Emirikol the Chaotic

[subplotkudzu]

It's becoming clear to me that I lack the mental energy in a post-baby universe to run the Revolution game the way I want. I can't be guaranteed of having anywhere near enough sleep the night before the session, or enough concentration the week before to get the multitude of plots and sub plots sorted out. At the session proper we've been digressing a lot lately (not aided by having a toddler around for the last 3rd of every session) and while we're having a fun time it's not producing the immersive and sometimes intense gaming that I want from the game.

In short, I end each session with a mixed feeling of enjoyment and frustration at lost opportunities. No one's doing anything wrong, it's just we have a new reality, and I have to adapt to it. Hence, this month or next is probably the last Revolution game for a while - time to put that one back on the shelf until the kids are older.

So what to do next?


I know that ladegard mentioned possibly running a Weapons of the Gods game, but I also know myself well enough to know that if I'm not running something I'll go quietly mad - and netcurmudgeon is currently behind the screen with my other group. For ease of strain on my psyche I'm thinking of something fairly episodic, low impact and tolerant of digressions, and that means some sort of fantasy, likely in D&D. Both Bec and Cambias said they were cool with that (and this is my sneaky way of getting Ladegard's input), and then Cambias kicked something over in my head by saying he'd never been in a swashbuckler game that got off the ground.

What fell out from that kick was Trampier's Emirikol the Chaotic picture from the 1st edition DMG. I always found that scene, especially the city it presented, as evocative, but nevr felt I got the city right in any other game. A group of lower level (campaign running from, say, 1st to 6th level to keep the fencing matches gritty) fighters, rogues et al in such a city, with a conflict between Law and Chaos, a noble 'phoenix guard' type group for the PCs to aspire towards, with extensive docks and waterborne trade if the players want do some privateering, and tombs of old, dead imperial lines filled with ancient treasures to be unearthed, sounds like it could work.

I'd have a couple of pre-set dungeon tombs for the weeks when I have minimal brain power, and more complicated urban plots for the weeks when I'm better off. I've always found D&D easy to run and plan for, and the setting should keep the kudzu to a minimum.

More on this as it develops.

Comments

[ladegard.livejournal.com]

Well, I don't mind the genre at all. Of course, part of me notes that this seems to be your default fallback campaign and itterations of it doesn't always last for many sessions.

My only real problem is that I'm not sure D&D is a good match for the genre. Maybe one of the flavoured books, like parts of Iron Heroes, or maybe another system would be better.

[brianrogers.livejournal.com]

Of course, part of me notes that this seems to be your default fallback campaign and itterations of it doesn't always last for many sessions.

I'm not sure I follow that. With this group the last fallback was the Mecha Space Western, which was vry much not swashbuckler fantasy. Then the Harkness Academy on shot, which was more mecha. Prior to that was the ED game, which was fantasy, but much more 'kids from small town entering the world' fantasy, and that lasted through 2 story arcs and 6 sessions. The last time I tried to run swashbucker fantasy was back in college, and that was my usual 'make it up as I go' farrago of nonsense, with me focusing on the journey and you wondering when the hell we were going to get there. Since I'm starting you in the city this time - with some pre-game discussion of PC goals - this will not be a problem.

In any event, I only plan on this going somewhere between 6 months and a year.

As for changing systems, I know that D&D is sub optimal, but it's also the one I have internalized where everyone owns the rulebook. If one of the goals is to keep my brain from melting in an overload of game planning, learning a new system is contra-indicated. I'm willing to look at other D&D books that I could mine from (I've already added some feats from Heroes of Battle) but I'm certainly not moving to a whole different mechanic. In some ways the structured nature of D&D makes it easier for me, in ways that moving to, say, BESM would not.

[brianrogers.livejournal.com]

Annother thought - I'd like to seee some more cultural backing to the fencing styles that the feats and skills represent (for skills read: Bluff for fenting and Tumbling for evading). If you want to join me in cobbling together something of that sort, I'd be down with that.

I have just printed out "honor most criminal", "Martial Arts of Yrth", "Western Way of War" and "Vichten Unde Schirmen" from the Pyramid achives to get some better ideas on what those styles might entail.

[ladegard.livejournal.com]

More than happy to.