Maelstrom 2 - after-action report.
I'm back on 4 Maelstrom events this year - or at least I'm booked for 4. Part of this is that I enjoyed last year more than the previous couple,part of this was 'a cunning plan' I put together over the winter. Whichever way, it was justified this weekend.
My post-Maelstrom LJ reports for the last few years have been very 'samey' - thanks to a small few for being brilliant. This one is a little different - thanks to a slightly larger few for being brilliant.
Six years ago, when the game started, I wrote a character background, and submitted it to PD. Four to five years later, with the same character still comfortably in play, I was getting very stale, and a couple of things happened. First of all, I started doing something different with the character, outside my comfort zone. Secondly I decided to do something to bring some of the back-story into play, not by telling it in-character, but by trying to introduce it through some other characters - the 'cunning plan'.
These two came together this weekend, and, I think, worked.
The plan was quite simple - get a couple of friends to come along and play Maelstrom, who'd not played it before. Leave their character details largely to themselves, but seed some story which while not telling them the backstory would let them investigate it. Then, when the rumours of what they were investigating started reaching my character, point my friends at them to find out who they were, and what they were doing. The theory was that this would give them enough of an 'in', to get over that initial 'first day off the boat' awkwardness with good reason to interact with other characters from the start without being characters that I or any group already knew.
So - thanks dame_habonde and pikeygothboy (even though I don't think he's updated LJ in years) for playing along with the cunning plan so well. Thanks also to the usual suspects for picking up on what was going on, and being ever-so-discrete in how it was handled.
As to the event as a whole, it was to quote misterdaniel "eventful".
I got there in good time on Friday, in time to help set up the Asilio tent. Friday night was routine stuff, apart from working out how we could breech the palisade which had been built across the site. I gather that it was be rebuilt to form a major part of the Odyssey scenery at some point. The highlight of the day was when the attack eventually went in. Well done to all behind the palisade. It was fun.
Saturday daytime was too hot, the ball in the evening was entertaining and glittery. No one should ever be forced to waltz with a character channeling Scapino (a clumsy Comedia del Arte zanni) wearing an awkward mask. I hope the bruising from the mask goes down quickly. The aftermath to the ball was everything I had hoped for - kt_peasant 's timing with one quiet and essential question was perfect.
The thunderstorms on Saturday night both contributed to the atmosphere of the event, but also cleared the hot air perfectly. The rain that followed on Sunday was less pleasant.
Sunday overall was fun, with a trial (to avoid), diplomacy (to enjoy), a very amusing conversation about scandal (or its absence) and then a long take down.
So - a 'win' this time around.
My post-Maelstrom LJ reports for the last few years have been very 'samey' - thanks to a small few for being brilliant. This one is a little different - thanks to a slightly larger few for being brilliant.
Six years ago, when the game started, I wrote a character background, and submitted it to PD. Four to five years later, with the same character still comfortably in play, I was getting very stale, and a couple of things happened. First of all, I started doing something different with the character, outside my comfort zone. Secondly I decided to do something to bring some of the back-story into play, not by telling it in-character, but by trying to introduce it through some other characters - the 'cunning plan'.
These two came together this weekend, and, I think, worked.
The plan was quite simple - get a couple of friends to come along and play Maelstrom, who'd not played it before. Leave their character details largely to themselves, but seed some story which while not telling them the backstory would let them investigate it. Then, when the rumours of what they were investigating started reaching my character, point my friends at them to find out who they were, and what they were doing. The theory was that this would give them enough of an 'in', to get over that initial 'first day off the boat' awkwardness with good reason to interact with other characters from the start without being characters that I or any group already knew.
So - thanks dame_habonde and pikeygothboy (even though I don't think he's updated LJ in years) for playing along with the cunning plan so well. Thanks also to the usual suspects for picking up on what was going on, and being ever-so-discrete in how it was handled.
As to the event as a whole, it was to quote misterdaniel "eventful".
I got there in good time on Friday, in time to help set up the Asilio tent. Friday night was routine stuff, apart from working out how we could breech the palisade which had been built across the site. I gather that it was be rebuilt to form a major part of the Odyssey scenery at some point. The highlight of the day was when the attack eventually went in. Well done to all behind the palisade. It was fun.
Saturday daytime was too hot, the ball in the evening was entertaining and glittery. No one should ever be forced to waltz with a character channeling Scapino (a clumsy Comedia del Arte zanni) wearing an awkward mask. I hope the bruising from the mask goes down quickly. The aftermath to the ball was everything I had hoped for - kt_peasant 's timing with one quiet and essential question was perfect.
The thunderstorms on Saturday night both contributed to the atmosphere of the event, but also cleared the hot air perfectly. The rain that followed on Sunday was less pleasant.
Sunday overall was fun, with a trial (to avoid), diplomacy (to enjoy), a very amusing conversation about scandal (or its absence) and then a long take down.
So - a 'win' this time around.