Flux Again!
So, the Qin game was a wash. Dropping the PCs into the middle of a fuedal Chinese setting without preparation was a bad idea -- the PCs weren't sure how to act, and I think didn't really feel connected with the setting. I handled it well, and accept that. So, tonight, I decided to quickly set things up and flux the campaign once more, moving them into a new situation.
Don't get me wrong, the Qin game is lovely, and inspired, but I think it wasn't suitable for what I was trying to do. Instead, it looks like the game you should start slowly, from the beginning, and move forward with gradually over time. I didn't do that, and it was a disaster because of it. Having the players with full character sheets and no idea what these sheets meant didn't help any.
Fair enough. I whipped up some new character sheets as everyone was showing up, and tried to think of how to set up the game. The first thing I did was create Amber character sheets. Ignore the auction, just spend 110 points on each character. Once I was done, I asked the players for what abilities they would carry over, had them make the appropriate rolls, and fluxxed the game.
I decided to start at the beginning -- the characters woke up in musty bags together -- much as I did the very first session of this campaign. They pulled themselves out of the bags, and got aquainted with one another, then tried to leave. The Babylon Nightclub - found in an old church - seemed to be where they were, but when they opened the door, the building was empty, abandoned a long time ago. Sort of a deja-vu with a twist. :D
I wove out the plot a little at a time, while the players tried to figure out what game they were in. I hadn't handed over the character sheets, and they spent the session determining who they were, what they were capable of, and slowly began to figure out everything. At first, they thought I was running my Trionfi game, but later they figured out it was Amber.
I ran the entire session on Earth. No shadow-walks, no Pattern, etc. One NPC they encountered had Logrus Mastery, but even then the use was simple. I didn't mention the Serpent, the Unicorn was mentioned in passing (in demonic, so only one character understood), and I've been using different terms for things. (A Chaosian is called by their title in Chaos, so Cat's character is a Countess / Contessa. The Amberites are called 'Royals', and often with disdain by some of the demons). The PCs learned that the Manticore (their nemesis) is called the Thin Man, and the PCs burned down his house in the undercity after robbing it. (*smirk*) I found that amusing as all hell, and quite unexpected. But very cool.
I don't intend on having the PCs shadow walk anywhere significant for a while. None have Pattern or Logrus, so shadow shifting is going to be limited (one PC has a sword which cuts open shadow paths, for example). The PCs are going to need to get accustomed to who they are and what they are capable of, and once I'm done with that, they can explore more. The focus of the game is not to head out into shadow (yet), but to focus on the defeat of The Thin Man. Once that's done, I'll move into the next arc.
Francois picked up on something - they know the Manticore can 'game' the Flux. He also clued in that this universe follows Amber rules, which means that here, they can learn to 'game' the Flux as well. He's always been quick. Now, the PCs need to remember that the Manticore is looking for certain archetypes -- people who act as the cornerstones of reality, and who are capable of foiling his plots. If they remember that, and can find the individuals themselves, they'll have an edge. If they can do this quietly, they might be able to take The Thin Man by surprise.
Don't get me wrong, the Qin game is lovely, and inspired, but I think it wasn't suitable for what I was trying to do. Instead, it looks like the game you should start slowly, from the beginning, and move forward with gradually over time. I didn't do that, and it was a disaster because of it. Having the players with full character sheets and no idea what these sheets meant didn't help any.
Fair enough. I whipped up some new character sheets as everyone was showing up, and tried to think of how to set up the game. The first thing I did was create Amber character sheets. Ignore the auction, just spend 110 points on each character. Once I was done, I asked the players for what abilities they would carry over, had them make the appropriate rolls, and fluxxed the game.
I decided to start at the beginning -- the characters woke up in musty bags together -- much as I did the very first session of this campaign. They pulled themselves out of the bags, and got aquainted with one another, then tried to leave. The Babylon Nightclub - found in an old church - seemed to be where they were, but when they opened the door, the building was empty, abandoned a long time ago. Sort of a deja-vu with a twist. :D
I wove out the plot a little at a time, while the players tried to figure out what game they were in. I hadn't handed over the character sheets, and they spent the session determining who they were, what they were capable of, and slowly began to figure out everything. At first, they thought I was running my Trionfi game, but later they figured out it was Amber.
I ran the entire session on Earth. No shadow-walks, no Pattern, etc. One NPC they encountered had Logrus Mastery, but even then the use was simple. I didn't mention the Serpent, the Unicorn was mentioned in passing (in demonic, so only one character understood), and I've been using different terms for things. (A Chaosian is called by their title in Chaos, so Cat's character is a Countess / Contessa. The Amberites are called 'Royals', and often with disdain by some of the demons). The PCs learned that the Manticore (their nemesis) is called the Thin Man, and the PCs burned down his house in the undercity after robbing it. (*smirk*) I found that amusing as all hell, and quite unexpected. But very cool.
I don't intend on having the PCs shadow walk anywhere significant for a while. None have Pattern or Logrus, so shadow shifting is going to be limited (one PC has a sword which cuts open shadow paths, for example). The PCs are going to need to get accustomed to who they are and what they are capable of, and once I'm done with that, they can explore more. The focus of the game is not to head out into shadow (yet), but to focus on the defeat of The Thin Man. Once that's done, I'll move into the next arc.
Francois picked up on something - they know the Manticore can 'game' the Flux. He also clued in that this universe follows Amber rules, which means that here, they can learn to 'game' the Flux as well. He's always been quick. Now, the PCs need to remember that the Manticore is looking for certain archetypes -- people who act as the cornerstones of reality, and who are capable of foiling his plots. If they remember that, and can find the individuals themselves, they'll have an edge. If they can do this quietly, they might be able to take The Thin Man by surprise.