The Gauntlet G+ Archives – Page 35 – Google+ community from Dec 2012 to March 2019

Gauntlet Con 2018 – Patron Registration

Gauntlet Con 2018 – Patron Registration

Kate Bullock is building the game schedule for Gauntlet Con 2018 right now. I’ve taken a glimpse and the lineup is INCREDIBLE. There are going to be so many cool games to choose from!

If you are a Gauntlet Patreon supporter and you are going to be attending Gauntlet Con, I need you to read the linked post and follow the instructions you find there ASAP. Early event sign-up for Gauntlet Patrons begins September 3rd at 6:00 PM Eastern.

If you aren’t yet a Gauntlet Patron, a mere $2+ pledge gives you early access to Gauntlet Con 2018 event sign-ups. Go to patreon.com/gauntlet to pledge.

If you wish to attend Gauntlet Con but don’t want to sign up for Patreon, general registration begins September 17th. You’ll be able to pay a one-time registration fee starting on that day and get signed up.

Once again: if you’re already a Patron and you are attending Gauntlet Con 2018, please follow the instructions at the linked post.

https://www.patreon.com/posts/getting-ready-20843588

I’ve now played in 1 session and run a couple sessions of Beam Saber.

I’ve now played in 1 session and run a couple sessions of Beam Saber. It’s a Forged in the Dark hack with mechs inspired by most of gundam and similar mech things. I’ve been having fun running it but it’s also my first FitD system. Run a couple of PBTA sessions also (2ish dozen). Any advice you wish you heard about blades systems when you started? Advice on how to decide what complications and ‘secret’ reveals that pop up? Also I can post a link to the session as we record them.

I am hoping to get feedback on some custom procedures for a session of Final Girl that I am running on Gauntlet…

I am hoping to get feedback on some custom procedures for a session of Final Girl that I am running on Gauntlet Hangouts on September 5th. The session is loosely inspired by the 2004 film, The Descent. The basic setup is this: A group of badass women go into a creepy subterranean environment … horror ensues. The custom procedures are designed to collectively flesh out the nature of the Killer as we play, rather than make a bunch of a priori decisions. In coming up with these procedures, I shamelessly stole from Lovecraftesque ( Becky Annison & Joshua Fox ), Swords Without Masters ( Epidiah Ravachol ), and The Pyramid ( Ray Otus ).

I’d love to get feedback on these procedures. Do they make sense? Do you think they’ll work in play? How can they be improved?

In particular, I’d be interested if people have suggestions for the list of “Killer Questions” — questions that the Killer player tries to answer while narrating Standard Scenes.

Thanks for your support! 🙂

Custom Procedures for Final Girl: Descent into the Unknown

The Set Up

– The Killer: We will be collectively creating the Killer as we play. Right now, though, we should decide on a couple of basic parameters:

Is there one or more Killers? (That is, do you wanna play Alien or Aliens?)

Is the Killer supernatural or mundane?

– The Setting: This must be subterranean, like…

Caves

Sewers

Catacombs

– Casting: A group of kick-ass women. For example:

Old college classmates who urb-ex in their spare time

An elite team of scientists & explorers

Introductory Scenes

– Player responsibilities

Establish relationships, per regular rules.

Foreshadow the Killer: Players should strive to add atmospheric details (motifs) that invoke a sense of dread or foreboding. Motifs may hint at the Killer but should not be irrefutable evidence of the Killer’s presence. For example, a half-eaten deer carcass is a good motif: it is creepy but doesn’t necessarily point to the Killer (a regular bear could be the culprit). We will record these motifs as we play out the scenes. Later, in First Blood and Standard Scenes, the Killer may draw from this pool of motifs for inspiration. To continue the above example: the Killer may later narrate that the Victims stumble into a pile of decaying animal carcasses…except now it includes predators like bears! Note: there is no hard requirement or mechanical benefit to re-incorporating the motifs — it’s just a cool thing to do.

First Blood

Look at the pool of motifs from the Introductory Scenes. What kind of Killer do you see? If you have a cool idea, then volunteer to be the first Killer!

As the first Killer, you will be making some important choices. At the very least, you will need to answer:

What does the Killer look like? (You don’t have to describe everything. In fact, you may purposefully keep the Killer in the shadows, only describing its outline or its blur as it rushes past.)

How does the Killer kill? Stab / bite / etc.

First Blood & Regular Scenes

– The Killer’s Responsibilities

In addition to regular narration responsibilities, the Killer should answer one or two of the below-listed questions. The questions do not need to be answered in order. However, it is recommended that the Killer attempt to answer some of the questions near the top (dealing with the Killer’s behavior) before tackling the questions near the bottom (dealing with the Killer’s origin and nature). Not all questions may apply to your game depending on your setup. Also feel free to come up with your own questions, as well!

Remember to “show, don’t tell” — that is, don’t directly tell the other players the answer; rather, show them the answer through your narration. For example: The Killer narrates how it plays with the corpse of a victim but does not eat it, indicating that the Killer kills for fun or sport, not for food.

Don’t worry if the answer isn’t obvious. At the end of the scene, any surviving characters will collectively ask, “What if anything did we learn about the Killer?” The answer will become an established part of the fiction. New answers should not contradict pre-established facts but may elaborate or build on them.

– Killer Questions

How does the Killer hunt? Sound / smell / infrared vision

Why does the Killer kill? For food / for fun or sport / out of fear

Where does the Killer sleep, eat, defecate, etc.?

How does the Killer reproduce and raise its young?

What is the Killer’s origin? Created in government lab / humans that mutated over generations living underground

– Killer Tips

Play with your victims: Don’t go directly for the kill. Toy with the victims first.

Use the world around the victims: As the Killer, you set the scene. Use the subterranean environment to separate, slow down, and trap your victims. But save the final blow for the Killer. For example, use a cave-in to trap a victim under rubble, then have the killer step in…

https://gauntlet-hangouts.firebaseapp.com/event-detail/-LJf1WseenDITXAo-rj_

I’m running a game for my kids, inspired by The Hollow series on Netflix, and for said game I’m basically using a…

I’m running a game for my kids, inspired by The Hollow series on Netflix, and for said game I’m basically using a loosey-goosey version of World of Dungeons: Turbo.

However, the setup for the game doesn’t closely match the original World of Dungeons: Turbo premise, so I’ve already spent a fair amount of time scribbling in different abilities and such.

As a result, I figured it would be worth my time to build a character sheet I could tweak as the game went on. So I did that, and I wanted to share it not because anyone would want to run a similar game, but because I figured someone might want a sheet they could customize for their own WoDu variations.

PLEASE NOTE: I am verifiably shit at design of any kind, so this thing is pretty hacktackular, but whatever. It works.

The PDF basically looks like I intended: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1qyb2dlPkeZVgQ_HEn3Ol8S5Okybd1q8L

The word .docx will probably shatter if you look at it sideways, but g’head and do with it what you will: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1qzUMMm0DIszn4IPsG40ML9NBdJ-8C-YA

If you make an editable version that isn’t so terrible, please do let me know.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1z4Qa0TslfCSJl7E_M-Hq9K7kOMv2PFoY/view?usp=sharing

The newest episode of Memories of Mercy Falls is here!

The newest episode of Memories of Mercy Falls is here! Episode 02 is called “Teenage Bullshit” and exemplifies the “reset” that has taken place in the Mercy Falls universe.

A reminder: if you’re enjoying this series, you can listen to the whole thing by making a $2 pledge to our Patreon: patreon.com/gauntlet

Cc: Fraser Simons Lowell Francis Phillip Wessels Kevthulhu

http://www.gauntlet-rpg.com/pocket-sized-play/monsterhearts-memories-of-mercy-falls-teenage-bullshit

The Librarian

The Librarian

Warning, anyone who is frightened by concepts of possessed media (The Ring) or creepy-pasta might not want to read this. Part of me thinks this is a great example of the nature of the human brain and the power of collaborative storytelling. Another much smaller part of me hopes I can save myself from the curse by spreading it to a bunch of people on the internet.

So I had the privilege to join a game of Dungeon World with David LaFreniere, Jason Tocci, josh gary and +Simon Landerville. We were playing in a setting called “Cold Ruins of Lastlife”. I was coming in late in the adventure and David was nice enough to meet me online to handle character creation and sum up the story so far. I have a distinct memory of our conversation while I skimmed through the setting book and looked at the artwork for inspiration. The very first part of the story David told me was the other characters meeting a creature called the Librarian. I don’t remember his exact description but I quickly found it depicted early in the book.

Right before the end of our adventure, Jason’s wizard summon an invisible monster. David described it tidying up messes, attacking demon possessed characters and “yelling from a chest with no mouth”. After the game I asked what the deal was with this creature and found out that the other players recognised it as the Librarian or the same type of monster. Apparently you can’t see them unless you already know what it looks like. While we were talking about this I opened up the setting book and started flipping through the pages looking for the remembered art. Apparently several of the other players did the same.

After a few minutes we all sort of got frustrated and it was soon discovered that none of us could find the picture to show the others. David and I both went through the PDF page by page to the end multiple times. We started wondering where the picture had actually come from and searched other documents in Davids google drive. We also tried google image search for the picture. Nothing even close.

Josh pointed to another drawing of a different creature and reasoned that maybe we had all assumed this was the librarian because it had multiple hands (which is a common motif in the book). But none of us seemed willing to accept that because we had a clear memory of a very different scene.

We all used the term “Pan’s labyrinth guy” to describe what we thought of when picturing the librarian so David reasoned that we all just connected with this idea so strongly that we created the picture. But the strange thing is that we all remember the picture in the very distinctive black and white sketch style of the other artwork.

Finally there is a page in the pdf with the caption “Closing Thoughts” that has a border and a smokey background but is otherwise blank. It is the only page like this and it really looks like there was meant to be artwork there.

As a rational skeptic who was never really bothered by movies like the ring and various creepypasta I can intellectually accept that we all generated a clear idea, in sketch form, of what was described to us. We used the pieces available and came to something similar. The world is large enough and the human brain is amazing enough that this isn’t impossible or unlikely. In fact, chances are that if we all really sketched down our memories and then viewed them objectively, we would quickly notice differences.

But as a human who spent a long time pouring over a PDF absolutely certain that something was missing (something described as invisible unless you can see it??!?!), I can’t help but wonder in the dark. Maybe I will try to put my mind at ease by giving it something else to think about. Maybe I will get comfortable and sit in my bean bag chair with a used hardback science fiction book. As I open it to the marked page there is an illustration. Oh wow is that where the memory came from? No, wait, it’s on every page! Getting larger. I throw the book down as the music ramps up and the pages turn as if blown by a strong wind. The effect makes the librarian appear to move and reach out…. Later the Houston gauntlet members see my name on the news. Another overweight office worker dies of a heart attack. But the tarp slips off as there moving my body and you can see the sheer terror frozen on What is left of my face…

SEVEN DAYS?

Anyway, fun story, Big thanks to the other players for a fun adventure. Tell me what you think. Does this sort of thing freak you out or make you marvel at the nature of the human brain? Also here is my best sketch along with some materials I think may have been unconsciously encorporated.

Greetings, all!

Greetings, all! The weekly Gauntlet Hangouts video roundup post is now up on The Gauntlet Blog! Check it out, and be sure not to miss all the other great Gauntlet Blog posts from the week!

http://www.gauntlet-rpg.com/blog/gauntlet-hangouts-video-roundup-august-17-2018

Thanks go out to all our Gauntlet Hangouts videos game runners, facilitators, and players this week, including: Agatha, Alex McManamon, Alex Meltsner, Ary Ramsey, Asher Silberman, Bethany H, Bryan Lotz, Bryen Alperin, Catherine Ramen, Chris Newton, Darren Brockes, David Jay, David Rothfeder, Dylan Ross, Fraser Simons, gerwyn walters, Greg Gelder, Horst Wurst, Jason Cox, Jason Hobbs, Jesse Abelman, Jim Crocker, Joshua DeGagné, Joshua Gilbreath, João Felipe Santos, Kinote, Kurt Potts, Kyle Thompson, Lauren McManamon, Leandro Pondoc, Lonnie Spangler, Lowell Francis, Ludovico Alves, Luiz Paulo S F, Mark Causey, Michael X. Heiligenstein, Mikael Tysvær, Pat Perkins, Patrick Knowles, Paul Staxx Spraget, Pawel Solowczuk, Richard Rogers, Richard Ruane, Ryan McNeil, Ryan Stimmel, Sarah J, Shane Liebling, Sherman S, Spencer Paskett, Stephen Karnes, steven watkins, Steven desJardins, Taejas Kudva, Tyler Lominack, Vincent Eaton, and Yoshi Creelman.

The Future of Discern Realities Podcast

The Future of Discern Realities Podcast

David LaFreniere and I have decided to retire Discern Realities. After nearly 70+ episodes, we’re not sure how much more we have to say about Dungeon World. The show has become something of a creative dead end, and that means it’s time to retire it.

We are super-grateful for all the fans who have supported the show these last couple of years. Together, we have been able to show thousands of people the awesome, exciting possibilities of Dungeon World and other Powered by the Apocalypse games.

So here is our game plan for retiring the show:

First, we’re going to take a couple of months off. We have a lot on our respective plates at the moment between Codex, Gauntlet Con, and other projects. DR will come back in late October with Episode 59 (hopefully featuring Danny Hood, who is owed a guest spot from winning the last contest). We’ll then spend November and December wrapping up the Basics series. We’ll end the show’s run with a big gala episode (Episode 60), which will air sometime in early January.

In the meantime, we hope all the DR fantasy fans who haven’t yet started listening to Fear of a Black Dragon will migrate over there (it’s a really good show, ya’ll). And, as always, +1 Forward and The Gauntlet Podcast are there for more general PbtA gameplay talk.

Thanks!

I’ve started a solo campaign of Ironsworn, a gritty sword & sorcery RPG from Shawn Tomkin that tells solo GMless…

I’ve started a solo campaign of Ironsworn, a gritty sword & sorcery RPG from Shawn Tomkin that tells solo GMless stories about epic quests & perilous journey. This first session play report introduces the character of Verena Boarwater, a marshmaiden herbalist from Brightmire in The Flooded Lands. The text veers between an in-character journal and OOC commentary on the game mechanics. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oiWkZjmuJqc3rHYsAelwiFV8rkt21zwrKvoOd-XaHqQ/edit?usp=sharing

It’s late but it’s here!

It’s late but it’s here! We’re crowdsourcing the miscellany for Codex – Asphalt. This miscellany is called “Three Dozen Stops Along the Road.” Submissions need to be a single sentence, or 2-3 short sentences at most. By submitting here, you’re agreeing to let us use it (you’ll get a credit on the issue). We’re looking for evocative things; the purpose of the miscellany is to inspire the reader.

Here are some examples:

“The Exit 33 off-ramp is ruined, and there’s more rubble than buildings out that way, but someone’s still tending the plants in the old nursery. Rumor is they’re willing to trade, especially for quality fertilizer.”

“There’s no sign, and the turn-off’s barely visible until it’s too late, especially in the dark, but if you follow the road back into the trees and keep your headlights off the whole way, someone you knew will meet you where it dead-ends.”

“Sonya’s Diner isn’t good, but the cook was a medic once, of some stripe, and Sonya’s both willing to look the other way if someone spends the night nursing a cup of burnt coffee and polite enough not to notice if they don’t seem quite human.”