BitD has a lot of different cool mechanics that might be actual “scenes” if the group decides they’re interested in the details.
I’m finding as I run it that I want to try to be more explicit about the level of detail we’re going to get into for any given mechanic before we enter into it. Whether it’s first or third person, how much is actual dialogue and how much is a conveyance of the general nature of a conversation, etc. These are things I struggle with a bit when running all RPGs.
The game is flexible enough that nothing breaks and we can navigate through it, but following some of the scenes I feel like either:
1) I didn’t provide a level of detail/color that was sufficient for the scene because I didn’t quite have a handle on the level of detail that would be appropriate when entering into the scene/mechanic and
2) The other players and I may have had different expectations about how much would be covered or glossed over.
You can negotiate all that during or before and it’s fine but I’ll be curious what the final game text says about some of these issues. While we’re playing I feel like we’re sort of “finding our way forward with generosity” similar to games like Fiasco or Archipelago, but with mechanics more akin some other games.
It’s going to take some practice, I think.
Take a stronger hand in managing the context for scenes and rolls, if you want to. That’s totally within bounds for a Blades GM.
“Okay, hang on… let’s pause for a sec. Let me set the scene here first and tell you what’s going on, then you can jump in with what your characters are doing.”
Totally fine.
One element in our game, Matt, is that all four of us are seasoned GMs, and we naturally fall into a more co-GMing style when we play together. I’ve noticed it slip into an Archipelago mode a few times, too.
It’s very different from my Thursday Blades group. There’s nothing particular about Blades that demands a looser approach to detail or scene framing, though. We can definitely “tighten up” and play more traditionally so that zoom-level and scope of action is more consistent.
And also, yes: this is something I should talk about in the book.
Yeah, I guess I’m making less of a commentary on Blades than on our particular game.
But if a group dynamic tends to move either naturally or intentionally towards Archipelago-mode it feels like there are potentially more things in Blades to negotiate relative to Fiasco or Archipelago. In those games you know you’re looking at exactly eight or twelve or fifteen scenes across your playtime and in Fiasco you’re looking at a strict one resolution mechanic = one scene economy.
The QS has an awesome example of play for a Score in motion but there are not yet template examples for how a gather information or project or vice roll might go if the group decides not to just gloss those.
I’m not so much concerned about the division of authority in either Blades or in our group in particular so much as helpful textual advice on how one might manage those expectations for different kinds of scenes. Defaults to negotiate towards or away from.
I’m considering playing a GMless session. There doesn’t seem to be anything in the QS rules that necessitate a separate GM AFAICT.
Yeah, I think co-GM’d / GMless is very easy with this game.
The “first player” mechanic is super-helpful for going without a GM. That way if there are any decisions to be made, or interpretations, someone can do it quickly and with minimal ambiguity, and the “first player” moves each scene so everyone gets a chance.
I’m using that for the GM-less Axes and Anvils play style.
I like the scene framing advice that Vx gives for In a Wicked Age, and I’m sure John has something similar planned for the full rules.
Scene Framing is such a particular skill that is heavily dependent on the mechanics and system at hand. I really like the way Blades currently spells out the need for establishing the fictional parameters before any given roll – What is the Goal? What is the Danger? How much effect do you need to quantify before overcoming the obstacle? Who is helping and how?
Establishing the scene (as a group) goes a long may to answering these questions.
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