scope

[flykiller]

the recent discussions regarding certain game styles makes clear the need to consider scope in choosing types of game approaches. scope is length and breadth - duration of the game, and the breadth of the play area. a short game with a narrow focus on one or two worlds and a limited number of characters will have different requirements and be played differently than a long game involving many worlds and characters.

for example. in a very short game with limited setting potential (perhaps one region of one planet), such as might be played in a convention with players who will never be seen again, a simple immediately exciting scenario supported by snap referee decisions are the preferred mode. rationality in rulesets, long-term coherence in settings (in fact settings as such), and predictable continuity in referee rulings, play no role in the short-term success of the short-term game.

for example. in a very long game with expansive setting potential (perhaps many planets and subsectors), such as might be played by the same group of referee/players over several years, full settings and story lines with many adventures and many characters are the preferred mode. rationality in rulesets, long-term coherence in settings (in fact the setting as such), and predictable continuity in referee rulings, are critical to the long-term success of the long-term game.

presuming which kind of game will lead to very different game styles.

 

[mike wightman]

My longest running Traveller campaign began with a one off Death Station to introduce the group to Traveller.
The initial scenario lasted three sessions rather then the one I had planned.

The players then wanted to keep playing their characters so the next few sessions were planet of the week and patron encounter sort of things.

As the weeks went by I borrowed from the Long Night era to flesh out the background a bit - there used to be an Imperium, there are still multi-world corporations, trader and mercenary guilds, a couple of pocket empires, somewhere there may be a planet Earth.

It was good fun.

My latest proto-Imperium game has the player characters as the crew of the merchant cruiser Bloodwell which began in 1105 and has used early TAS news stories, the rumours from A1 and A3 plus a few of my own.
Tukera and the Imperium are the bad guys (sort of), the Bloodwell and their Oberlindes Lines backers (and the Ine Givar) are the good guys (sort of).

 

[flykiller]

so the next few sessions were planet of the week and patron encounter sort of things.

so a series of one-offs. how much did the sessions interact with each other over time?

 

[The Pakkrat]

5FW Scope

Annic Nova jump-started our 1.5 year game of Fifth Frontier War using Mongoose. Utilizing the TNS news blurbs, I was able to backdrop the campaign with war news and events from the theatres of action to provide Patrons, Mercenary Tickets, modifications to Trade, availability of gear, and of course the ability of the players to become as involved in the War as much or as little as they liked. We just needed a little starting money from the sale of the Annic Nova to some Noble collectors on Kinorb.

With the funds our band of adventurers worked from a single Free Trader, to upgrade into a Far Trader, an 800dt Mercenary Cruiser to round out the scope of what the Artemis Group wanted to be able to accomplish.

We ranged from Aramis to Darrian, Regina to Glisten, some us detaching to head back into Gvurrdon Sector. A long term and Sector scope campaign to be sure.

The Group suffered a wide range of emotional scope as well. Success and survival, death and revenge, loyalty and betrayal, discoveries and secrets, these were some scope of what the campaign enjoyed. Traveller can do this, with the right Referee.

Just some sample scope to contribute.

The news you want at the speed you need, this is the Pakkrat for Net-7 News.

 

[ffilz]

the recent discussions regarding certain game styles makes clear the need to consider scope in choosing types of game approaches. scope is length and breadth - duration of the game, and the breadth of the play area. a short game with a narrow focus on one or two worlds and a limited number of characters will have different requirements and be played differently than a long game involving many worlds and characters.

for example. in a very short game with limited setting potential (perhaps one region of one planet), such as might be played in a convention with players who will never be seen again, a simple immediately exciting scenario supported by snap referee decisions are the preferred mode. rationality in rulesets, long-term coherence in settings (in fact settings as such), and predictable continuity in referee rulings, play no role in the short-term success of the short-term game.

for example. in a very long game with expansive setting potential (perhaps many planets and subsectors), such as might be played by the same group of referee/players over several years, full settings and story lines with many adventures and many characters are the preferred mode. rationality in rulesets, long-term coherence in settings (in fact the setting as such), and predictable continuity in referee rulings, are critical to the long-term success of the long-term game.

presuming which kind of game will lead to very different game styles.

Hmm, I had a long term SF campaign that I think broke many of the above.

There definitely was not referee ruling continuity since the campaign started with rules hacked from RuneQuest, then Traveller, with several iterations of hacks, and finally ended under Hero System rules. It even ran under four different play groups.

The extent of persistence of hard setting data was:

1. Star map
2. Some details and one NPC on a prison planet (visited by every play group)
3. One lonely vacuum world visited by two different play groups

Frank

 

[mike wightman]

so a series of one-offs. how much did the sessions interact with each other over time?

Over time they began to overlap.
NPCs and patrons from previous sessions re-appeared as either antagonists, patrons or contacts, corporations developed an identity - especially the ones that had influence on several worlds.
The major worlds' governments/pocket empires had to be fleshed out (sometimes with player input - I don't care who I steal ideas from ).

The 1105 proto-Imperium was fleshed out - sort of - from the start rather than growing organically as the Long Night game did.

 

[creativehum]

Over time they began to overlap.
NPCs and patrons from previous sessions re-appeared as either antagonists, patrons or contacts, corporations developed an identity - especially the ones that had influence on several worlds.
The major worlds' governments/pocket empires had to be fleshed out (sometimes with player input - I don't care who I steal ideas from ).

The 1105 proto-Imperium was fleshed out - sort of - from the start rather than growing organically as the Long Night game did.

So, the setting was emergent. And it worked just fine.

 

[flykiller]

NPCs and patrons from previous sessions re-appeared as either antagonists, patrons or contacts, corporations developed an identity ... The major worlds' governments/pocket empires had to be fleshed out

how much re-working of previous decisions was necessary, if any?

The 1105 proto-Imperium was fleshed out - sort of - from the start rather than growing organically as the Long Night game did.

is there a difference between fleshing out and organically growing?