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Approaches to prep in RPGing - GMs, players, and what play is *about*
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<blockquote data-quote="Manbearcat" data-source="post: 8975373" data-attributes="member: 6696971"><p>Going to use this thread to plug one of the games that it appears like I'm going to be running next after a current Dogs in the Vineyard game ends. Its a PBtA game about Japan's Warring States called Thousand Arrows. Here are my thoughts after my read-through (I'll get to how I see Prep after this initial review):</p><p></p><p>[HR][/HR]</p><p></p><p>* Gameplay references the map of Japan and focuses on a region and probably 2 or 3 Factions (to start) pending how spread out the PCs are with respect to Allegiance. We reference this map together, use it to build out conflicts during play...and what we index when we do that is...</p><p></p><p>* Political, Strategic, Tactical, and Self. These are levels of zoom for the framing, handling, and resolution of conflicts. The expectation is surely an aggressive cut and hard framing of scenes back and forth between these layers. It seems fairly Apocalypse World in this way where we discuss where we're going (level of zoom, location, situation-specifics) and then I frame a scene > we resolve > fallout changes the fiction. The "wargame" component of play will likely see a lot of hard framed Strategic/Tactical > move > likely zoom in on next inward most layer on a 7-9 or 6- result (perhaps even on a 10+ depending upon the move and a situation).</p><p></p><p>* Given the Attachments statistic is so paramount for theme and consequence, Tactical and Self are apt to be the significant majority of conflicts (my guess is something like 2 in 3 upwards to 3 and 4 conflicts will be Tactical or Self zoom).</p><p></p><p>* Fronts are handled just like typical AW (see Allegiances and Factions) while NPCs are handled somewhat differently than typical. You've got a martial prowess stat and weapon stats for duels. But this game is so much about social aspects (passion, art, drive, connections). The equivalent of Instinct clearly comes from (a) the Allegiance/Station and (b) View NPCs As Though They're Dead/Show PCs Their Extremes & Opposites.</p><p></p><p>* This is clearly a "High N, Low G" (Forge Agendas N for Narrativism - <em>play that aggressively addresses a core premise, or an admixture, by relentlessly putting dramatic-need-laden protagonists in a crucible of provocative and demanding situations which ultimately distills who they are </em>- and Gamism - <em>play that is challenge-centered; platers better execute, play well, or git gud</em>) game. There is some interesting Gamism here, but the abundance of play is about serious Story Now imperatives and the movement of the fiction and the characters as a result. The clear emphasis on hard framing + zoom shifting + Low G will make this game not desirable to most Traditional players and even High N players that expect a coinciding High G (like Torchbearer or Blades in the Dark).</p><p></p><p>[HR][/HR]</p><p></p><p>So the <strong>prep </strong>I will be doing in this game is basically:</p><p></p><p>* Sort out who these players are during communal character creation and session 0. What drives them? Who is important to them? Who is their liege or primary affiliation? How are the players (3 of them) allied or opposed (the game could end up being 3 PCs in opposition to each other)? How do they get things done (via their playbook and the choices therein including stats, moves, gear, and the type of Section they lead into war, guerilla or symmetrical)?</p><p></p><p>* Where is this at on the historical map of Japan (comes with the game)? What is the broad topographical brushstrokes, cultures, logistics (routes, trade, food, danger), and factions/warlords of the immediate region that our game will be taking place in? </p><p></p><p>* On to those Factions. What 2 to 4 (if the PCs are all in opposition it will be 4...otherwise it will shrink) of those are in play? What are their goals, their means, bastion and redoubts?</p><p></p><p></p><p>These questions, their answers, and their attendant mechanical widgets/rules (this is the extend of my <strong>prep </strong>for this upcoming game...along with my uptake and operationalizing of the themes and broad, historical shape of the milieu of that period) will inform my situation framing, consequences, and the level of zoom (Political, Strategic, Tactical, Self) of the scenes that I'll improvise during play and we'll use to follow the sequence of framing > player action declaration > action resolution > fallout > new situations/levels of zoom.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Manbearcat, post: 8975373, member: 6696971"] Going to use this thread to plug one of the games that it appears like I'm going to be running next after a current Dogs in the Vineyard game ends. Its a PBtA game about Japan's Warring States called Thousand Arrows. Here are my thoughts after my read-through (I'll get to how I see Prep after this initial review): [HR][/HR] * Gameplay references the map of Japan and focuses on a region and probably 2 or 3 Factions (to start) pending how spread out the PCs are with respect to Allegiance. We reference this map together, use it to build out conflicts during play...and what we index when we do that is... * Political, Strategic, Tactical, and Self. These are levels of zoom for the framing, handling, and resolution of conflicts. The expectation is surely an aggressive cut and hard framing of scenes back and forth between these layers. It seems fairly Apocalypse World in this way where we discuss where we're going (level of zoom, location, situation-specifics) and then I frame a scene > we resolve > fallout changes the fiction. The "wargame" component of play will likely see a lot of hard framed Strategic/Tactical > move > likely zoom in on next inward most layer on a 7-9 or 6- result (perhaps even on a 10+ depending upon the move and a situation). * Given the Attachments statistic is so paramount for theme and consequence, Tactical and Self are apt to be the significant majority of conflicts (my guess is something like 2 in 3 upwards to 3 and 4 conflicts will be Tactical or Self zoom). * Fronts are handled just like typical AW (see Allegiances and Factions) while NPCs are handled somewhat differently than typical. You've got a martial prowess stat and weapon stats for duels. But this game is so much about social aspects (passion, art, drive, connections). The equivalent of Instinct clearly comes from (a) the Allegiance/Station and (b) View NPCs As Though They're Dead/Show PCs Their Extremes & Opposites. * This is clearly a "High N, Low G" (Forge Agendas N for Narrativism - [I]play that aggressively addresses a core premise, or an admixture, by relentlessly putting dramatic-need-laden protagonists in a crucible of provocative and demanding situations which ultimately distills who they are [/I]- and Gamism - [I]play that is challenge-centered; platers better execute, play well, or git gud[/I]) game. There is some interesting Gamism here, but the abundance of play is about serious Story Now imperatives and the movement of the fiction and the characters as a result. The clear emphasis on hard framing + zoom shifting + Low G will make this game not desirable to most Traditional players and even High N players that expect a coinciding High G (like Torchbearer or Blades in the Dark). [HR][/HR] So the [B]prep [/B]I will be doing in this game is basically: * Sort out who these players are during communal character creation and session 0. What drives them? Who is important to them? Who is their liege or primary affiliation? How are the players (3 of them) allied or opposed (the game could end up being 3 PCs in opposition to each other)? How do they get things done (via their playbook and the choices therein including stats, moves, gear, and the type of Section they lead into war, guerilla or symmetrical)? * Where is this at on the historical map of Japan (comes with the game)? What is the broad topographical brushstrokes, cultures, logistics (routes, trade, food, danger), and factions/warlords of the immediate region that our game will be taking place in? * On to those Factions. What 2 to 4 (if the PCs are all in opposition it will be 4...otherwise it will shrink) of those are in play? What are their goals, their means, bastion and redoubts? These questions, their answers, and their attendant mechanical widgets/rules (this is the extend of my [B]prep [/B]for this upcoming game...along with my uptake and operationalizing of the themes and broad, historical shape of the milieu of that period) will inform my situation framing, consequences, and the level of zoom (Political, Strategic, Tactical, Self) of the scenes that I'll improvise during play and we'll use to follow the sequence of framing > player action declaration > action resolution > fallout > new situations/levels of zoom. [/QUOTE]
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