker alias XYZZY- A 17-year-old super-genius, Salazar has devoted much of his massive mental capacity to the pursuit of illegal digital activities. His talent with electronics, supplemented with the beginnings of a MIT education, make this man a true boon to his team. As a hobby, Salazar partakes of more ordinary criminal activities. His access to top-secret files naturally lead him to the discovery that there was more to this world than what there seems. I like this player a lot, and feel sorry for his somewhat unlucky rolls (a 9 and an 8). Still, I think he definately has the stuff roleplaying wise: in the moment of RPing we actually did today, he already had an interesting character motivation going.
James Whitman, Ph.D.- Dr. James Whitman (or Dr. Whitman, or Whitman to his friends) is a tall, lanky gentlemen who looks much older than he actually is. His knowledge of sciences is unparalleled, he is a solid researches, and he knows how to put his book learning to practical use. As a field scientist, he often traveled the world in search of interesting chemical phenomena-- it was during these travels that he became aware of "strange things." Another reasonable player, longstanding member of the club. No complaints.
Dr. David Tennant- Every group needs a medic, and the 30 year old David Tennant id dedicated to keeping his group alive at all costs. Very little is known about this quiet man, but he can fix just about any wound, so nobody's complaining. The player got screwed out of a character sheet, since I was only expecting 5 players, so his character is a bit behind the others'. Nevertheless, he's the only other member of the group who's played d20 Modern extensively (and can provide another core rulebook), so I think he'll manage.
Jet Thoreau- Even before he was contacted by the Hoffman institute, this strong, quiet man was an adventurer. He doesn't talk much about his past, but one gets the impression that he's seen it all, including things that should remain unseen. My main worry as a DM. The player rarely speaks, rarely takes initiative. Most likely he will become a pawn of Keenan or whoever is sitting nearest to him. Hopefully, I can break him out of this shell, perhaps with puzzles only he can solve. We'll see....
John Miller- This smooth-talking 25 year old man is a professional negotiator. He's made a small fortune hiring himself out to corporations and even governments to work out deals and treaties. He is useless in combat, but if combat has broken out, most likely he has already failed. He became interested in the secret workings of governments as he slowly began to realize throughout his career that there was more going on in his negotiations than he was being allowed to know about. I haven't yet decided if John Miller's player, Keenan, is a blessing or a curse. He's one of the higher-ups of the club, and wields a great deal of influence. On the one hand, this influence helped draw many of the players to my game (his enthusiasm was truly impressive). On the other hand, the idea of a power struggle between player and DM pleases me not. Also, how he will roleplay remains to be seen. His enthusiasm is encouraging, but he may be a liability to party cohesion.
Liesel Mandel- This woman of 18 years (and German descent) follows the unique path of the prostitute-assassin. You read that correctly. Her feminine wiles are second only to her ability to take out targets with surgical precision. For reasons unknown, she also has above average ability in both driving cars and piloting aircraft. Yeahyeah, but somebody had to have them. Her brush with the bizarre occurred as she went through the pockets of a deceased and de-breeched target, only to find evidence of strange, paranormal occurrences. Why is it that so many girls want to play whores as there first character? Janessa is relatively new to the game, but it looks like she'll pick up the rules fast. Did I mention thank god for the pilot and drive skills....?
John Salazar, formerly Evan Ross, hacker alias XYZZY- A 17-year-old super-genius, Salazar has devoted much of his massive mental capacity to the pursuit of illegal digital activities. His talent with electronics, supplemented with the beginnings of a MIT education, make this man a true boon to his team. As a hobby, Salazar partakes of more ordinary criminal activities. His access to top-secret files naturally lead him to the discovery that there was more to this world than what there seems. I like this player a lot, and feel sorry for his somewhat unlucky rolls (a 9 and an 8). Still, I think he definately has the stuff roleplaying wise: in the moment of RPing we actually did today, he already had an interesting character motivation going.
James Whitman, Ph.D.- Dr. James Whitman (or Dr. Whitman, or Whitman to his friends) is a tall, lanky gentlemen who looks much older than he actually is. His knowledge of sciences is unparalleled, he is a solid researches, and he knows how to put his book learning to practical use. As a field scientist, he often traveled the world in search of interesting chemical phenomena-- it was during these travels that he became aware of "strange things." Another reasonable player, longstanding member of the club. No complaints.
Dr. David Tennant- Every group needs a medic, and the 30 year old David Tennant id dedicated to keeping his group alive at all costs. Very little is known about this quiet man, but he can fix just about any wound, so nobody's complaining. The player got screwed out of a character sheet, since I was only expecting 5 players, so his character is a bit behind the others'. Nevertheless, he's the only other member of the group who's played d20 Modern extensively (and can provide another core rulebook), so I think he'll manage.
Jet Thoreau- Even before he was contacted by the Hoffman institute, this strong, quiet man was an adventurer. He doesn't talk much about his past, but one gets the impression that he's seen it all, including things that should remain unseen. My main worry as a DM. The player rarely speaks, rarely takes initiative. Most likely he will become a pawn of Keenan or whoever is sitting nearest to him. Hopefully, I can break him out of this shell, perhaps with puzzles only he can solve. We'll see....