The Ward: Acute Care Edition, looks great. As a big fan of Scrubs, I’m compelled by the medical drama PbtA game that was in the Magpie Bundle of Holding that ended yesterday. I’m pretty sure I would love exploring hard-worked, imperfect characters thrown together amid life, death, and relationships, and I think this game could appeal to some non-gamer friends in ways other rpgs do not. I especially like the tiny yet powerfully character defining details of “Next of Kin” and “Emergency Contact.”
After loving what I see from the design, moves, and playbooks, I’m curious why the system wouldn’t also work almost straight out of the box for police/forensics/court procedurals, or any drama stories set in stressfully high-stakes professional hierarchies like academia, experimental sciences, space exploration/engineering, archaeology/occult studies, Capitol Hill, various federal agencies like DOC, ICE, DEA, CDC, ACF, or various emergency response sectors (fire rescue, coast guard, disaster relief, humanitarian aid organizations, paranormal response, etc.). Professional stakes can be high and stressful even if they’re not life-or-death in an operating room.
While I’ve only given it a quick read-through and didn’t go in-depth into the MC section, as far as I can see, all you’d need are different specialties and a few renamed/flavored playbook moves. What do you think?
I have a couple of questions about the X-Card, and since this is the community that introduced me to it and also the one that’s most active in trying to keep a safe environment of all the communities I know, I thought I should ask here.
What would be the best way to implement the X-Card in an audio-only virtual tabletop game?
I’ll be running my first online game next week, which will also be the first time I run Torchbearer and the first time that group plays together.
I’ve been trying to implement the X-Card in all my games, but nobody ever uses it and in the only instance in which I should have used it (when I was the GM and the acts of some players deeply bothered me), I forgot about it completely. Usually people I play with have never even heard of the X-Card and though nobody has ever been against it so far, it seems to me that the concept is rather alien to them and they don’t understand exactly how to use it. They seem to understand that this helps create a safe environment, but I don’t think I’m doing a good job of making them understand exactly when to use it. I think I lead people to think of it as a last resort for extreme and rare cases, when I actually wanted them to see it as something a lot more normal and frequent, I guess. It’s actually hard to put it to good use when I have never seen it used myself.
I remember in one episode of the podcast, someone said that they always use the X-Card at the beginning of every session, for something almost at random I guess, just to show their players how it’s used and that it’s ok to use it. How can I do that? What should I say and do to make my players more safe and secure in my games?
I think the people that I’ll be gaming with are nice people and that everything is going to be ok, but I want to ensure everyone feels safe and comfortable.
Thanks a lot!
PS: This is the first time I post here (I think), so please tell me if I’m breaking some social convention here or doing something wrong or whatever. =]
Yesterday I had the pleasure of playing in a game of The Whitehack run by Horst Wurst, The Gardens of Ynn!
Yesterday I had the pleasure of playing in a game of The Whitehack run by Horst Wurst, The Gardens of Ynn! I was pumped for it as of sign-up and dang, it exceeded my expectations. Let me talk a little bit about why, both regarding impressions of the module but also the system, as it is my first time actually playing with it.
This module is super cool. We are adventurers going to get rich and looking for some kids in this surreal garden; not exactly a revolution in my brain there. However, as soon as you enter the garden, shit gets real. The procedural generation of the spaces is super cool; the results evocative. We are only one session in and I definitely want to discover more.
There is time fuckery, literal machinations beneath the ground, and we always have the option of staying in a given space to spend time with it or like just take off. We were also told that we should be thinking about out items for fictional positioning and if we just wanted to go hack things up… we’d be having a bad time. If you stay in an area time passes as well. We didn’t really get the connotations of what that means, though.. and still don’t? I like that! Are we going to emerge from the gardens into like an altogether different time period or something? Are we going to age rapidly when exiting? Cool!
We only got to navigate a couple of these spaces but all had cool sensations around them. Smells; sights; taste; sounds, etc.Evocative and interesting. I hope that continues. We met a talking cat. Saw some skeletons as human-sized peacock things were mesmerizing a poor boy, presumably ready to devour him.
Can’t wait to see what more happens~~
System-wise:
Some people may know that I have barely any working knowledge of Dungeons and Dragons. I played a couple adventures I recall very little of when in junior high school, then reentered the hobby 5-6 years ago by way of DnD Encounters, Pathfinder Society, etc.; hated it, eventually found online gaming, then finally found this community and could not be happier.
So 2 years or so ago (is) when I purchased The White Hack, I was very excited by the design work and could imagine how it might go. So much so I took inspiration from how class creation worked to put it in this month’s Codex issue! I finally got the opportunity to play it thanks to Horst, and my word, I just loved the whole experience.
The Deft, The Wise, and The Strong are the character classes. Elegant, subjective, and open to interpretation. Evocative names, good examples. What you choose as your ‘thing’ in the game allows you to do difficult tasks with complete success if you’re deft. The Wise have miracles that are negotiated and cost HP. So. Much. Cool. Stuff!
The notions of Groups to craft previous life experience (lifepaths) and the other associated fiction you should have for your character is a bit of a mental hurdle at first, but ultimately very helpful in having you place some cognitive load as to what is important about this person and therefore granting them better fictional positioning. These things being coupled with mechanics was like a breath of fucking fresh air for me. I felt like notions I had about what my character ought to be good at actually mattered. My internal subjective ideas were externally supported by the system as I came up with them on the fly.
I ended up deciding to play a wandering Deft monk. In the gardens we came across a suspicious, foaming at the mouth mind, talking cat; I asked the referee, Horst, if I might have experience with these things having wandered about for ages and encountered strangers often. Specifically, I wanted to know if they were trying to ambush us or otherwise lie, etc. Because I might have been set upon before in my travels, I gained that fictional positioning and rolled with Advantage.
These things about my character I decide are important are each tied to a stat, which I’m less crazy about. Why not just have it so when it makes sense I get Advantage, right? Why does it have to be only when I’m being intelligent or wise I get this benefit? Most of the time characters will be rolling specific stats for what they’re good at anyhow, I’m sure. I’m super high in DEX and my fictional positioning beside DEX is that I was trained in martial arts at the monastery, for instance. Super cool.
Another thing I loved was critical roll target numbers being the exact stat value, that’s a really small but fun thing. The design work really makes it feel like it’s all about the characters; empowering them with just enough fictional positioning that they get excited about contributing without dictating too much.
One thing I didn’t like much was that you can also be squishy AF. I myself and one another started with just 2 HP, which made me feel way too precious about my character. Sure, they could die and I could roll up another… but I just thought up all these cool ass things for my monk! I want to gain levels and gain even more Groups! In that sense, it feels a bit at odds with the system goals. But I was also told there are some fail-safes in the text that make it a little harder to die; I’ll have to revisit the text.
The end result was a Venetian Deft Thief, Vincenzo di Pasqua (Jason Cordova ); a wandering Deft Monk (myself), A Wise Clockwork Tinkerer (Paul Staxx Spraget ); a Strong Bodyguard (Shane Liebling ); all walked into the msyterious Garden of Ynn!
75 new $7 Patreon spots will be open at 9:00 am Eastern on Sunday, July 1st.
75 new $7 Patreon spots will be open at 9:00 am Eastern on Sunday, July 1st. These are the last of the $7 spots, so I recommend grabbing one even if you think it might be a bit before you can start playing on Gauntlet Hangouts regularly.
The newest episode of Discern Realities is Dungeon World Basics 05 – Anatomy of a Playbook.
The newest episode of Discern Realities is Dungeon World Basics 05 – Anatomy of a Playbook. It’s a short episode, and the topic is not likely to be of interest to people familiar with DW, as it’s a walk-thru of how to fill out a playbook.
All that said, the actual play is dope AF, and if you have been a long time DR fan, you will enjoy it.
Lowell Francis Calling Lowell Francis. Jason tells me you’re in charge of adding GMs to Gauntlet Hangouts. I’d like to offer a game. I’ve played some sessions a few months back and feel I’ve got a handle on things. Please get in touch with me at nitrosyncretic@gmail.com.
Problems with Paladins and how to Play them without Punishing your Pals.
Problems with Paladins and how to Play them without Punishing your Pals.
read in a funny voice
Alignment nuts: “I had to murder that woman because she was running from the guards. She must have been evil, I’m obviously playing lawful good.”
Jerks playing Jerks: “First chance I get I tell the guards that you stole the mcguffin stone from their fortress. Did I mention that my character is constantly watching you guys to make sure you don’t break the law or do evil things? I have to because i am lawful good.”
Quest is game breaking: “This adventure is called Rage of the Fire God, so I want to start off with a quest to kill the fire god, dragon, whatever so I can be immune to fire. I was already planning to play lawful good so I don’t mind having to be honorable.”
I am the law sucks: “Why would I ever use this if the DM can attack me on a hit? Unrelated, but have I mentioned yet that I am lawful good?”
read in a slightly more serious voice
Like many people I have read about and experienced some pretty terrible sessions that centered around a player (often new to the group, often never appearing again) who eagerly grabbed up the paladin character sheet and then proceeded to be a huge pain both to the other players and their characters. I don’t have any advice for dealing with these players beyond telling them to stop or leave. Despite the joke-y quotes above, this is not a rant about alignment (see earlier rant). Instead I wanted to take a few minutes to give my perspective on how to play the paladin in a way that is fun for you and the other players. The move specific parts are for Dungeon world but most of the attitude stuff should be universal.
Fundamentally the paladin is a warrior (not always armed or armored) who believes and fights for something. This something can be a god or religious belief. It could be the authority of the king, church, government, or other organization. It could be as simple as their own code of ethics or chivalry. But wait, how do they cast magic if not in service to a god? The answer is: You tell me, but honestly this is a magic fantasy land so pretty much anything works. Maybe their lay-on-hands is completely mundane and shows their skills as a medic or inspiring leader.
The trick to playing the paladin right (IMO) is in sticking to this belief, being honest about and eager to explore situations where it becomes inconvenient, and not forcing your burden on your friends.
(note: the following antidote probably greatly simplifies and misrepresents a whole branch of philosophy)
A philosophy of law student might tell you that Spock is a utilitarian, believing the right action is always the one that maximizes good for the majority, when he says “the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few” and sacrifices himself to save the ship. You should point out that Spock sacrifices himself, instead of pushing a much less mission critical red shirts into the radiation chamber to die. Maybe Spock even took the time to way out the value of his life verses the ensign to the survival of the ship and crew, before making his choice, maybe not. His choice and actions makes him an epic hero, not a mindless ethics equation. Then neck pinch that jerk into unconsciousness as punishment for soiling the good name of Spock.
No one wants to hangout with or trust a mindless psycho robot who is only waiting to entangle them in its personal hang ups. No band of adventures would tolerate this behavior in the group. But people can respect and appreciate the person who holds themselves to a high standard, who doesn’t back down or abandon their principles and doesn’t force their beliefs on their friends. Play the paladin when you want to be the epic hero, the shining knight. The one who stands alone against the hopeless threat while others make their escape. Who exchanges themselves for the hostage. Who does the job to the end despite the costs. You might die heroically, or succeed epic-ly, or you might have an amazing scene where your friends decide to stand with you. This is the right way to play the Paladin.
Meta-Gaming-wise, this is the reason the paladin has so many defensive / survival and leadership moves. They are designed for hard use. Feel free to armor up before making your stand and asking the GM to give your their best shot. Be useful and inspiring to your friends and they might follow you, or at least launch a rescue later. You may even feel the need to retire the character when they have to go it alone, or face judgment while the party runs off. Give them an epilogue, roll a new character and maybe bring them back in a future game. They can be even more epic after suffering punishment or completing a hard quest alone.
On the subject of the Dungeon World Quest move: it is very tempting to try to abuse it as a player, or nerf it as a GM. The most obvious benefit is the immunity to some type of damage.
As a player I would only suggest that you occasionally pick something else. Challenge yourself to get benefit and great fiction out of the other choices. Pick it when it makes sense, but don’t force a quest just for this benefit.
More to the point, your paladin should always be on a quest in fiction but maybe you should wait to engage the move when fictionally appropriate. Maybe your party was just betrayed or the bad guy just showed up and wrecked your face. Describe what it looks like when you recover and take a moment to go through a personal ritual swearing a quest of vengeance. Maybe a friend just died and you take some memento and attach it to your armor. Later the monster that slew them is surprised when its attack doesn’t affect you. Maybe you are literally talking to a god and in accepting its quest you ask for a couple boons like a voice that transcends language or a mark of its divine authority.
As a GM I would suggest that you not worry to much about “Game Breaking” its the players job to be epic and your job to be a fan of it when it happens. Alternatively you do have to keep the adventure interesting. Do not immediately go into your notes and replace every bandit sword with a club, or fire breathing dragon with a acid spitting one. Do ask the player what it looks like when they ignore this damage and what it might imply in fiction. Maybe the enemies decide to ignore what they can not hurt and go after easier prey. maybe the shattering blade trap makes a lot of noise and attracts attention. Maybe the party must split while the paladin swims the acid lake and they are both attacked, the paladin must fight alone and the others must survive without their tank.
On the subject of the dungeon world I am the Law move: it is hard to immediately see the benefit of this move over a defy danger with charisma. It is important to remember that the GM should be a fan of your character and not just out to kill you. This doesn’t mean that they will never pick the “They attack you” option but they shouldn’t pick it all the time. More importantly, and going back to my earlier talk about playing epic-ly, you should engage this move when your paladin is willing to be attacked. Maybe they are willing to risk it in order to spare their friends, or they simply believe strongly that trying to end a conflict, or give a command is important enough to risk danger. Some of the most powerful moves in Dungeon world are the ones that are always dangerous even on a 10+.
Meta-gaming wise: Attacking you is not always fictional appropriate. An armored knight waving a holy symbol, giving orders to a non hostile villager is unlikely to result in a mob (not guaranteed). Maybe in the middle of a siege, the NPC Rookie guardsmen hesitate to follow the instructions of another party member, that is when you grab them, stand them up and remind them of their duty and your holy authority. They might run away but it’s less likely they will attack in any immediate way. Finally, I always turn to this move when I can’t imagine anything else working. The monster has incapacitated your friends and shrugs off your best strikes, you have nothing to turn to but your beliefs. Hold forth your holy symbol and hope you roll well… Your GM may appreciate your boldness, failing that they may let your friends escape.
Sorry for the long post. Let me know what you think. Have any great stories of heroic paladins? Have any problems with other moves on the Paladin sheet? Am I totally wrong and the only correct way to play the paladin is as Judge Dread?
My name is Ömer Aybars Yurdun and I am living in İstanbul and playing rpgs since ’98.
I am running various games for my friends for about 3 years (Call of Cthulhu, Unknown Armies, Ten Candles, Apocalypse World, etc..). A couple of months ago I tried to run Sorcerer from Ron Edwards after I had run a couple of sessions of Apocalypse World. However the session didn’t went as I have expected.
Now I would like to participate in a Sorcerer game as a player to see how can or should it be run. I don’t know if this place is suitable for this kind of question but i searched the net and couldn’t find a suitable site for asking such question ( and I am sorry if this is a wrong one) but if you can add me to an online Sorcerer game as a player I will be really glad.
