Me ranting about my role-playing campaign
After talking with ferret I am half-assedley writing up my sessions as a self critique tool and posting them to see what others think
For people who don't already know I run an “Old world of Darkness” campaign that's primarily a Mage campaign with lots of interaction with other denizens of the local “world of darkness” which features werewolves, vampires, mages, and changelings.
The current storyline (the 3rd) is centered around the upcoming state fair and things that may go wrong there.
One of the big sponsors of the event was a beverage called Black Ball
The players have already foiled a plot to promote a beverage that infects it's drinkers with banes (malevolent spirits)
Oh to hell with explaining (only 8 people read my blog anyway, and half of you are my players) under the cut is my Redacted Session sheet with my commentary in bold. If you really want to know more about our story check it out here dayton_by_night
Session 36 - sputter in the gutter p1 strangers in the night
late at night on tuesday 7/19/11 - first thing wednesday 7/20.
Adam's heart-to-heart with Spencer and Noora's chats with Miles and Allen was earlier tuesday.
Make sean have mad penalties all the time I can never be bothered to make people keep track of their penalties, I wonder if I should take away the point from that penalty (compulsion: listen to music)
It's DARK in the sewers, add penalties to rolls (and make sure everyone's gun difficulties are set up right) see above
the big showdown is at 6 in louisville, travel time is around an hour for everyone
TEAM WYLD
Team 1 - 1st string
SF: William Koenig-3, GF: Steve Chenko-4, Andy Chenko-1, BF: Emma Evans-2 , Uk: Little Bear-1, GW: Rocco-2 F: Seamus-1, SG: Sky(F)-2, BG: Danny-3
team 2
River Sabres Sept: 1 glasswalkers (r1/25), 1 shadowlord (r1/45), 1 silverfang (r3/110), 1 child of gaia (r2/80), 1 black fury (r1/25), 1 bone gnawer (r2/80)
problem number one, too many NPCs involved in the fight. Have to find a way to make all these werewolves be part of the backdrop, or never put them all in in the first place
team 3
the PCs: Rachel, Joder, Sean, Adam, Nora
add ons: Spencer (?) Jenny (?) Artemis (?) Annie pinkus?
thank goodness I left the add ons out, it was already way too crowded
team 4
hans landa, svetlana, butch greenberg, agent what's his name
these NPCs are the PCs from my previous campaign played 3 of the players in this group. Including them was an idea from before my 2 new players “adam” and “noora” joined but I liked it so much I left them in, though I don't think I executed it well, see below
TEAM WYRM
the dachau horror
the artifact
REDACTED
REDACTED
TEAM WEAVER
REDACTED
zombies
Part 1
4-8 carloads of badasses converge downtown
downtown howlers, gaia's creepers, river sabres, snapping turtle falls, and the PCs
introductions, flask hits, check lanterns (a couple people have mine helmets/forehead lights everyone else has lanterns and flash lights, prayer for guidance, finding a discreet entrance, [#1]
the plan is we head for it while it hopefully heads for us. Little Bear carries the object unless something else happens.
[#2] It is easy to follow and it sucks up into a very small pipe, pulls a 180 and pokes it's head out again and bitch slaps a werewolf into the mass of other garou (gain rage!) and slurps away. Mass of werewolves run down a larger tunnel headed the some way, here's a loud yelp, turns a corner and runs straight into the Webs. A zombie dog broken in half twitches feebly in it's wake.
The river sabres draw up at the Webs, the Howlers barrel on and the creepers creep. The locals all look at one another and head but cautiously. Once at the first juncture inside any sensitives catch a telepathic oh, shit somethings got me followed by a scream of ouch in the shoulder, and the sound of gunfire (2 guns, 1 firing bursts the other in measured regular shots). Heroic folks will of course move to help this person. The PCs encounter a dog and a man zombie whether they are heroes or not. There is a howl from down the way and the locals all take off after it (injure Nora's leg briefly so she doesn't run off after them, if needed) har har didn't do that, but in retrospect I'm glad i didn't 'cause it's hamhanded
After the zombies are fought, Homeland security shows up #3
everywhere is pitchblack
Tunnel Types:
Tube - 4', 6', 8', 10', 12'
15' Tube with 1 path
18' Tube with 2 paths
down draining rectangle 15' square
Going in...
#1: 15' N-S meets an 18' E-W
slaps
#2: in one of the 15' crossed by a 4' access on both sides. The horror jumps the gap and then pops back out and bitchslaps someone. Werewolves give chase into the webs.
here the party broke up, the one werewolf in the group loped off with the werewolves, and the mages stayed together, shoulda saw that coming or been prepared for it
Telepathic oh shit
#3: in an 18' tube with 2 paths. Tubes of varying diameters empty at varying height. Faint light trickles in from sewer grates and manhole covers some 20' feet above. The entire ceiling is covered in heavy webbing. Shafts of light cut through them like smoke There are webbed over pipes draining into the main line (zombies ambush from these).
2-4 zombie dogs either attack the party and HS rescues them or if the party goes looking, vice versa.
the players who played those characters loved (cheers and clapping!) seeing them in this game as NPCs but I realized that my zombies were not dangerous enough to be more than road signs to danger and so I didn't have anything meaningful for these Cameo NPCs to do. Worse, everyone, myself included, liked them making them hard to cut. I fudged them going off to do something and avoid a pack of raging werewolves to keep them from adding even more clutter to an already over cluttered fight. I will have to write them into a better space in the next session as they are too popular to just disappear
#4 The horror strikes back
The horror pops out from a corner and makes a full frontal assault. It tries to get to “weakest links” first, it disarms (and will even use the weapons it grabs!). If things go poorly it will use many attacks at once on a single target, killing it, then run. The horror is capable of ripping out chunks of masonry and whipping it at people. The artifact eats little bear (REDACTED).
I was so frustrated with too many NPCs and time was becoming an issue so this became the finale, I had it make a frontal assault from the rear of the mob where the PCs where at so that they'd get first cracks at it and they did a fine job of crippling it by overpowering a magic object I had tried to make not overpowered, sigh. I had a couple surprises up my sleeve but I judged it best to hint at them at the very end of the session which ended with -- you hear a shotgun cock behind you as the 2 packs of werewolves rip the weakened monster to pieces and the gas main you ruptured and lit on fire burns merrily behind you --
You don't belong here
#5 zombies! Dogs and people
2 zombie dogs and 2 zombie people pop out of the webbed over tubes ambushing the party a diffuse mind is spread about nearby, REDACTED will nab a straggler if possible in the melee.
i had realized the zombies were terrible at what I had wanted them to do, and since I didn't want the players to encounter REDACTED with a mob on their side this got skipped
#4 rinse and repeat
This repeats until someone has a better idea, it wins or it is forced to flee out of the webs and into the sump. It knows better than to head into the umbra against werewolves.
#5: the sump (outside of the webs): the Horror has holed up under the water level at the intersection of of a pool of some kind this pool has REDACTED REDACTED REDACTED . If REDACTED REDACTED REDACTED . (REDACTED REDACTED REDACTED)
i liked this scene and I may try to rework it in some way and reuse it
if things are going to easily for the group add REDACTED. REDACTED can REDACTED REDACTED REDACTED!
a number of these things will happen next session
This post is largely about both why i'm unhappy with how the action plays out in a session. I'll address happiness with plot and/or character development at another time maybe
For people who don't already know I run an “Old world of Darkness” campaign that's primarily a Mage campaign with lots of interaction with other denizens of the local “world of darkness” which features werewolves, vampires, mages, and changelings.
The current storyline (the 3rd) is centered around the upcoming state fair and things that may go wrong there.
One of the big sponsors of the event was a beverage called Black Ball
The players have already foiled a plot to promote a beverage that infects it's drinkers with banes (malevolent spirits)
Oh to hell with explaining (only 8 people read my blog anyway, and half of you are my players) under the cut is my Redacted Session sheet with my commentary in bold. If you really want to know more about our story check it out here dayton_by_night
Session 36 - sputter in the gutter p1 strangers in the night
late at night on tuesday 7/19/11 - first thing wednesday 7/20.
Adam's heart-to-heart with Spencer and Noora's chats with Miles and Allen was earlier tuesday.
Make sean have mad penalties all the time I can never be bothered to make people keep track of their penalties, I wonder if I should take away the point from that penalty (compulsion: listen to music)
It's DARK in the sewers, add penalties to rolls (and make sure everyone's gun difficulties are set up right) see above
the big showdown is at 6 in louisville, travel time is around an hour for everyone
TEAM WYLD
Team 1 - 1st string
SF: William Koenig-3, GF: Steve Chenko-4, Andy Chenko-1, BF: Emma Evans-2 , Uk: Little Bear-1, GW: Rocco-2 F: Seamus-1, SG: Sky(F)-2, BG: Danny-3
team 2
River Sabres Sept: 1 glasswalkers (r1/25), 1 shadowlord (r1/45), 1 silverfang (r3/110), 1 child of gaia (r2/80), 1 black fury (r1/25), 1 bone gnawer (r2/80)
problem number one, too many NPCs involved in the fight. Have to find a way to make all these werewolves be part of the backdrop, or never put them all in in the first place
team 3
the PCs: Rachel, Joder, Sean, Adam, Nora
add ons: Spencer (?) Jenny (?) Artemis (?) Annie pinkus?
thank goodness I left the add ons out, it was already way too crowded
team 4
hans landa, svetlana, butch greenberg, agent what's his name
these NPCs are the PCs from my previous campaign played 3 of the players in this group. Including them was an idea from before my 2 new players “adam” and “noora” joined but I liked it so much I left them in, though I don't think I executed it well, see below
TEAM WYRM
the dachau horror
the artifact
REDACTED
REDACTED
TEAM WEAVER
REDACTED
zombies
Part 1
4-8 carloads of badasses converge downtown
downtown howlers, gaia's creepers, river sabres, snapping turtle falls, and the PCs
introductions, flask hits, check lanterns (a couple people have mine helmets/forehead lights everyone else has lanterns and flash lights, prayer for guidance, finding a discreet entrance, [#1]
the plan is we head for it while it hopefully heads for us. Little Bear carries the object unless something else happens.
[#2] It is easy to follow and it sucks up into a very small pipe, pulls a 180 and pokes it's head out again and bitch slaps a werewolf into the mass of other garou (gain rage!) and slurps away. Mass of werewolves run down a larger tunnel headed the some way, here's a loud yelp, turns a corner and runs straight into the Webs. A zombie dog broken in half twitches feebly in it's wake.
The river sabres draw up at the Webs, the Howlers barrel on and the creepers creep. The locals all look at one another and head but cautiously. Once at the first juncture inside any sensitives catch a telepathic oh, shit somethings got me followed by a scream of ouch in the shoulder, and the sound of gunfire (2 guns, 1 firing bursts the other in measured regular shots). Heroic folks will of course move to help this person. The PCs encounter a dog and a man zombie whether they are heroes or not. There is a howl from down the way and the locals all take off after it (injure Nora's leg briefly so she doesn't run off after them, if needed) har har didn't do that, but in retrospect I'm glad i didn't 'cause it's hamhanded
After the zombies are fought, Homeland security shows up #3
everywhere is pitchblack
Tunnel Types:
Tube - 4', 6', 8', 10', 12'
15' Tube with 1 path
18' Tube with 2 paths
down draining rectangle 15' square
Going in...
#1: 15' N-S meets an 18' E-W
slaps
#2: in one of the 15' crossed by a 4' access on both sides. The horror jumps the gap and then pops back out and bitchslaps someone. Werewolves give chase into the webs.
here the party broke up, the one werewolf in the group loped off with the werewolves, and the mages stayed together, shoulda saw that coming or been prepared for it
Telepathic oh shit
#3: in an 18' tube with 2 paths. Tubes of varying diameters empty at varying height. Faint light trickles in from sewer grates and manhole covers some 20' feet above. The entire ceiling is covered in heavy webbing. Shafts of light cut through them like smoke There are webbed over pipes draining into the main line (zombies ambush from these).
2-4 zombie dogs either attack the party and HS rescues them or if the party goes looking, vice versa.
the players who played those characters loved (cheers and clapping!) seeing them in this game as NPCs but I realized that my zombies were not dangerous enough to be more than road signs to danger and so I didn't have anything meaningful for these Cameo NPCs to do. Worse, everyone, myself included, liked them making them hard to cut. I fudged them going off to do something and avoid a pack of raging werewolves to keep them from adding even more clutter to an already over cluttered fight. I will have to write them into a better space in the next session as they are too popular to just disappear
#4 The horror strikes back
The horror pops out from a corner and makes a full frontal assault. It tries to get to “weakest links” first, it disarms (and will even use the weapons it grabs!). If things go poorly it will use many attacks at once on a single target, killing it, then run. The horror is capable of ripping out chunks of masonry and whipping it at people. The artifact eats little bear (REDACTED).
I was so frustrated with too many NPCs and time was becoming an issue so this became the finale, I had it make a frontal assault from the rear of the mob where the PCs where at so that they'd get first cracks at it and they did a fine job of crippling it by overpowering a magic object I had tried to make not overpowered, sigh. I had a couple surprises up my sleeve but I judged it best to hint at them at the very end of the session which ended with -- you hear a shotgun cock behind you as the 2 packs of werewolves rip the weakened monster to pieces and the gas main you ruptured and lit on fire burns merrily behind you --
You don't belong here
#5 zombies! Dogs and people
2 zombie dogs and 2 zombie people pop out of the webbed over tubes ambushing the party a diffuse mind is spread about nearby, REDACTED will nab a straggler if possible in the melee.
i had realized the zombies were terrible at what I had wanted them to do, and since I didn't want the players to encounter REDACTED with a mob on their side this got skipped
#4 rinse and repeat
This repeats until someone has a better idea, it wins or it is forced to flee out of the webs and into the sump. It knows better than to head into the umbra against werewolves.
#5: the sump (outside of the webs): the Horror has holed up under the water level at the intersection of of a pool of some kind this pool has REDACTED REDACTED REDACTED . If REDACTED REDACTED REDACTED . (REDACTED REDACTED REDACTED)
i liked this scene and I may try to rework it in some way and reuse it
if things are going to easily for the group add REDACTED. REDACTED can REDACTED REDACTED REDACTED!
a number of these things will happen next session
This post is largely about both why i'm unhappy with how the action plays out in a session. I'll address happiness with plot and/or character development at another time maybe