This is a part of an ongoing series, where people who have posted boasting of the awesomeness of their campaign are summonsed to appear before the forum to describe it in detail, and answer questions about it.

RPGPundit, you are summonsed to appear in this thread to give testimony on the matter of your Qin campaign. Failure to comply with this summons will be treated as contempt of gamers.

Well, what the fuck do you want to know? You or anyone else, ask away please. I'll be glad to answer any and all questions to the best of my ability.

RPGPundit

Well, let's begin with you telling us about your players for it. What sort of person each is, and what sort of gamer, how they like to play, what sort of characters they go for, and what they've got this time?

QuoteWhat sort of person each is, and what sort of gamer, how they like to play, what sort of characters they go for, and what they've got this time?

What kinda bullshit is this?
You are really into kitchen-psychology these days it seems.

I´d prefer to hear about research, the problems with  culture and background regarding GM and players.
And a "what happened" synopsis, of course.

We begin with the players and characters, then move on to the setting and system, and any other things which may come up. It's best to start with one thing, otherwise the subpoened person will be less likely to respond in full. Also, threads are more likely to drift into irrelevance if the questions and issues brought up are vague and general. FOCUS.

Don't worry, Settembrini, we haven't forgotten you, you'll be subpoened in future weeks.

We had to start somewhere - with one person, one campaign, and one basic question. Now fuck off, please, and stop threadcrapping.

Okay, Viking-Hat thread starter of ultimate reasonability and down to-earth-ness.Your way of doing this seems rather un-fun and reeks "contrivedness", if such a noun exists.

Enjoy yourself.

Quote from: JimBobOzWe begin with the players and characters, then move on to the setting and system, and any other things which may come up.

Nod, nod.  It is the Cheetoist way ... and a solid foundation for the discussion.  Looking forward to hearing more!

Quote from: JimBobOzWe had to start somewhere - with one person, one campaign, and one basic question. Now fuck off, please, and stop threadcrapping.

I know that you started this thread, but does that mean that no one else can participate without your approval?  You asked Pundit about his campaign, Sett asked a question about his campaign, and that is threadcrapping?  Jesus Christ...set up a fucking Pistols at Dawn thread if you want to anally control others' input.

As it so happens, I am also interested in the challenges of researching an at least semi-historical game and the issues of representing cultures different than one's own in a game without pandering to nor insulting that culture.  I tend to run those sorts of games, and I suspect that Pundit may have some useful things to say.  What level of historical accuracy is really necessary?  How loose with the "real" events should you be in order to have the PCs make a difference and not be spectators to a foregone conclusion?  How do you deal with players who have preconceived notions about a culture or period that may be less than accurate?

Is it OK if I ask some questions, too?


TGA

So this is like Actual Play on demand?

Except that you can't say On Demand without paying licensing fees to COMCAST...

Quote from: JimBobOzWell, let's begin with you telling us about your players for it. What sort of person each is, and what sort of gamer, how they like to play, what sort of characters they go for, and what they've got this time?

My players at the moment in the campaign (ignoring a couple who are no longer in the game) are Jong, Veronica, Marcel, Sunboy, and my brother.

Jong is playing Chin Den Tong, a confucian scholar who has had terrible bad luck with his feudal lords. First he was with Dong Zhuo, until that guy went nuts, became a megalomaniac, and got himself killed by Lu Bu. Then he served the generals Li Jue and Guo Si, until they turned on each other and Li Jue ended up dead, and Guo Si ended up hunting Jong.  So he went to Cao Cao (and helped get the Emperor into Cao Cao's hands in the process), only to realize that Cao Cao was just too horrid a proposition to serve (he's "Dong Zhuo with brains"); so he betrayed Cao Cao in favour of Liu Bei; but Liu Bei lost all his lands to Lu Bu, so he ended up with Gongsun Zan.  Finally, Gongsun Zan got himself killed by Yuan Shao.  Finally, Jong felt he had enough, picked up stakes and went back to his home region in Hsiung-nu Barbarian-occupied lands, and started to try to make his way as a rogue warlord in his own right.

Veronica is playing a girl from a good family that fell into disrepute because of her uncle's betrayal of her father.  This drove her dad into alcoholism and ruin, and she had to be put into service of a Healer as her apprentice.  Veronica swore to find and avenge her family against her Uncle. But along the way to hunting down her uncle she ran into Liu Bei, a rising warlord, and Liu Bei became completely smitten with her, and took her as his concubine.  Since then, Veronica's character has been a fervent activist behind the scenes for her man.  She's given birth to his only male heir thus far, used her medical skills to save Liu and his brothers' lives many times and keep her children healthy, and done all the good "concubine" things; but beside that she's also used her considerable intelligence and the fact that as a woman she tends to be unnoticed to commit all kinds of atrocities to help Liu Bei rise to power. She poisoned Tao Qian so that his death would grant liu Bei control of a province, and most recently she has crossed a new moral line with her character when she conspired with Guan Yu and had Diao Chan (the lover of the slain warlord Lu Bu, and probably the most beautiful woman in China) who was Veronica's closest friend, murdered in cold blood for fear that Liu Bei (who was going to show mercy and take her in as his concubine) would end up favoring Diao Chan over her.

Marcel is Lin Gui Bao. Rogue Wuxia knight and adventurer.  His character trained with the Taiping sect (the "Yellow Turbans") when he was young, and when that sect was forbidden it made Marcel a rebel. On top of that, he insulted his family's feudal Lord, who then put a price on his head.  From these humble beginnings, Marcel managed to raise up a small army (as a commander of the Yellow Turbans), then abandoned the Yellow Turban cause and set out as a bandit, accompanied by Veronica's character (until she met Liu Bei) and by another young wuxia named Xu Huang, who became Lin Gui Bao's Sworn Brother. Eventually Marcel and Xu Huang managed to gain a place with a warlord in Dong Zhuo's army, but after Dong Zhuo's death Marcel was separated from Xu Huang, the latter staying with their Lord, while Marcel betrayed their lord and joined Liu Bei and his brothers. Fighting alongside Liu Bei and his men, Marcel earned the lifelong enmity of Lu Bu (the greatest warrior in all of China).
Eventually, Marcel gained his own territories, south of the Tai mountains, and even went into the mountains to the Kingdom of Lakes and Forests where he found himself a warrior bride.  His old feudal lord, Yang Feng, had called on Marcel for help out of desperation: Cao Cao had captured the young Emperor, and no one could stop him.  Marcel went to try to rescue the Emperor, only to find himself confronted by his old sworn brother Xu Huang, who had been turned to Cao Cao's side and now served him.  The two fought an epic battle, at the end of which (I kid you not), Xu Huang was horrifically wounded, but Marcel couldn't bring himself to kill his old friend, out of the memory of what they once meant to each other.  So instead, he fled, failing to save the Emperor
Marcel went back to his  lands, but Liu Bei was far away now, and had allied to Lu Bu (marcel's sworn enemy); Marcel tried hard to hold onto his lands, but was betrayed by Jong's character (who turned his loyalties to Gongsun Zan).  So Marcel took his best men and fled into his wife's lands, in the Kingdom of Lakes and Forests.  A year later, he came back out with an army, made a pact with Gongsun Zan's enemy Yuan Shao, and harassed Jong's lands until Zan was forced to send troops to try to stop him, creating the distraction Shao needed to attack.  Now things are looking up again for Marcel. Lu Bu is dead, Gongsun Zan too, Jong has fled, and the only question is whether Marcel will be able to count on Yuan Shao to keep his part of the bargain and restore Marcel's lands to him.

Federico (Sunboy) is relatively new to the campaign, playing a Merchant who had once been kind and friendly to the great warlord Sun Jian.  Years later, Sun Jian had died, and his son Sun Ce came to Federico looking for help. Sun Ce had lost everything, but he had a plan to regain all that he had been forced to give up (his father's lands, his family's honor, and the Imperial Seal which his father had found in the ruins of the capital). Sun Ce had nothing to offer Federico but his word; but that was enough for Federico.  He gave Sun Ce the funds he needed to build a small army and with that army Sun Ce defeated countless other warlords, giving him the name of "Little Overlord".  So great was his success that the emperor gave him the title of Marquis and "General Who Defeats Rebels".  Sun Ce for his part has been a faithful and grateful lord to Federico, giving Federico's sons military titles and making Federico (who's character is fairly old) status as an advisor.  Most recently, Federico was crucial in helping Sun Ce in recovering the Imperial Seal, having personally risked his life to stop one of Sun Ce's enemies from escaping with it.  Because of this, Sun Ce has given Federico the rank of Commandry Governor of an important region of Sun Ce's territories. So far, Federico has proven to be a trusty and wise advisor and vassal to a wise, generous, and brilliant lord. Of course, this is all going just way too well to last.

Finally, my brother played a couple of sessions while he was in town. He's missed the last couple of sessions, so it remains to be seen if he'll continue playing (this is the same brother who's the D20 fanatic, so he's never very keen on playing in any system that isn't D20). Always the fan of unusual characters, my brother decided to play a Barbarian: a Roman in this case, named Lucius.  Lucius was only a child when his Granduncle and Father fled Rome during Commodus' reign of terror. They used their wealth and contacts with merchant houses to travel east, eventually making it all the way to China.  There, Lucius' father became a mercenary servant of Sun Jian, when the latter was conquering the lands south of the Han empire. Lucius' father became a trusted vassal of Sun Jian, and died in Jian's service.  Jian in turn helped provide for Lucius, who became a friend of Sun Ce, and stayed with the latter after Sun Jian died and the Sun family lost all its holdings. Sun Ce trusts his barbarian friend with his life, and calls him "Lu-shu". He was with Sun Ce during Ce's initial conquests (where he gained the title of "Little Overlord"), and after that Sun Ce sent my brother's character further to the south, to stabilize the southern border and pacify the barbarian tribes down there.  He hasn't been seen in the game since, though it appears that he's been in touch with Sun Ce and things are going well (or at least that's what the correspondences say).

RPGPundit

Quote from: SettembriniWhat kinda bullshit is this?
You are really into kitchen-psychology these days it seems.

I´d prefer to hear about research, the problems with  culture and background regarding GM and players.
And a "what happened" synopsis, of course.

Well, you got a bit of "what happened" in my player profiles above.

As for research and problems of background, I'm obviously not nearly as well versed in Chinese history as I am with the Roman history, so I decided not to try as hard to be historically authentic.  My main sources for the campaign are the actual Romance of the Three Kingdoms novel, a few books on the historical period (as well as a few on chinese warlords, art, and culture), and a healthy dose of wikipedia.

Having realized right from the start that I wasn't going to play out the events of the Novel per se, but I also wasn't going to go strictly along with the history, it kind of freed me up to add some supernatural elements (there's magic in the game, and even monsters, but generally they don't show up in regular society, only a very few individuals might rarely encounter them, or you have to go to the Kingdom of Lakes and Forests to find them), but there's definitely some mid-level wuxia special effects (ie. at the level Qin plays at).

My players mostly didn't know anything about the Three Kingdoms period (except that a few of them played some of the R3K computer games that are out there), or chinese culture of the time. But I gave them something of a crash course, and away we went. This campaign is definitely more pseudo-historical than the Rome campaign but it does certainly follow the overall course of history.

RPGPundit

Quote from: RPGPunditMarcel went back to his  lands, but Liu Bei was far away now, and had allied to Lu Bu (marcel's sworn enemy); Marcel tried hard to hold onto his lands, but was betrayed by Jong's character (who turned his loyalties to Gongsun Zan).

That depends on the eye of the beholder...

It is cool how the characters have such close ties to the main actors of the era, e.g. Liu Bei and Cao Cao and so forth.  Was this their idea or did you encourage it?  Also, how is it working out?

Quote from: Jeffrey StraszheimIt is cool how the characters have such close ties to the main actors of the era, e.g. Liu Bei and Cao Cao and so forth.  Was this their idea or did you encourage it?  Also, how is it working out?

I encouraged it. I mean, I know you COULD play an historical campaign where your PCs are just bit players in the story of history, but to me the historical campaign is meant to be the story of the great events, and the point is for the PCs to get caught up with the great movers and shakers of the era.

In my Roman campaign its the same; I mean certainly there are players that can always, by choice, not have much to do with the major figures of the age; but anyone who wants to will get a chance to.

RPGPundit