Casting Shadows

Week 3 of preparations for The Gathering is now complete and has seen the submission of numerous concepts and characters with more to come. Some characters are nearing completion, and others are still being developed. Once all submissions have been made, it will be time for me, in the role of GM, to work a kind of magic on the history of the world and the coincidental crossings of the characters in its stream in order to help create the cat and mouse familiarity evident in the films.

As a group we have a larger number of players who are new to the system than those who are experienced with it. That makes this final week of preparation very important for answering system questions, providing context, and clarifying methodology. My goal for this week is for people to be interested in and excited by their characters. A part of that will be in helping to flesh out links to their mortal and immortal companions and associates. Once play begins, much of the tension will come from worrying for or about others… and losing your head, of course.

We had two more bow out, and two more join.Primary concern among those who have decided not to play has been about time constraints. While I would like to persuade everyone with that concern to stay, as it will not require nearly as much time as other play-by-post style games, I am pleased that they cared enough about the campaign to bow out rather than drop out. Thinking of others is a good thing.