tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-419954285951475789.post5498914820568853615..comments2024-01-17T04:31:44.325+01:00Comments on Orbital Crypt: Marching Back East: Lessons Learned from Running an Open Table Game Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-419954285951475789.post-51220232440681325282021-12-03T05:15:11.498+01:002021-12-03T05:15:11.498+01:00Not only does this post contain great advice for r...Not only does this post contain great advice for running a hexcrawl/open table, it has great advice for running a game *period*. Splendid post!Ancalagon_TBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13602961033235852856noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-419954285951475789.post-27831214395952409302021-11-08T20:35:32.754+01:002021-11-08T20:35:32.754+01:00I swore I wouldn't do this sort of thing again...I swore I wouldn't do this sort of thing again after the last time, and here you are making me yearn for this sort of game all over again. :D Thanks for the write-up.Diaghilevhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08352692362913914338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-419954285951475789.post-56800881733627199932021-11-08T11:02:07.084+01:002021-11-08T11:02:07.084+01:00Nice! Westerns and their kin are honestly underrep...Nice! Westerns and their kin are honestly underrepresented - I remember a play report (that of course I can't track down now) that turned 1e Boot Hill into a dramatic sandbox narrative experience, and it inspired me a lot in my own efforts. <br /><br />As for players leaving notes and that kind of thing: if you want them to do it, you could make a point of telling them that they can do it. I (foolishly) got the ball rolling in my game by setting up one or two "fake" player-made notes, which immediately made it clear to players that this is something they can do. Of course, it's still a matter of personality, and you need the right type of players, but once it gets started it's a riot. Just make sure that your notekeeping tech is able to handle it!kriptohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03450162325748185405noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-419954285951475789.post-33970121777434334452021-11-08T10:38:34.596+01:002021-11-08T10:38:34.596+01:00Incredibly inspiring for me. I once ran a huge ope...Incredibly inspiring for me. I once ran a huge open table game (Western themed) and I've been chasing the high ever since. Every once in a while I get discouraged and think I'll never pull it off again, but I know when I do it'll be worth it.<br /><br />Also, leaving notes in dungeons and stuff-that would be a dream come true for me to see a player do. I explore mines and caves as a hobby, and notes left by previous explorers is hugely helpful and has likely saved my life more than once. Plus, it's fun to see a creepy skull painted on a dark wall 1,000 feet underground.Cajbajhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05436748401691022950noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-419954285951475789.post-75785646995012207332021-10-07T23:05:46.466+02:002021-10-07T23:05:46.466+02:00Makes perfect sense. Thanks!Makes perfect sense. Thanks!Taxonomyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08003371287386897033noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-419954285951475789.post-54817784256191057512021-10-07T01:16:18.281+02:002021-10-07T01:16:18.281+02:00Thank you for reading!
It was really just a matt...Thank you for reading! <br /><br />It was really just a matter of agreement with the players. The premise was "adventurer gold rush", and the valley was the sole focus of that. I made this clear from the start: whenever I sat down newbies to explain the basics, one of the first lines I gave them was "This game takes place solely within the valley. If you leave the boundaries of the setting, your character has ceased being a part of this game until they come back." <br /><br />Nobody ever even questioned this technically-limited scope of the game. The setting felt huge, mysterious and hook-filled; and the materials never made detailed reference to external locations (if you tell your players about a cool faraway place you're just asking for trouble), so players never even thought about going somewhere else. <br /><br />As long you start them off with the right expectations, and make it clear that the entire point of your game is the part of the world that has a hex grid over it, you'll be golden. kriptohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03450162325748185405noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-419954285951475789.post-61287500954413588952021-10-07T00:01:16.370+02:002021-10-07T00:01:16.370+02:00This is an amazing account, and extremely useful. ...This is an amazing account, and extremely useful. Thank you for writing it.<br /><br />I have a question: How do you justify the conceit of a sandbox with defined boundaries (however vast) in-world? Is it just a tacit meta-rule that no one will try to go "off map"? Or is there some game-world logic that prevents or discourages it?Taxonomyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08003371287386897033noreply@blogger.com