Party vs Free Form

[malchya]

I've tried this both ways, both campaigns running for all of two adventures each. For the first one, the free form, I actually constructed weekly time use sheets for the players. I had a PI, a Beat Cop, a Prohibition Agent and a Newspaper Reporter. We actually found the time use sheets to be an issue, the planned activities breaking down in the face of incidents that occurred before the week was out. It was fun, but the players wanted to go back to fantasy, so we tried SwordBearer for a bit.
The second time I attempted a campaign I only had two players and they wanted to be PIs, so I made them partners. They solved the murder of Lakefront City Express star Pitcher D.K. Slaytor and then shot down the Graf Spee....and the campaign died. We went to Star Trek, I believe. Maybe Pendragon, it's so long ago it's a bit fuzzy.
Now, if I could find players, I would love to run a party of Prohibition agents. That could be some serious fun. But finding people interested in role playing the twenties is about as easy as finding an honest man in congress.

[chgowiz]

Have you thought about possibly doing an ongoing series at local conventions?

[rick krebs]

I, too, would like to support chgowiz's suggestion. And, Michael, a Gangbuster's gaming group in Chicago should be a natural fit.

[castiglione]

Rick, where did the "planned activities" model of play come from? I'm aware that other games have used this (I believe Villains & Vigilantes is one) but I think the first one to use it was En Garde, which was also a game in which players could actively compete against each other.

[rick krebs]

As a big fan and player of En Garde, as well as Boot Hill (actually had a 25mm western town and grave yard that covered a ping pong table) their influence would exist. I also liked Traveller's background character creation, which also influenced the earliest rules for Bloody 20s. bloody20s.blogspot.com/2009/06/original-b20s-rules-first-2-pages.html

[castiglione]

I guessed there was an En Garde influence in the way that characters mapped out their schedule and also how they might have opposing goals as opposed to the party paradigm of D&D.

I remember perusing those Bloody 20's rules sets after you first posted them but I completely missed the Traveller influence in the character creation rules! I must be getting old...

[rick krebs]

There was also a semi-RPG game that was called Knights of the Round Table ( www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/24333/knights-of-the-round-table) , I also played around with in the 70s, that through its tournaments also had player versus player.

But, I did really like En Garde and recently found my copy with its $4.00 price tag still intact.

My game designs have always begun with what I enjoyed playing. That way when I'm finished, I and my gaming friends have something to play, and if it gets published commercially that's ok, too.

[coffee]

Apr 2, 2010 10:01:59 GMT -6 rick krebs said:

My game designs have always begun with what I enjoyed playing. That way when I'm finished, I and my gaming friends have something to play, and if it gets published commercially that's ok, too.

This single statement ought to be the first lesson in any school of game design.

Have an exalt for this! This is old school.

[castiglione]

Apr 3, 2010 9:08:07 GMT -6 coffee said:

Apr 2, 2010 10:01:59 GMT -6 rick krebs said:

My game designs have always begun with what I enjoyed playing. That way when I'm finished, I and my gaming friends have something to play, and if it gets published commercially that's ok, too.

This single statement ought to be the first lesson in any school of game design.

Have an exalt for this! This is old school.

Not only is this old-school (it's FUN to make stuff up), it's also common-sense.

Because who would want to play (let alone buy) a game that the designer didn't have fun playing?