Campaign Idea: Mage: the Awakening – WW2

One of the interesting thing that happens whenever I let go of the reins as GM for the gaming group is that I become more receptive to little campaign ideas that seem to sprout out from nowhere.  I suppose in being a player, I’m freeing up valuable GM mindshare that would otherwise be preoccupied thinking of what the next session will bring.  Not wanting to waste these little flashes of insight and inspiration, I figure I might as well write these down before they fade away.

Mage: the Awakening
Historical Setting: WW2

Set in World War 2, a cabal of mages from the Allied Forces has been hastily assembled for a single purpose:  to infiltrate deep within enemy lines and stop the occult influences of the Thule Society from aiding the Nazi war effort.  Pulp-era Weird Science, supernatural forces and a host of Nazi soldiers stand in their way.   Prometheans, Vampires, Werewolves, Ghosts, and a host of other things will show up.

Primary Inspirations:
Company of Heroes, Hellboy (and also BPRD 1946), Full Metal Alchemist: Conqueror of Shamballa, Valkyria Chronicles

Themes and Moods:
The horrors of war, Ideological conflict, Patriotism, Dehumanizing the enemy, Things that man was not meant to know, Camaraderie, Hope in the face of overwhelming odds.

Character Guidelines:
Standard Mage: the Awakening character creation + 75 experience points
Diamond Order Mages Only, no Free Council Characters
Change “Computers” to “Systems Operations”
Hallow, Sanctuary and Library Merits are all not allowed on Character Creation
Artifacts must be GM approved

Sample Character Concepts:

• Undercover Spy
• Freedom Fighter
• Supersoldier
• Wheelman
• Occult Researcher
• Defector

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And there you have it.  I’m still going to have to look and read up on the historical timelines of the war and cross reference them with the histories and rumors surrounding the Thule Society in popular fiction to come up with the campaign in general, but that’s the basic setup.  While there will be lean times in the game where players will find their characters in unfavorable situation, I’ll make sure to put in substantial period of rest, when the cavalry rolls in, and the team gets a leave now and then to rest, and maybe enjoy the hopsitality of the places they’ve liberated.

As with all my games, character development is a goal as well, so there will be plenty of opportunities to pursue romantic subplots, thrilling adventure and a host of other things.  I’m not certain if it’ll take with my players, but it’s still a decent campaign setup, I think.

Why I like Previews and Quickstarts

Being in the Philippines, means that my only real access to the world of new releases in the RPG scene is via the internet. That said, all the pretty graphics and flashy websites won’t really sell me on a game until I get to see the thinking behind it.

If one is to consider the fact that I’d be plunking down a good 10% of my monthly salary to buy a single corebook, I’d like to at least know what I’m going to be paying for. As such, I have nothing but good things to say about companies that publish excerpts, previews and even designer diaries for games that they’ll be releasing.

Not only is it good Marketing sense, but it tells me, the consumer, that the product is something you’re proud about and are willing to show us just why it’s that good.  I might not necessarily end up liking the preview and get turned off by your game, but I’ll still consider the company trustworthy.

A great example of an excellent preview would be that from Fantasy Flight Games’ upcoming Rogue Trader roleplaying game based off the Warhammer 40,000 franchise.  In their site they have an ongoing column revolving around their design choices and a design diary going into the themes, elements and even some previews of the rules and art of the game.  I love this approach because it allows me to take the game from the point of view of the creators and see just what they were going for, and the kinds of games they envision their players running.

It’s this kind of up front information that I like.  Quickstarts go one step further by not only giving a sizeable chunk of information, they even give you a sample of the mechanics.  I’ll have to admit that as a GM I can be picky with the mechanics, especially if they don’t “feel” right.  That said GURPS Lite has always been a perfect example of how Quickstarts can be a great “gateway game” to getting a group together.

I consider the internet a godsend for this hobby.  Back in my earliest days of gaming I would look at grainy black and white photos of game books and read short blurbs about what they’re about on fading newsprint paper catalogs, wondering at whether or not it would be a good idea to get them, or be crushed by buyer’s remorse.  Now I can pull up a website, drop a few questions in a game’s forum and get a clear idea of what a game is, allowing me to make an informed purchase, and one that will yield successive purchases in the future.

The Elusive Philippine Gamer

It’s funny how difficult it is to find other Philippine Gamers who play Tabletop RPGs.

When I started this blog a few years back, it was meant to be a quiet spot where I could touch bases with other Philippine Gamers who either played, or were interested in playing RPGs.  Over the course of this blog’s existence, I have to admit that while I have had the fortune to run into a contact or two, it troubles me that the whole Roleplaying Game Scene in the country has gotten even more quiet.

With the arrival of the 4th edition of D&D I thought there would be an upswing, but instead, we got the standard bickering of the changing of the guard with 3.5 adherents decrying 4e as heresy, and generally slapping 4e down whenever they try to get a word in edgewise.  It’s nWoD all over again. (and yes, any mention of most nWoD titles get slapped down by rabid aherents as well… even until now.)

Add the fact that the local distribution chain for Wizards of the Coast locally has dropped the ball, getting in the 4e books months after release, in addition to casually forgetting that they owe pre-ordered copies to the people who have put down their hard earned money to get it first.

It’s a pitiable situation here in the Philippines when I have to look outside my local hobby stores to buy my books.  I want to get more people to trying these games, but with the lack of anything even remotely resembling a decent distribution system here, it will be beyond the reach of most young gamers… the same demographic that the hobby needs to survive.

I can’t help but feel just a little annoyed.  I can join a thousand conventions here and run a million games and get countless young people excited to run a game.  But none of that will matter if not a single one of these new would-be gamers can find a way to get the books and the dice.

Poor infrastructure, poor availability and poor information.  No wonder then that the Philippine Gamer remains so damn elusive.

My Villains are Social Dynamics Puzzles.

After reading up on Ravyn’s latest “Ask GV: Staying Self-Justified in Villainy” article over at the excellent Exchange of Realities blog, I’ve gotten to thinking a little bit about the Villains I run for my campaigns.

One of the fun parts of playing a villain is making one that has the same dogged determination as the heroes.  They’re relentless, resourceful and won’t think twice about taking advantage of any weakness in foresight or logic that the heroes may have made.  Maybe this is why I like playing villains whose scale of power matches the heroes rather than overshadowing them.

Villains of similar strengths have to rely on other methods to gain an advantage, and risk failing the same way that players do, making it so that I can actually tell my players that I gave them a fair fight.  The downside of this method, of course is the fact that players may eventually accuse me of cheating if I don’t tell them any salient facts that they may have missed during their investigations, or that they’ve made some crucial assumptions that have led them to make wrong choices in the game.

I’ve spoken before of how important it is to trust the GM.  I guess it’s time for me again to stress the fact that as a GM, I won’t do anything that is clearly cheating the player.  I won’t retroactively perform preparations to plans that the players are making up.  I won’t suddenly buff the bad guy’s stats just because the players are kicking his ass in the first round…

but turnabout is fair play, so if the players discover that they’ve been separated and ambushed by a force that could reasonably be mobilized, don’t cry foul.  Trust me when I tell you that they’ve all been foreshadowed, and prepared for using the same amount of in-game time and resources allotted to you.  While your barbarian is busy with ale and whores, the villain’s setting up this ambush.

In a way, I feel that I’ve been spoiled by my gaming group.  Most of these guys are aware of how I run games, and have trusted me long enough for me to be able to pull these kinds of stunts.  In any other team, I might have a player walk out on me in disgust the moment I start using their own oversights against them, saying that I’m being Antagonistic, but that’s rarely the case.  I just want to provide a sufficient challenge that isn’t just about CR values and levels.  I want players to really immerse themselves and think things through.

Perhaps the best description I can give when it comes to my brand of villain behavior and scenario manipulation is that of a Social Puzzle.  It’s not just what you can do with your sword arm, but who you know, who owes you, what you know about people, when you decide to act and how.

I think Sheimaruen, the GM of our current Hunter: the Vigil campaign will agree to this.  He once told me that when I do play, I play in the same way as I GM, I look at things as a massive social puzzle, and by isolating and manipulating facts, people and events to my favor, I get more done than I normally would alone.

Player Note-Taking Strategy

I like taking notes.

It’s a habit that was drilled into me at school and sealed when I entered the working world.  That said, I think most of my gaming group will agree that it’s almost par for the course to see me scribbling down something and filling up the back of my character sheet with little diagrams, names, odd notations and arrows all over the place linking them together.  That said, these notes have been life-savers for many a character, and I’d like to take some time to describe how I usually sort out my notes, in case you guys are interested in my methodology and want to pick up a trick or two.

That said, I usually divide my character sheet into various sections.  I don’t usually have an official structure to set, but these are the rough divisions I have:

1. Significant NPCS – This is a listing of names and designations of NPCs we’ve met, encountered or heard of.  These are usually short notations “Khandar Rukh, Met him in Township of Ayelis, Mercenary of the Red Company; see Extended action 3″ What this tells me is the name of the guy, where we met him, what he does, and what we plan to do with him in section 3.
2. Things my character knows – These don’t necessarily involve NPCs, and notations here are more of the informative nature.  “Orcs are afraid of fire?!  Investigate further, may be used to our advantage.” or “We’ve been betrayed, we don’t know who’se responsible, but we need to double-check our contacts and enemies.”
3. Ongoing extended actions – This is a listing of the long-term plans in the game that are executed throughout multiple sessions, usually broken down into steps.  “Establish Alliance with Elves by:
   1. Contacting the Elven Heralds
   2. Present our Case that the Orcs are a Common Threat
   3. Negotiate Terms of the Alliance (watch out for assassins!)
      
   4. Seal the Deal and Report back to the King.”
4. Power Diagrams – I like to label groups and then draw diagrams of how they’re related to each other.  I can’t really put one up at the moment, but the whole “Conspiracy A is a power behind the Throne B, and faction C is trying to dislodge them without the use of a popular revolt since they want to keep B as their own puppet.” is right on the money.
   
5. Questions for the GM at end of session - There are times when I need something clarified, or when something clicks in my head but I can’t just interrupt another player’s scene.  Sometimes these are rules oversights that we missed, or rulings that I’d like to contest, or even plot points. “Ask Rvelasco if the following info in 2. are enough to build a strong case against the traitor.”
6. Plot Points to follow up on the next session - This is usually a summary of plot points left hanging at the end of the session.  Most of the time this is a distillation of all the information above.
   1. Traitor is still on the loose, we need to catch him.
   2. Elves trust us, but we need a show of faith to secure the Alliance.
   3. We found that orcish handprint in the carnage, is this related to our attempts to meet up with the Elves?
   4. Just who is The Black Rider working for?

By being able to organize these notes, I get a listing of NPCs that I can contact and possibly manipulate or win to my cause, a bunch of clues to be used when putting together the plot, my long term actions are tracked, any rules clarifications noted, and enough fodder for actions on the next session.

I hope this has been useful to you guys, and that you’ll try to put your own notes together like this and see how it makes your job of being a participant in the game a lot easier… while giving you a greater appreciation for the GM’s plots.

Listening is Fun Too!

Quick post for today, but perhaps something to make a few people think:

“Listening to the game as it is being run, even when it is not my turn, is FUN.”

As a GM I’ve met a fair share of players who actually don’t bother to listen in to the whole game.  They’re there during exposition, they’re there during their combat turns, but the moment the focus leaves the group as a whole and their character, they zone out.

These are the guys who drift out of the scene, crack open a book, or start chatting up a fellow player outside of the scene.  I know I can’t blame these people since they’re really free to do what they want.  However, they’re missing out on the narrative.

Sure what happens to the other characters technically falls into the “things my character shoudln’t know” category, but anyone with even a little sense of OOC and IC knowledge should be able to listen in and see their fellow player’s character’s trials and tribulations with the eye and attitude of an audience.

Just what is it that makes me say this?  Well, as a GM, I’m privy to the whole picture most of the time, so when I actually play, I can’t help but feel that I’m missing out on something very important if I don’t listen in to everyone.  It’s like being given a book with select chapters ripped out.  Sure your favorite character’s storyline is whole, but the narative is incomplete, and diminished because of it.

I’ll be honest, listening is sort of a masochistic thrill.  Sometimes you get something, understand a clue, pick up on what’s going on and your’e helpless, unable to say anything, do anything since you’re technically not there.  And I love that.  It’s part of what makes it fun for me.  Realizing that there’s a plot twist that’s headed my way and I can’t do a thing because my character’s unaware.

Some of the old White-Wolf games would open with a short paragraph or two about how rpgs are part of a storytelling oral tradition.  I’ve never quite forgotten that claim and I’d like to add that in order to tell a story, you need an audience.   So whoever my GM is, as long as I get a chance, I will listen, because I want to be a witness to the entire thing, not just my slice of the pie.

My Campaign Wishlist, as a Player

In a reversal of my usual list of Campaigns I would like to run, I’m taking advantage of my player phase to try and think of games that I would actually like to play in.

So, in no real particular order:

Pirates of the Sea of Fallen Stars [D&D 3.5 Forgotten Realms] – Swashbuckling, high fantasy, pirates… all in the backdrop of Faerun’s Sea of Fallen Stars.  If I want to go high fantasy, I’ll go for the usual 3.5 Forgotten Realms, not because I don’t like 4e, it’s just that I suspect that 4e might not be the right system for this kind of high adventure campaign.

Techno-thriller Cyberpunk [HERO System 5th Edition Revised] – One part Tom Clancy and three parts Ghost in the Shell.  I want to see chrome, cybernetics, bullets and kung-fu in a heady mix of cordite and ozone.   While this kind of campaign might be better served as an episodic / mission-based structure, I can see it developing a longer story arc in the long run.

Any nWoD Game - I know this is fairly generic but man, nWoD has yet to let me down.  My personal preference is Mage: the Awakening, but Changeling: the Lost is right up there with it.  My only requirement for these would be a heavy, heavy emphasis on characters and personal horror.

A Superhero Camapign [HERO System 5th Edition, Revised] – I haven’t played HERO supers for such a long time now and I figure it will probably be a cold day in hell before I end up playing.  Still a dark, Marvel Knights & Marvel MAX-ish sort of game of costumed vigilantes would actually be pretty damn cool.  I like the whole heroic angle of HERO, less outrageous builds, and a rock solid system.  With the right set of other players a serious game with darker, adult themes would be interesting.

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And that’s it, it’s a short list for now but these are the ones most prominent off the top of my head.  These are games that I would most likely fight tooth and nail in order to play in, and if it turns out that nobody will run them, then I probably will end up doing so anyway :p

Support Squad 2 – The Driver & The Hacker

These two Support Squad members are remarkably similar.  As awesome as they sound, they’re a very strongly niche concept that can possibly be taken by only 1 member of the team, and usually that member suffers from not getting the spotlight much during game.

On closer observation, they share very similar traits:

Support Squad #1 – The Researcher

In an older article I celebrated the Support Squad, the characters that weren’t the front lines of a gaming group.  These were the ones who didn’t have the guns, nor the combat capability normally expected for a game.  Instead, they bring in an entirely different benefit, one of information, resources and overall assistance to the team.

And so we’re looking at the Support Squad more closely now, checking out what benefits they bring to the team, how they’re played, and what makes them a viable player role.

Today, we’re looking at The Researcher.

[Hunter: the Vigil - Actual Play] Mad Tactics

Last night’s game was remarkably fast paced, at least with regards to the investigations regarding the mysterious Von Beethoven, his unidentifiable friend, and their possible connection with Thomas Wayne. Armed with the knowledge that the man who delivered the Chemical Payload was a man who could not be identified through normal means, Inspector Cheung and Officer Eagle decided to go out on a limb and visit the local Taoist Temple to see if a priest could explain this unnatural phenomenon. Oddly enough they was someone who could help them, the rather oddly named Brother Christmas (damn these cheesy english names given to children by non-english speaking parents.) That said, the Taoist monk was able to tell them that the effect was not entirely in the realm of scientific reasoning, but was a replicable process. The Monk then showed them a paper talisman, that could be folded in a particular configuration to activate a similar effect. The two cops were shaken, not exactly prepared to accept this, but with the evidence right in front of them, it was becoming very difficult to deny that there was something supernatural ongoing. Ray then proceeded to ask the Monk if there was some sort of counter to the spell’s effect, to which the monk said yes. The pattern would have to be drawn on skin however, and would only last for a day or so. Ray requested that the pattern be drawn on him, just to make sure that he could pierce the illusion, and get an ID on the person. With that done, they were able to get a name and the face of a German Immigrant. Following the information trail was easier than expected, and they found the immigrant’s name and address (and phone number) fairly quickly. A quick call with Ray acting as a credit card sales representative to the house revealed some important facts: * the Immigrant was at home * the Immigrant was no longer employed * the Immigrant was about to leave Armed with the information that the immigrant was already on his way to leave, Ray dragged Miguel along with him to make the arrest. They got to the address in time to see the immigrant leave the building. They tailed him to the point where he realised he was being tailed and bolted into an apartment. Ray took a gamble, realizing that the man could not have noticed them… he was hiding from someone else. This was where a strange looking Goth-Girl followed into the apartment, carrying a guitar case. (to those who were familiar with the Black Lagoon series, this is Sawyer the Cleaner.) Recognizing Sawyer, Cheung had reservations on how she might be involved in the case, but his thoughts were busted when the man burst through the back door, running for his life as Sawyer went after him with a chainsaw. Thinking quickly, Eagle and Cheung drove over, turning on the police siren to shock both of them as the two police officers pulled over, telling the guy to hop in. Eagle got off instead, to try and talk Sawyer down, “You haven’t committed a crime yet… you can still walk away!” This quck thinking got Sawyer to back off, even as Cheung drove off with the immigrant, doing some small talk to determine that the Immigrant was headed to the Yellow Flag to meet with someone in 40 minutes. Taking a quick detour to Chinatown, Cheung feigned car trouble and stepped out to pretend to check it out. He called on the immigrant to help him, and as the man leaned over the hood, Cheung slammed it down on him, searing him against the car engine and knocking him unconscious. Cheung also shot the man’s kneecaps to keep him from running, and dragged him to a Triad safehoue for questioning. The interrogation was swift and brutal, but Cheung got what he wanted… the person the man was to meet was Thomas Wayne, and they were to take Markhosia Air, a private logistics and shipping concern related in some way to Thomas Wayne’s employers, the Wilson Pharmaceuticals Company, manufacturer of the “feel good” pill found in the scene of the child’s murder found last session. It was a massive lead, and one that Cheung wasn’t about to let go. After a quick search, he found the talisman being used by the Immigrant. Cheung took it just in case it might come in useful. Furthermore, there was the whole talk of using a Markhosia Air transport plane to go to “The Shadow Realm”… whereever that was. The problem now was with the immigrant, there was no sure fire lead to actuallydispose of him safely… Unless it was time to feed him to the sharks. Cheung made a snap decision then to call Sawyer and tell her that they’ll be delivering the immigrant to her, no questions asked. That settled, Cheung made a few calls to Meyers and Eagle, making sure that they were aware of the Yellow Flag, and that they were to tail Thomas Wayne. With less than 10 minutes left, Cheung knew that Thomas was going to leave if his contact didn’t arrive in time. While Meyer and Eagle were tailing them, Cheung went ahead to Markhosia, getting there earlier and showing a search warrant to ask to see the logs on any sales of certain chemicals. He noted that he was under heavy surveillance, and the best way to stop that Thomas Wayne from getting on that plane is to somehow sabotage it. With a lot of ballsy acting and maneuvers, Cheung managed to arrest Thomas Wayne. Officer Eagle was about to drag Wayne away to the car when he was shot by a sniper through the leg, and Cheung went to try and stop the sniper, only to be shot as well.

The bullet crushed his right femur, obliterating the bone, sending Cheung into shock, unable to do anything but fumble with his cellphone and call the Triad to arrange for a “transfer”.  He knew they didn’t have enough solid evidence to go after Thomas by the law… so he had to make sure the Triad had Thomas Wayne to make it worth their while.

—-

Meanwhile Juan Dela Cruz was approached by a strangely anxious man with a strange request, to provide a vehicle that was armor plated to resist a Rhino attack.  Not one to turn down money or a job, JDC took the job and crafted one from a new SUV heavily plated and weighed to resist any sort of wild animal attack.   It was an odd request hoever, and he was starting to wonder what the hell that person was up to, so he decided to do a little bit of asking around himself.

—-

Amanda O’Connor wasn’t too happy about her given situation.  Not only was it a problem that she was under UBI’s thumb, the sudden lack of supervision means that this conspiracy was going way higher than she ever expected.  She assembled her Diagnostics team under the blessing’s of Roanapur General Hospital’s director, who was hoping to use her and her abilities to improve his standing in the Medical Community.

Amanda knew that she was being observed, that her father’s research was somehow being used in this poor, unsuspecting city.  And she needed to get word out somehow… to someone.  She had time, the resources and the brain to do so.  All she needed now was to find people she could trust.  She considered Cheung, but she wasn’t sure if she should drag him into this mess…

—-

Play Analysis:

A very tense game with a very clear example of Sheimaruen using a moving timeline.  Cheung was very close to losing out on the Immigrant and Thomas Wayne had it not been for the breakthrough.  At this point I think it was made clear to the rest of the players that whenever Sheimaruen asks what you’re doing for the day, you should be very specific about what you can fit in a 16 hour period, because while you rest, your enemies move.

My character, Cheung, was nearly killed taking 3 Bashing damage and 2 Lethal from the sniper shot.  Unfortunately, real world physics isn’t friendly and losing a femur to the sniper is going to have my character bedridden and undergoing surgery and physical therapy.  No high flying stunts for Cheung for a while.