Dr. Mindermast
Name-level psychologist
- Joined
- May 8, 2019
- Messages
- 116
- Reaction score
- 198
I enjoy games that have structured setting creation during Session 0. So does the rest of my group. But I only know a couple games like this, so what else is out there?
Kids on Bikes has a fun system - there is a set list of questions about the town where the game will be set, and everyone takes turns answering one off the list and building on what others have said so far. The questions are geared toward giving the town a lot of flavor, and giving the GM a foundation from which to build the central mystery (plus some red herrings and/or side plots). I ran this for the first campaign with my current group and we had a great time with it.
My own game Arcanes Majeures also starts with a list of questions about the setting, which are answered by tarot cards that the group then interprets to make a coherent narrative. The questions are framed to define the conflicting factions, and also a bit of the general vibe of the place. I'm running this for my next campaign with the same group.
Only other one I can think of at the moment is something called Instant Game that I picked up off Drivethru some years back but haven't gotten to play yet. The hook is that it starts with the group rolling for everything - not just setting details, but also genre, plot, and other story elements. Sounds like very much my kind of thing.
Some things I am not looking for:
-Microscope, A Quiet Year, or other games where creating the setting is basically the entire game. That's also cool, just not what I'm looking for.
-general recommendations for Fate, PbtA, or other systems where players define setting aspects over the course of the game. Again, still cool but not matching my specific request. Although specific games in those systems that do have more structured setting creation at the start are welcome.
So, what other recommendations do you all have?
Kids on Bikes has a fun system - there is a set list of questions about the town where the game will be set, and everyone takes turns answering one off the list and building on what others have said so far. The questions are geared toward giving the town a lot of flavor, and giving the GM a foundation from which to build the central mystery (plus some red herrings and/or side plots). I ran this for the first campaign with my current group and we had a great time with it.
My own game Arcanes Majeures also starts with a list of questions about the setting, which are answered by tarot cards that the group then interprets to make a coherent narrative. The questions are framed to define the conflicting factions, and also a bit of the general vibe of the place. I'm running this for my next campaign with the same group.
Only other one I can think of at the moment is something called Instant Game that I picked up off Drivethru some years back but haven't gotten to play yet. The hook is that it starts with the group rolling for everything - not just setting details, but also genre, plot, and other story elements. Sounds like very much my kind of thing.
Some things I am not looking for:
-Microscope, A Quiet Year, or other games where creating the setting is basically the entire game. That's also cool, just not what I'm looking for.
-general recommendations for Fate, PbtA, or other systems where players define setting aspects over the course of the game. Again, still cool but not matching my specific request. Although specific games in those systems that do have more structured setting creation at the start are welcome.
So, what other recommendations do you all have?