10 games (of Mafia) later...

[Greentitch]

First of all I'd like to thank everyone who's taken part in the games of Mafia so far. I think they have generally been a great success and have definitely entertained me (which after all was the whole point).

As you all may or may not know, me and Abi are due to have a baby (it'll be here in the next week). Therefore my forum access (and generally computer access) over the next few weeks is a complete unknown. I won't be running any more Mafia games for this period due to the commitment it requires. I do encourage other people to run the games (go sign to Titi's game) and I may take part in them (there's a moderator thread if you are interested).

I know that some people have got bored with the Mafia game (and after 10 games over 3 months I'm not entirely surprised). I also know that other people are still enjoying it lots and I don't want to discourage them from continuing. I really like the idea of playing forum games here as it's a good group of people. Therefore over the next couple of weeks I'm going to spend my free time (if I have any) considering new things we can do to mix it up a bit.

One idea that I really would like to explore is playing a proper RPG (some of you must be old and/or geeky enough to have played some pen and paper games). It will obviously take some fiddling to make it work not only on the forums, but with our particular mix of activity levels. As you know, RPGs involve a mix of talking crap and rolling dice; both of which I think we are all quite good at. People seem to enjoy the role-playing aspect of the Mafia game, but it's obviously not the best background for it. I'd therefore like to run an RPG that relies more heavily on the interacting with each other and the NPCs than the dice-rolling and dragon-slaying.

Since we all have real life commitments outside of this forum I would try and run it as a series of small adventures. Each week you could commit to playing for a few days and we'd take the "party" off to do something fun. People who could commit less time during that week might be able to play a character that the party meets for example. There's obviously a lot of planning needed to get this right but I think it could be a lot of fun.

Now, you might have managed to read all of the drivel above or you might just have skipped to the last paragraph. The main thing I'd like to see here to begin with is a discussion of what RPGs people have played and what kind of setting you'd be interested in (Fantasy, modern day, Sci-Fi, Star Wars, etc.) Also a show of hands of people who think they'd like to take part in a test run at some point would be cool.

[Septih]

Not played any proper DnD style games other than computer based ones. I've enjoyed Fallout 3 which is post-nuclear apocalypse. Star Wars was a bit meh and I think generic Fantasy gets a bit old. I think I'd prefer something sort of steampunk, old but with the ability to make allusions to modern day things. I also like the Cthulhu Mythos

[FragZero]

(next week already Oo)

And a fallout type environment would be awesome!

I participated in one of the first games but it was not a great succes, convincing ppl isn't my thing, certainly not in english but this might me more fun!

[Commando]

My experience of pen-and-paper RPGs is limited to one evening when I stood in for someone else in a game, the name of which I can't even remember. It was something about immortals who have to appear human but have supernatural abilities they need to use but must conceal? It was quite good fun, and I've always wondered what playing in a full game would be like.

I liked roleplaying Kirk in the last game, despite some people thinking I was Horatio Caine or House(?!), but yeah, Mafia isn't the best game to RP in. I'd be up for any kind of RPG setting, I think.

[Septih]

Alternatively we could move CTS to a RP server?

[FragZero]

Alternatively we could move CTS to a RP server?

Move
Rename to "We love Vince"

[Kapoentje]

Interested!

[Greentitch]

I'm looking at Call of Cthulhu as a RPG to try out. It's basically a horror RPG set in the world of H.P. Lovecraft (if you know nothing about Cthulhu then go Google it or think Yogg-Saron; the WoW old gods are very much based on the Cthulhu mythology). I have to strongly recommend against reading any scenarios that are available on the internet (including those within source books for the game). I might be using them and you're really only spoiling the game for yourself if you read them before hand.

Here's the synopsis of the game from wikipedia:

The setting of Call of Cthulhu is a darker version of our world, based on H. P. Lovecraft's observation (from his short essay, Supernatural Horror in Literature) that "The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown." There are three primary eras of the original (BRP) game: the 1920s, the setting of many of Lovecraft's stories; the 1890s Gaslight supplements, a blend of occult and Holmesian mystery and mostly set in England; and modern conspiracy (Cthulhu Now). Recent additions include 1000 AD (Cthulhu: Dark Ages), 23rd Century (Cthulhu Rising) and Roman times (Cthulhu Invictus). The protagonists may also travel to places that are not of this earth, represented in the Dreamlands (which can be accessed through dreams as well as being physically connected to the earth), as well as travel to other planets or the voids of space.

The players take the roles of ordinary people drawn into the realm of the mysterious: detectives, criminals, scholars, artists, war veterans, etc. Often, happenings begin innocently enough, until more and more of the workings behind the scenes are revealed. As the characters learn more of the true horrors of the world and the irrelevance of humanity, their sanity (represented by 'Sanity Points', abbreviated SAN) inevitably withers away. The game includes a mechanism for determining how damaged a character's sanity is at any given point; encountering the horrific beings usually triggers a loss of SAN points. To gain the tools they need to defeat the horrors – mystic knowledge and magic – the characters must be willing to give up some of their sanity.
Call of Cthulhu has a reputation as a game in which it is quite common for a player character to die in gruesome circumstances or end up in a mental institution. Unlike in most other role-playing games, eventual triumph of the players is not assumed.

As you may have read there are various settings (time periods). Personally I'd like to start with the 1920s settings as that's where the game first was played (and where I've played it). Think old gangster movies or the Mafia (PC/Console) games. One of the reasons I chose the game is because it involves a lot of investigating and interacting with the world as opposed to fighting (which tends to be a slow and involved process in pen and paper RPGs).
Please note that it won't be like playing a computer RPG. Levelling up and gaining skills isn't something that happens all the time and most definitely isn't the aim. There are puzzles to solve and you have to solve them, there's no multiple choice. Think of it more like a point-and-click adventure than a action RPG; you'll spend most of your time talking to people and searching scary places. Combat in Cthulhu often involves running away because you are only normal people (an accountant and a doctor for example)...

[ash]

I keep thinking this is Limmy's Adventure Quest =(

check it on youtube

Welcome traveller to adventure quest! I am your guide blah blah blah, you are in a room, there is one door and no other exit. What would you like to do?

Open the door!!

You go to the door, you put your hand on the knob. You open the door. You die.

Welcome next caller, to adventure quest! I am your guide blah blah blah, you are in a room, there is one door and no other exit. What would you like to do?

err

[Septih]

I've already read the 3 main stories

[Greentitch]

I've already read the 3 main stories

Knowing the background is fine (though this doesn't necessarily mean your character will). The stories are used as background, the scenarios you play are simply other investigations based in the Cthulhu Mythos.

[Brechnar]

I would be up for trying this out as well

[Greentitch]

Hopefully some of you will find the new home for this topic (and the Mafia game forum).

You'll see a sticky in this forum concerning a Investigator's Handbook. This should be an interesting (if lengthy) guide to the world of Call of Cthulhu (henceforth shortening to CoC or Call Of). If you are interested in playing you might want to think about the kind of character you'd like to play. Don't worry about statistics and numbers, just a background story, occupation and skills. You'll find the information you need in the documents linked in the sticky.

[Kapoentje]

Time to rewatch Boardwalk Empire to get the lingo down

[Kryten]

Never done anything like this before. Would be up for giving it a try. How much time would this sort of game likely take up on a weekly basis do you think?