Real Life Scheduling

[gamedave]

I'm going to be honest: I'm pretty frustrated and discouraged right now. I'm not upset with anyone personally; it's no one's fault, no one has done anything wrong. But, it's clear at this point that this schedule with this group just isn't feasible. So, going forward, I see three paths:

1. We just accept that it's often going to be 3 of 5 PCs, and whoever can make, makes it, and we roll with who we have. I think I would still have fun running, but I don't know how much fun playing that kind of campaign would be for others. It would mean that the campaign will probably continue to be heavily Operation-oriented, without much in the way of character-specific roleplaying and plot-lines. I'll still try to do some of that, but without knowing who will be there week-to-week, I'm honestly not going to put a whole lot of effort into that. But, let's be honest, as a GM I often short-change that element a lot, anyway.

2. We scrap playing an RPG campaign, and just meet up and hang out, and whoever can make it, makes it. We can talk, hang out, and maybe play some board games and card games. This is my only opportunity to see any of you guys on a regular basis, and as much as I hate you all, I really do consider you friends and enjoy hanging out with you all. I'd be happy with this path.

3. We just admit that with this group, a regular Monday meet-up just isn't happening, and we scrap the whole deal.

Thoughts?

[gamedave]

Jeremy suggested a campaign board game. Most campaign board games are designed for four players, but I have a few that will take up to six.

BLUF: Big Trouble in Little China is one of my favorite big board games, and even with six players, I think it moves pretty well and is fun. I haven't played the Legacy of Lo Pan campaign version, but I'd like to try it out. I think this is probably the best option, of the campaign games I have.

There are other options, though.

Deep Madness is...ok. It's got a good rating on boardgamegeek.com, so it's by no means a poorly designed game; it's just not quite my cup of tea. Still, I've got it, have only played it once, and am more than willing to bring it to the table if that's what sparks everyone's interest.

Level 7: Omega Protocol is a fun game, can take up to six players, and is built from the ground up as a campaign game. The one drawback, from my perspective, is that unlike every other game I've listed here, it's a 1-v-Many game, not a fully co-op game. I'd be happy to be the Overseer if this is the game everyone really likes. Frankly, I'd rather play a full co-op game, but I'd still have fun playing as the Overseer in this game.

Massive Darkness is designed from the ground up for up to six players, with a built-in campaign mode. But...the campaign mode is an optional mode. It's really designed as a one-off dungeon delve, and even in campaign mode, there isn't really a story line, just one dungeon delve after another. It's fun, but kind of repetitive, and I don't think it would really hold up for a full campaign.

Secrets of the Lost Tomb is another game I like. With more than four players, it does bog down a little, but I think it still works. I haven't tried the campaign mode. It was designed as a one-off dungeon delve game, with the campaign mode bolted on in an expansion, and that approach often doesn't work well (Descent 1st Edition, I'm looking at you). Could be worth a try, though.

Shadows of Brimstone, and the samurai version, Forbidden Fortress, technically take up to six players, but they are designed for four, and in my personal experience, they really grind with five or six players. SoB is one of my favorite games ever, and I have a lot of money invested in it, and I'd love to bring to a table for a campaign, but...frankly, I don't think the 5-6 player version really works.

If we only had five players, I've got a couple more games, and if we had only four, I have several more, but with six, the above is what I've got.

Anyone else have anything? Or thoughts on the options above?

[gamedave]

Ok, from the text chain, it looks like the two front-runners (as in, the only games anyone's specifically expressed interest in) are Big Trouble in Little China and Shadows of Brimstone. I'd really appreciate a consensus before Monday, so I know which to bring (and which to brush on the rules and organize the pieces for).

Big Trouble in Little China

Pro: It's literally a lighter-weight game than SoB, so turns move faster and there's less bookkeeping and resource management to bog the game down. It also has a true campaign with a story-line. It's got a lot of just plain goofy fun elements.

Con: It's lighter weight, which also means there's a lot less room for character customization and development. I also have never tried the campaign mode, so I don't really know how well it works, or how long it will go.

Shadows of Brimstone

Pro: It's a big, sprawling game, with a ton of options and decision points and plotlines. It's also got a ton of cool monsters and minis. It's got great atmosphere and thematics. I've got a lot of stuff for it. I mean, a lot. Like Derek-with-the-new-hotness levels of stuff.

Con: It's a big, sprawling game, with a ton of options and decision points and plotlines. With more than four players, game play tends to bog down. The game's AI tends to dump a ton of those cool minis on the board at once, which the characters then plow through Big Damn Hero-style, but that all takes time, as does sorting through all of those options and decision points on any single turn. Also, the campaign mode is really a series of one-off delves that don't have a specific throughline, other than "Heroes delve into the Shadowy mines and Otherworlds to stop the threat-of-the-week."

So, can we reach a consensus before Monday on what to do?