OMG!
OMG!! I had hit a hurdle when the Oracle threw a couple terms at me that I liked but didn't know how to incorporate, so I took awhile away from it. When I came back, still at a loss, I asked the Oracle for more guidance... It came in spades!!!
Not a lot of action this session, but the story just... BLEW UP! And here I sit at 3 AM, just finishing the write-up and probably still too excited to go to bed!
But I need your help. Take a look at the latest session and let me know what types of Vows you think Nikkel should make. There are so many options ... I have some ideas, but even for the ones I have, I don't know what Progression level they should be. I could ask the Oracle, like the rules say, but dang if the Oracle hasn't just flung me so far out into an ocean of awesomeness, for doing just that, that any further out and I may drown!
https://worldofukarea.wordpress.com/2017/12/22/the-focus-of-many/
Not a lot of action this session, but the story just... BLEW UP! And here I sit at 3 AM, just finishing the write-up and probably still too excited to go to bed!
But I need your help. Take a look at the latest session and let me know what types of Vows you think Nikkel should make. There are so many options ... I have some ideas, but even for the ones I have, I don't know what Progression level they should be. I could ask the Oracle, like the rules say, but dang if the Oracle hasn't just flung me so far out into an ocean of awesomeness, for doing just that, that any further out and I may drown!
https://worldofukarea.wordpress.com/2017/12/22/the-focus-of-many/
That's awesome, John Risus. I love it when the oracles leave you so much to springboard off. Almost too much, in your case. What are you thinking in terms of the vows? Seems like at least two there. Recovering the focus seems like a worthy quest that might get a formidable rank? I could see it becoming a complex narrative. Maybe even extreme if you want to make it a Focus (hah) for your character.
ReplyDeleteIf you recover it I'd have to make you A Focus asset, though.
Shawn Tomkin Yeah, I know it probably doesn't seem like it based on this blog entry, due to it's length, and how long it took me to type it up and format it, but I had like a million ideas when the Oracle dice started rolling. It really was overwhelming the number of ideas I had.
ReplyDeleteI wish I would have had my Epic, "Find out what happened to Aloy" vow declared when I started that session! The discovery that the Focus exists would have been a Tick toward that I think.
But as for the other vows, some might be nested, but what immediately comes to mind is, in no particular order; "Find out how Meddle is involved in the disappearance of the Focus", "Find Aloy's Focus", "Find the ingredients for the antidote", "Find out what happened to Aloy - (Epic?)", "Discover the reason for the Scrapper attack (which is already on my CS, so maybe I should roll for Progress since I did learn something about it - ie the Focus theft)".
I feel like I could squeeze in more based on what I know but the character doesn't, "Discover what Sevan was alluding to (was he jealous of her being appointed a Seeker? I got an NPC vibe from him when I wrote the dialog...
I had more, but I am running on three hours sleep having been up since 6:30 this AM and it's now, 11:00 PM. I'll need to re-read my post and make some notes and such I think.
Neat to see what I thought was a stand alone vow/quest is now probably a nested vow to a much larger quest. The discovery that you can go up and down the scale with nested quests is pretty cool!
This was really good! You've caught straight onto the solo-roleplaying vibe :)
ReplyDeleteIt seems like you've got a couple clear cut vows (Find the Focus and Find the Medicine) with the possibly interconnected goal of either Finding Meddle or Finding Out Who Set Up the Attack on the Village
It seems likely that by Finding the Focus you would also find the attacker, so you could say "Find the Focus and Punish the Thief" if you wanted to condense.
Justin Gordon Thanks, I am indeed an addict, whether I have fully caught on to it... that's another question. ;)
ReplyDeleteRight now I am thinking:
Find the Medicine
Find out what happened to Aloy
Find the Focus
Find Out If and How Meddle is Involved
Find and Punish the Thief
Find out Why the Scappers Attacked
Where the indents are Nested Vows/Quests.
What do you think?
John Risus ... I would probably avoid making too many vows. Nested quests are fine in the sense of "here's the steps I envision taking so that I may Fulfill this Vow" (which I think is what you are implying). Those things then become progress on your path to complete your quest. Having a related vow or two is okay, of course, but when you get beyond 3 or so vows at once things can start to feel a bit scattershot.
ReplyDeleteReading your last entry, it seemed like the Focus was more of the errr ... focus than finding out what happened to Aloy, but that may have just been my disconnect in reading. I would just look at it from your character's viewpoint. What really matters to her? What is personal? Make that a vow, and consider what you'll need to do to set yourself on the path (but be prepared for things to go off-script!). In the fiction, a vow can be a personal or public ceremony. It's a big deal, so focus on what really matters.
Lastly, minor suggestion, I usually like to try to give the vow labels a bit of implied imperative when I can. "Save the stricken braves of mother's heart" feels a bit more urgent and personal than "Find the Medicine" for example. Just a tonal thing, though.
Looking forward to what's next in your story.
Shawn Tomkin I see your point, especially considering how the Oracles and Moves 'jonked' my expectations thus far, which is a good thing.
ReplyDeleteSo I think I will go with Justin Gordon 's suggestion of "Find the Focus and Punish the Thief", because that is the main crux of the situation and doesn't specifically detail Meddle's involvement or lack of involvement.
Not sure if I should abandon the current Scrapper vow, but I think resolving the Focus will, or hope to, resolve that as well, so I might leave it on the back burner.
I will also take your Shawn Tomkin suggestion and go with "Save the stricken braves of mother's heart" You're right, that sounds more compelling/urgent.
I think finding out what happened to Aloy was my mission, not Nikkel's, at least not yet. Very cool that she has grown outside of my pre... I don't know... she has just grown out of the 'scope' of what I envisioned for her as a character even in this little bit of play! Hmmm, since characters seem to take so much of a life of their own with Ironsworn, I wonder - given the nature of play, could one grow not to like the character that evolves? Has this happened to you Shawn Tomkin? I realize I am getting philosophical again, but conventionally characters I have played became who I wanted them to become, not what experience and story make them to become...
I guess I need to figure out how challenging these two vows will be... or, should I look at it as how challenging Nikkel thinks this will be? The fact that I make this distinction is... wonderful and a powerful indication of just how awesome Ironsworn is.