Story Now in a one-on-one setup
Blackrat:
Quote from: Moreno R. on February 14, 2012, 08:28:02 PM
And I am not sure about one thing: do you need a game to play always with a single player, or a game that you can play even with a single player at a time of a bigger group? I mean, a game that is not really one-on-one but that can be played even if almost all the players are missing one evening.(for example a game where every PC is in a different adventure, like Trollbabe)
Well, mainly just for one-on-one play. The model in the Amber campaign is that the GM is running a couple of different one-on-one campaigns in the same universe, so there is the potential for crossover sessions with more than two players, but the players' campaigns are mostly kept separate. Something that supported that sort of model would be ideal, but if it just supports one-on-one play that's fine too. A system that mostly does group play and just doesn't break when most players are away is not what I'm after - I'm definitely looking for something that works well with one-on-one as the default.
... But anyway, I'll pick some games in the Unstore as you suggest and see if I can find Actual Play threads for them. Trollbabe and S/Lay w/Me are already on my (long!) list of games to investigate, so I'll get hold of those. As I mentioned in my OP, I'm also considering Sorcerer for one game, as it suits the game concept perfectly - but again, I'm not sure how well this will work one-on-one. I did have a search for relevant threads before starting this one, but I'll look again.
Quote from: Moreno R. on February 14, 2012, 08:28:02 PM
The problem of this approach is that with a question like that, you risk to be swamped with a lot of names of games, with everyone who will reply listing his/her favorites
Yes, I see that. For exactly that reason, I did mention in the OP that I'm looking for descriptions of actual play, not just game names - that way I can judge for myself or perhaps apply similar ideas to other games. Anyway, I'll see what I can turn up.
Thanks for your help!
Mel White:
Quote from: Blackrat on February 13, 2012, 04:03:53 PM
Does anyone have any experience of running Story Now games in a one-on-one setup that they wouldn't mind sharing? Did it work? Do you have any recommendations of systems and/or techniques that helped the story emerge more smoothly despite the limited player numbers?
Focusing on this part of your original post, my most recent experiences with two-player story games involve Beast Hunters (BH) and Mars Colony (MC). These games are specifically designed for one ‘GM’ and one ‘player’, although at that point they diverge. Both games were with a friend, Jeff, and played at the local game store where a group of us have been meeting in various combinations weekly since 2007.
To summarize the actual play, in BH the protagonist, or ‘hunter’, was challenged by the tribal shaman to prove his loyalty and worth to the tribe. The hunter had joined the tribe as an orphan. The hunter lost this social conflict and to prove himself had to engage in a solitary hunt. The hunt, a physical conflict, was successful. Returning from the hunt, though, the hunter was ambushed by a different tribe. The ambushers were led by a rival from the hunter’s original tribe. The hunter defeated the ambush, captured the rival, and returned to the village. To mark his passage to adulthood and full status in the tribe, the hunter had to undergo a ‘dream hunt’; a night alone, tormented by images and hallucinations caused by the shaman’s magic potions. The hunter succeeded in this mental conflict and emerged as an influential force in the tribe.
I was the GM, and I think I was more satisfied with the game and the adventure than Jeff was. Jeff’s dissatisfaction arose from some confusion we had in the rules, although we were using the original rules and I see at the Berengad games web site version 1.5 is available that simplifies and speeds the game. The story itself was completely emergent play, although tempered somewhat by the nature of the game—it’s called Beast Hunters, after all. There is going to be beast hunting. When we play again, we plan to modify the setting to something else—like questing knights or apprentice mages—but for this first time together we decided to play with the standard setup.
The elements of BH that contribute to emergent play are found primarily in character creation. During character creation, the player identifies resources and items that impact social, physical, or mental conflicts. These things help create the backstory for the character and the setting, but also foreshadow future conflicts and provide hooks for ‘adventures’. For example, Jeff’s character had traits along the lines of a reputation as a ‘water finder’, knowledge of ‘the lost tribe’ and ‘blood of the chief’—so from that we knew we were in a dry region, with increased competition between and inside tribes for resources, with the most likely rejects being individuals, like the protagonist, who did not really belong (because he was an orphan from another tribe). The rival ambushing the hunter was from another trait—‘hunted by Jarok’ or something like that—that is ambiguous in its meaning. It benefitted the character by making him good at surviving. And it’s a clear flag to the GM that the rival, Jarok, should be part of the game at some point.
I’ll talk about Mars Colony later, if this is the type of feedback you’re looking for.
Mel
Blackrat:
Thanks Mel, that's really interesting and exactly the sort of thing I was looking for. So am I correct in inferring that this game lasted only a single session? Do you think Beast Hunters would work well for an ongoing campaign? (Not forever, but maybe lasting up to a dozen sessions.)
And yes, I'd be very interested to hear your experiences with Mars Colony.
Having looked into both games, they seem very interesting but they do seem like the scenarios are a little too specific to last more than one session, which is what I'd ideally like to set up. I'll give them both a try, though - one-shots are great fun too and a good way to get more ideas. Thanks!
- Nick
Mel White:
Nick,
Right--one session each. Beast Hunters could probably be maintained over a longer period. That's one of the reasons I want to change the setting to tune it to my interests. Mars Colony is designed to be resolved after one or two nights of play--I can't see it going much longer. But, for the person you mentioned looking for a sample of roleplaying, either would be a good start.
Mel
Blackrat:
Mel - yes indeed. I'll propose them and see which she chooses! :-)
- Nick
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