bryant

Umpteenth in an occasional series discussing games I might ilke to run or play someday. What’s on my mind in 2025? In no particular order…

1. Nahual has been on my list for a while now. It’s a really cool adaptation of a Mexican graphic novel. The Kickstarter had a translation of the original material as a stretch goal, but you know how those go sometimes. Anyhow: it’s interestingly rebellious urban fantasy about shapeshifters who hunt angels to make a living in Mexico City. Needs to be a campaign because the journey of becoming a more adept shapeshifter is a pretty key part of the rules, and the setting is about community which means it also benefits from time to breathe. Somewhat more inclined to run this because it’s a world I’d enjoy riffing on.
2. Legacy: Life Among the Ruins is an odd choice in a way. I’m not compelled by the setting which is fairly generic post-apocalypse material. It’s sort of more a toolkit setting — you can make of it what you will, but you have to put that effort into it. However, the generational style of play is fascinating for me. Also obviously a campaign. I’d run or play. 
3. Outgunned is so high on my list of one-shots I can’t even say. I want to find out first hand if the action mechanics are good; word of mouth is strong. I could use a more flexible version of Feng Shui in my toolkit. One-shot, or maybe one scenario’s worth of play over a couple of sessions, since the whole point is finding out if I like it. I do have a campaign floating around in my head set in a Madripoor pastiche, complete with street level superheroes and mad science, and the existing superhero rules for the game would do just fine even before the upcoming superhero-specific book, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Happy to run this.
4. The Troubleshooters is occupying a similar place in my head except it’s more that Tintin nostalgia is strong in me. Pulpy 1965, you bet! Nice d% system that won’t get in the way, Jet Age coolness, etc. I would really dig playing this, I think.
5. Worldwide Wrestling is fun. I’ve run it once; I’d be into running a year’s worth of events in my PNWage Wrestling promotion. (Man, past me put in the work to make that writeup usable, thanks!)
6. Trophy one of these days. Specifically Trophy Dark, I don’t need the campaign play here. And I wanna play this, not run it. I mean I could run it but I’m interested in how it feels at the other side of the table. I did play Trophy Gold once but the scenario never got finished, which was a bit frustrating.
7. Agon or a derivative, but probably Agon. I like getting the pure form of an exciting design. You could talk me into Deathmatch Island. I am more interested in this as a player than as a GM, because I’m interested in the competitive aspects and I don’t want the extra effort of nudging players in that direction. But, you know, with the right group…

[Crossposted from Population: One; go here for the original post.]

Not that I'll run all or any of these.

Bookhounds of London, the new Ken Hite Trail of Cthulhu campaign frame. The PCs are book dealers in London in the 1930s. Your bookstore has a character sheet. Mr. Hite outlines techniques for running what he calls an Arabesque Trail of Cthulhu campaign, which "has mighty temples inside shabby warehouses, underground civilizations, hypnotic detectives, and immortal hidden races." This works for me.

That probably occludes the path to running Mask of Nyarlathotep as a Trail of Cthulhu game, but that's OK. Mr. N isn't going anywhere.

It does not preclude running one of Graham Walmsley's magnificent Purist Trail of Cthulhu scenarios as a one-shot, given the right group. "You are powerless and insignificant: your only choices are death, insanity, or a quiet life with a shattered mind."

The Inquisitor's Library, just to continue the literary theme. This would be more of the Dark Heresy campaign I ran up in Boston. You are the servants of Inquisitor Lord Castis, the librarian of Calixis Sector. I believe I'd set it after Perseus' betrayal of Lord Castis, to establish a clean break from the original campaign. There is some controversy as to whether her betrayal was necessary, given that Lord Castis had gone mad, or self-aggrandizing.

High Kicks in Low Places, which is what I just named the Las Vegas Feng Shui campaign I've been noodling around with for a little while. I don't have a lot built up around this: it's just your standard Feng Shui game, with a bunch of unaware types somehow involved with a martial arts dojo and then the Secret War shows up on their doorstep. The usual, but in Las Vegas. Not literary at all.

Apocalypse World, but I kind of want to play that with the Boston crowd, so that's not happening this year. But man, it's on my list. Come to think of it, so is Dogs in the Vineyard. I think it'd be really fun to play that for six to ten sessions, keep it short term, or just let it play out till it's done? Requires more thought.

I'm sure I'll play more Fiasco. Yay one-shots.