Shadowscast – episode 5
Posted by Runeslinger on March 23, 2012 · 4 Comments
This episode touches on the new Super Hero RPG based too firmly in the Marvel Universe, and the future loss of Guidance from Triple Ace Games. We look in more depth at using Korea as a location for gaming (this time with Bonus Content!) and compare the approach of “telling the story” versus “discovering it.”
Volume 1, Episode 5
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- Shadowscast – episode 1 (runeslinger.wordpress.com)
- Shadowscast – episode 2 (runeslinger.wordpress.com)
- Shadowscast – episode 3 (runeslinger.wordpress.com)
- Shadowscast – episode 4 (runeslinger.wordpress.com)
Darken others' doors:
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4 Responses to “Shadowscast – episode 5”Leave a Reply to burnedfx Cancel reply
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Casting Shadows 
I completely agree in regards to the portion about “the sandbox”. Provide the setup. Provide NPC motivations. Environment, Dugneons, Monsters, History, Mythology, whatever. But sit back and let the players, for lack of a better word, play.
Everyone has their style preference, as you mentioned, but I would think that “the sandbox” makes the game more interesting to not just the players, but the DM as well. He has no idea how things are going to turn out. He’s along for the ride too. Even knowing what’s lurking in the next room, doesn’t spoil the DM’s enjoyment. They may never open that door and that’s okay.
Yes, even the dreaded TPK loses its sting in this perspective. Essential clues, required scenes, and the buildup toward specific characters growing in specific ways all drop away, leaving the players and story free to appear.
Another good vid.
1) I enjoy the heck out of the segments on Korea
2) Agreed on your Marvel comments. While the game does allow you to make characters, I think MWP’s developmental focus is a bit odd.
3) Plotted vs. Sandbox. Starting GMing back around ’80, I was very much a ‘plotter,’ and remained so for a long time. I was on hiatus for a good chunk of the ’90s (though I still read new games), and when I came back, found my preference had become more sandbox-y. I’ve still run mostly plotted games, because I’ve mostly been doing one-offs and mini-arcs which are different animals. I’ve also been having trouble converting all my friends who are old-school players and unused to having the level of agency the sandbox gives them. Very frustrating, because they’re all very creative, they’re just acting like “old dogs.” 🙂
Daniel:
Thanks for the kind words. In the echoing silence of the great internet, it has been hard to judge the value of the Korea segments.
Your ‘old dogs’ comments really got me thinking. In my group, our 80’s play was noteworthy for the lack of access we had to printed supplements, so most of my time before gaming in college was spent in game worlds which were sandboxes by default, rather than design.
Like you, I will flip over to the plot-side for a short arc, play test, or one shot without thinking about it. Knowing the time frame of the game in sessions practically begs a GM to fiddle with the flow of the developing tale anyway, so even trying to be open-ended has more hurdles than one would normally expect. Shorter runs benefit from having a more visible, and insistent plot, I think.
In this weekend’s All for One session, one of my players had a real breakthrough in regard to agency when he finally realized/accepted that I wasn’t leading him toward a conclusion, I was presenting him with ‘You are Here’ signs.
😉