Sunday, August 24, 2014

Morgan's 2014 Square One RPG Day

Sunday, 24 Aug 2014 11am - 6pm (game ended at about 3:30pm)
GM: Mike "Aniki" Montesa
System: The Mountain Witch
Number of Players: 5
Characters: Created at the table
The icy peak of Mt. Fuji looms overhead, concealing a dark terror so great no one has ever attempted to confront it. Yet you have come.

More money than you ever dreamed of was laid at your feet if you would undertake the task that is sure to lead to your death. Yet you have come.

You are a ronin and you have your secrets. So do your companions.

You cannot trust them, but without them you will surely fail. Yet you have come.

Courage. Fear. Trust. Betrayal. All will be revealed when you face...

THE MOUNTAIN WITCH

Grab a seat in this classic storytelling game of doomed ronin going to meet their dark fates. It’s The Seven Samurai crossed with Resevoir Dogs in a full throttle session of this legendary game! No experience necessary, just bring your Awesome!
It was an interesting game, more because of the GM and players than the system.  When you want to accomplish something, you roll 1d6 and the GM rolls 1d6, tie goes to the GM.  The delta determines the degree of success.  Other players, whether in the scene or not can help or hinder based on available trust points.  They can also take over the narration for a trust point, but the outcome will remain the same.

So, basically, if you trust someone and give them a point, they can during your scenes, spend a trust point to help you and add 1d6.  If someone you trust betrays you, then each point they spend can subtract from your die roll or add to your enemy's.

If you want to duel someone, you then get no help from companions and both sides roll 1d6 and keep it hidden.  They then decide to either "hold" or "charge".  If one of the two players declare "charge" then the d6s are revealed and totalled up and compared.  If they both decide to "hold" then, they roll another 1d6 that is hidden.  On the 3rd 1d6, it becomes an automatic "charge."  This is to replicate samurai duels where it is all about honor and nobody can interfere.

The most innovative part was that we were given random hidden agendas and even the GM doesn't know what they are.  One card was a Traitor card.  But since there are 5 players and 6 agenda cards, it may or may not be in play.  So, during play, each player is allowed to narrate some scenes and those scenes help the other players figure out each other's hidden agendas.  The GM is also in the dark and he gives players opportunities to show who they are.

At one point the GM started a scene where one player was approached as if he was the traitor, but the PC reacted aggressively towards the insinuation that he was the traitor.  What was cool was that even though the GM guessed wrong, it created more paranoia among the players.

It was a fun game.  I'd definitely play it again.

Here was my character:


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