Set to Run the Gift, advice sought

[Paka]

Tomorrow is Ithaca's first annual Get Your Geek On-a-thon and I will be running Luke's awesome con game, The Gift, with a table of 4-8 gamers. Should be fun. Luke was kind enough to e-mail me the character sheets. I played the game as the Dwarven Prince at Gen Con. Awesome session.

Reckon I'll report how it goes here. This is a very different style of GMing for me, with the players driving the action of the session and the GM prodding the table along but not driving or delivering bangs.

Luke, any thoughts or advice?

[luke]

Well, I don't want to give any spoilers, but I'm sure I can offer some pointers.

First, MAKE SURE you have a private conversation with the Loremaster before play starts. This is crucial to kicking off the scenario. The Loremaster has no time to do anything but enter in the throne room as play starts, throw in his secret knowledge and suddenly we have situation.

Second: The set up of The Gift is important because it's the most degree of control the GM has. So when describing the opening scene -- the Dwarven cousins exiting, leaving behind presents; the elves entering and presenting themselves -- be sure to take that opportunity to set the scene and describe it to the hilt.

Third: Metagame stuff is important driving The Gift. Dwarves are the hosts. Dwarven players begin and end scenes, Elves do not. Dwarves MUST end a scene -- "That's enough!" -- and set the next scene -- "We'll discuss this in the morning in my chambers." This small detail is vital to keeping the scenario moving.

Dwarves also control the contents of their Hold, they may narrate the existence of anything reasonable. You are, of course, the final aribiter of reason.

Fourth: BITs. Of course players are going to sit down and read over their characters at the start of the session, but sometimes things get forgotten as the night moves on. If a player gets stuck, one great way to reinvolve him/her is to remind them to look over his BITs.

I tend not to give out artha in the demo sessions because, for new players, I think it can get confusing (another rule thrown into the fray!). But if you think your players are up to the task, by all means hand out those Fate points for the players who involve their BITs.

Fifth: "I really want X to happen." I hear this all the time when running this scenario. For example, the Warden player will say, "I hope a fight happens!"Well, the fact is, unless the players start a fight, there's not going to be one. So when you encounter players who express in-game priorities out of game, gently remind them that if they want to see it happen, they've got to do it!

More often than not, players who come to this scenario with an agenda have the most fun.

Sixth: As you mentioned in your initial post: Prod them! You know the PC BITs. If a player is hanging back, whisper in his ear as his conscience. Be his BITs for him. If a player is faltering the face of a roleplaying onslaught, whisper in his ear and remind him of his stalwart unflinching nature. All of the whispers and asides serve one purpose: to drive this scenario to conflict. You've got four hours, make them the best these kids have ever seen. Trust me, they'll want conflict! (I often find that players get hung up on PvP violence/situations. Signals from the GM that no holds are barred usually lights a fire under the scenario.)

how's that?
-L

[Paka]

how's that?
-L

That's perfect.

Thanks.

[Paka]

The Gift is an odd adventure to me. Luke was kind enough to e-mail me the character sheets and some hints as to how to play it.

I played it at Gen Con and it is entirely run by the players. While I love the idea of a game like that and it is great for a demo, really making the players feel like they were the authors of their adventure, the role of the GM in this game is subtle. There were few NPC's for me to play. I'm used to games being made on the strength of my believable NPC's.

But it works. You tell the players to read the histories on their sheets, pay attention to their BIT's and if they want something, to GO FOR IT and LEAVE NOTHING ON THE TABLE at the end of the session.

We began at around 1 p.m. and ended between 6 and 7.

The game was played at a gaming event I coordinated called the Get Your Geek On-a-thon 1 in conjunction with our FLGS, Odyssey Games.
http://s7.invisionfree.com/IthacaGamers/index.php?showtopic=44

There were five players, one of whom was supposed to be running Vampire: The Requiem and played the Dwarven Drunk Uncle when I played the Dwarven Prince at Gen Con with Luke running the game at the last Gen Con. It was an amazing session but I realized fast that this game is made or broken on the proactivity of the players.

When I played, there was a funny moment when one of the players whispered to me, very concerned, "I don't think this was where he thought the adventure would go."

I responded, "I don't think he comes in with a pre-determined idea. That's the beauty of it, man."

I impressed on this group, quickly and briskly that they would make this adventure and Orcs weren't going to jump out of the shadows to arbitrarily attack them.

Key Moments:

* The players took the roles of the Dwarven Prince, the Seneschal, The Elven Princess, The Loremaster, The Swordsinger. We decided the Ranger was killed in the journey, slaughtered by Orcs.

* I aquired another walk-in player as the Drunk Uncle, a few hours into the game.

* At the feast the Elves gave the Dwarves the gift of a tome of their lore. The Gift of knowledge. The Dwarves were downright insulted and announced that tomorrow would be a hunt. The prince elected to go into the tunnels. When given an array of things to hunt he elected giant spiders. The Elves let it be known that they wanted some Orc, since they had killed their comrad.

Orcs it was, off they went into the heavily sealed with iron tunnels where the Orcs nest.

* They quickly realized they were in over their head after their first battle with a few goblins. Though the Swordsinger was loving it, having done the Song of the Sword to make all of his dice for swordplayer EXPLODE. He was positively giddy. "I wish all of my characters were just like this."

The game became a run back to the surface, outrunning a horde of angry Orcs who realized that an important hunting party of Elves and Dwarves were deep in the tunnels.

* The orcs set a troll on a nexus of tunnels that led back to the Dwarven hold to collapse it. The Dwarven Prince made it through the battle, killed the Lash Bearer and took up the lash for himself. One lash, a dodged Trollish Maul swing and a ob 3 Command roll later, the Troll was in the thrall of the Dwarven Prince. He hadn't ever played Poisoned Ambition but the three players (myself included) who knew the significance of He Who Bears the Lash to Orc Tribes in BW were all dazzled. In retrospect, I should have given him an Artha.

* The Uncle died at the jaws of a Black Wolf.

* A fun time was had by all.

Thanks, Luke.

[luke]

WOW! I love it! A heady mix of The Gift and Poisonous Ambition. As far as I know, that is yet another "first" in the infinitely variable demo games.

The Uncle's never died before, either! You cruel GM. :twisted:

Sounds like everyone had fun.

So Judd, why were you so worried about letting the players take over?

-L

PS I'll be in town friday afternoon if you're around.

[Paka]

So Judd, why were you so worried about letting the players take over?

-L

PS I'll be in town friday afternoon if you're around.

Ya know, I think the Loremaster might've taken an arrow for the Princess and died too. I don't remember clearly. he was certainly mortally wounded.

I'm not worried about the players takign over and those are the types of games I tend to run but The Gift is so NPC lite, I am just there to give prods and resolve issues, maybe give info for Obscure History rolls that will goad the game into action.

It is more player centered than I am used to, but just by a bit.

Oh, I'll e-mail you my number, I'm going to be in town.