Microscope Forum RPG - DAMMIT, LET ME DIE FIRST

[knolli]

I like the idea this game system is built around. And at least the first few steps can be done easily. So how about we start our own session, IVhorseman? But we will probalby need your help later, Arkbrik, since you own the rule book.
Once this is cleared will not pollute your thread any longer. Agreed?

[Arkbrik]

Okay. All the rules will pop up in this thread as we go along, so you can just peek here. Try to find a third player, Microscope plays best with 3-4 people. 3 is easier when you are on a forum.

[Silverdream]

The Time: Euginidian Era
Characters: Andrew Wright, President of Nemidia III, Constantine Euginides(the first King), Other political leaders not affiliated with Constantine's government.
Question: What did Constantine Euginides do with those who refused to join him?

[Arkbrik]

Woah wait, we are not making Scenes yet. We have to decide exactly how we are going to make them when we get to them. As I see it we have three options.

1. Play by post: Everyone posts what their characters do in the thread.
Pros: Relatively easy.
Cons: Can take a long time for each scene. If one player is missing while the other two are online they might fall behind.

2. Play in chat: Everyone meets in a chatroom at an appointed time.
Pros: Relatively quick. Gives the best roleplaying.
Cons: Everyone has to be available at the same time.

3. Dictated scenes: All scenes are dictated rather than played.
Pros: Quick and easy.
Cons: There's no actual roleplaying.

I think we should start by trying to do it in a chat to see how it goes. What do you think?

[mgb519]

That would be MY vote. TO MIBBIT!
What time, then? I vote sometime today, preferably after I have dinner (say, 4 or 5 hours from now should be good)

[Ross_Varn]

I'm in for Beta session, if you'll have me, Knolli. What do you say?

[knolli]

You are in. See here.

[Arkbrik]

That would be MY vote. TO MIBBIT!
What time, then? I vote sometime today, preferably after I have dinner (say, 4 or 5 hours from now should be good)

That's the middle of the night for me. Damn time zones.

Anyway, time to get into the actual play. The game is divided into rounds, during which every player gets a turn to add something to the timeline, either a Period, an Event, or a Scene. Remember that Events can only be created inside previously existing Periods, and Scenes can only be created inside previously existing Events.

One player is the Lens for each round. The Lens chooses a Focus for the round, which can be anything: a person, a place, a thing, an institution, a concept, etc. The contributions that every player makes during the round must relate to the Focus. The Lens can create two things on their turn, as long as they are nested inside each other: a Period plus an Event inside that Period, or an Event plus a Scene inside that Event. The other players create one thing each. After that, the Lens gets to go again, and can create another thing, or two nested things. With three players A, B, and C, with A as the Lens, the turn order becomes AA-B-C-AA.

After that, the player to the right of the Lens (C in the above example) gets to make a Legacy. A Legacy is something that came into the history during this round, and the player thinks is interesting and would like to see further explored. It can be a person, a family, an object, a place, a philosophical ideal; just about anything. If the player has created a Legacy earlier in the game, the new Legacy replaces the old one.

Then the same player gets to explore a Legacy, either the one they just created, or one made by another player. You do this by creating either an Event or a Dictated Scene about the Legacy.

After that, the next player (B in the example) becomes the new Lens, and picks a new Focus to start the next round.

---

Our turn order can be the signup order (Arkbrik-mgb519-Silverdream). The rulebook recommends that the person teaching the rules is the first Lens.

Ok. I declare that the Focus of the first turn is... Starmetals.

As the Lens, I get to make two nested things. First an Event in The End Period:

The Niordium mines on Scade I are exhausted. [DARK]

Then a Scene inside that Event:

Question - Why was the population of Scade I doomed when they could not produce more Niordium?
Characters - Required: The head of the Niordium mining corporation, and her husband. Banned: Regular mine workers.
Setting - The evening of the day when the Niordium exhaustion has become public. A quiet restaurant in the capital of Scade I. The corporation head, her husband, and another person are having dinner together.

So when do you have time to get together in the chat? I have a time zone map below that should help. Let's try and refer to all time in GMT (0 on the map). I can play some time tomorrow, GMT 09:00 - 21:00, ish. Yay for summer giving me lots of spare time!



Now I'm going to sleep.

[mgb519]

I've got a smallish window tomorrow, because of work. so 14:00-19:00, probably. I'm far more open on Friday, probably anywhere from 14:00-24:00.
That's GMT, of course.

[Silverdream]

I would have to get up pretty early for both of those.

The average time I get up is 19:00 GMT. I could try to get up earlier at 18:00(Not that much of a stretch, but still takes effort) or 17:00(Generous). Most times past that I'll be available. I'm unemployed and have no life so I have a really sporadic schedule.

[Arkbrik]

How about we aim for Friday 19:00 GMT, then?

[mgb519]

Sounds good.

[IVhorseman]

Oh, there's a player cap, my bad. Missed that somewheres...

[Keldoclock]

Oh, there's a player cap, my bad. Missed that somewheres...

Yeah I got all excited about getting my indie RPG on and then noticed all the slots were filled too :/

[Silverdream]

How about we aim for Friday 19:00 GMT, then?

Perfect. I'll try to be on mibbit 10 minutes early.

One thing though, I have a driver's test that day, it'll probably happen after we're done.