Playtesting – Page 2 – the Dee Sanction

This weekend, I ran two games of The Dee Sanction, at Concrete Cow in Milton Keynes. I suspect I will ruminate and post more than once on the outcome from these sessions. I ran two adventures, both of which I’d run before. ‘The Gongfermor Deception‘ has been run at least … Continue ReadingThe Dee Sanction at the Cow

Events Playtesting

Oh So Quiet

January 17, 2015

Nothing like the sound of silence to help focus the mind, right? Oh, and also it makes a blog look empty and forgotten… Never so much. If only my brain would be that silent in the midst of the shower, on the commute to work, or upon the trip to … Continue ReadingOh So Quiet

Game Mechanics Playtesting

The Me in Team

December 9, 2014

Teamwork. What is it good for? That’s a tough one. In the session of The Dee Sanction I ran at Dragonmeet on Saturday, I found the teamwork dynamic of the group worked quite well. When someone faced a challenge and they rolled outside their success threshold, the team generally jumped … Continue ReadingThe Me in Team

Events Playtesting

Playtesting at Dragonmeet

December 7, 2014

Dragonmeet 2014 at the ILEC Conference Centre saw me running another playtest session of 214. I ran The Dee Sanction setting using a new adventure called “The Holy Wax Infant of Prague“. I had five players and a table in the open gaming area (where I had the opportunity to … Continue ReadingPlaytesting at Dragonmeet

Game Mechanics Playtesting

Narrative Results

November 11, 2014

Dice in the pair used for Complex 214 and The Dee Sanction have symbols on them, intended to help focus the story. The symbols include: equipment, surveillance/vigilance, access, the system, them, and mutation/magic. In practice, when you roll the dice initially, the symbol rolled can help understand – plotwise – … Continue ReadingNarrative Results

Game Mechanics Playtesting

Inspiration Strikes

November 10, 2014August 17, 2016

I have written before, probably elsewhere, on the matter of inspiration and the spawning of new ideas. People have different ways of sparking their creativity, or find ideas coming to them in specific situations. It’s that principle that causes writers to keep a notepad by their bed, in case they … Continue ReadingInspiration Strikes

Playtesting

Quick Thoughts on Last Night’s Game

November 4, 2014

I ran The Bell’s Toll over the course of two short sessions with my regular gaming group. I have asked them for feedback on The Dee Sanction – and I look forward to getting some good stuff over many future sessions. Generally, the adventure seemed to work. I think the … Continue ReadingQuick Thoughts on Last Night’s Game

Game Mechanics Playtesting

The Counter Economy

October 29, 2014

When I ran my playtest session of The Dee Sanction this week, I handed out a bunch of counters – but, by the end of play, not many had moved from their starting position. I can see why – I do need to more firmly state the existence of challenges … Continue ReadingThe Counter Economy

Playtesting

Matters Magickal and Mechanical

October 28, 2014

Running The Bell Tolls last night for my local group. This will be an adventure I’ll run at conventions to playtest The Dee Sanction. I want to run this one in a single session, about 3 1/2 – and the version I ran bodes well for that. While we didn’t … Continue ReadingMatters Magickal and Mechanical

Events Playtesting

Playtest Eventing

October 12, 2014

While I have been tied up with matters technical for the last week or so, I have had the opportunity to commit myself to some playtest games at upcoming events. I’m certain this will sharpen my interest in getting more low level playtesting done in the meantime. While I’ll be … Continue ReadingPlaytest Eventing