Topic: RPGs
As I mentioned last September, I am rather taken with Spirit of the Century, the Ennie Award winning 1920's era pulp adventure game by Evil Hat Productions. I am kicking off the experience. This Friday night, I am getting my group together for character generation.
SOTC has a wonderfully interactive character generation system in which not just the player and GM are involved in the process, but all the other players as well. This method supports an inter-woven backstory leading to even deeper character play. I can't wait to see how this works in practice.
While I have several ideas on the game I want to run, my first step is to get the characters and then tailor the game to them. I do this to some extent in my other games, but SOTC is very dependent - IMO - on character driving the story.
This SOTC session will utilize Skype as the players in this group are located all over this great nation of ours. We've got players in Texas, California, Tennessee, and other faraway places. I've used Skype to conference in one player to a live game. This will be my first time to run the whole thing through Skype.
I've read several blogs and listened to podcasts on the subject of SOTC this week. One thing they all have in common is that they regard Spirit of the Century as a pick-up game, a game that you don't have to prepare much for, a game that can help you transition from one "serious" game to another. As I said to Jeremy Ware on his blog, I blame this designation on the folks at Evil Hat for the manner in which they have promoted the book.
From the SOTC website:
"...Spirit’s mission is to deliver an evening of fun, a “pick-up” game that requires little preparation, but provides hours of entertainment."
Certainly, it can function as a pick-up game, but I think they've made a big mistake marketing SOTC in this manner. It makes the book easy to dismiss, and it shouldn't be. The system and setting are so innovative, so outside-the-box, so rich with possibilities they demand extensive play to explore all the wonderful stories waiting to be told.
Stay tuned.
You'll get blow-by-blow reports right here.
Aron Head
www.EvilBastard.net
