Thursday, November 24, 2005
After thinking about the D&D session where we wrote out Logan's paladin, I'm trying to think of some of my favourite gaming sessions over the years (sessions where everything just clicked). That was definitely one of them. Everyone was really on that night, and it didn't feel at all like I was struggling to pull it all together.
I'm not even sure why that one worked so well. Perhaps it was the preparation on everybody's part. Logan and Rawl both knew where they were starting the session from, and they both knew what the end result had to be. We had determined two things beforehand. One, Rawl's fighter would get angry at Logan's paladin for not helping him in the fight the way he expected (and possibly nearly getting Rawl's fighter killed). Two, an argument would break out and escalate to physical violence, which would end with Logan's paladin forsaking the group (leaving him free to bring in a new character).
I think it was the first time I'd ever planned out an in-game event to such a degree. Usually I don't tell the players anything beforehand. I'm sure that's a bit of a hold-over from the old days where GMs and players weren't participating in something together; they were trying to beat each other at the game. It's a terrible habit that makes for confrontational games, and those are really no fun anymore. The days of my proud display of the "dead PC pile" are long over with.
Another stellar gaming session that stands out was my very first session in Lawrence's V:tM Chicago By Night chronicle. The character interactions were very different than what I was used to. At times, the players seemed to be crafting the story almost as much as the GM. That level didn't stay, for whatever reason, but the mix was right in that first session (and also for the next couple of sessions) I attended of the Chicago By Night chronicle.
I'm not even sure why that one worked so well. Perhaps it was the preparation on everybody's part. Logan and Rawl both knew where they were starting the session from, and they both knew what the end result had to be. We had determined two things beforehand. One, Rawl's fighter would get angry at Logan's paladin for not helping him in the fight the way he expected (and possibly nearly getting Rawl's fighter killed). Two, an argument would break out and escalate to physical violence, which would end with Logan's paladin forsaking the group (leaving him free to bring in a new character).
I think it was the first time I'd ever planned out an in-game event to such a degree. Usually I don't tell the players anything beforehand. I'm sure that's a bit of a hold-over from the old days where GMs and players weren't participating in something together; they were trying to beat each other at the game. It's a terrible habit that makes for confrontational games, and those are really no fun anymore. The days of my proud display of the "dead PC pile" are long over with.
Another stellar gaming session that stands out was my very first session in Lawrence's V:tM Chicago By Night chronicle. The character interactions were very different than what I was used to. At times, the players seemed to be crafting the story almost as much as the GM. That level didn't stay, for whatever reason, but the mix was right in that first session (and also for the next couple of sessions) I attended of the Chicago By Night chronicle.
// posted by Chris @ 1:44 PM 
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