Author Topic: Invitation to a TTRPG - In person, online, or email  (Read 355 times)

Offline normzone

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Invitation to a TTRPG - In person, online, or email
« on: March 17, 2023, 12:37:34 AM »
To quote the Princess Bride, “Let me explain. No, there is too much. Let me sum up.”

Some time ago, during one of my periodic bouts of sobriety, I woke in the wee hours thinking several things.

One, there was music going through my head - might have been a guitar lick, or just a bass line. Not uncommon for me to wake that way.

Two, how much I was enjoying reading the Mick Herron novel series "Slow Horses" - they are loser spies, exiled from Britain's MI5 to a musty office for varying offenses, in the hopes that they will quit so the agency doesn't have to fire them. The group is managed by an irascible disgraced agent who is experienced and wise but a total jerk to work for.

Three, the Firefly class short haul freighter and crew in the short lived Serenity TV series, and how much fun that platform was.

Four, how much I missed TTRPG, but that is all about who you're playing with, not necessarily the scenario, and I no longer have the group of friends I used to during my gaming heyday some 25 years ago.

I set those ideas aside for a few days, then went on Meetup.com to the San Diego roleplay group and posted the idea of a group of flawed charactors traveling the Cluster Moons in a Firefly tour vehicle/studio/stage, playing shows and getting involved in espionage and larceny hijinks.

That was it. I had no plans, no players, just an idea I thought I should share in the hopes that somebody would take it and run with it and I might get to play in it. In my mind the games would be long passionate arguments about music and putting together imaginary albums using existing tunes, with occasional shoot’em-ups and chase scenes.

So about a week later I get a response through the Meetup system from a local saying "This sounds like fun, is there a seat available at the table?"

I explained to the respondent that there was no seat, no table, no game, and I was too lazy to do all the work to create and manage a game, and even if a game happened, I'd no interest in managing a game system, I just like to tell stories, drink at the gaming table, and laugh with others while making up ridiculous tales - my ex wife called it "Cowboys and Indians for adults, with rules".

Damn if the respondent didn't offer to be the numbers guy if I would be the story guy - now what was I supposed to do? We met for beers, and got along well - Dave is clever and imaginative, and plays trumpet. We agreed that we'd loosely base our game mechanics on the Fate system, and consider rules to be entirely optional at our discretion. He's an organized sort and I'm chaotic good at best.

Then it got difficult for me - I had no story. No idea for one either. But I'd agreed to come up with one. After several weeks, and some pirating of story lines from CJ Cherryh, Mick Herron and William Gibson, I had a hook to hang a tale on, but no players. So we began scouting for players - not an easy task. It's a niche game with limited appeal - I was hoping for music lovers who were roleplayers - my cohort Dave pointed out I just needed roleplayers who could pretend to care about music.

Eventually we found a group and tempted their leader into joining us. We played four games at a local gaming based brewery (Battlemage Brewery), and then things fell apart. They needed more shoot'em-ups, and there was little interest in music. So now I have a stalled scenario, one assured player (Dave), and a few PCs who might show up or not. Oh, and two hundred million credits cash in Woolongs, Starbux, Alliance specie and New Yen, that somebody expects us to launder and deliver to an as yet unknown destination.

Dave and I have discussed running the game online (Zoom?) or in email, and/or at breweries. I'm open to all of the above and any mix thereof - I just want people who care about music and have a sense of humor, and want to contribute to an ongoing story line. My beta team were accustomed to being spoon fed from a script, and not much experienced at creating content. Yes, I'm whining now.

This iteration of the Slow Horses band has released one album recorded at an asteroid fueling station, "Live at Leeds", and another untitled album of songs about robots and machines we put together in 24 hours at a deep space junkyard managed by an AI, after a catastrophic engine failure. We have just caught up to the mislaid shipment of cash, which is disguised as a pallet of used office equipment, and we are trying to decide what to do with it and our underaged stowaway fan we acquired at Leeds.

The lineup of the band known as Slow Horses has always been fluid, and we will be auditioning for musicians and support crew as part of the story. If you have any interest in participation at any level, spin a character concept that amuses you, and share it with us.

I'm hoping for flawed characters - Dave plays the heir to a pharmaceutical fortune on the run from his religious extremist family, our (probably not returning) guitarist is a disgraced military pilot, the (also probably not returning) bassist is just a wannabe badass, and the (probably intermittently showing up, he's cool, but his day job interferes) drummer has no flaws we can discern. 

Thanks for listening - what songs would you bring to an audition? (The band already knows both versions of "Secret Agent Man) :wink:
That's the combustion chamber of the turbo shaft. It is supposed to be on fire. You just don't usually see it but the case and fairing fell off.

Offline fotoguzzi

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Re: Invitation to a TTRPG - In person, online, or email
« Reply #1 on: March 17, 2023, 08:41:40 AM »
CIA Man, the Fugs
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Offline normzone

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Re: Invitation to a TTRPG - In person, online, or email
« Reply #2 on: March 17, 2023, 01:25:34 PM »
CIA Man, the Fugs

Wow, [fotoguzzi], I've never heard that one before - that's a fun song, and germane to the backstory behind the game.

Oh, and I realized there is some potential Guzzi content in the story. The bass player, Johnny Blaze, brought his dirt bike on board the ship with him when Jason Lamm acquired the current lineup of the band in New El Centro.

No reason it couldn't be a Guzzi, I just don't know which one. Older model probably, but I can't remember the name. I see it all the time on here ...
That's the combustion chamber of the turbo shaft. It is supposed to be on fire. You just don't usually see it but the case and fairing fell off.

Offline John A

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Re: Invitation to a TTRPG - In person, online, or email
« Reply #3 on: March 17, 2023, 11:13:07 PM »
 Next time I get stuck coming up with a story , l think I will look over archetypes to see if one fits . I think there is always a story about an archetypical character that will tell itself. That’s probly the lazy way but I don’t write much for I’m mostly illiterate in my old age. Hell, I didn’t even understand a lot of your post but I think I got the gist of it.  :huh: how about Danger Man by the David Bromberg band? https://youtu.be/6QC0BCk2qy0
Then there’s Don’t put that thing on me https://youtu.be/9lNZ0cjWnOU
« Last Edit: March 17, 2023, 11:21:24 PM by John A »
John
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Re: Invitation to a TTRPG - In person, online, or email
« Reply #3 on: March 17, 2023, 11:13:07 PM »

 

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