So I was at a con this weekend and played tremulus. Now while I did have fun, the guy who ran the game clearly did not know how to run an *world game. He was having roll checks against moves and against our attributes while ignoring any affects of rolling between a 7-9. It basically was just Call of Cthulhu with d6’s.
I kept thinking I should just excuse myself and walk away, but at the same time I kept trying to steer the GM in the right direction by reading what the moves said every time I rolled.
How would you guys have handled this situation?
The context of how the game was described for the con is important because if he was trying to showcase the game for other people he was doing it wrong but if he was just trying to run a game the way he normally runs with his regular group then you really can’t fault him for doing his own thing. It’s all about communication.
What you did sounds appropriate. I tend to be a bit more confrontational than other people and would have called him out on not following the rules.
it was the only tremulus game I saw on listed, I kinda walked away a mix of emotions. One one hand it was a fun adventure and fun is the point of a game. On the other hand I felt like I wasted my time, since i wanted to play tremulus, not some d6 version of CoC. I could have had fun with almost any game, and feel like I missed my chance to be a player. (I GM 9 out of 10 times when gaming)
When you run a *World game, roll+sharp.
On a 10+, you fully engage with the system and the session sings. It is a thing of beauty.
On a 7-9 everyone enjoys the game, but pick two:
– You occasionally felt like the wheels were spinning without engaging the system.
– You were occasionally stumped on which Move to use.
– You didn’t manage to share the spotlight equitably.
– You neglected one of the Principles (pick one).
On a miss, you ignore the rules and run it like a trad RPG.
Sorry though, not much advice on what to do other than what you did. Maybe talk to them afterwards and hopefully prevent it happening the next time they run it for others?
Actually, I’ve been thinking there are a lot of people online who are curious about tremulus. I’m not the most expereinced MC/Keeper, but I have a copy and would be willing to run a game via Hangouts. The main issue is I’m in Australia so time zones can be an issue.
ha!
Bummer. I think there’s a tendency for folks to fall back on what they know and then just use that to run things they think they know. I once ran a demo 1st session that was beautifully smooth, everyone engaged, and when the time was up, a player said “I could take over if you guys wanna keep playing, I’ve seen enough to know how it works.” I told him there was a lot more to it than this, he’d need to go read some chapters, make some fronts, and sort out the NPCs before he could effectively run the game. He looked a little taken aback, as though the idea of actually having to learn how to run a game was a new concept.
He recovered with relative grace and went on to buy the game and run it well, but yeah, it’s not just any other game but set in the post-apocalypse.
I wish I could add to the conversation since I had a very similar experience at a recent con. I didn’t want to be “that guy” and criticize during the game, but afterward I did feel particularly dissatisfied.
When I run games at conventions, I pass out my business card and ask for feedback. I have received polite but critical comments that has helped highlight my weaknesses.
I wish more conventions have an anonymous feedback form processes so there are more avenues to express concerns and criticisms on GMs (and players).
after the game is the time to bring it up.