The Games Master

I’ve always been intrigued by the whole role playing game thing. The choose your own way in real time. Building characters, crafting their strengths…sounds very much like writing.

So despite having never played before, I offered myself up as a games master. I would find a system, and wow there are a lot and they are complex, and then I would write a scenario. This took a lot of brain power. But not as much as actually running the game.

I know my characters often do things I’m not expecting, go off on a tangent and tell me what I have to make them do but in this game, the characters really can do what they want. Other people control them, and they won’t do as I want, or as I expect. That was an eye opener. So you write a scenario, come up with options, routes, possible outcomes and then on turn one, someone does something you didn’t anticiapte and you have to hustle to come up with a plausible next step. And if you’re in my game, the group all split up so I was carrying three real time storylines in my head.

And yet, the three nameless characters in the cells all ended up with bizarre fleshed out personalities and now they want to come back later. The werebear loves honeycakes and the vampiric playwright somehow had the party dancing to Peter Andre. I told you, I had to think on my feet and that’s where my brain went. Yes I’m worried about me too.

Anywho, for a bit of a change, I thought perhaps you would like to see the opening gambit I laid out for my team of adventurers. Maybe you could try it out for yourself on your own game system. Let me know how you do and whether you also ended up with Mysterious Girl in your head. (Yep, it’s back now too.) If you’re a writer/GM tell me about your experiences! And how do you make them do what you want!?!?!?!? I mean, free will is fine too….. ahem

The Kingdom of Venris has been through a lot of upheaval. It had been isolated for centuries, being on a small continent at the edge of the map, it was bordered to the South by a vast forest, to the North is the desert region and lands of the Traxan dwellers, to the West is the Endless ocean and to the East is a series of uninhabited islands that lead to the main continent of Illeria.

For centuries, Venris has enjoyed peace but something changed and the kingdoms of Illeria decided to wage war against each other and drew Venris in to the fight. After a decade of fighting much has changed. Travellers from far away lands have settled and brought new technologies, magics and threats with them. A few months ago, the King succumbed to illness and the crown passed to his cousin, the now King Theos. Theos is not a mage like his predecessor so he has yet to win over the trust of all his people. Which is why he has decided to throw a ball in celebration of a year of peace. Although pockets of fighting still remain in the far settlements, many consider the war to be over.

Each of you received an invite to the ball, much to each of your surprise. We begin our story at the ball, in the castle of Venris deep within the citadel structure. All of high society are here, including visiting dignitaries from afar and settlers who have won standing with the new king in exchange for knowledge. The drink flows freely and people dance wherever there is space. A man stands in a circle of instruments that he has bespelled and is playing them all at once.

The Hall: There is a grand staircase and on the landing is the throne of King Theos. Hallways lead off in 4 directions. Although directly opposite the staircase is a door to the main atrium that leads to the main door. There are large stained glass windows behind the king with magical lights dancing behind him to illuminate the glass. Guards stand periodically down the stairs and at points around the room.

Where are each of you? Introduce yourselves.

You notice a herald stand beside the King and speak in his ear. He waves at the herald to step forward and he begins to speak. “A great crime has transpired here this evening, the vaults have been infiltrated and robbed. However, our mages have managed to see back and have named the culprits. They are among us this very evening. Step forward” And he lists your three names.

There is uproar as everyone starts pointing and shouting, searching round the crowd. What do you do?