Ran my first game in quite some time this afternoon/evening, a Prime Time Adventures game set in Victorian England -- but one where the Fae have openly returned to the world.  Our heroes play a mysterious organization seeking to solve crimes that may involve the Fae, and to bring the guilty to justice, no matter whose feathers that might ruffle ...

Had Margie, Doyce, and Kate along for the ride.  Even though we'd thrashed out the setting and all via e-mail for a few weeks, we still ended up spending a couple of hours, easily, up front on working out the details and characters, and more time struggling through some of the rule structures (it's not that the rules are complex, but that they require rethinking of what conflicts are about before you resolve them). 

Good stuff, all told, and I was pleased by how things turned out (and by everyone else wanting to carry on with it).  We had to break for Kate to go pack and head for the airport, so the pilot episode's turned into a two-parter.  Ironic, because I had a nascent plot in mind that got delayed far too long to run through, so I did a sudden shift to something else that required me a while to actually figure out.  If I'd known we were going to a two-parter, I could have kept the original plot -- except that the new one actually works better (and I still have the original in my back pocket for the post-pilot series).

Doyce was taking notes, so I'm dependent on him to wait for the game logs -- I'll post a reminder when we get it.  Biggest problem at the moment is that we have no series title.  Various suggested ideas (of which there've only been a few -- "Department M," "Fae Britannia") have fallen flat.  We're looking for something catchy, something that captures the era and subject matter.  Anyone out there have any ideas?

If nothing else, I've learned a lot more about the Victorian era, esp. around the year 1890, than I thought I ever would need to.  A fun time.

Filed under :: Gaming
Link · Print · Edit · TR/G

Fayre Britannia?
Spritely London?

(it's not that the rules are complex, but that they require rethinking of what conflicts are about before you resolve them)

In talking to Kate about the different types of 'traditional' RPGs versus story-game RPGs, I opined that the trad games are sometimes a lot easier to grasp as far as 'what do I roll and what am I trying to do here?' than a game like PTA, both in part because we're all more familiar with the trad games, and because that whole concept is *easier*.

In short, a trad game is more like a video game, and PTA is more like writing a story -- both are entertaining and fun (if you like such things at all), but the latter is ... well, *harder*, especially if you're out of practice a bit, or just learning the ropes.

Reminds me, though, that I still LIKE those trad 'video games' and that I should have a game running that feeds that enjoyment as well.

For myself, the best show name I can think of so far is Ill Met by Moonlight. :P So I'll keep thinking.

The "trad" games focus very much on a discrete thing to do: "I want to hit the orc with my sword." "I want to move quietly past the door." "I want to drop a fireball in that room." PTA lets you manage that by auctorial fiat, within the bounds of addressing the Mordenesque question, "What do you want?" What is it that your character is seeking ("I want to be safe," "I want to outwit the temple guardian," "I want to impress Princess Sookee with my l337 magical skillz") and then resolving the conflict to determine if you pull that off. Which makes sense, because really that's what most people (extrapolated from "I") want from most RPGs -- to be heroic in some fashion, which doesn't necessarily mean the nuts-and-bolts "do I manage to hit *this* time with the sword?" but dealing with the why and how of that heroism.

But it is a shift in how conflicts get framed, and (esp. in a group conflict) it takes a bit to get collective arms around it.

----

Re the Naming of Names: Something with "Gaslight" in it, perhaps. "Ill Met by Gaslight"? "Glamours by Gaslight"?

Face Powder and Fairy Dust
High Spirits
Hunt and Puck
Lords & Ladies (Terry Pratchett got it first)
Brownies & Bodice Rippers
Redcaps & Redcoats
Hemlock Holmes, Fae Detective
Hm...

Bobbies and Boggies
Cops and Robins
Goodfellows ... wait, that's already been done

The "Department 'M'" that the group belongs to is M-for-Midsummer, some internal wag's reference to Shakespeare's fairy play. "Midsummer Murders" is nearly already taken, but something with that word in it (that wouldn't be confused for something related to the time of year) might work.

Basic thematic elements: Victorian England, gritty investigations, high court politics, conspiracy and mystery, cops, fae and magic.

Murder Most Fae
Nixie's the One!

(Okay, now I'm just getting silly, I know)

Does it help to know that the "show" is meant to be running on BBC?

"Gaslight Gumshoes"

"MPI: London" (or whatever initialism you like; it doesn't have to be the Ministry of Paranormal Investigations) (Would it be "of" or "for"?)

I rather like the Ill Met by Gaslight suggestion. Also like the bits with 'Glamour' in them.

BBC tends (in my mind) to use a lot of very simple show titles. "Coupling" "Spooks" "The Office."

Hmm... how's this for a teaser poster for the show.

Gas-lit street, a man standing on the cobblestone street, looking to his left: top hat, great coat. (Could even be a bobby, I suppose.) Some clawed shadows reaching for him from the other direction.

Bottom center of the poster, in red:

fey

Nice and simple.

The second poster for the show would contain this bit:

"fey" 1 fated to die, DOOMED, marked by a foreboding of death or calamity 2 marked by an otherworldly air or attitude, CRAZY, TOUCHED 3 excessively refined, PRECIOUS, quaintly unconventional

BBC 2, Thursdays, 7p

I suppose first we need to decide if we're going to use "Fey," "Fay," or "Fae." :-)

"Fae P.D."

Or, heck, going with the idea that BBC uses short, pithy titles:

"Midsummer"

Which ties to the Shakespeare -- and which I could easily tie into some other metaplot timing.

Or, continuing the simple theme:

"Gaslight"

I'll note, by the way, that the original series pitch from a couple of years ago was "Shadows by Moonlight," which works. Or "Shadows by Gaslight," to make it more Victorian.

I like Midsummer because it's vague a bit and touches on lots of stuff in the show.

I dislike Gaslight because it doesn't incorporate the fae part.

I'm willing to go to "Midsummer" as a final proposal to the other players ...

I am SO running a CSI: Fey called "Grim Morgue."

After careful consultation and a couple of votes, "Ill Met by Gaslight" barely edged out "Midsummer." Thanks for everyone's suggestions!