Okay Firebrands isn’t PbtA really, but I couldn’t find a more apt community. If someone has an idea where to get more response for Firebrand questions please let me know.
So I did the a test run of Firebrands for an upcoming con one-shot. Very fun stuff, very flirty. I have a question about the game of solitaire. Is there a reason for the hidden information? By that I mean is there a reason why you play solitaire quietly with yourself?
I have two theories:
1.) It’s a time saver so as to move the game along.
2.) It generates some hidden information that gives players something to seek out in the upcoming games? For a game so focused on call and response this might be the ingredient that keeps the game in the “Play to find out” orbit?
I’m asking because I see solitaire as a great moment to show the table what a character is like when they are away from the drama of the game. There’s a part of me that wants to run it out loud to help facilitation and increase buy-in for the characters. But i’m wary I’m messing with something I don’t really understand.
I imagine you fuel the game by running it in secret. Nobody knows what you did or what happened, but you’re supposed to reveal a sign of it whenever you join in the next scene. That gives people something to latch onto and play towards, and then it lets you be cool and surprising when you reveal the full story.
Also, It’s totally Powered by the Apocalypse 😀
Yeah I think it’s officially PbtA, By Word of Vincent.
If I knew I was playing with grizzly indie gamers who are familiar with “Fall of Magic” and “Archipelago” then I’d probably be fine with keeping solitaire quiet. The Con i’m running at though isn’t very RPG centric so the people sitting down to this might be having their first rpg experience. And I guess I was hoping for something more “Dogs in the Vineyard” esque as far as opening vignettes go.
For me it’s an off beat to happen right after character creation but maybe i just need to have more faith in my fellow players.
Robert Bohl BWoV!
Sometimes I think Vincent labels things pbta so people stop making assumptions about what constitutes a pbta game. He isn’t wrong.
In what way is it not PBtA? It gets at how PBtA works better than most “AW Hacks” do.
Solitaire is played by yourself because a) it’s not always your turn, and b) when it’s not your turn, it’s a great opportunity for you to get your character’s legs under themselves so you know who they are.
The solitaire games are for you to help work out your own motivations. Your motivations aren’t anyone else’s business, though; only what you do and say.
I did not mean to start a debate on classification. The pbta logo is on the inside of the back cover, so that leaves little doubt. I had been looking for a lumpley games community and was unsure if this was the place to post about Firebrands.
The hidden motivation is a new idea to me. Sounds like something out of freeform play that I have less experience with. In most of my games I try to maximize transparency. Give the players all the information they want to make a decision, probably an overreaction on my part to the idea of GM’s secret plots. The idea of hidden information is a little outside my comfort zone, but hopefully I can sufficiently set expectations.
In my test run most of the other players were busy reading about the other games to prepare for their turn. There is a chunk of reading comprehension that a first time playthrough requires. I’m unsure if I can dilute that work load for a one shot. Maybe its best to let players read through some of the options then begin play of the game. An example of what I’m worried about is the tit for tat of conversation putting pressure on someone who is anxious about their reading speed.
The main reason that you play solitaire quietly is just time, it doesn’t have to be secret. I just think that it’ll drag the game terribly to start with a round of solitaire out loud.
Some groups always, always start with a round of solitaire out loud, though, so what do I know.
My advice would be to just say, “play solitaire quietly to yourself, but next time you’re in a game, feel free to tell us what happened if you want to!”
Ima disagree with you about your own game! It doesn’t have to be a secret, but assuming that the outcome is private gives you the ability to put the paints you want on your palette.
That is, I think thinking about your character in a structured way yields different results than talking about it — not the least of which is how flexible it can be when it comes time to reveal something that happened there. But also, uninterrupted, structured, private imagination can be really productive.
If the assumption was that you would do it out loud, and then you kept quiet, it makes it clearly a secret. But since the assumption is that it’s private, then it would probably harm no one to do it out loud if you thought it was funny or something.