[Sorcerer] Got My Mojo Workin'
James_Nostack:
Got together with some friends to play Sorcerer for the first time since 2007. Didn't go as planned, but I'm digging it anyway.
The Players
I know these guys from the New York Red Box, which is predominantly an "OSR" D&D gang but we do indie stuff too sometimes.
Josh had heard about Sorcerer sometime, borrowed the rules a few months ago, and was eager to play. Josh and I had done some crazy-good Marvel Comics action a few years ago, and we get along.
Dave, I don't know as well. But in our regular D&D shenanigans he totally plays a Sorcerer dude, and I wanted to play a game with him. It turns out that he writes horror novels for a living. Fortuitous!
We're all white middle-class dudes in our mid-30's. I invited my man Chris, who is 17 who plays with a devil-may-care style that doesn't always prevail in a large group of risk-averse middle-aged D&D wimps, but we couldn't coordinate a schedule.
The Setting[/u]
The players were politely disinterested in my ideas for a modern-day, atomic horror, Russian novel, or anime-influenced game. Instead, they suggested:
The early days of rock 'n roll, deep swampy South, early 1950's, rockabilly and bluegrass, the Klan, Tennessee Williams & the tail end of Faulkner, Jim Crow, chain gangs, and holy-roller preachers. Fried chicken, cicadas, and some of the best music you'll ever hear.
Demons are more-or-less straight from Southern folklore (which none of us know too well). We're going with mysterious, sinister mythological beings, borrowing trappings from the Bible and transplanted African folk-stories.
I explained to the players that given this setting (the segregated South, specifically looking at rock 'n roll as cultural theft) then racial injustice was going to be major part of play. We all gave each other a look, winced in anticipation, and pushed forward. (I should point out that we typically play in public at a cafe in New York City. We got a lot of weird looks just during start-up.)
Dave's Character & Demon[/u]
Dave plays Zachariah Cosgrove, a white, lamed faith healer and revivalist. Scores 1 (crippled), 6 (Belief System + Manipulative), Lore 3 (Coven). Telltale is an insectile foot.
To test whether his righteousness can resist the Devil, he has summoned Melchidezek, an inconspicuous tempter-demon. Among other things, the demon can perceive others' desires, and grants good health (vitality as faith healing). Melchidezek desires corruption and needs Communion wine and wafers. Cosgrove and his flock are either Baptist or Pentecostal, so he's got to break into Catholic churches to meet the demon's need.
Zachariah's kicker is that he has integrated his revivalist meetings, to the scandal of the town. A day or two later, he is cornered and about to be savagely beaten by the local Klansmen. (This will need spiking.)
Josh's Character & Demon[/u]
Josh plays Tommy Joe Jackson, a struggling young musician (price: unsoulful), and a descendant of Stonewall Jackson. Scores 3 (Vigorous), 6 (Zest for Life + High Self-Esteem), 1 (Naive).
Tommy Joe has summoned, with help from Delilah the Root Doctor, the Mojo Hand in order to make a hit rock 'n roll record and live the high life. The Mojo Hand can Boosts Cover for short bursts and Taints the listeners. ("Everything people are worried about rock 'n roll, it's really doing!") Its desire is Mayhem, and its need is adulation.
Tommy Joe's kicker: while performing at a state fair, his bandstand is mobbed by religious prudes led by his Aunt Sally, and in the melee the Mojo Hand punches a pregnant woman on camera, almost certainly ending Tommy Joe's career.
Next Up
In addition to doing all the usual first session prep - bangs, sketching out some NPC's, maybe some demonic backstory - I want to do some fast research on race, rock music, and religion in the South circa 1950. Anybody know any quick references?
I also just received a $25 iTunes gift card. Any suggestions on putting together a soundtrack?
happysmellyfish:
My grasp of the American South is a little hazy (living in Australia and all) but some tunes I like...
Hard Travelin' by Woody Guthrie (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfq5b1bppJQ)
Where Did You Sleep Last Night? by Leadbelly (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blI2dXHyBj0)
Going Down the Road Feeling Bad by Elizabeth Cotten (incredible) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwdFhWNL0_M)
Southbound by Doc and Merle Watson
As far as I can tell, these are too old to fit exactly with your timeframe. But they sound pretty damn "southern" to me, and could be useful.
Callan S.:
Quote
We all gave each other a look, winced in anticipation, and pushed forward. (I should point out that we typically play in public at a cafe in New York City. We got a lot of weird looks just during start-up.)
There's a thing about roleplay that in some expressions of it it does end up as a kind of impromptu street theatre and actually touching on issues, like racism, in a public space that might touch not just the like minded. Whereas that space would generally have people sticking to the status quo, or ranting against the status quo just to their like minded peers. There's a capacity for roleplay to be, culturally, a little dangerous there. Much like protest marches are in a way.
Tor Erickson:
Hey James,
Sounds like a cool game, I think the the preacher character is perfect, though you be right about the kicker needing a little more zest.
The game makes me think of the Sorcerer game I ran back in 2001 (part 1, part 2, and part 3). Like yours, race played a heavy part in the game, though for us the main reason for that was that one of the player's was black, and playing a black character. Being the (white) GM, I had a few jitters, but it worked out great in the end. There were a number of black NPCs as well, and I just played them as very active, powerful characters -- only living in a society that saw them as something less than fully human. I will say that I didn't get too deep into how racism gets internalized by those being oppressed, which is a big deal, but that wasn't something I fully understood at the time anyway, so it was probably for the best that I didn't try and go down that path.
You ask for sources, and I've got two.
First, for an incredible perspective on Christianity, slavery and racism, read Frederick Douglass' essay on Christianity. I think this usually is included in his autobiography as an appendix, so you should be able to get it pretty much anywhere. Talk about a scathing indictment of an institution.... Try this line:
Quote
The man who wields the blood clotted cowskin during the week fills the pulpit on Sunday, and claims to be a minister of the meek and lowly Jesus
Yikes. Or this:
Quote
Revivals of religion and revivals in the slave-trade go hand in hand together. The slave prison and the church stand near each other. The clanking of fetters and the rattling of chains in the prison, and the pious psalm and solemn prayer in the church, may be heard at the same time. The dealers in the bodies and souls of men erect their stand in the presence of the pulpit, and they mutually help each other. The dealer gives his blood-stained gold to support the pulpit, and the pulpit, in return, covers his infernal business with the garb of Christianity. Here we have religion and robbery the allies of each other --devils dressed in angels' robes, and hell presenting the semblance of paradise.
Okay. So, for my second suggestion, you absolutely need to check out "American Pictures," by a Jacob Holdt. I cannot exaggerate the power of this book of pictures and text in describing the perseverance of the institution of slavery in the United States. Jacob spent years as a homeless wanderer, living with the poorest of the poor across America, taking pictures, and making human connections. I think in order to flesh out a set of NPCs for a game like you're describing, all you would have to do is sit down with "American Pictures" and a notepad and within 20 minutes you'd have enough highly charged material for a complete story arc. Here's a link to his website (interestingly enough, I see that he's done some stuff on the KKK-- might be useful for Zachariah's kicker-- Jacob manages to find the humanity in every person, even those we initially find detestable).
Keep us posted!
Tor
Quote from: James_Nostack on September 08, 2011, 06:20:43 AM
Got together with some friends to play Sorcerer for the first time since 2007. Didn't go as planned, but I'm digging it anyway.
The Players
I know these guys from the New York Red Box, which is predominantly an "OSR" D&D gang but we do indie stuff too sometimes.
Josh had heard about Sorcerer sometime, borrowed the rules a few months ago, and was eager to play. Josh and I had done some crazy-good Marvel Comics action a few years ago, and we get along.
Dave, I don't know as well. But in our regular D&D shenanigans he totally plays a Sorcerer dude, and I wanted to play a game with him. It turns out that he writes horror novels for a living. Fortuitous!
We're all white middle-class dudes in our mid-30's. I invited my man Chris, who is 17 who plays with a devil-may-care style that doesn't always prevail in a large group of risk-averse middle-aged D&D wimps, but we couldn't coordinate a schedule.
The Setting[/u]
The players were politely disinterested in my ideas for a modern-day, atomic horror, Russian novel, or anime-influenced game. Instead, they suggested:
The early days of rock 'n roll, deep swampy South, early 1950's, rockabilly and bluegrass, the Klan, Tennessee Williams & the tail end of Faulkner, Jim Crow, chain gangs, and holy-roller preachers. Fried chicken, cicadas, and some of the best music you'll ever hear.
Demons are more-or-less straight from Southern folklore (which none of us know too well). We're going with mysterious, sinister mythological beings, borrowing trappings from the Bible and transplanted African folk-stories.
I explained to the players that given this setting (the segregated South, specifically looking at rock 'n roll as cultural theft) then racial injustice was going to be major part of play. We all gave each other a look, winced in anticipation, and pushed forward. (I should point out that we typically play in public at a cafe in New York City. We got a lot of weird looks just during start-up.)
Dave's Character & Demon[/u]
Dave plays Zachariah Cosgrove, a white, lamed faith healer and revivalist. Scores 1 (crippled), 6 (Belief System + Manipulative), Lore 3 (Coven). Telltale is an insectile foot.
To test whether his righteousness can resist the Devil, he has summoned Melchidezek, an inconspicuous tempter-demon. Among other things, the demon can perceive others' desires, and grants good health (vitality as faith healing). Melchidezek desires corruption and needs Communion wine and wafers. Cosgrove and his flock are either Baptist or Pentecostal, so he's got to break into Catholic churches to meet the demon's need.
Zachariah's kicker is that he has integrated his revivalist meetings, to the scandal of the town. A day or two later, he is cornered and about to be savagely beaten by the local Klansmen. (This will need spiking.)
Josh's Character & Demon[/u]
Josh plays Tommy Joe Jackson, a struggling young musician (price: unsoulful), and a descendant of Stonewall Jackson. Scores 3 (Vigorous), 6 (Zest for Life + High Self-Esteem), 1 (Naive).
Tommy Joe has summoned, with help from Delilah the Root Doctor, the Mojo Hand in order to make a hit rock 'n roll record and live the high life. The Mojo Hand can Boosts Cover for short bursts and Taints the listeners. ("Everything people are worried about rock 'n roll, it's really doing!") Its desire is Mayhem, and its need is adulation.
Tommy Joe's kicker: while performing at a state fair, his bandstand is mobbed by religious prudes led by his Aunt Sally, and in the melee the Mojo Hand punches a pregnant woman on camera, almost certainly ending Tommy Joe's career.
Next Up
In addition to doing all the usual first session prep - bangs, sketching out some NPC's, maybe some demonic backstory - I want to do some fast research on race, rock music, and religion in the South circa 1950. Anybody know any quick references?
I also just received a $25 iTunes gift card. Any suggestions on putting together a soundtrack?
James_Nostack:
Thanks for the recommendations, Tor. I was thinking about your old game when the guys proposed the setting. Some of the photos on his site are pretty harrowing!
HappySmelly, thanks for those links as well. I agree the Elizabeth Cotten one is amazing.
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