WickedThought

While writing/editing The Law chapter, I find my fingers typing these words…

The Fourth Law handles Promises. The ven are very careful what they Promise because such things are bound by Law. Punishable offenses.

Yes, in ven culture, it is against the Law to be a flake.

 

Well, wasn’t that interesting.

Okay, a few lessons learned from my second OWBN game.

No Pets
First, I am absolutely reassured the No Pets Rule (the GM can’t play a significant NPC) is a Good Thing. When we showed up (two anarchs), the ST (playing the harpy) set the tone for the players by treating us like crap. She had the opportunity to do differently, but she choose not to. The other players followed her example, thus ensuring two new players would never return to the game.

We weren’t even playing asshole anarchs. We followed all the rules, knowing you can’t put up your feet in another man’s house. We came to do what vampires do: notify the Prince we were there, offering our assistance to deal with the imminent Sabbat attack. And, because the ST set the tone–you can treat these people like shit–the players did just that.

Not only that, because the ST went out of her way to take offense at every little thing we said, the rest of the players did the same. It was petty. Not in the typical kindred politics way, but literally straining to find a way to turn anything we said into an insult. The other players followed suit, and pretty soon, we were convinced to keep our mouths shut.

It wasn’t banter. Banter is fun. This was junior high bullshit.

The players had a choice. They could have treated us as outsiders. I expected that. This was uncomfortable. Not as a character, but as a player. By the end of the night, one of us was deliberately forced to frenzy and the other had his soul ripped out of his body, staked, and stolen away.

We were new players looking to join a game, and they made sure we’d never show up again.

The Nuremberg Defense
Second, I have to do something about the Nuremberg Defense. For those of you who don’t know, that’s when players sabotage other players’ fun hiding behind “But that’s what my character would do.”

Using the above example, here’s a tiny group–no more than one dozen people–who scared away two (three, really, but one of us could not show up) new players. More than that, too. I had at least three more people lined up to join us at the next game. So, this twelve person group had the opportunity to increase their player base by 50%. They fucked it up. They fucked it up because it was more important they “be true to our characters.”

They weren’t being true to their characters. They were bullies. Two new players, and they removed both of us half-way through. One of us frenzied, the other staked. Both of us sitting for a few hours while everyone else continued playing.

And the moment we figured that out, we left the game.

What’s the Point
After leaving the game, I seriously debated including any HotB LARP rules at all.

I needed to scratch my LARP itch.

It got scratched all right. I think I need alcohol and bandages.

I just sucker–I mean convinced–someone else into running my game so I can experience it as a player.

I’m filling out the character sheet, choosing Virtues, my weakness, Aspects, Devotions, Regions, Vassals and my first Spring Season actions.

I’m as giddy as a school girl.

I GET TO PLAY MY GAME!!!

Full on “Let me tell you about my character” post coming soon.

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Meanwhile, I will be in Los Angeles on November 3rd. That’s a Saturday.

I’m flying in on Saturday morning, packing my stuff from storage into a U-Haul and driving that sucker back to Pheonix the very same day.

I’ll have company.

Anything I deem unworthy of taking with me will be either thrown out or given away.

One of those give-a-ways is my futon. I don’t want it. If you do, come and help me pack and it is yours.

I’ll have other furniture, too. You’ll want it because I don’t.

Saturday, November 3rd, 10:00 AM.