(no subject)

[seekingferret]

Via kickstarter, I discovered Storium, a software toolkit for running online storygames. There are a lot of neat things about it. It provides simple, universal mechanics for sharing control of the story between players, and for forcing players to make interesting story choices. It will feature campaign settings created by a variety of the coolest and most interesting writers around today both in SFF and in roleplaying circles- Chuck Wendig, Saladin Ahmed, Mark Diaz Truman, Karin Lowachee, Maurice Broaddus, Mur Lafferty, Elizabeth Bear, Ryan Macklin, Ursula Vernon, Tobias Buckell, etc... (And it's not something I've seen commented on, but the list is astonishingly diverse for an SFF community project that isn't ABOUT race or gender.)

But my favorite part so far is the way that the campaign settings are laid out. They're extremely formless: The things the author provides you are cards containing characters, items, locations, potential challenges, with no notes toward how to integrate them. And you have tools for creating your own cards, too. So building a game using one of the campaign settings is like flipping through a sourcebook for cool, atmospheric things to pull into your own game, which in my experience is how most gamemasters build games anyway. Just flipping through one of the worlds I came up with a half dozen immediate ideas for neat characters and setting details to add in, and several of the premades gave me instant adventure hooks.

I just started a game last night with a few friends, in a sort of LOST type setting, and I'm really looking forward to seeing how it turns out.


EDIT: And as a backer I have the ability to invite people to play in my games... so, is there interest in me running a Storium game for some people on my dwlist? It's asynchronous gameplay, low time commitment- I'm unlikely to harass you unless it's weeks between your posts.

Comments

[dragonfly]

I would love to try it.

[seekingferret]

Awesome!

[dragonfly]

You okay with me promoting this in my own journal or would you rather just hear from people who actually follow your journal?

[seekingferret]

Go ahead and promote away, but I'm only looking to add another couple of players.

[ghost_lingering]

That looks really cool! I've never actually done an rpg (either on or off-line) (except for a thing called Ring Game where you run around in the woods for a day as characters from LotR, but that is less rpg and more capture the flag with costumes), but if you do decide to host a dw game I'd love to try it out.

[seekingferret]

Cool! I think if we get another player or two I'll do it. No prior rpg experience required, this game is really light on the rules, and if you have questions I'll be here to answer them.

[calledtovienna]

Asynchronous gameplay with low time commitment sounds like a thing that I would totally be in for. (As opposed to anything synchronous, since I am zealously defensive about my real-life schedule)

[seekingferret]

Awesome!

[havocthecat]

I'm about to go in on the Kickstarter, so can I let you know when? (Hi, I've seen you on and around LJ and DW for years, but I don't know whether we've ever really talked. It's just that collaborative storytelling is basically my heart's desire and why I got into roleplaying games in the first place.)

[seekingferret]

Cool! Yeah, I've seen your posts around too. Let me know your username when you get it and I'll invite you to my game. Mine is ronarfel.

At the moment I'm leaning toward running an adaptation of my D&D 4E shtetl fantasy reskin, where wizards become Kabbalists and paladins become sworn Knights of the Magen David.

[canon_is_relative]

Hey! I'm here via dragonfly's journal, wondering if you're still seeking characters? This sounds like a sandbox I would love to play in.

[seekingferret]

Sure, PM me your email address or if you already have one, your storium username. I think I'm going to be starting the first scene right now, but I think you should be able to jump in a little late.

[rheasilvia]

Hi! Like the previous commenter, I am also here via dragonfly's journal - and if you're still taking players, I would love to apply. :-) I used to play RPGs through email, four score and twenty years ago, and then graduated to livejournal... Storium sounds like the absolute deluxe luxury version of online RPGs!

[seekingferret]

Hi! At the moment, we already have five players in the game, and I'm nervous enough about my unfamiliarity with the system that I don't think I want to take on any more in this game. I'm sorry. If anything changes, I'll let you know.

[rheasilvia]

Okay, and thanks for letting me know! Sorry for barging in on you like that - I suspected it was a bit late for me, anyway. :-)

Have fun! It sounds like an amazing system.