Ran my 16th session of BitD today for a group of complete strangers, from the group only one player plays Games newer than Ten years (exept pathfinder but thats a D&D variant for me)
I was rather surprised, how fast they excepted stress/trauma systems and liked it a lot to trade in with wounds.
They fastly adapted the dice pool and resistance system (I use 7-Roll or just said 1,2 or 3 stress for minor injuries)
I skipped Controll/Risk/Desperate distinctions entirely to not confuse them. And decided the outcomes of fails on my decision.
No Duskwell but a random City named Hollowshire. No complex relation / faction tracks, just some noble and patrician houses.
I think for a quickstart play in 3-4hrs its taking to long with full rules. So i see my edit as a lot faster.
They liked that the characters are “prepacked” with a full Equipment pile. But wonder about longterm micromanagement. And they liked how the bestfriend and rival on the sheets are giving plenty of Plot and relation points.
Its getting more and more easier for me to improvise on the fly.
We had a full teamup of all 5 playbooks in the round. They decided to choose the Physician Marwyn (a mad scientice) as their patron and had their lair hidden under his workshop, as they choosed Workshop and Carriage House as Lair options as well as Everyone Steals as ability.
I always start by appointing a Leader and a treasurer of the Thiefs. Slide became “the face” of the group and its missionbroker and treasurer while the Cutter became leader.
I asked how they would like to earn some cash. DW style: What do you do?
Slide did got to Nyxx the prostitute who ran a crew of prodtitutes and streetworkers as well as a human trafficking buisness. She asked to be protected on a party, Rumbsey one of the criminal noble houses.
Cutter and Whisper both got lost trying to get their Vices, Gambling and Drugs to meet new people and failed a lot with their rolls and got lost in the slums. The Lurk tried to talk to his beggar friend, but was swarmed by the spirit warden, who created a Quarantain Zone. Strange spiderlike undeads wreck Havock in the quarters Till the other lost Whisper and Cutter arrived all at that scene and Quickly finished up 6 Click monsters with no more than 2-3 strikes per creature.
Meanwhile the hound found the Headhunters Guild and tried to spy on his rival, but failed and got some stress by a provocation on form of a broken Glas in his head.
The whisper was tackled by an undead and now seeking the cutters medical contact. Who was hired for 1 Coin and Healed with ghostpowers.
Additionaly the slide got asked by their partner to get illegal Machine parts out of an old dock-building.
To be continued
Uncanny!
My Quickstart set up is a coastal Town named Hollowshire too!
And I skiped the factions and introduced a few (4 Noble houses) with distinct areas of influence. (Bank Family, Old Royal Family, Military/Industrial Family, Merchant Family and a Sea-Trading Company)
I asked, them to name one which has troubles with them and one with an ally.
Than asked them how they want to earn money.
The choosed Nyxx and Marwynn as allies.
So damn close 😀