First game - issues arose!
Posted: Wed 06 Jul 2022, 11:18
Hi all,
I ran my first game as GM ( both for Alien and first game as GM EVER! ). I ran a CotGs game for a few friends. I had a list of notes and story points ready, had pages labelled in the rulebook and the scenario book. I had all the cards ordered and ready to go.
First issue - one guy "forgot" - I'm now down to two players. Neither wanted to play the captain, so I made the decision to play the captain as someone seeking suggestions from the crew, which she assessed and made a decision on.
I decided to leave out the whole "Lucas" part - it didn't make sense with one as Wilson and one as Cham and no other players.
The players were, although true to their characters, way ahead of the games story! The pair of them happily split up to get things done - although both wanted to take a couple of NPCs with them in case they met anything nasty.
A (not-so-) brief breakdown:
The Bloodburster attacked Cham, hissed, Cham laughed it off. Bloodburster was incinerated. Totally incinerated. I had to game it to make it live!
Wilson refused a jab - even besting a roll-off with the Captain - and kept his suit on - but agreed to take the jab once his suits oxygen ran out. He then passed EVERY test I made him take for his air supply for several turns. The air finally ran out after the Montero blew!
The engines and oxygen were safely bought back on line. The abomination fled to the ducts for later.
Cham, Reid and Rye encountered the abomination on their way back out - Rye had her head crushed. Cham and Reid caused WAY too much damage. So many hits it was unreal - and I failed armour rolls at every turn. The Abomination died.
I used the "itching" on Wilson, despite his suit, to make him check the seals and think about the "Cure" more.
Halfway through act two, Wilson was already in league with Clayton and planning to abandon the crew at the first opportunity!
Johns and Flynn were in the mess hiding from an abomination - Cham selflessly drew the abomination away from the end of the corridor, opening the door and, with his shotgun, causing a wound to the creature, This allowed Reid and Miller to open their door and use the incinerator and Pulse Rifle to full effect. The Abomination attacked Cham - Cham had his arm torn off. Then in a fit of poor rolling by me and great rolling by Miller, the incinerator caused a lot of damage (which, being fire damage, would persist), the Abomination then attacked Flynn, killing him outright, then turned and screamed at Reid and Miller. Given the crew had managed stress well, the worst case was a 7 on a panic roll. Reid then took aim and caused more damage. Next round the Abomination decided to scream....again. While the fire caused more damage. Miller failed to cause any further hits and the Abomination leapt for the kill, knocking Miller to the ground and the incinerator out of her hands - but failed to hit! Reid (standing right next to Miller) completed a simple kill. I think I need new dice!
Cham was given medical aid and taken to med-bay, where Ava was tasked with protecting him and lending medical support - with Reid on guard outside.
Miller (the player took over Miller from here on), decided to collect a shotgun and went to check on Davis and Wilson.
Wilson was, by now, ready to simply jump in the escape pod with Clayton (who had been stacking a few "items" in the pod as a retirement fund. Before Wilson went to meet Clayton, he decided to try and execute Miller! I gamed this a little, by making him take an empathy (survival) test - as he's a suit, not a killer. He failed. Given Davis was next to him at the time, I had her draw her pistol on him. The captain simply hefted the shotgun onto her shoulder and ordered him to drop the pistol - which he did! I used an opposed command roll I think.
Wilson fled (no-one knew he had a second pistol in his waistband behind his jacket. He went to the suite, and met Clayton in the hall, and decided to take out Clayton! Again, he failed the survival check - Clayton didn't, and shot him! He wasn't dead, but he was broken and needed medical aid.
Miller had ordered Davis to set a course for Anchorpoint and then followed Wilson - so she saw Clayton shoot Wilson. Wilson had been part of her crew- and if anyone was going to shoot him, it was Miller - so she killed Clayton. Stone cold dead.
Miller then gave medical aid to Wilson - he offered a 50/50 deal on the goods Clayton had stashed and told Miller of the pod. Miller agreed and they both went to the suite to use the escape pod.
I had Reid call for aid as the Adult Neomorph emerged to hunt the last few survivors. They decided to abandon everyone and fled in the pod!
Given the characters agendas, I felt this was in keeping with the actions they would take.
As time had been short and we wanted to complete the game in one hit, I abandoned the Sotillo story and had debris from the Montero hitting the hull (they didn't know what it was, only that there noises coming from outside) - and they knew there was still an abomination outside.
So, Cooper killed by a story event. Cham critically injured and Flynn and Rye killed by an Abomination. Clayton killed by a player.
Davis, Johns, Reid and Ava abandoned by Miller and Wilson.
Not a bad tally - but lower than I expected.
The players really enjoyed the game - especially the stress mechanic. They also loved the overall game mechanics and want to play another one-shoot soon - with maybe 4-5 players.
I felt almost overwhelmed by how quickly they made decisions - to the point where I had to find ways to get them back together, or back on track, just to make events impactful.
Any hints or tips from the more experienced would be appreciated!
I ran my first game as GM ( both for Alien and first game as GM EVER! ). I ran a CotGs game for a few friends. I had a list of notes and story points ready, had pages labelled in the rulebook and the scenario book. I had all the cards ordered and ready to go.
First issue - one guy "forgot" - I'm now down to two players. Neither wanted to play the captain, so I made the decision to play the captain as someone seeking suggestions from the crew, which she assessed and made a decision on.
I decided to leave out the whole "Lucas" part - it didn't make sense with one as Wilson and one as Cham and no other players.
The players were, although true to their characters, way ahead of the games story! The pair of them happily split up to get things done - although both wanted to take a couple of NPCs with them in case they met anything nasty.
A (not-so-) brief breakdown:
The Bloodburster attacked Cham, hissed, Cham laughed it off. Bloodburster was incinerated. Totally incinerated. I had to game it to make it live!
Wilson refused a jab - even besting a roll-off with the Captain - and kept his suit on - but agreed to take the jab once his suits oxygen ran out. He then passed EVERY test I made him take for his air supply for several turns. The air finally ran out after the Montero blew!
The engines and oxygen were safely bought back on line. The abomination fled to the ducts for later.
Cham, Reid and Rye encountered the abomination on their way back out - Rye had her head crushed. Cham and Reid caused WAY too much damage. So many hits it was unreal - and I failed armour rolls at every turn. The Abomination died.
I used the "itching" on Wilson, despite his suit, to make him check the seals and think about the "Cure" more.
Halfway through act two, Wilson was already in league with Clayton and planning to abandon the crew at the first opportunity!
Johns and Flynn were in the mess hiding from an abomination - Cham selflessly drew the abomination away from the end of the corridor, opening the door and, with his shotgun, causing a wound to the creature, This allowed Reid and Miller to open their door and use the incinerator and Pulse Rifle to full effect. The Abomination attacked Cham - Cham had his arm torn off. Then in a fit of poor rolling by me and great rolling by Miller, the incinerator caused a lot of damage (which, being fire damage, would persist), the Abomination then attacked Flynn, killing him outright, then turned and screamed at Reid and Miller. Given the crew had managed stress well, the worst case was a 7 on a panic roll. Reid then took aim and caused more damage. Next round the Abomination decided to scream....again. While the fire caused more damage. Miller failed to cause any further hits and the Abomination leapt for the kill, knocking Miller to the ground and the incinerator out of her hands - but failed to hit! Reid (standing right next to Miller) completed a simple kill. I think I need new dice!
Cham was given medical aid and taken to med-bay, where Ava was tasked with protecting him and lending medical support - with Reid on guard outside.
Miller (the player took over Miller from here on), decided to collect a shotgun and went to check on Davis and Wilson.
Wilson was, by now, ready to simply jump in the escape pod with Clayton (who had been stacking a few "items" in the pod as a retirement fund. Before Wilson went to meet Clayton, he decided to try and execute Miller! I gamed this a little, by making him take an empathy (survival) test - as he's a suit, not a killer. He failed. Given Davis was next to him at the time, I had her draw her pistol on him. The captain simply hefted the shotgun onto her shoulder and ordered him to drop the pistol - which he did! I used an opposed command roll I think.
Wilson fled (no-one knew he had a second pistol in his waistband behind his jacket. He went to the suite, and met Clayton in the hall, and decided to take out Clayton! Again, he failed the survival check - Clayton didn't, and shot him! He wasn't dead, but he was broken and needed medical aid.
Miller had ordered Davis to set a course for Anchorpoint and then followed Wilson - so she saw Clayton shoot Wilson. Wilson had been part of her crew- and if anyone was going to shoot him, it was Miller - so she killed Clayton. Stone cold dead.
Miller then gave medical aid to Wilson - he offered a 50/50 deal on the goods Clayton had stashed and told Miller of the pod. Miller agreed and they both went to the suite to use the escape pod.
I had Reid call for aid as the Adult Neomorph emerged to hunt the last few survivors. They decided to abandon everyone and fled in the pod!
Given the characters agendas, I felt this was in keeping with the actions they would take.
As time had been short and we wanted to complete the game in one hit, I abandoned the Sotillo story and had debris from the Montero hitting the hull (they didn't know what it was, only that there noises coming from outside) - and they knew there was still an abomination outside.
So, Cooper killed by a story event. Cham critically injured and Flynn and Rye killed by an Abomination. Clayton killed by a player.
Davis, Johns, Reid and Ava abandoned by Miller and Wilson.
Not a bad tally - but lower than I expected.
The players really enjoyed the game - especially the stress mechanic. They also loved the overall game mechanics and want to play another one-shoot soon - with maybe 4-5 players.
I felt almost overwhelmed by how quickly they made decisions - to the point where I had to find ways to get them back together, or back on track, just to make events impactful.
Any hints or tips from the more experienced would be appreciated!