Open Invite to Free Thinking Role-Playing Games

[justinaquino]

Hi, I usually run Role-Playing Games and have an open invite for those who want to try. In theme of free thinking, i won't run fantasy or supernatural. Anyway, I usually run realistic or simulationist scenarios. The topics I usually like gaming about are taking an emergency or extreme but plausible scenario and have characters, who are either suited or ill suited for the task, go through the scenario given the best of the Player's own ability.

My favored method of conflict resolution favors creativity and applying game theory, although if people want tactical exercises I am very flexible. I'd like to say I specialize in running social scenarios that emphasize in negotiation, diplomacy, empathy and awareness (although the lack of players interested in only such tactics are rare and my practice is limited).

Things usually like running are Calamity scenarios (like civilians in coup d'etat, trapped and survival), events in Philippine history (specializing in 19th Century), detective mysteries, and entrepreneurial adventures (free lancers and opportunity seekers out to make a buck and some mark). I am also open to a other variety of scenarios and games, depending on what the players want and what I have access in terms of research.

I usually run my games short (3-4 hours) and with a small manageable size of players at 4 (which is my limit... any more and I exhaust myself and the quality of the game suffers to a point against my pride). I use GURPS a Generic universal Role-playing Game System, but I don't stress on the system or mechanics. The game system is merely a way to arbitrate abstract quantities of risk. I usually run a rather rules-light Character creation with just a short talk defining the character strengths, limitations, and stance.

If there are other GMs out there who like to use their games as a way to create safe exercises of free thinking I'm also open to being a player.

[monk]

ooh, I'm game if this pushes through my old rpg gaming group withered away a while back. you might want to cross-post on the yahoogroups, I met a few RPG'ers there too.

[powghee]

sasali ba ako?

*takes percentile dice (roll against monk's charisma)

FAIL!

cge sali ako


babuburo na ang die set ko sa bahay! hinihintay lumaki ang anak para turuang mag RPG

[justinaquino]

Cool! anything particular you want to explore?

History, Current Events, or Sci-Fi (Theoretical futures)?

Off the top of my head it would be easy for me to run Current Events, since there is that coup scenario which can be depressing since the approval of the automated voting system. Another one is I can easily prep for is something like Lost in the Philippines, where a group of people in an adventure vacation get caught between a firefight between a provincial warlord's men and some terrorist/rebel group. If you have a movie scenario you're interested in playing I can try to accommodate it.

As for sci-fi I'm a fan of Firefly/Serenity and can run an Angel Investor Adventure, simulating the trouble of starting up a business in an unstable but potentially profitable market. If you've heard of traveller (the inspiration for the TV series), it is what I use as a default setting. Although I have strong influences from Fading suns (Sci-fi Dark Ages) and a very small dose of Warhammer 40k.

History wise I've run the 1st Crusade, the fall of Constantinople, and have prepared some adventures around the Intrigue and Politics of the Byzantine Eras of Justinian and Alexius (the two golden eras of the Byzantine Empire).

On Philippine History I have material to run the major conflicts leading up to the revolution and including the revolution itself. I use Anarchy of Families and Filipinos at War by Carlos Quirino as my chief sources.

Mahadlika is my fictionalized altered history game revolving around the Philippines. It is basically the Philippines with some factors that caused it to reach a level of awareness equal to that before 1896 but accelerated to 1865. Its like a 19th Century Gothic Western-Eastern setting with swords, guns, theocrats, oligarchs, generals, revolutionaries and freelancers. Anything goes in this game, my current material involves how the Oligarchs of Cebu break away and gain autonomy from Manila to become an economic an political rival. Characters are caught up in the shift of power and civil war seems inevitable (imagine England breaking away from Norman France during the early middle ages).

Anything outside that range, will take me a little bit more time to prep reading up on the material and trying to get a bit of that authentic feel of what ever the players are more into.

[powghee]

problema nasa bohol na ako nakatira eh.

but i've been around the RPG world, (old school)

Marvel Superheroes
Advanced/Classic/Oriental Dungeons and Dragons
Top Secret SI/Top Secret Commando
Robotech

Before GURPS Marvel Superheroes was our neutral ground kasi well defined ang power rosters table and the Universal Table could settle any action. I dabbled in FUDGE and used it in conjunction with Marvel to run a yearlong campaign with 5th grade students (bwahahahahaha).

And I also made my own d6 game system.

[JeielAranal]

I've never had the opportunity to play a tabletop RPG in real life though I would really like to. I've played a Final Fantasy tabletop RPG over IRC once but that petered out pretty quickly. There's a browncoat here! I just recently went on a Firefly/Serenity binge, exploring that setting would be ace but I think its not quite what you have in mind for the games you want to run.

Joss Whedon's newest series Dollhouse could be an interesting scenario to explore. It takes place 5 minutes in the future and explores the idea of bodies and identities in a very interesting way. In the series technology has been created that allows bodies to be programmed with different personalities and as we are introduced to this tech its being used as a plaything for the wealthy. The show gives glimpses of the creepy side of the tech (the person you love may have been programmed to love you) and some philatrophic uses of it (creating the perfect counselor to help troubled people). The unaired 13th episide of season 1 makes the scenario even more interesting as we are shown that the tech has run amok with some people being able to functionally live forever by simply transferring their identities to multiple bodies.

[Harmless]

How do we play this ba? Is it like D&D, coz I played that during my teens. Is this played online or in real life?

[justinaquino]

You start with concept of what character you would want to play. Then proceed to choose the strengths and weaknesses while being overall an equal to other characters in the group. Usually the character designed is irregardless of what everyone else is playing, unless the group begins as a group with their roles already filled in.

As a GM I narrate and facilitate the game to get the ball rolling. Everyone plays along and Role-plays their character in the circumstance the GM describes. Players and their Character do things and make certain decisions to address the challenge, the GM then uses system mechanics, knowledge of real world and experience to best arbitrate to get the most authentic and plausible consequence.

Typically I use GURPS which is a very detailed system that can be overwhelming to those unfamiliar to it. It uses 3 six sided dice for a bell curve probability range and works by rolling below or equal an ability score. In this situation I'm going very low resolution to ease everyone comfortably to my style of play.

The GM acts also as a Tutorial and Hint File for certain situations but my GM style focuses mostly of players solving the problem their own way and the natural consequence of the method. It is supposed to be an exercise in creative problem solving and reflection on the approach of risk and danger.


Example: a Mahadlika Game
After Character creation...
PCs are a group of Illustrados, who's family's are under the pressure of rising conflict between the Governor General and Arch Bishop of Manila to rally against the Alcalde Mayor of Cebu Gordo Orovida Plajena and Padre Damien de la Cruz's bid to gain Autonomy for the entire Visayas.

Circumstances has put the families of the PCs in harms way since they have major assets in the Visayas and the Governor General has order the house arrest of their families in retaliation when Gordo Orovida blockaded access of Imperial soldiers to Cebu.

Things begin to look worse because the stalemate may cause the Governor to force his hand on your families.

What do you do?

You can make a deal with the Ruling Party, you can offer to negotiate with Gordo Orovida in lieu of Manila's other Diplomats, you attempt to escape, you can attempt to convince the Governor and his allies to use other means to serve as an example... worse, you can fight your way out and hope for the best.

PCs use their talents, resources, wits and cunning to get out of this situation. More ambitious PCs would turn this on its head and make it an opportunity (there is much to gain with autonomy for Visayas under a Governor General who has muscle to police its waters and increase trade between the islands).

This is a classic circumstance in Phil history 19C, a bit of espionage, some violence, politics, high stakes, and incredible initiative and cunning.

Free thinking aspect comes in how to best resolve this conflict. The decision you make and the means you use have many consequences. Consequences that you can practice anticipating in the game so that you can use the skill of critical thinking for other things.

Personal risk is a something people can easily answer, but risk to their family is complicated and complicates everything. There is a conflict in ideals and loyalties, between Family and the Greater good. Then there is also the messy affair of sorting out what is everyone's motivation is and if there is any "good".

[powghee]

cool! so we'll be playing by posting?

would you roll the dice for us? I trust you, kinda like playing a video game.

[monk]

i'm piqued by how morality choices seem more at play in the scenarios you're thinking of. in the usual d&d games we played, character alignment issues barely had an effect on the game, aside from limiting what deity the cleric can choose from.

do players always work together ala "the adventuring party" or do they have their own holdings and only deal with each other as the story dictates?