My favorite. I could gush about that book for hours.
I think at least part of is something to do with that first one: it’s very easy to add something to the game when it really exists and you can point to it and say “this is not too abnormal.”
And personally, I also like having the second one in play too. I love a good action scene, but having those moments of characters just hanging out and letting things occur in the moment are nice too.
Having said that, I think another thing that helped the last couple of well-liked games was that the group had goals, but had latitude in how to accomplish those goal and the goals weren’t all encompassing. Let’s look at some example:
Masks: Team of superheroes, protecting the city. But in 50-ish sessions we only ever got into (I think) eight super hero fights, the rest was left up to us to explore our own goals, interact with cool NPCs and inhabit our characters.
Demigods: Team of demigods, protecting Kronos. But we also had a party, went to the underworld, and went on double dates.
Scum and Villainy: Team of smugglers… though not really, because no one was really invested in the smuggling part, more like a team of space weirdos doing… well not smuggling. Mostly space repo.
Fellowship: Team of champions of various factions, fighting an evil overlord. Did meet a lot of fun NPCs, but it’s not like we could continually interact with them because we were constantly on the move and they weren’t. I specifically remember a conversation mostly going “I really like this NPC, I’d like to have them around, but I don’t want them to lose the things that make them cool by being a companion.” That is an issue.
In further notes, looks like I might be out the last week of March (week of the 30th) and some more weeks going forward. More info as I get it, but it looks like BAU for me is that there is no BAU.
I guess I can just also suggest the obvious. If people enjoyed Masks, just run Masks again If people didn’t enjoy it, I haven’t heard that yet. Ditto other games people enjoyed in the past.
I will note that we had initially decided to go to other games as a palate cleanser from masks and that was at least half a year ago. I know my palate at least is cleansed.
Yyyyessss … that sounds right. For a couple of reasons:
It makes for easy/familiar roleplay.
It supports powers and abilities and skills and goals that are not just “I SLAY MANY, MANY THINGS.”
The conflict here is in the game system – it encourages connections with NPCs and adding them to the Fellowship Entourage … but that always felt a bit weird because the eponymous group … didn’t do that. If anything, it shed members over time.
We certainly teed that up as a possibility at the time. Options that come to mind:
Something completely new – a fresh city, fresh heroes, a whole new world.
A continuation of what we had (with suitable evolutions as folk feel comfortable with).
The Next Gen. The children (or mentees) of Jason and Alycia. Leo and Aria’s kids. Etc. Magus Charlotte as mentor / quest-giver. All that jazz.
Same city, new characters/team, with a decent smattering of crossovers from the olden days.
I would be totally into 2-4, and probably okay with 1.
Not the only thing in the world possible, and there’s always that risk of trying to recapture the lightning in the bottle, but … I’d be game, if someone felt inspired to run it.
Speaking of Masks and getting the band back together, I find it very serendipitous that someone on Reddit brought up this same topic. Nothing too substantial on the thread yet, but just interesting coincidence.
Alright, we are T-5 days till game. Where are people’s feelings at with games? Do we wanna try a new Masks game or something else?
I ask only cause if I have to start learning a new rules set I want some heads up, and even coming up with a character. I’d personally cast my vote for Masks but I’m good with whatever.
Since I’m not offering to run a game[1], and I’m pretty flexible on the whole thing, I don’t feel like my opinion is all that helpful aside from encouragement.
I’d vote for Masks, but sort of in the “Sure, mushrooms on the pizza is fine, I like them” kind of way – the cool think is we’re gaming (having pizza) and as long as it’s not a Roll20 version of “Puerto Rico” (pineapple and anchovies), I’m cool.
I am still out of pocket moving, though I should still be available Monday. Masks is cool with me, though I am also open to any alternatives anyone else wants. In the end though, want I most want to play is whatever someone is excited to run.
Man there are a lot of PbtA games that assume only 4 players + GM, max. I want to do Uncanny Echo, frex, but it’s literally impossible for our group.
In this subset of Limited by Players Supported
Girl Underground - rpg about a curious girl in a wondrous world, inspired by Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Labyrinth, Wizard of Oz, Spirited Away, etc. We all play the girl. None of us play the girl. Doesn’t work with six people.
Henshin - Super fighting powers. Melodrama. Assumes a group of five. Comes with some pre-proposed worlds (I like the one where everyone’s in the same gaming group and the monster manual is haunted and evil, but that’s me). Bill and Mike are familiar with many of the tropes.
inSpectrs: Gig Economy - basically InSpectres, but instead of a franchise, you’ve got the inSpectrs smartphone app and the pressure to deliver a full-service monster killing experience to earn that elusive five-star rating from your clients.
Zombie World - It’s three weeks into the end of the world. Wash your hands. Don’t touch your face. Wipe your crowbar down with clorox wipes after every use.
Longer than short
Masks - off the top of my head:
Something loosely based on the Unbound world setups
Menagerie 616
“You’re all Green Lanterns/BatFam/Kryptonians/abilities in common whatevers, but everyone still has different playbooks. Go.”
Sepiaverse after the world re-separated. Possible that’s not actually a Masks game, but whatever.
World Wide Wrestling - seems like something lots of folks were into doing at one point.
Urban Shadows - urban fantasy with a focus on faction machinations
Legacy, Life Amongst the Ruins - which has within it several possible settings. I like the spacefaring one that reskins to something Expanse-like.
Henshin - Play. I’m not equipped to GM, I don’t think.
inSpectrs: Gig Economy - Run. I have a vague funny ideas. This is definitely a more tongue-in-cheek modern-day parody thing.
Rapscallion - Either.
Masks - I’m down to play or GM. All the pitches I’ve listed interest me in different ways.
World Wide Wrestling - Happy with either.
Urban Shadows - I think this might be neat to GM.
Legacy, Life Amongst the Ruins - You know what might be neat with this? Rotating GMs, every generation. Just a thought. In either case, I’m happy with either.
Put another way, with an answer that’s SLIGHTLY different as it includes Henshin, I’m down at LEAST to GM anything I mentioned above. Probably others, but certainly those.
I will PLAY anything but pre 5th edition DnD, and probably Amber diceless.
If I have to force-rank stuff… heck, I dunno. Masks, the inSpectrs thing, everything else.
OH I FORGOT
There’s also Die For You, which is here, inspired by this.
It scans as urban fantasy coffee shop AU written by someone who knows a LOT about VtM.
I feel awkward being the executive-decision guy here, but if I spin up a Masks-616 category on forums and we plan to do that starting Monday, is that cool?