Witch Hunter: Are you playing? Yes? No? Why?

[Qualidar]

I bought it at GenCon last year, but unfortunately it's still in the reading queue. I'm looking forward to getting to it, especially if there are adventures available.

 

[Vayden]

Not playing. Reasons why, in descending order of importance:

1) I'm in 3 separate 4e games (playing 2, GMing 1) right now, and I don't have time.
2) Hadn't heard of it until this post. Which, to be honest, it probably the biggest reason you're having trouble finding players - the market for games that aren't D&D/WoD is tiny in comparison to those.
3) If you're saying that it's like the oWoD d10 system, that turns me off right there. I have a long-standing dislike for the d10 system built on 2 years of playing it before switching to d20. But that's just me personally.

 

[HalWhitewyrm]

Well, I'm kind of reluctant to go into this... but here I go.

First of all, thanks for posting the question as I think it's very valid. I'm both Jewish and Hispanic, so I can understand the certain aprehension when looking at games set in times when either group was not in the best position possible.

With a majority African-american group, I tend to find myself with a paricular avoidance of games set in America's past. [...] But historic games set around these periods just aren't my thing. I wonder how does Witch Hunter handle non-european characters?

Witch Hunter is kind of PC in how it handles minorities. Witch Hunters are all have a super-natural calling and as such they all have a modicum of respect for one another, aside from a rule from the council of the Orders that safeguards all Witch Hunters, regardless of their backgrounds. In this way, WH of different religions, ethnicities and backgrounds can coexist in the same group and Order, and interact with others.

When it comes to the world around, the mores of the era are there, but it's up to you to decide how much you want to bring them to the forefront.

All that said, the book actually acknowledges that not all Witch Hunters are caucassian European(-descended) Christians. While certainly Christianity is the most represented religion (though there are variations to account for Eastern Orthodox, Catholics, Protestant and Easter-and-Christmas Christians) and European and Euro-descended peoples are the ethnicity most represented in the core book, they are not the only options, as others have explained. There is a lot of room for improvement and expansions, yes, but it doesn't white-wash or ignore all other groups.

My only critique was that the GMs didn't hand out enough hero points to really give the game that over the top swashbuckling feel...

I found the economy suggested in the book for Hero Points too slow for my taste as well and amped it up. I'm not just throwing them out like candy, but I dole them out for good roleplaying (think Fan Mail in Primetime Adventures, if you are familiar with that game), correct roleplaying of Virtues and Vices, and a reward for using the character's own hooks to mess up their lives (think Compels from Spirit of the Century, if you're familiar with that game). It has encouraged my players to be more swashbuckly and take more ownership of the narrative.

At Origins, I had a long discussion about the game and its future with the Paradigm guys and walked away with the Grand Tome of Adversaries and A Child's Game. They really have some great plans for the game and I want to support them as much as I can.

Dude, share.

The Blessed and the Damned book is supposed to open this up a lot more, and they are working on a book for Africa. I'm hoping they get it out sooner rather than later, as I think a North African/Mediterranean/Palestine based campaign for Witch Hunter OR Solomon Kane would be fantastic! One of my biggest gripes about the core book is that, while it mentions them in passing, it doesn't offer any Muslim themed witch hunter organizations. That makes sense as the game is currently focused on Europe and the New World, but it doesn't exactly offer any support for non-European themed games.

The first thing I did when I got the game was check how were Jews handled in the game, given the time period and the source material. I was delighted to find out the treatment, while minimal in the core book, was very good. The backstory of the game actually draws on Jewish Midrashic (legends) sources as it builds its own fiction. My general feeling for all other minorities was the same as well. I'm looking forward to The Blessed and the Damned, not only because I wrote a Jewish Order that may appear in that book (crossing my fingers), but really because I'm looking forward to the exploring of other groups of Witch Hunters, like Muslim or Voudon groups, and what their take and perception of the Adversary is.

Another idea would be to have Santerian or Voodoun witch hunters.

Again, that might be in The Blessed and the Damned. If not, just write one up and post it to the forums (here, RPG.net and/or PCI). There might be another way to get such material out, but that's still up in the air so I can't say more.

I bought it at GenCon last year, but unfortunately it's still in the reading queue. I'm looking forward to getting to it, especially if there are adventures available.

Go here, then: Dark Providence> Adventures. As of this post, there are 13 free adventures for WH for you to have fun with.

Not playing. Reasons why, in descending order of importance:
2) Hadn't heard of it until this post. Which, to be honest, it probably the biggest reason you're having trouble finding players - the market for games that aren't D&D/WoD is tiny in comparison to those.

Yup, you're right, which is why I started this thread, so help get some talk going and try to expore more people to this great game.

3) If you're saying that it's like the oWoD d10 system, that turns me off right there.

I'd suggest not judging the game on that comparison, as it's sort of shorthand used here and there to try to explain the system. Rob Schwalb of Green Ronin did the basic rules design for Witch Hunter and he came up with a very easy system of d10 pools that can cover pretty much any eventuality. Don't let my use of shorthand to avoid a more lengthy explanation of the system turn you off from the game.

 

[Scurvy_Platypus]

In case someone is interested and missed it, here's a link to how Witch Hunter is going for me:
http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?p=4344749

I'll be running my third game this Sunday and updating the thread appropriately. 2nd game didn't get an update here because so little got done (metagame reasons), so I figured I'd just fold it in with the upcoming session.

 

[qstor]

I've played a few of the 'living' campaign games. I enjoy it so Yes. I'm playing another one at GenCon. I enjoy historic role playing games.

Mike

 

[HalWhitewyrm]

I've played a few of the 'living' campaign games. I enjoy it so Yes. I'm playing another one at GenCon. I enjoy historic role playing games.

Let me ask you, Mike, would you consider it also for home play? Is the organized play format better for you in terms of preparation and/or convenience?

 

[Ruin Explorer]

Hmmm, sounds interesting. I think the next major questions would be about the system, so I'm off to see what I can find out about that. If it is like the oWoD system, then ugh. I don't like "Roll lots of dice!" systems at the best of times. If it's much better implemented, though, it might be worth a shot.

 

[Rechan]

Are you playing? Yes? No? Why?

Pal, I am barely able to put a D&D group together. I'd rather watch a marathon of a German golf tournament than try to put a non-D&D game together.

 

[mhacdebhandia]

And if you haven't played it, tell us and expand on why.

One: never heard of it before the ENnie nominations were announced. For whatever reason, news has not reached me - and I come to both EN World and RPG.Net every day, so . . .

Two: colonial America, even with witch hunters, ain't that exciting to non-Americans in general. As it happens, I'm probably the most Yanqui-philic person I know (and my wife is Californian), with a serious interest in American history, and even I'm not sure it's that gripping a concept compared to all the other games out there.

 

[BluSponge]

Two: colonial America, even with witch hunters, ain't that exciting to non-Americans in general. As it happens, I'm probably the most Yanqui-philic person I know (and my wife is Californian), with a serious interest in American history, and even I'm not sure it's that gripping a concept compared to all the other games out there.

Actually, from what I've read coming out of Paradigm Concepts, the colonial American setting really turns on the European fans. The American fans stick to the Old World setting. So I counter your anecdotal evidence with my own. HA! Take that!

Tom