Since early September I have been running a game on
Roll20.net with a small group of five players using the Castles and Crusades
Game System (check it out here.) I am no stranger to running games online, but this one has been
special in several aspects which has re-kindled my love for tabletop RPGs big
time.
This is the first time I have used Roll20.net, which is
turning out to be an enjoyable experience. The site provides you with
everything you need to have right out of the gate to run any kind of game. At
first I was a bit overwhelmed by all of the options and was considering running
back to OSU-GT, but then I found the ability to search through the site for any
kind of token or object to drop on my map. I was immediately sold, and we have
been using every aspect of the site for our game since. Several of my players
have taken to messing around with the formatting code and creating wonderful
character sheets as their journal entries, and backed them up with creative
macros that allow them to roll dice on the fly. Roll20.net has built-in voice
and video support however we do all of our voice chat through TS due to
limitations brought forth by several players connections and computers. You can
disable both of these through the site under your personal options when in a
game.
Introducing a new system to an entire group has never before
went this smooth, even with Castles and Crusades which is an extremely
easy and straight forward system. We
have one player who is fairly new to tabletop RPGs and after a session or two he
has mastered most of the basics, surprising myself and others with creative
thinking and innovative use of his class abilities. In the past I have introduced C&C to
groups of people who have played other systems (mainly 3.x based systems) and
it has somehow flown over their heads due to how simple the system is. No feats, no skill points to allocate, it made them freeze up as they tried to decide what their character would do in game. The idea that they would need to say what their character did and justify how they would use their attribute rolls only for past character accomplishments was mind boggling to them. It really drove home for me how many people actually play the
character sheet instead of the character itself.
The days approaching the next session I have wished were
shorter so I could load up that Roll20 game and lead them through their quest.
Very few games both online and at a physical table have resulted in me having
every session be one I look forward to. In the past I have had sessions where
we have ended on a sour note which has carried a bit of a terrible mood over to
the next game. The group I am playing with here however, while they have had a
few lover's quarrels, has been amazing and able to move on in game. They are
creative, great role-players who have embraced what they know about the setting
and ran with it. The sandbox world I have given them is being explored thoroughly,
using their resources to the limit and building character connections with NPCs
and other PCs in the group alike.
Man I am just really happy with how this group has handled
this sandbox world. The majority of my games I usually give the players a
starting section and a bit of a purpose in life. This game they are owners of a
small delivery company that is stationed in a large city state known as Alibag.
What makes Alibag special is that it is for them, one of the only two remaining
large scale concentrations of civilized life in the known area. The surrounding
landscape is still recovering from environmental disasters brought on by both
man and otherworldly forces, which has plagued the realm with an invisible
force known as Mana Burn. Yes, this is fantasy Fallout and Mana Burn is
radiation, but the players love it and have ran with it since session 1 with
zero prodding. When the players get a job for the company they plan everything
out, talk with the NPC about every detail, grab the goods, complete the task,
get the gold, and then find another job. What blew my mind was that they
constantly check on older clients to make sure they are okay and to let them
know that Escargo Express is there to serve them. Past groups generally never
keep contacts open with past NPCs and blow them off, seeing only forward. By
far though the best aspect of this group is how they don't mind the wacky stuff
I have tossed at them. Underneath their barn, they have discovered on accident
a spaceship that is massive in size, that has been used by a band of drug
runners to smuggle meth during the midnight hours around town. The entrance to
this ship was found by following a hole that was dug through one of their
stalls for their horses. This ship is extremely large, and is built in Metroid
style where certain areas can only be accessed later on through either extreme
ingenuity or special equipment such as better Mana Burn suits to protect from
the dangerous radiation. It is a giant homage to Expedition to the Barrier Peaks,
and the players have loved it and have made plans to extract whatever riches
they can from the metallic husk.
Even with the business, they have followed up on leads and
rumors of old dig sites and ruined bases outside of the city. Dungeon crawls
have been a thing they have freely done on their own, with almost no prodding
from myself. It has been a huge challenge for me to on the fly design the
dungeon as they explore using a small set of notes that explains encounters, dungeon
aesthetics, treasure, and traps (I will cover this method of mine in a later
post). For the party the dungeon crawls have had one major purpose: cold hard
cash. They understand as a business all profit is good profit, so they have
taken to finding it in any place possible.
Overall I am hoping this game goes on for a long. long time
and I am ready to do what it takes to keep it moving into the future. I have
had games at the physical table bring about the same feeling, but for some
reason this group just slams that button down harder than other groups have. My
opinion on this is because every character is driven by something more than
just money and are there for more than just 'to be there'. Most games you end up with 1 or 2 players who kind of herd the
party from Point A to Point B. They make most of the calls and in general are
kind of seen as the leaders. This group every character is wanting to do
something different, which has lead to them having what can only be explained
the craziest roller coaster of events happen.
Most groups break down when everyone wants to partake in something
different or has a different motive but this group has adapted and realized
that even though some of them are borderline evil, they know that at the end of
the day it is a group effort and that the game can only survive if they work together.
As I finish this, I can't wait for Monday!
No comments:
Post a Comment