Wulf Corbett wrote
> This sounds EXACTLY like my perception of the situation at my group,
> made all the worse by there being too many people in the group -
> frequently 6-8. That many people NOT joining in forces you to adopt
> an old-fashioned style of leading 'em by the nose. Which also, by the
> way, is the way the other two groups in the club seem to play, with
> no complaints.
fact is that I 'warned' my players [4 male, 1 female] before we ever started HW. I gave
them the choice between CoC, 3e, HW and something else I forgot,
mentioning pros and cons in a neutral way [no doubt I was strongly
biased towards Hero Wars, but hid it :)]. they chose Glorantha *and* narrative
style of gaming.
resetting back to [I may quote you]
'an old-fashioned style of leading 'em by the nose' isn't an option
for me, because I don't think HW provides a satisfying approach to
this. I've seen an alarming number of people playing high level-RuneQuest with
the Hero Wars rules and I didn't like it at all.
We've seen lots of people on this list that tried to reintroduce
number-crunching and simulationism into HW, so I don't think that's my
subjective perception only.
I can't see a way to use the strengths of Hero Wars and Glorantha that
way and that makes planning a rather unreliable thing, too.
I tweaked John Hughes' 'Everything Is Thunder'-scenario to fit into my campaign, and though we didn't play it yet, I fear that it will be a rather dull affair, just because my players are either blissfully ignorant concerning Glorantha/Heortlings/Orlanth/etc [I even translated Taroskarla/the individual cults/the first quarter of TR to get them into! not a chance.] or passively sitting there to be entertained by me and to roll some dice a couple of times each session.
don't get me wrong, I like each of them, and they *want* to play, even *want* Hero Wars and Glorantha.
but due time constraints and sheer inability to implement anything from the setting that is not pseudo-medieval europe *and* the fact that they are not used to the fact that *they* decide, too, I find it hard to stay with Hero Wars.
> And it's why we've split off a small group of just three of us to
> play Donjon, Sorcerer and maybe some other stuff to get in the way of
> Narrative, Director-stance (I'm getting into these buzz-words...) RPG
> play.
lucky you.
I dream of experiencing Dying Earth one day...
> How many are in your group? have you tried splitting the group for a
> few sessions (assuming it would leave the rest of the group a viable
> number to game)?
we've kicked a number cruncher early, though it wasn't my idea. the other players found he did not fit into the group. I was happy about it, but didn't say so [better remaining neutral, methinks :)]. that leaves 3 guys and one girl, all academics in their late twenties, all but one with prior RPG-experiences [10 years+]. but it seems they still don't get the hang of it...
splitting the group....hmmmm.... maybe I could do a split between the more active and the passive players. but this would be 2 groups with 2 players each. could work if there would be at least a single player who could be showcased - "look him/her! that's the way it's supposed to work!'. however....:/
Ian Cooper wrote
> One thing I would say now is that I think that Hero Wars does offer a
> comfortable enough middle ground between say Pendragon and something
> like Cold Mountain (http://pages.prodigy.net/idyoung/cold.htm).
> Running a session of the latter as a one-shot might mean people can
> relate to the differences of Hero Wars to BRP-style games, which are
> far less extreme. I guess though you have been trying this with
> Donjon.
I used Donjon by pure coincidence because I needed to prepare a
one-shot and thought it could be great fun.
actually it *was* fun, but the kind of you can have with any system
used as one-shot - chaotic, goofy, slapstick.
it wasn't fun because of the system, it was fun despite the system.
>
> Also don't be afraid at the beginning to avoid worrying about new
> style or old style or what you should be achieving aim to have fun
> with.
I tried to introduce things step by step, but after 10 sessions still have the same feeling as I had after the second. it just doesn't advance...
> Run Hero Wars one-shots until it begins to click rather than
> necessarily embarking on a full-blooded campiagn.
I fear my players are in RPGs to experience grand campaigns, and aren't willing to do characters for one-shots.
> People worry less
> and just get into it more when they don't feel they are making a
> permanent choice.
they want Hero Wars and Glorantha, but it seems that's not the Hero Wars and the Glorantha *I* want.
-- Stets und wieder, Stefan 28.11.2002 mailto:stefan.drawert_at_...
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