Scene 14 - VCR & An Exit

Expected scene: David picks up Marie and they go to the Hughes home.  Rolled 1 against CF 5, altered scene.  Rolled 9 on Scene Adjustment Table, Make 2 Adjustments: Remove A Character / Add An Object.  

6pm Monday evening.  David is getting ready to leave the apartment.  

Rolled 12 against Chronic Depression - success.

Even though he is looking forward to meeting Chad, it takes a great effort to walk out his front door.  He drives over to Marie's place and rings the bell.

Roll for Marie's mood.  At the beginning of each session, GURPS Manic-Depressive Disadvantage suggests a d6 roll: 1-3 is manic phase, 4-6 is depression.  Each of these triggers other Disadvantages that will affect how Marie acts and is reacted to in the game world.  I roll a 2 - Marie is in her manic phase and will have Overconfidence and Workaholic disadvantages activated.

Marie answers the door, looking rather exuberant, and presents a collapsed tripod and suitcase.  She tells David that she was able to borrow the Psychology department's VCR recorder to document the interview at the Hughes home.  David is grateful and looking forward to working with this equipment.  He mentions that they'll probably need to have the Hughes' agree to being recorded, which he doesn't think they'll object to given the amount of trust Catherine has in him.  

They load up the equipment in the back of David's Volkswagen Rabbit and head down the road to the Hughes home.  It seems like a long drive, and David is becoming worn out by Marie's seemingly excessive chatter.  He finds himself getting irritated.  

When they ring the doorbell, Eric Hughes answers the door, and looks somewhat upset.  Catherine had to leave and go to her mothers.  Chad was apparently pestering her again with his psychic ability and Catherine had to leave.  Not wanting to cancel on David, she asked Eric to come over so the meeting could still take place.  David introduces Marie and Eric invites them into the house.  

Chaos Factor down to 4.  Lists updated.

Threads List

1.  investigate Psi reports

2.  meet Chad Hughes

3. Go to Hughes home

4. interview Chad

Characters List

1.  weirdness magnet

2.  Dr. Marie Higgins

3.  Jesse McManus

4.  Dean Pritchert

5.  NICPP

6.  classroom / students

7.  Manny Britero

8.  Duncan Britero

9.  Catherine Hughes

10.  Chad Hughes

11.  Eric Hughes 

12. military vet

13. Jesse 

14. Manny Britero and church members

15. Depression

16.  Dean Pritchert

17. Catherine Hughes

18. Marie

19. Eric Hughes

Scene 13 - Trust on Trial

Expected scene: David calls Marie to join him in going to the Hughes home.  Rolled 4 against CF 6, interrupt scene.  Current Context rolled on Random Event Focus Table.  Trust / Trial is rolled from the Actions Meaning Tables.  I'm interpreting this to mean that the trust between David and Marie will be tested somehow.  

I'm starting this scene with a roll to see if David calls Marie because of his Chronic Depression.  I rolled a 12, so success.

Early Monday evening.  David dials Marie.  

Does she answer?  I rolled a 35, so Yes.

Marie picks up the phone.  Before David asks Marie if she'd like to join him on a return visit to the Hughes home, he feels compelled to get to the bottom of why she couldn't meet him the last time.  He knows that she's covering something up.  He'd like her to open up to him more about it.  Before he can trust her with the experience he had Thursday night, he needs to know that Marie is ready to possibly be exposed to psychic phenomena, and he needs to know her commitment level.

Influence Roll to see if Marie gives him information about why she stood David up, Quick Contest of David's Diplomacy skill of 12 vs Marie's Will of 12.  6 vs 9, David wins with a greater margin of success.

After they exchange greetings, David proceeds to steer the conversation towards Marie's erratic behavior, and asks her to tell him why she didn't meet him last Thursday.  He tells her that he knows her well enough to perceive that she is holding something back.  Marie comes clean and tells David that she suffers from manic depression.  She is on medication for it, but sometimes she still has episodes.  This explains why she was overly excited to go to the meeting last Thursday, and then why she stood him up - she crashed from her manic episode.  

Marie's GURPS disadvantage of manic-depression actually has mechanics that require periodic rolls to determine mood.  

David tells her that he appreciates her honesty.  He then decides that before he can explain how he also has been suffering from severe depression from guilt, he needs to detail what happened last Thursday between him and Chad.  Up until now, Marie knows that David claims he personally has psychic abilities, but David has never been able to prove it to her.

Marie has an anti-psi ability that of course she is not aware of, and David has never assumed that this is the reason his ability won't work on her when he's tried to telepathically communicate to her, because his own ability is often unreliable.  

David proceeds to narrate the events of Thursday evening.  He then confesses that he's been feeling an enormous amount of guilt from using his telepathy on Chad, which has triggered a bout of severe depression that he's still fighting against.  Marie quietly takes it all in, and after a little more discussion, she agrees to go with him this evening to the Hughes home.  David offers to pick her up again.  He'll be leaving shortly.

Chaos Factor down to 5 - first time since start of the game.  List clean-up required again.  Lists updated.

Threads List

1.  investigate Psi reports

2.  meet Chad Hughes

3. Go to Hughes home

4. Pick up Marie and go to Hughes home

Characters List

1.  weirdness magnet

2.  Dr. Marie Higgins

3.  Jesse McManus

4.  Dean Pritchert

5.  NICPP

6.  classroom / students

7.  Manny Britero

8.  Duncan Britero

9.  Catherine Hughes

10.  Chad Hughes

11.  Eric Hughes 

12. military vet

13. Jesse 

14. Manny Britero and church members

15. Depression

16.  Dean Pritchert

17. Catherine Hughes

18. Marie

Game Reflection: Short Scenes

Some of the scenes are actually quite short, especially the last one (Scene 12).  Part of the reason for ending it so soon is because I wanted to allow the chance for the narrative to be altered when considering the next expected scene - which is to see if Marie wants to join him in the visit, and to check to see if David can overcome his crippling Chronic Depression with another roll to be able to leave his apartment.  If I lumped all of that with scene 12, instead of making it scene 13, I could have missed out on experiencing a change in what I expect to happen.  While somewhat tedious, I find that the random element of making a success roll can bring an unexpected result in how the narrative is shaped, which is what is most interesting to me.  I want to be surprised in this story, and I want the mechanics to shape the story as well - a GURPS disadvantage should have a meaningful consequence, especially a crippling one like Chronic Depression.  

I've also noticed that a large chunk of some of these blog posts are actually explaining mechanics.  Sometimes the italicized parts of the post are greater than the regular font, which means I'm doing more explaining than the actual description of the game itself.  I suppose that some might find that distracting, but others might enjoy the explanation of the mechanics.  

Scene 12 - A Letter Resurfaces

Expected scene: David drives to the Hughes home unannounced in the early evening.  Rolled 7 against a CF of 7, so scene is altered.  On Scene Adjustment Table rolled another 7 - Make 2 Adjustments.  Add An Object & Reduce / Remove An Activity.  

The day goes by with David being distracted by his excitement of making tenure, and his anxiety about how to deal with Chad Hughes.  While rummaging through some papers on his desk, he found Catherine Hughes' letter!  He can't believe it!  Now he doesn't have to put himself in an awkward situation by dropping by unannounced.  

Can he muster the mental stamina to make the phone call?  GURPS self-control roll against his Chronic Depression 10 against 12 - success.

David dials the number.  It's after school so he assumes Catherine is home with her son.

Does Catherine pick up phone?  50/50, Rolled Yes.

Catherine answers and immediately David apologizes for the delay in the return phone call.  He embarrassingly explains that he had misplaced her letter with the number.  While he thinks of it he gives her his number in case she would like to contact him directly in the future.  Catherine suggests that David comes over tonight after dinner if he's available, to which he agrees.  Even though Monday evenings are the NICPP meetings, talking with Chad is more important at this point.  David takes the time to ask if Catherine would be OK if he brought a colleague, to which Catherine agrees.  

Chaos Factor down to 6.  Lists updated.

Threads List

1.  publish / write book on Psi and faith

2.  investigate Psi reports

3.  meet Chad Hughes

4.  talk with Marie

5. Go to Hughes home

6. call Marie

Characters List

1.  weirdness magnet

2.  Dr. Marie Higgins

3.  Jesse McManus

4.  Dean Pritchert

5.  NICPP

6.  classroom / students

7.  NICPP

8.  Manny Britero

9.  Duncan Britero

10.  Catherine Hughes

11.  Chad Hughes

12.  city council 

13.  Marie

14.  Chad Hughes

15.  Catherine Hughes

16.  Eric Hughes 

17.  Depression 

18. military vet

19. lost letter

20. Jesse 

21. Manny Britero and church members

22. Depression

23.  Dean Pritchert

24. Catherine Hughes

25. Marie

Scene 11 - Monday Blues Turns to Tenure

Expected scene: David exits his blur of a weekend and tries to rally himself to start a new work week.  He knows why he feels the way he does - it's because of his interaction with Chad, and Chad's response to being spoken to telepathically.  David comes up with a wild idea - a desperate thought in a desperate state of mind to rid himself of this self-loathing guilt.  He should try to speak to Chad again telepathically, and show him that it is not something to be feared.  But this means he needs to see him again - he needs to go to the Hughes house, tonight!  Rolled 6 against CF 8, it's an interrupt scene.  Rolled on Random Event Focus Table: 66, Close a Thread.  Make tenure was the rolled result.  

9/14/81 Monday (Day 4 Depression)

It's 9:13 am.  David wakes up late, sleeping right through his alarm!  He instantly recalls his dream.  He contacted Chad again and the experience was a positive one.  He wants to try to communicate with him again in real life - telepathically.  But he needs to focus on more pressing matters - work.  He has overslept and missed his first class, and his second one should be starting, NOW.  

David decides to just call in sick.  However, instead of calling the typical office number for call offs, he decides to contact Dean Pritchert's office.  This is not his first late call-off, and he's wondering if this is going to cause him trouble.  He calls the dean's office and his secretary puts David through.

David begins explaining to Dean Pritchert that he has not been feeling well the past few days and has been fighting exhaustion due to an illness, hence the late call-off from oversleeping.  

Rolling a Quick Contest of David's Diplomacy skill 12 vs the dean's Will of 11 - this is an Influence Roll using a Quick Contest in GURPS.  I rolled a 10 for each character, but David wins because he had the largest margin of success since his skill is a 12 and the dean's Will attribute is an 11.  Because David won the Influence Roll, he gets a Good reaction from the dean.  I'm interpreting this in the context of closing the 'make tenure' thread.

David is able to make his case in a more than satisfactory manner.  In fact, not only does the dean not penalize him for a late call-off, he tells David that he has been considering giving him tenure for a few months now.  He knows how valuable David is to St. Xavier College.  David has a good reputation not only with the students, but is known as a hard worker and diligent researcher - his long hours have been noticed.  Dean Pritchert tells him that his tenure is only a matter of formality now, and that he should schedule a meeting with his secretary to go over the details.  Congratulations is in order.  Dean Pritchert tells David to get some rest, and that perhaps he needs to learn to pace himself or possibly be at risk for academic burnout - he's seen it before in other young, bright minds.  Sometimes the body cannot keep up with the mind.  David thanks Dean Pritchert, and for the first time in what seems like months, has a huge weight lifted off of his shoulders.  He has made tenure. 

Chaos Factor down to 7.  Lists updated.

Threads List

1.  publish / write book on Psi and faith

2.  investigate Psi reports

3.  meet Chad Hughes

4.  call Catherine Hughes

5.  talk with Marie

6. find Catherine's number or stop by house

7. Find Catherine's number or stop by house

Characters List

1.  weirdness magnet

2.  Dr. Marie Higgins

3.  Jesse McManus

4.  Dean Pritchert

5.  NICPP

6.  classroom / students

7.  NICPP

8.  Manny Britero

9.  Duncan Britero

10.  Catherine Hughes

11.  Chad Hughes

12.  city council 

13.  Marie

14.  Chad Hughes

15.  Catherine Hughes

16.  Eric Hughes 

17.  Depression 

18. military vet

19. lost letter

20. Jesse 

21. Manny Britero and church members

22. Depression

23.  Dean Pritchert

Scene 10 - Harassment & Being Unmotivated

Expected scene: David should really get some work done at home, to the very least recording his experience from Thursday night.  He also needs to either find Catherine's letter with the phone number on it, or make a decision on when to drive to their home.  A visit to Marie might not be out of the question either.  Seems like a lot to do on a Sunday when you're depressed...  Rolled 3 against CF 7, so altered scene.  Roll of 2 on Scene Adjustment Table: Add A Character.  For even more random surprise, I chose to roll on my Character List randomly.  Jesse McManus of all people!  

9/13/81 Sunday (Day 3 Depression)

David wakes up late Sunday morning.

Does Jesse call or stop by?  Calling seems more likely than dropping by.  Very Likely.  Rolled 100!!!  Exceptional Yes that he calls, but we'll have to add something Exceptional about this confirmation.  

He notices that he has what looks like a few messages on his answering machine.  After rewinding the tape, he plays back 2 messages from Jesse detailing what he described as an awkward encounter at his home - borderline harassment.  He tells David to call him asap.  

Can David call Jesse?  Self-control roll against Chronic Depression is a success.

David calls Jesse back and he listens as Jesse talks about 3 people that showed up at his doorstep around 10am.  Manny Britero and two of his church members took it upon themselves to stop by Jesse's house to ask him to vacate the civic center and cancel the lease.  They felt that God had told them the NICPP was leading people astray into witchcraft, and that such an organization had no place in a public civic center.  Jesse described the encounter as at first somewhat amusing, but then it started to turn borderline hostile as the group began to become visibly angry when Jesse told them he had no intentions of backing out of the lease.  Jesse threatened to go to the police if the group returned to his private home again on the grounds of harassment.  

Does David mention Manny's uncle Duncan to Jesse?  Yes.

David mustered the courage to tell Jesse that he had kept something from him regarding a conversation with Manny Britero.  He tells Jesse about Duncan Britero and the city council.  He then apologizes for keeping the information from him, saying that he didn't want to burden him with the stress and that he had intentions of taking care of it himself, but didn't get around to it yet.  He also took the opportunity to explain that he had been dealing with a lot of guilt over using his telepathy with Chad.

Reaction roll for Jesse with a +2 for their friendship, rolled 10+2 = 12, which is Neutral.

Jesse forgives David but is rather flat in his response.  He's clearly disappointed that David kept important information involving the NICPP from him.  It was a violation of trust.  He tells David that it is his responsibility as the chapter president to deal with the Briteros, and that perhaps this borderline harassment at his private residence might help sway the city council decision in the favor of the NICPP staying at the civic center.  Somewhat relieved that he doesn't have to deal with the Briteros, David again apologizes for keeping the conversation from Jesse and thanks him for taking care of the situation. 

David then remembers to ask Jesse if he thought it would be too forward for him to stop by unannounced at the Hughes residence, that since he lost the letter, he had no way of phoning Catherine.  Jesse says that he really doesn't have a choice in the matter, that he should make the trip.  David thanks him for his advice, and says he's looking forward to hearing more about the veteran.  The two end their conversation.

Does David have the energy to visit the Hughes home today?  Rolling a 2 on Unlikely at CF7 is Exceptional No!

Not only can David not bring himself to visit Catherine Hughes, he doesn't leave the house at all and goes back to bed for the rest of the day - even skipping some meals.  This only sinks him deeper into his depression.  He is even dreaming about Chad now.  

Chaos Factor up to 8 again, he failed to do a major task today with Catherine Hughes.  Lists updated.

Threads List

1.  publish / write book on Psi and faith

2.  investigate Psi reports

3.  make tenure

4.  meet Chad Hughes

5.  call Catherine Hughes

6.  talk with Marie

7. find Catherine's number or stop by house

8. make tenure

9. Find Catherine's number or stop by house

Characters List

1.  weirdness magnet

2.  Dr. Marie Higgins

3.  Jesse McManus

4.  Dean Pritchert

5.  NICPP

6.  classroom / students

7.  NICPP

8.  Manny Britero

9.  Duncan Britero

10.  Catherine Hughes

11.  Chad Hughes

12.  city council 

13.  Marie

14.  Chad Hughes

15.  Catherine Hughes

16.  Eric Hughes 

17.  Depression 

18. military vet

19. lost letter

20. Jesse 

21. Manny Britero and church members

22. Depression

Game Reflection: Dice, Mechanics & The "Game" in RPG

I love to roll physical dice.  I love random encounters and events because as a game master those elements of an RPG allow me to be surprised and to enjoy something that can unfold outside of my expectations.  Random encounters or reaction rolls of NPCs allow me to enjoy the world I created for the players, as a player myself.  I'm most at home as a game master when I'm chucking dice in a sandbox world.  Besides the randomness of dice, I also love the mechanics of a RPG - the rules and activities (usually governed by dice) that make it a game and not just a story telling exercise.

Story to me has always been what happens when dice are thrown and players interact with each other and the game world.  I've never been one for linear adventures, as a player or as a game master.  I'm not dogging that type of game, it's just not what I enjoy.  And I mean linear in the sense that a story is to be followed, that there is a plot already in place before the game starts, that players need to be railroaded and put back on course if play is not developing to fulfill the story that was supposed to happen.  I don't prefer them in video games, and I don't prefer them in tabletop role-playing games.    

So as I've been reflecting on my play so far with this 80's Psi game, I'd like to start incorporating more game mechanics.  Narrative and story has been no problem at all.  This is where Mythic REALLY shines.  The story part has been a lot of fun, and Mythic makes it easy for narrative to develop.  It's a little tedious to type as I imagine what plays out, but it's also been a good exercise and a way to record the game not only for myself but for others interested in reading.  

How can I incorporate more game mechanics and dice rolls?  I'm going to start by posting a separate page for David's schedule.  And I'm going to be tracking time in more detail.  This doesn't mean I'll zoom in more, in fact it will enable me to make decisions when I fast forward time a few days - if that happens.  I'll be making use of GURPS monthly job rolls for David's performance, because these details could impact the game.  I've touched on this already in a different post.  David's Guilt Complex, which could trigger Chronic Depression, might impact his ability to do research or teach.  These all have dice rolls.  If David's job suffers, it can impact the story.  In regard to time, GURPS assumes an 8 hour rest period.  Because of David's Workaholic disadvantage, the rules state that to take this disadvantage he needs to work an extra 1/2 a day in a work period - basically a 12 hour work day.  Considering time needed for adventuring (i.e. investigating psychic phenomena), and then just basic life stuff, he could suffer FP (fatigue points), and some of his psi abilities are determined by his FP.  It's all related.  BTW, the dates I started using at the top of each scene are taken from an actual 1981 calendar I found. 

In games that feature combat, that can be a really fun part of the game.  Obviously, with a system like GURPS (if you choose to use the more detailed rules), combat can be a great way to interact with the crunchiness of the system.  In a game like this 80s Psi solo experience, combat is not really a part of the game.  Part of me did this deliberately.  I've actually never played in an rpg that didn't feature combat.  So I really wanted to engage more with other parts of GURPS, viz. the character building tools like Advantages and Disadvantages.  Disadvantages especially can give a mechanical basis for role-playing your character - which I love.  I wanted to play this particular game using the Basic Set, which consists of the Characters and Campaign books and make up the core rules of GURPS.  But I also own Social Engineering and that is a really cool book that gives mechanics for, well... social interactions.  Some might say, "why roll dice for parts of a game that you can just role-play?"  I think that question only betrays a certain gaming style, and I do think all styles are valid if they are fun for the player.  I love mechanics and dice rolls, so I really enjoy using these parts of the game when I can. [edit: since more mechanics and rules are what I'm looking for, I actually think I am going to try and incorporate some additional rules from Social Engineering]

I'm probably going to try and stick to just using the Basic Set for the time being.  I really want to see how much of the game I can play using the core GURPS rules.  Other ways to bring in more of the game of RPG will probably be rolling more dice for reaction rolls with the NPCs.  And if I can find more ways to involve David's skills on his character sheet, I'll start doing that more.   

One surprise for me is how David's Chronic Depression has taken over part of the game in the last few scenes.  I didn't really envision how that would play out.  I didn't take Chronic Depression as a Disadvantage for David, but this is being triggered by his Guilt Complex.  It's made the game have a sort of dark twist to it, which I don't mind exploring at all, I just didn't expect it to come into play as much.  It brings another game element for something to roll on, given his self-control roll, so I like that part.  But it could make the game into something a little boring if overdone - like constantly rolling to get out of bed...  Now, how it impacts his social life, i.e. his psi investigations, or perhaps his job - that could have interesting consequences.  

Scene 9 - Lost Number & New Info

 Expected scene: David has some phone calls to make this weekend.  He needs to call Jesse McManus and Catherine Hughes.  He should also record his experience the other night - material that could be used for his book and /or general academic research.  Rolled 3 tested scene - altered.  Rolled 5 on Scene Adjustment Table - Remove An Object.  

9/12/81 Saturday (Day 2 depression)

David wakes up late.  Still feeling horrible.  He knows why...he should have NEVER used his ability on that kid.  What was he thinking?!  The guilt is starting to consume him.  

Can he get out of bed?  Yes.

He manages to drag himself out of bed, but he doesn't have an appetite.  The morning feels like a thick fog.  David decides it's time to make his phone calls.  First, Catherine Hughes.  But he can't seem to find the letter with their number on it.  He searches the best he can, given how he feels, and he can't come up with the letter.  How could he be so careless?  Did he even think to give Catherine his number?  He can't remember.  Perhaps he should drop by the house...unexpected.  Maybe he's not thinking clearly.  David thinks of a great idea - he could confide in Jesse and see what he suggests.  

Can he get motivated enough to call Jesse? Rolled for Yes.  Again, I choose to use the Fate Chart in Mythic.  This gives the possibility of a random event, unlike the success roll that I would use in GURPS.  As a side note, perhaps I can get the benefit of a random event while using a success roll in GURPS by using GURPS for the mechanic, and a simultaneous roll on the Fate Chart just to see if I come up with a roll that would trigger a random event - i.e. ignoring the oracle aspect of the Fate Chart roll... 

David dials Jesse's number.

Does he answer?  Yes, but 66 on a CF of 7 means a random event is triggered.   Rolling on Event Focus Table gives Move Towards A Thread, the next roll gives "make tenure" on the Threads List.  I'll interpret this result in the context of the following phone conversation.

Jesse picks up the phone, and before David can tell him about his night on Thursday, Jesse begins to tell David how he received a letter from an individual who is willing to participate in a controlled study environment - basically offering himself up for the good of scientific research.  He has an ability to detect objects.  Jesse seems to think this is legitimate, because the author of the letter happens to be an honorably discharged veteran.

I rolled on the Character Background table during the previous thought and got Failure / Freedom, which is how I came up with an honorably discharged veteran.  My narrative instinct was to assume the author of the letter was perhaps another professional academic - I'm glad I randomly rolled!

Apparently the vet has more faith in a civilian organization than the government for some reason.  David immediately thinks about what this could do for his tenure track.  The research that could be generated, the knowledge that could be had - not just for his professional gain, but for science!  David told Jesse to set up a meeting with the vet.

David then tells Jesse about his experience Thursday night.  Jesse seems overwhelmed with excitement between David's experience and the letter from the vet.  All of a sudden David felt guilty for keeping the information about the Briteros and the city council from Jesse.  

Can he bring himself to talk about this now?  Roll against his Chronic Depression fails.  David decides it's too much to discuss at the moment.

Briefly considering telling Jesse about the possible threat to the local chapter, he decides to end the conversation all together and get some rest.  Jesse understands that David is tired.  After hanging up, David realizes he forgot to ask Jesse about whether he should show up at the Hughes residence.  Too much to think about now...David goes back to bed.  

Chaos Factor stays at 7.  Lists updated.

Threads List

1.  publish / write book on Psi and faith

2.  investigate Psi reports

3.  make tenure

4.  contact Duncan Britero or city council

5.  meet Chad Hughes

6.  call Catherine Hughes

7.  call Jesse

8.  talk with Marie

9.  call Jesse

10.  contact Duncan Britero or city council

11. find Catherine's number or stop by house

12. make tenure

Characters List

1.  weirdness magnet

2.  Dr. Marie Higgins

3.  Jesse McManus

4.  Dean Pritchert

5.  NICPP

6.  classroom / students

7.  protesters

8.  Jesse McManus

9.  NICPP

10.  Manny Britero

11.  Duncan Britero

12.  Catherine Hughes

13.  Chad Hughes

14.  city council 

15.  Marie

16.  Chad Hughes

17.  Catherine Hughes

18.  Eric Hughes 

19.  Depression 

20.  Depression

21.  Depression

22. military vet

23. lost letter

24. Jesse 

Scene 8 - Trudging Through

Housekeeping: I need to reorganize the Characters List since I have run to the bottom of the page.  I trimmed down occurrences of duplicated events as per Mythic rules.  Both the Threads and Characters Lists have been trimmed and updated.  Side note: I might start adding the date at the beginning of each scene.  I'll have to keep track of the next 8 days for David's depression.  

After a much needed night's rest, David's full FP has returned to 10.  Expected scene: David wakes up and calls Jesse, telling him about last night's meeting.  He is looking forward to speaking with Marie at school - hopefully they run into each other.  At some point tomorrow, probably after school, David will need to figure out a way to get into contact with either Duncan Britero himself or city council.  Test scene roll is 10 - normal.

9/11/81 Friday Morning (Day 1 depression)

David wakes and his eyes are not heavy anymore, but he actually still feels physically drained and mentally exhausted.  In fact, he feels rather numb.  It's a struggle to get out of bed and eat breakfast.  

Is he too depressed to call Jesse?  Giving the odds of Nearly Certain on a CF of 8, I roll a 42 - not surprisingly, David is too depressed to have a conversation with Jesse.

In spite of the importance of what occurred last night, David simply can't bring himself to repeat in detail the events to Jesse, in fact, he can't even think how he'd go about beginning such a conversation.  He's actually hoping now that he doesn't run into Marie, feeling the way he does.  Maybe he should call off work?

David makes it to school late.  His classroom is already waiting for him as he shuffles through the door.  

Roll against Teaching skill to see if he can make it through his first class.  Modifier of Unfavorable for a -1.  Rolled 8 against effective skill of 11, success.  With a margin of success of 3, I'll say David had enough mental fortitude to finish his course load for the day.  He has a M-W-F 3 class load, and teaches 2 classes Tues & Thurs.

David makes it through his morning classes and heads to the break room.

Does he see Marie?  Yes.  A roll on Character Conversation gives Mysterious / Quarrelsome 

David sees Marie in the break room and walks over to talk with her.  Surprisingly, she comes across as irritated and gruff.  She seems reluctant to talk about how she couldn't meet him last night.  

David tries to ascertain why Marie is acting so distant and irritated.  Before I can even roll a Psychology check, I'll roll against his Chronic Depression to see if he can even bring himself to wonder what might be bothering Marie.  I roll an 8 against 12, success.  Modifiers to Psych roll include +3 for Empathy, +1 for somewhat knowing Marie (he does not know her very well yet).  Rolled 13 against effective Psych skill of 16.  Another success.  

He's feeling mentally drained at this point, but David is able to surmise that Marie is acting this way because she is embarrassed of her behavior somehow - it's a defense mechanism.  He tells her that they don't need to talk about last night and that whenever she's ready, he'll let her know how the night went.  

David finishes his day at school and heads home.  He has about an hour before the city council office closes for the weekend.   

Earlier in this scene I used the Fate Chart in Mythic to see if David was motivated enough to call Jesse, I can also use the self-control number (12) for his Chronic Depression.  Rolled a 15.  Failure.

David is too exhausted to bother contacting city council - that'll have to wait until Monday.    

Chaos Factor reduced to 7.  Lists revised, trimmed, and updated.

Threads List

1.  publish / write book on Psi and faith

2.  investigate Psi reports

3.  make tenure

4.  contact Duncan Britero or city council

5.  meet Chad Hughes

6.  call Catherine Hughes

7.  call Jesse

8.  talk with Marie

9.  call Jesse

10.  contact Duncan Britero or city council

Characters List

1.  weirdness magnet

2.  Dr. Marie Higgins

3.  Jesse McManus

4.  Dean Pritchert

5.  NICPP

6.  classroom / students

7.  protesters

8.  Jesse McManus

9.  NICPP

10.  Manny Britero

11.  Duncan Britero

12.  Catherine Hughes

13.  Chad Hughes

14.  city council 

15.  Marie

16.  Chad Hughes

17.  Catherine Hughes

18.  Eric Hughes 

19.  Depression 

20.  Depression

Scene 7 - Exhausted & Depressed

David is at 1/3 of his starting fatigue, plus he will have to make some rolls against his Guilt Complex.  These mechanics will be taken care of once I find out how the scene follows.

Expected scene: David heads home and decides to get some rest first before calling Jesse tomorrow morning to let him know about the meeting.  He hopes that Marie's left a message on his answering machine, but he'll wait until tomorrow to check up on her either at work or perhaps after school.  An interrupt scene is rolled.  I'll interpret this interrupt through the lens of a GURPS roll against David's driving skill.

Exhausted, David leaves the Hughes home and starts his drive home.  It's about a 1/2 hour drive to his apartment, and the sun has already set.  

Because of the interrupt scene, I'll assume David is tired behind the wheel and won't roll to check that.  I'll assign a modifier of Unfavorable -1 to his Driving skill making it 9.  I rolled a 9!  Success...

David can feel his eyes fluttering as he squints to keep his focus.  He is getting more tired by the minute.  He decides to roll down his window to let in the cool, Fall air.  After what seems like an hour drive, David pulls into his parking spot and heads into his apartment.  

Is there a message on the tape machine from Marie?  Yes.

David rewinds the tape and listens to a message from Marie.  She is very apologetic for not meeting him tonight and said that she fell ill.  Relieved to hear from her, David now begins to allow himself to fully appreciate the events that transpired at the Hughes home.  He begins to feel an overwhelming sense of guilt for using his psi ability on Chad.  

Because of David's Guilt Complex disadvantage, roll against Will -3.  Rolled 11, failure.  David will succumb to the effects of Chronic Depression for 20-Will days (20-12) or 8 days.  He'll have to roll 12 or under to do anything besides the bare minimum to survive or function - basically anything besides going to work and eating etc... 

The more David thinks about Chad, the more he begins to feel a heaviness.  He's felt this before.  David is no stranger to bouts of serious depression and he feels a possible episode coming on.  Best to get a night's rest.  How could he be so careless in using his ability against a boy?  

Chaos Factor reduced to 8.  Lists updated.

Threads List

publish / write book on Psi and faith

investigate Psi reports

make tenure

make tenure

pursue the lead from the letter

go to Hughes house

contact Duncan Britero or city council

go to Hughes house

check on Marie

meet Chad Hughes

meet Chad Hughes 

call Catherine Hughes

call Jesse

Characters List

weirdness magnet

Dr. Marie Higgins

Jesse McManus

Dean Pritchert

NICPP

classroom / students

Dean Pritchert 

protesters

Jesse McManus

NICPP

Manny Britero

Duncan Britero

Catherine Hughes

Chad Hughes

NICPP

city council 

Jesse McManus

Marie

Marie

Chad Hughes

Catherine Hughes

Catherine Hughes

Chad Hughes

Eric Hughes 

Depression 

Game Reflection: Randomness, Expectations, and FUN!

[edit - I renamed the title of this blog post with Game Reflection.  Each post in between gaming sessions will have this title so as to keep the posting a little more organized.]

For those looking for more of an itemized list of the Scenes in one place, you can find them here or on the right side of the blog page.  I'm still new to this website format, so I'll be finding my way as I go in regard to organization as I learn about the blogger gui.  

I'd like to do a brief intermission to comment on my experience so far.  Please keep in mind that this is my first ongoing solo RPG experience.  Mythic really isn't difficult to pick up, but I've kept it relatively simple and am not diving into the variations yet.  I received my hardcover version last week in the mail and was able to read the book in its entirety in a few days.  I have to say that Mythic along with GURPS for me is the perfect combination of narrative richness and satisfying mechanics.  I really like using them in tandem.  

I'd also like to reiterate that I did not have any ideas about how the game would progress, or what NPCs would be involved beyond what I noted on my starting Threads and Characters Lists for Session Zero.  I'm trying to balance my typical urge to go as random as possible (I love surprises) while also adhering to the internal logic of the narrative - what Mythic refers to as expectations.  I had no idea of any kind of story when I first started.  What you're reading is genuinely being generated by the interplay between my expectations, context, and the evolution of these elements - all the while with the rules of GURPS having their own impact on the story development.  It's wonderful, sand-boxey, RPG goodness!!!  Even if nobody else is following, I'm enjoying the game, and it's fun seeing a story develop.  Recording the game in such a narrative manner for me has been some work, but I don't mind typing, and it's furthered my enjoyment of the game.  

For anybody that is on the fence with Mythic, I highly recommend this product - it's amazing!

Scene 6 - Botched Meeting

 Expected scene is for Chad to return home.  After collecting herself a bit more, Catherine calls the neighbor's house for Chad to be sent home so David can meet him.  Rolled 4 which is an interrupt scene.  New NPC rolled.  Roll to see if it is Chad's father.  Yes.  Rolled for Beautiful / Adventurous on Character Descriptors.

Within a few seconds after Catherine got off the phone, a man walks through the front door.  It's Chad's father.  Based on the letter David read, he assumed that Catherine and Chad lived alone - that the parents were somehow separated or didn't live in the same house together.  The man introduces himself as Eric and after being told about what happened and why David is at the house, he becomes very receptive towards David trying to help his son and ex-wife.  Catherine and Eric have a good parenting relationship and Eric occasionally drops by after work to spend a little bit of time with Chad after dinner.  

Chad comes through the front door shortly after Eric and his eyes move towards David.  Immediately and with great clarity of speech David hears Chad ask him if he's here for him and whether or not he is in trouble.  This happens as Eric stands up to walk towards Chad and to greet him.  This is the first time in David's life that he has received such a strong, clear telepathic message from someone.  His stomach flips as he's filled with adrenaline and excitement, but also a bit of trepidation.

David decides to respond telepathically and tells the boy that he is like him and to not be afraid, that he is here to help.  I need to roll 8 or less on the Unreliable activation number for David's Telesend power.  Each failure costs 1 FP (fatigue point) and 1 second of time.  4 failed attempts means 4 spent FP and 4 seconds have gone by.  In the meantime Chad's parents have introduced David.  

David can't seem to get his message across to Chad.  He knows when his psi ability is working or not and he is becoming fatigued.  He breaks concentration, stands up from the table, and verbally introduces himself to Chad.

One more attempt roll still fails.  5 spent FP.  A final attempt is allowed before FP 3 is reached which would require rest.  I rolled a 7!  Success!  However David now has 3 FP and cannot use his abilities anymore until he is fully rested.

After 2 seconds pass and Eric starts speaking, David is able to telepathically speak to Chad.  

This was a risk since David doesn't know how 8 year old Chad will respond.  I will use a GURPS Fright Check roll to see how Chad handles being spoken to telepathically.  Chad's Will is 8, adjusted from 10 for his age.  I gave him a +1 modifier on the roll since he has some personal experience with psi - the Fright Check is because he's probably never been on the receiving end of telepathy.  A roll of 14 against 9 for the Fright Check gives a margin of failure of 5.  A roll on the results table gives 7, adding the 5 results in 12 - Chad begins to vomit.  Fortunately it's not extreme vomiting since a roll 3 against Chad's HT ends the vomiting after 3 seconds.  

Eric was in the middle of trying to set the stage for a discussion when Chad suddenly turns, doubles over, and begins vomiting on the kitchen floor.  His parents rush to his side to comfort him.  David feels an overwhelming sense of guilt for using his power on the boy - he had good intentions.  A few seconds pass and Chad asks if he can go to his room.  Eric looks at Catherine briefly and nods his head to Chad, walking him back to his room with a glass of water.  David decides it is probably best he leaves at this point and asks if he could return at a better time to meet with the family again.

Roll to see if Catherine agrees for a return visit.  Exceptional Yes.  

Catherine apologizes for the inconvenience of not being able to talk this evening with Chad, but she seems very open to meeting again and David can tell he has her trust.  He tells her he'll call again within the next day or so to set up another time.  He also asks her to tell Chad for him that he's sorry he doesn't feel well and wants her to assure him that their next meeting will not be so unpleasant.  A little puzzled at his choice of words, Catherine walks him to the door and sees him off.  

Chaos Factor peaks at 9.  Lists updated.

Threads List

publish / write book on Psi and faith

investigate Psi reports

make tenure

make tenure

pursue the lead from the letter

go to Hughes house

contact Duncan Britero or city council

go to Hughes house

check on Marie

meet Chad Hughes

meet Chad Hughes 

call Catherine Hughes

Characters List

weirdness magnet

Dr. Marie Higgins

Jesse McManus

Dean Pritchert

NICPP

classroom / students

Dean Pritchert 

protesters

Jesse McManus

NICPP

Manny Britero

Duncan Britero

Catherine Hughes

Chad Hughes

NICPP

city council 

Jesse McManus

Marie

Marie

Chad Hughes

Catherine Hughes

Catherine Hughes

Chad Hughes

Weirdness magnet

Eric Hughes 

Scene 5 - Stood Up & Trouble

 Fast forward to Thursday evening.  Expected scene is David picking up Marie and heading over to the Hughes home.  Testing the scene gives a 5, odd and less than CF 7 which means an altered scene.  I'll roll on the Scene Adjustment Table: 10, Make 2 Adjustments.  1 - Remove A Character -  is rolled twice.  The best way I can interpret this is to have Marie not be at her place when David goes to pick her up, and someone from the Hughes residence will not be there.  

When David arrives at Marie's apartment to pick her up she doesn't answer the door.  

Is her car parked outside?  Yes.

David notices her car is parked outside and tries the front door again, knocking and ringing the doorbell. At this point he's not sure whether to be angry or concerned.  He decides to try her neighbor's door.

Does anyone answer?  98 - Exceptional Yes.

An elderly woman answers the door, almost like she was expecting someone.  David asks her if she's seen Marie.

6 - Exceptional No.  Rolling on Character Conversations I get a 92 and 6 Refuse / Angry.  

The woman, visibly angry, shouts at David for disturbing her and tells him to go away.  Startled, he apologizes for disturbing her and said he was only becoming concerned that Marie didn't answer the door while her car was parked outside the apartment - that she was supposed to be expecting him.  The woman slams the door in David's face.  Bewildered, David decides to leave the apartment building.  He decides to go back to his car, scribble a quick note asking Marie to call his house and leave a message on his answering machine saying if she's OK, and slips the note under the door.  

David arrives at the Hughes residence - shaken.  He rings the doorbell.

Does the mother answer the door?  Yes.

Catherine answers the door.  

Based on the current context, and the probability that if Catherine is there then Chad is not, I roll on Character Descriptors and get 16 & 1, Bizarre / Abnormal.

She seems shaken - much more so than David, but also very much disturbed.  David asks her if she's alright.  

Roll for Yes.

She answers she's alright, but something seems off.  David tries to see if she's lying to him by using his uncanny ability to detect when someone is lying.  

GURPS success roll against IQ for Empathy, part of David's Telepathy Talent.  Roll a 10, which is a success under his IQ of 12.  

David can tell that Catherine is lying.  Becoming increasingly worried by her behavior, he asks if he can come inside and meet Chad.

Roll on Character Actions, General gives Technology / Kind.  

She invites him to come inside and David can hear the television loudly in the background.  He asks her where Chad is, and she points towards a door leading to what seems like the backyard.  At this point David is becoming increasingly concerned.  He walks over to the television set, turns it off, and heads towards the door.  Opening it leads to the backyard, but Chad is not in sight.  He returns inside the house and finds Catherine sobbing at the kitchen table.  She begins to explain to him that she had turned the television up to try and drown out Chad's voice inside her head.  She screamed at him to leave the house and go to his friend's place to play.  Chad willingly left out the backdoor.  David then asked her if she'd like him to stay until Chad returned, to which she said yes.  

Chaos Factor back up to 8.  Lists updated.

Threads List

publish / write book on Psi and faith

investigate Psi reports

make tenure

make tenure

pursue the lead from the letter

go to Hughes house

contact Duncan Britero or city council

go to Hughes house

find out what happened to Marie

meet Chad Hughes

Characters List

weirdness magnet

Dr. Marie Higgins

Jesse McManus

Dean Pritchert

NICPP

classroom / students

Dean Pritchert 

protesters

Jesse McManus

NICPP

Manny Britero

Duncan Britero

Catherine Hughes

Chad Hughes

NICPP

city council 

Jesse McManus

Marie

Marie

Chad Hughes

Catherine Hughes

Scene 4 - Deception and Interest

 Expected Scene 4 is David going to school the next day anticipating meeting Marie at some point in order to ask her to accompany him to the upcoming meeting at the Hughes residence.  Before he leaves for work he wants to phone Jesse to tell him about Duncan Britero and the city council.  Testing the scene I roll a 2, which is well below the current Chaos Factor of 8, and being even means an interrupt.  A roll on Event Focus gives Current Context, rolls on Action 1 and Action 2 Meaning Tables gives Communicate / Hope.  Since the first thing David was going to do this morning was phone Jesse, that's the current context.  He decides to call Jesse and not tell him about Duncan Britero or the city council - falsely portraying hope while communicating with him about the upcoming visit at the Hughes home.  David wants to try and fix the problem himself with Britero and the city council.  For now, he'll keep that information to himself.

It's Tuesday morning, and after David speaks with Jesse over the phone, he heads to school.  

Does he get a chance to talk with Marie?  Exceptional Yes.  

Normally David doesn't see Marie outside of the break room during lunch, but on his way to his first class he runs into her in the hallway.  He tells her he needs to talk to her about something important and asks her if she could meet with him during lunch.  She agrees.  After the morning classes.  David meets Marie in the break room and tells her about the letter and the promising lead at the Hughes home.  He asks her if she'd like to accompany him.  

Does she agree?  Exceptional Yes.  

Marie readily accepts and seems very enthusiastic.  She has never joined him before in any kind of investigative lead, only attending a few of the NICPP meetings.  Marie is interested in psychic phenomena but is very skeptical.  She seems to view it with little more than an entertaining interest, but doesn't take it seriously.  Something is different about this time though - she really seems excited about it for some reason.  David tells her he'll pick her up at her place Thursday evening.  

Chaos Factor reduced to 7.  Lists updated.

Threads List

publish / write book on Psi and faith

investigate Psi reports

make tenure

make tenure

pursue the lead from the letter

go to Hughes house

contact Duncan Britero or city council

go to Hughes house

Characters List

weirdness magnet

Dr. Marie Higgins

Jesse McManus

Dean Pritchert

NICPP

classroom / students

Dean Pritchert 

protesters

Jesse McManus

NICPP

Manny Britero

Duncan Britero

Catherine Hughes

Chad Hughes

NICPP

city council 

Jesse McManus

Marie

Scene 3 - Protest and A Phone Call

 Next expected scene starts with David heading home to call the number on the letter.  It's early evening so he figures it's not too late to make the call.  Testing the scene results in a 7, which matches the current Chaos Factor of 7, and being odd, calls for an altered scene.  Rather than rolling, I'll go a more narrative approach and go with the next expected scene being some kind of interruption by the protesters when David exits the building.

David leaves the meeting and on his way out of the building he is stopped short by the protester he engaged with earlier.

A roll on the Character Conversations table: 69, 81 Mature / Official.  A roll on the Non-Player Compendium gives me prompts for the protester's name.  

The protester introduces himself as Manny Britero and says that his uncle, Duncan Britero, serves on the city council.  His uncle is in the process of making a motion to evict the NICPP from the civic center and revoke their lease.  David is troubled to hear that the protesters have what seems to be some form of political backing in the city.  He reiterates to Manny that he is welcome to join their meeting at any time, and that the NICPP is not looking to recruit or proselytize, but only to act as an organization for like-minded people that are interested in exploring the possibility of psychic phenomena.

David makes it back to his apartment and dials the number on the letter.  

Roll to see if someone answers the phone.  Yes.  Roll to see whether the mother answers.  Yes.  Roll to see if she is still receptive to setting up an interview.  Yes.  Roll on Non-Player Compendium for name.

After a brief conversation, David sets up a meeting at the residence of Catherine Hughes.  She agreed to have David come over Thursday evening at 6pm to meet her 8 year old boy Chad.  Apparently he is able to put images he draws into her head.  This is the first real promising lead David has had in quite some time.  He is considering mentioning it to his colleague Dr. Marie Higgins to see if she'd like to accompany him.  He'll ask her tomorrow at school.  

Chaos Factor to 8.  Lists updated.

Threads List

publish / write book on Psi and faith

investigate Psi reports

make tenure

make tenure

pursue the lead from the letter

go to Hughes house

contact Duncan Britero or city council

Characters List

weirdness magnet

Dr. Marie Higgins

Jesse McManus

Dean Pritchert

NICPP

classroom / students

Dean Pritchert 

protesters

Jesse McManus

NICPP

Manny Britero

Duncan Britero

Catherine Hughes

Chad Hughes

NICPP

city council 

Scene 2 - After School Meeting

 I'll move the story along to the next expected scene which would be an encounter at the weekly NICPP meeting, which meets every Monday in town.  I roll a 7 so Scene 2 begins at the NICPP meeting.

David leaves school tired and hungry.  He's got some time to grab a bite at a shop on the way to the local civic club where the NICPP holds their weekly meetings.  Sometimes outsiders or non-members show up at the meetings to listen to accounts of psychic phenomena; every now and then someone shows up with a first hand account of a psychic event.

I roll to see if any visitors show up tonight.  Exceptional No.  This means there's been a growing public backlash over the presence of the NICPP in the community.

As David shows up to the civic center, he notices what looks like a few protesters in front of the building with poster boards denouncing the NICPP.  He walks up to one and asks what the trouble is.  

I'll use GURPS reaction table with a -2 to the roll to see how the protester responds.  Result is a 11 which is neutral.

The protester curtly answers that psychic phenomena are of the devil, and he believes that the NICPP should not be allowed to use a community hall to promote psychic awareness.  Concerned for any negative attention that might discourage the general public from attending their meetings, David tries to reason with the protester, telling him that he is also a man of faith and believes that there is room to ask questions about such matters within the context of faith.  He invites the protesters to join the meeting.  

Do they join?  A roll says No.  

David says they are welcome anytime and heads inside the building.  The meeting commences with a round-table discussion of recent events that are rumored to have taken place in the local area.  After the meeting David pulls Jesse McManus (the chapter president) aside and asks if there was any mail.  

Roll says Yes.

Usually Jesse will look over the mail before bringing it to the meeting to discuss.  Mail comes from all over the country, but since chapters are in different states, usually local chapters only receive local or at least regional mail that pertains to their area.  Some of it are hoaxes, others can turn into promising leads.  This one in particular seems like a very promising lead.  It is a request for someone to come to a residence and observe a child.  The letter was written by the mother.  David tells Jesse that he'd like to conduct the interview and decides to call the number on the letter when he gets back to his apartment.  

Chaos Factor is bumped up to 7 since David was not in control of the scene with the protesters, and they might cause trouble in the future for the NICPP.  On the bright side, a letter was received that might be promising for an interview, but this isn't enough to offset the potential trouble of the protesters.  

Threads List

publish / write book on Psi and faith

investigate Psi reports

make tenure

make tenure

pursue the lead from the letter

Characters List

weirdness magnet

Dr. Marie Higgins

Jesse McManus

Dean Pritchert

NICPP

classroom / students

Dean Pritchert 

protesters

Jesse McManus

NICPP

The First Scene - A Visit to the Dean's Office

 A link giving a brief character background for Dr. David Allen can be viewed here.

Dr. David Allen is in his second year as an associate professor of Theology at St. Xavier College.  He currently does not have an active investigation into any psychic phenomenon, and it has been some time since he has had any of his own experiences.  A rough draft is in the making of a book he'd like to publish about psychic phenomenon and faith, but he'd also like to continue his research for publishing academic content to help him with his seeking of tenure.  It's the beginning of a new school semester, September 1981, and he's teaching five classes for this semester.  

Keeping in the random spirit of sandbox play, I'll generate a random event to get the first scene started.  Rolling on the Random Event Focus Table, I get an 82: PC Positive.  Rolling on Action 1 & Action 2 of the Meaning Tables: Actions, I get Increase / Reassurance.  

The First Scene opens with David making his way to Dean Pritchert's office in between classes for an impromptu meeting about how he can secure tenure in an expedited manner.  

A roll on the Fate Chart gives a No to whether the dean is in his office.  

Slightly disappointed, David makes his way back to his classroom to get ready to teach another class.  He's feeling rather anxious about making sure he is doing everything he can to make tenure early so that he can have more freedom to pursue "extra-curricular" activities in the form of psychic phenomenon research.  

A meeting with the dean was really all I envisioned after setting up the first scene.  I think I'll close it and move towards Scene 2.  Following is the updated Adventure Lists w/ the repeated items that were part of the First Scene.  David was not in control of the First Scene so Current Chaos Factor is now 6.

Threads List

publish / write book on Psi and faith

investigate Psi reports

make tenure

make tenure

Characters List

weirdness magnet

Dr. Marie Higgins

Jesse McManus

Dean Pritchert

NICPP

classroom / students

Dean Pritchert 

Session Zero: Mythic Lists & First Scene Prep

 Prior to starting the first scene in this Mythic adventure, I spent time finishing David's character sheet and his background story.  I still need to flesh out a character sheet for Marie, and a quick sketch perhaps of the other beginning NPCs that I assume to have an ongoing presence in the game.  I'll probably post the character sheet as a page for Dr. Marie Higgins.  

I might also post the current adventure lists as pages on the site, so that means they'll match up only with the most recently posted blog or game recap.  [edit - I decided to just include updated Lists at the bottom of each scene entry]  As I mentioned in the intro post, I've already populated my Thread's List and Character's List with some entries prior to beginning play.  The only entry that might need explaining is Weirdness Magnet.  I chose to include this as a mechanic to trigger random times in the game that a weird paranormal or Psi event happens to David.  Hopefully this leads to fun experiences within the narrative, plus I love rolling dice and using game mechanics.  

The starting Adventure Lists look like this:

Threads List

1-2 publish / write book on Psi and faith

 - this is a way for David to reach tenure as well as documenting the reality of psi

3-4 investigate Psi reports

- the main adventure 

5-6 make tenure

- a side quest and also something that could create tension (he might not make tenure if he's repeatedly missing classes due to his Obsession, Guilt Complex, and Workaholic disadvantages; if he doesn't make tenure then he could get fired, if he gets fired then he has no job).  I'll be using job rolls and keeping track of time as well as cost of living during this adventure.  If David loses his job because of his GURPS disadvantages, that could impact the story of the game.  

Characters List

1-2 Weirdness Magnet

- to inject inconvenient and hopefully amusing challenges

3-4 Dr. Marie Higgins

- David's main accomplice

5-6 Jesse McManus

- president of the local chapter of National Investigative Community of Psychic Phenomenon

7-8 Dean Pritchert

- David's boss

9-10 NICPP

1-2 (2nd list) classroom / students

All that's left to really do now, besides finish some NPC character sheets, is to generate my opening scene.  I'm probably going to lean towards some kind of random generator - remember I prefer sandboxes and rolling on tables.  I think I'll title each coming blog post by the Mythic Scene #, concluding each entry with the scene summary.  

Introductions and Short Background

 This is the start of my Solo RPG adventures.  After considering what to write for my first PC's backstory, for my first Solo RPG, I quickly moved to thinking about just publishing everything as a blog online since I was going to go through the time of digitally recording my sessions anyhow.  At least this way I can share my stories and creative Musings with the world and hopefully provide some form of entertainment while perhaps receiving some helpful criticisms to make my games more enjoyable for myself and anyone who wants to read them...that's quite a feedback loop.  

As a quick introduction, I'm fast approaching 50 years old and have a few years experience under my belt in the form of role-playing games.  As of the past few years, I've almost been playing entirely in the analog realm with tabletop role-playing games - mostly OSR dungeon crawls and hex crawls using Basic Fantasy RPG, OSE, and B/X Dungeons & Dragons.  However, recently I've began a love affair with GURPS and have been wanting to move away from a traditional 80's style dungeon crawl into other genres of RPGs.  I think I'll always prefer a sandbox approach to gaming, but I'm not opposed to more linear adventures.  I intend to run my Solo adventures in a sand-boxy way.   

Enter the current Solo RPG endeavor.  This will be a game that is not focused on combat but perhaps more investigative / narrative.  In fact I don't really anticipate any combat for this game.  I will be using GURPS 4th Ed. along with Mythic Game Master Emulator (GME) 2nd Ed.  I'm hoping the game will blossom into a multi-adventure extravaganza...but we'll see.  I'm not sure if I'm going to handle it in an episodic manner or just one ongoing campaign.  I'll see how it goes after I get to playing.  I might post a character sheet from GURPS - not sure yet.  For those that know GURPS, it will be a realistic power level, with the main PC starting out at 75 character points.  Tech level will be TL8 (early) since it takes place in the early 1980s.

The game / campaign could be titled "80's Psi."  It's going to be centered on the adventures of one main protagonist - Dr. David Allen, a young theology professor at St. Xavier College - a small, private liberal arts college.  David is a PC that has some Psi abilities (unreliable) and is obsessed with figuring out how to interpret the existence of psionics within the realm of faith.  His motivation is therefore personal, but he also wants to contribute to the academic community in the form of research as well as to the general public in regard to the existence and validity of psionic power.  

I'm starting the adventure with 3 items on my Threads List: publish / write book on Psi and faith, investigate Psi reports, and make tenure (at his college).  The Characters List has 6 items: Weirdness Magnet, Dr. Marie Higgins, Jesse McManus, Dean Pritchert, NICPP (National Investigative Community of Psychic Phenomenon), and classroom / students.  

Dr. Marie Higgins is an NPC that is also a colleague of David's, and will be a side-kick during his adventures.  Jesse McManus is the president of the local chapter of NICPP (National Investigative Community of Psychic Phenomenon) in David's city.  Dean Pritchert is David's boss at St. Xavier College.  Classroom / students encompasses not only David's students but the general student body at St. Xavier.  

As far as a format for recording the adventure, I might keep it simple and keep the mechanics italicized, and the rest for narrating / highlighting the story.  I'm still not sure of the level of detail that I'm going to get into for recording the game.  I'll publish game recaps using Mythic Scene #s.  This will be a work in progress.  I have the Mythic Adventure Journal to use for my gaming sessions, and I'll probably recap on the blog here.  I might even have the blog open while I'm playing so I can record the mechanics decisions.  This experience will be just as much about learning how to play GURPS as much as learning how to Solo role-play.