Sorcerer scenario to wrap under 3 hours?
James_Nostack:
I volunteered to run a Sorcerer "Dictionary of Mu" scenario at NerdNYC's mini-con, Recess. And then I remembered that what I hate about con games is that we get 3 hours into a game and have to quit mid-way or even quarter-way through. So I'd really like to design a little Sorcerer scenario with about 3-4 hours worth of material in it.
I really like the tightness of In Utero, but I'm not sure how to imitate it in "Dictionary of Mu." Ron, when you ran it, did it last for 3-4 hours or so?
Other people who have run Sorcerer con games: anything to avoid? Anything that works pretty well?
James_Nostack:
So, after thinking about it a lot, my current idea is to do the following:
1. Create 2-4 sorcerers with not-easily-reconcilable conflicts of interest. (Irreconcilable differences are a sub-set of this.)
2. Place the sorcerers in the same place at the same time. If the conflicts aren't juicy enough, place something "at stake."
3. Let the sorcerers grind through their differences a bit.
4. Add pressure/commentary/ramifications through non-player characters and the setting elements.
James_Nostack:
Some draft kickers to use in a one-shot:
Atlantean Scientist Kicker
You were revived from cryo-sleep by your distant descendants, the people of Atlantis. For them, you have created wonders undreamt of, using lore they have long since forgotten. You've created "strategic deterrents," too, but only to defend the Atlanteans from their savage neighbors. Now, your Project Director has demanded a field test of one of your weapons at the Yuty Crater. Your survey team reveals that there are innocent tribesmen living in the crater basin who will be genocided by the testing--and the project director has insisted you go ahead with the test anyway...
Bandit Leader Kicker
For years your rebel band has preyed on the decadent swine of Atlantis, liberating the slaves and disrupting the plans of the accursed Science Council. You are safe from external enemies thanks to the primitive tribesfolk of the Yuty Crater, who have acted as human shields against reprisal, but internal dissent threatens your cause. The hostage captured in your last raid has been converting your lackeys into pacifist followers of the Damsel Messiah, and she openly challenged you to defend the morality of your armed revolt. Your lieutenants are uneasy--they want her silenced permanently, but they also want to believe in the justice of your cause...
(a few more to come)
Finarvyn:
I'll be interested in this thread.
1. As you mentioned, convention games need to wrap up in a short amount of time and the only way to combat this is to have some short scenarios put together.
2. Introducing a player to the game in the first place would probably be a lot easier with an introductory scenario.
I know that neither of the above is mandatory for the growth of the game, but I should think that both would be nice in order to expose more potential gamers to the fun that is Sorcerer! If anyone can come up with suggestions and/or actual sample scenarios I'm sure it would be appreciated.
Eero Tuovinen:
Your strategy seems solid. Reading the kickers, though, I'm not sure if it's a good idea to make empathy an obvious front-line conflict for the Atlantean Scientist from the get-go. If you're going to play with an unfamiliar crew, there's no guarantees that the player won't react to this particular issue with the well-accultured method of not caring a whit for the value of human life; it's the right answer in many games, after all. You can of course prepare with sympathetic tribesmen material and a surprise reversal bang where some Atlanteans start dragging at his lapels and agonizing about his plans to decimate innocent people. Still, in my experience it's tempting fate to make the value of nameless extras a central issue for a randomized gamer population scenario; gamers seem to respond much better to issues of honor, loyalty, personal desires and such.
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