We went around the “table” first generating some high level concepts, such as vampires being very rare in this world, the existence of neon elementals, and some rule-specific stuff that kinda flew past my head, but which I’m understanding more as I keep going through the rules. The game’s set in Las Vegas, but successive rounds helped define the specifics of the world and some of the NPCs, like Wayne Newton: Werewolf Hunter or the Count, a bitter, twisted man who runs The Society for the Preservation of Vampires. Lowell’s blogged with more complete details here.
I really love this sort of session, because it’s so much fun to take someone else’s addition and riff on it. After the first round, the person starting each one had to come up with what’s called in Microscope terms a “lens,” something that each addition that round must reference. Ours were: guides, corruption, and alien abduction, and if you look at Lowell’s write-up, you may be able to trace where some of those items came from.
One Response
Interesting. I recently went looking for a new set of RPG rules to replace C&S rules I used to run. Never heard of Microscope, and it looks intriguing, though I’ve never heard of a set of rules that doesn’t use a GM (sounds more like a wargame than an RPG, though I spent a couple of years running/playing in a shared Champions setting which amounted to pretty much the same thing).
Rule set I’ve picked up is something called “The Burning Wheel.” Generic system (not for a specific setting except is is fantasy, though another book is out which adapts the system to scifi) and I’m trying to adapt it to use my old fantasy setting, though I may have to “crash” it and build upon the ruins (I’m speaking literally, not figuratively). Character generation is kind of complex (it’s the one weak point I’ve seen brought up in reviews) but the system seems clean and simple. Still reading it, but I’ve already picked up the other three books the Griffon had for it.