Blog Archives

8/28/2020

Gauntlet Video Roundup - August 28, 2020

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Greetings, and welcome to the weekly Gauntlet Hangouts video roundup! Enjoy these recordings of online games organized through Gauntlet Hangouts and the Gauntlet RPG Community. These recorded sessions represent only a portion of the selection of games available every week, and anyone is welcome to join the fun! If you'd like to play or watch more games like these, check out the links and information at the bottom of the post.

Gauntlet Community Open Gaming

Annalise: The Mysterious Voyage of the Auspicious
Donogh runs for Andrew, Kim Riek, and Shannon
In Annalise, the characters have all fallen under the influence of a vampire, a creature of the night that gains its sustenance from others. The year is 1798. The Auspicious, a newly acquired vessel of the East India Company, had been in harbor in Calcutta for some time being provisioned and taking on cargo. The night it was to leave, it caught fire and was almost totally destroyed. Now, months later, it has been rebuilt and has just entered the open seas on its way back to England. The crew is nervous and ill omens abound, but the voyage is underway and the East India Company needs the ship to make it back to Southampton with all due speed.

Star Wars Saturday

Bounty of the Week (Session 4 of 4)
Rich Rogers runs for Greg G., Jon Grim, Josh H, and Will H
The crew of the Wraith steal swoop bikes from some tree punks, steal a bounty from Boonta the Hutt, then... free him?

TGI Thursday

Veil'd Fantasy: Sects in the City (Session 4 of 4)
Lowell Francis runs for Dan Brown, Jesse A., Josh H, and Steven Watkins
In our finale, the group confronts the only agent of the Blinders of Ages they know: Zilsaron. It does not go as well as they hope. They regroup and make decisions about their future.

Gauntlet Quarterly

Checkpoint Midnight: Waltz of Treachery - Season 2 (Session 4 of 5)
Alexi S. runs for Jesse A., Leandro Pondoc, Puckett, and Steven S.
New alliances are formed and old ones tested in Cold War Vienna. Jack tries to broker peace between Emilie and Timofei, Emilie has an unexpected reunion with an old flame, Joske proves he really does know everyone, and Valentine wheels and deals as netherworld intrigue threatens to overtake the city.

Gauntlet Hangouts

Ultraviolet Grasslands: Season 6 - In the Shadow of the Near Moon (Session 3 of 3)
Horst Wurst runs for Abe Lincoln Jr., Dennis Matheson, Nathan Harrison, and Puckett
Three Sticks Lake

Hearts of Wulin: The Immortal Throne (Session 6 of 7)
David Morrison runs for Bryan, Lara Boerth-Dryden, Maria M., and Puckett
The heroes ascend Mount Fang to find a little piece of hell on earth. Zhang Long prepares a sealing ritual with the aid of the spirit of Faithful Lotus, Yaling Liu considers a change in employment, Mirror of the Clouds brings the house down, and Lei Ning makes a power play. With the spirit of Faithful Lotus laid to rest, the heroes return to the palace - though one of them does so in chains.

ALIEN: The Hunt (Session 4 of 5)
Jason Zanes runs for Alun R., Jamila R. Nedjadi, Paul Rivers, and Will H
Sitka regains consciousness in time to fight aliens, fly dropships, and chew bubble gum. Noah sends a message, Darius shows us how to use a pulse rifle, and Bryant gets a spiked tail through the thigh.

3:16 Carnage Amongst the Stars: Oscar Sector (Session 3 of 4)
Donogh runs for Anders, Gerwyn Walters, Jim Likes Games, and Puckett
After a counter-boarding exercise against the other Companies in the Battalion, the Brigade invades Titian, having identified the Apes there as a potential uplift candidate. A bloody genocide against the peaceful species follows, and some don't take to it as well as others.

Leverage: Hustler's Convention (Session 4 of 4)
David Morrison runs for Diana Moon, Jim Likes Games, and Philip Rogers
The crew cuts to the chase at the McLellan sawmill, and discovers that their mark is rich on paper. Lenny takes a blow for the people he is protecting, Sasha has a run-in with the law, and Adora makes an online purchase.

Trophy Gold: The Source of True Purpura (Session 4 of 4)
Sam Zimmerman runs for Dan Pucul and Maria Mison
In this deathly exciting finale of The Source of True Purpura, Kiva and Ria fight a spectral mage, investigate rivers of flowing ink, and ravenously consume the contents of a library. Will anyone survive?

Hearts of Wulin: No Mercy - The All Valley Championship!
David Walker runs for Erez, Jim Likes Games, Kieron, and Steven desJardins
In the thrilling climax of season one of No Mercy! The rivalry between the Bock Hunter Action Academy and the Crimson Dragon Dojo threatens to ruin the school dance. As our heroes reach the All Valley Championship - who will be crowned champion?

Free from the Yoke: Rokugan (Session 3)
Lowell Francis runs for Patrick Knowles, Scot Ryder, Sherri, and Tyler Lominack
The Crane manage to handle affairs in the south, The Phoenix calm the spirit, and the Crab persevere with the Emperor's Bridges, but the Unicorn suffer tragedies as they conflict with the Scorpion.

Better the Devil Who Serves You (Session 3)
Jamila R. Nedjadi runs for David Morrison, Joel N., Sam Zimmerman, and Sherri
In this session we meet The Wedding Coordinator and their long suffering assistant. Vel has a run in with an old friend, K'vira discovers the most magical thing EVER, Jel takes care of the unsightly in a way most unique to her, and Miss Bond plays matchmaker!

Gauntlet Campaigns

Keepers of the Cards: Our Magical School (Session 2)
Darold Ross facilitates for David Schultz, Joel N., and Sherri
Our Keepers deal with the choices they made last episode. While Ainsley is saved by Doot and Taylor, Victor crosses paths with the mysterious student council member in a place he definitely shouldn't be. Megan is disappeared by her butler, leaving the others to investigate the pocket dimension and also attend a party hosted by one of the school's popular girls. But when the guest of honor is revealed, this party has so much more riding on it than getting to flirt with a crush.

Keepers of the Cards: Our Magical School (Session 3)
Jamila R. Nedjadi facilitates for Darold Ross, David Schultz, Joel N., and Sherri
Our kids face down a dangerous magician in the club but Doot and Victor embody their magic and do what's needed to protect everyone! Doot discovers the key to her magical golem and we're surprised to discover who her drift compatible co-pilot is! Despite Megan acting like a brat for most of the episode, they save Taylor when it matters most. We end the episode on a cliffhanger, as our kids are lead deep into treacherous school grounds to seek out more answers...

You can see all these videos (plus all the ones that have come before) on The Gauntlet YouTube channel playlists, and be sure to subscribe to catch all our great podcasts!

If you'd like to catch these sessions in an audio-only podcast, check out the community-run Hangouts Podcast at http://gauntlet.hellomouth.net/.

If you'd like to play in games like these, check out the calendar of events and the Gauntlet Forums where games are announced.

To support The Gauntlet, please visit the Gauntlet Patreon. Everyone is welcome to sign up for Gauntlet Hangouts games, but Patreon supporters get extra options like priority RSVP for Gauntlet Hangouts games and joining the Gauntlet Slack team where special events and pickup games are announced.

Enjoy, and have a great weekend!

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8/21/2020

Gauntlet Video Roundup - August 21, 2020

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Star Wars Saturday

Bounty of the Week (Session 3)
Rich Rogers runs for Greg G., Jon Grim, Josh H, and Will H
The crew of the Wraith capture their quarry and free some droids, but the plots get deeper on their next hunt.

TGI Thursday

Veil'd Fantasy: Sects in the City (Session 3)
Lowell Francis runs for Dan Brown, Jesse A., Josh H, and Steven Watkins
After dealing with an attack, the group splits into pairs leading to confrontation, justification, and defenestration. Then they consult a necromancer.

Gauntlet Quarterly

Checkpoint Midnight: Waltz of Treachery - Season 2 (Session 2 of 5)
Alexi S. runs for Jesse A., Leandro Pondoc, Puckett, and Steven S.
Our game of supernatural Cold War spies continues, with Joske being framed for murder at the art auction, Jack losing control to the personality in one of his arms, Emilie realizing the dangers of the painting she stole, and Valentine collecting the gossip of two different worlds.

Checkpoint Midnight: Waltz of Treachery - Season 2 (Session 3 of 5)
Alexi S. runs for Jesse A., Leandro Pondoc, Puckett, and Steven S.
Electrifying missions for our supernatural operatives: Jack and Emily share a tender moment, then resolve to track down an old nemesis. Joske and Valentine investigate a site of Nazi crimes that retains a supernatural stain, then join their allies to invade dreams and summon up netherworld monsters.

Gauntlet Hangouts

Back Again from the Broken Land: The Journey's First Step
Alexi S. runs for Brandon, Chris Newton, and Leah Libresco Sargeant
The Doomslord has fallen, but, for a trio of small adventurers, there is still a long walk home ahead. Liriel the Shepherd, Belby the Burglar, and Harding the Turncoat set out on their journey, during which they will share stories, reveal burdens, and brave perils. Will they elude the Hunters? And how will our fellowship have changed by the time we reach home?

Puppetland: The Terrible Fire!
Donogh runs for Horst Wurst, Joe A., and Robbie Boerth
"Come see the dragon!" cried Monsieur Babypants. Overhead, the pale moon floated in the sky, the light of the flames reflecting off its luminescently painted surface. Over the next hill was Puppettown, and the world. Join us as Mr Pebbles, S'maul Greenfelt and General Chuckles try to save Puppettown from the Terrible Fire!

ALIEN: The Hunt (Session 3 of 5)
Jason Zanes runs for Alun R., Paul Rivers, and Will H
Bryant, Noah, and Darius spend the session fighting and also battling Xenomorphs. Hoping Jamila can join us next time because no one wants to see Bryant trying to fly a dropship.

Trophy Gold: The Source of True Purpura (Session 3 of 4)
Sam Zimmerman runs for Dan Pucul, David L., and Maria Mison
Orlen and Masero continue their exploration of the valley of Purpura, and discover a few new friends along the way! Hopefully their lapis lazuli talking skull doesn't drive them insane.

3:16 Carnage Amongst the Stars: Oscar Sector (Session 2 of 4)
Donogh runs for Anders, Jim Likes Games, Pawel S., and Puckett
[Content warning: child abuse in character's past shared in flashback from 2:09:30 to 2:10:30.] The Brigade follows additional clues found on Holbein about the mysterious uplifted enemies they have encountered. Full throttle to the outer rim of the solar system to land on Monet where they fight their most alien adversary yet!

Hearts of Wulin: Measure of the Soul - Season 2 (Session 3)
Jamila R. Nedjadi runs for Darold Ross, Joel N., Maria M., and Sherri
We enter the gates of hell, prepared for anything...well, almost anything. Here there are strange lights that hang higher in the air, buildings made entirely of glass that stretch towards the clouds, and a screaming snake of metal that rushes through the sky. What has happened? We're in an Urban Shadows AU, of course! Tenten allows their heart to be claimed, Bao faces down werewolves, Jin discovers she was born to play the dark dominatrix, and Horizon finds betrayal and heartbreak awaits.

Hearts of Wulin: No Mercy! (Session 2)
David Walker runs for Erez, Jim Likes Games, Kieron, and Steven desJardins
Inspired by Cobra Kai and Karate Kid, this actual play of a Hearts of Wulin hack sees the students of the Brock Hunter Action Defence Academy and Crimson Dragon Dojo deal with teenage drama as they train for the All Valley Championship. When Brock Hunter comes to town, the Jones kids take their opportunities to stand as star pupils for the All Valley tournament. Angelica is shocked to find Tommy's girlfriend Olivia has Joined the Crimson Dragon Dojo whilst William struggles with the feelings he is developing for Olivia and his own temper. Oh - and you just won't believe the shit Madison pulls at Anderson's birthday.

Free from the Yoke: Rokugan (Session 2)
Lowell Francis runs for Patrick Knowles, Scot Ryder, Sherri, and Tyler Lominack
The Lion hosts the first Winter Court since the ascension of Emperor Torturi. He calls on the clans to commit themselves to the building of 7 bridges for the 7 clans, but these demands compete with the needs of our protagonists.

Hearts of Wulin: The Immortal Throne (Session 5 of 7)
David Morrison runs for Bryan, Chris Sellers, Maria M., and Puckett
Zhang Long steels himself in his resistance to Golden Soul Scholar, Min Yang risks having a secret revealed, Mirror of the Cloud is targeted by assassins, and Yaling Liu pulls the threads of court. Together, the heroes draw the ire of Golden Soul Scholar, and leave the palace for Mount Fang.

Leverage: Hustler's Convention (Session 3 of 4)
David Morrison runs for Diana Moon, Jim Likes Games, Lowell Francis, and Philip Rogers
A voice from Lenny's past draws the crew to McClellan's Ford, New Hampshire where a local businessman is buying up land. Adora struggles with the backwater internet, Eun Jung plays tourist, and Sasha meets someone unexpectedly.

You can see all these videos (plus all the ones that have come before) on The Gauntlet YouTube channel playlists, and be sure to subscribe to catch all our great podcasts!

If you'd like to catch these sessions in an audio-only podcast, check out the community-run Hangouts Podcast at http://gauntlet.hellomouth.net/.

If you'd like to play in games like these, check out the calendar of events and the Gauntlet Forums where games are announced.

To support The Gauntlet, please visit the Gauntlet Patreon. Everyone is welcome to sign up for Gauntlet Hangouts games, but Patreon supporters get extra options like priority RSVP for Gauntlet Hangouts games and joining the Gauntlet Slack team where special events and pickup games are announced.

Enjoy, and have a great weekend!

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8/17/2020

Davokar, Colonized: Symbaroum and White Fantasy

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By Darren Brockes (cross-posted from Medium) @AgonySongGames
Fria Ligen’s Symbaroum, like all media, does not exist in a vacuum. To consider its place in the works of western, roleplaying games, we need to consider both its textual and metatextual elements, something which is obscured in a way by the unreliable narration of the text — save for the sparse sections set aside to explain game mechanics, every product in the Symbaroum line is written with a diegetic voice to purposefully immerse the reader in the setting, much like any other work of fiction. Just as a book implicates the reader, so does a game with its player(s): Although the authors didn’t write this game as a political commentary, it is one.

To read Symbaroum is to read a western perspective on the world at large — a centered perspective looking toward the periphery — one in which the west has colonized much of what is not the west. This is foundational to Symbaroum even though it is not an explicit part of the text and why I do not call it a subtext: There is nothing subtextual about the coloniality. It is right there on the page; it is a metatext, too, how a white understanding about the world and history we inhabit informs the creation of another world.

Obscured as the metatext is, we can use the text as it is presented to reflect back to us the circumstances of our world that center a particular culture, one side of a narrative, within the game — a recognizable center where there does not have to be one, from where it presumes the player will look out toward the periphery.

I’ll summarize Symbaroum’s setting and discuss “white fantasy” as a metatext; an enabled narrative-object that can (and does) cross product lines.

(Before I begin, let me note: The product is called Symbaroum and there is an empire within the game named Symbaroum. I’ll italicize the product’s name and not the empire’s name.)

The story of Symbaroum begins with the eponymous empire, which stretched far across the continent through its imperialistic reach. Eventually, because of Symbaroum’s (ruling class’s) abuse of magic — and, further, their abuse of the corruption that their abuse of magic caused — the empire collapsed on itself, its power convulsing inward very suddenly and destroying itself. This, naturally, left regions and communities unmoored, suddenly untethered from a central identity. The manner of collapse left an existential wound on the continent, which the elves, from the indeterminate west, were swift in coming in to contain the corruption that could easily destroy the world.

The elves will be reintroduced in the history of the setting, but I include them here to comment on the timeline because elves are very old and humans, in their short lifespans, are very forgetful.

After generations, humans have essentially no recollection of Symbaroum and have developed separate ethnic identities with only a guess that they could be related. In this time, the elves had planted a forest to contain the corruption of Symbaroum — named Davokar — and kept watch over it. Not all of the elves, either: a special volunteer force named the Iron Pact, who willingly left their homelands to clean up the humans’ mess. Aside from the elves, some humans remained who divided into a tribalistic society, related but never creating any sort of bloc or, really, claiming any land. They knew, somewhere in their histories, and trusted the elves.

South of Davokar, a mountain range. South of that, Alberetor, a kingdom in the classical, western European sense. Wholly separate from Davokar, the elves and the humans north of them; separate to a point of ignorance. A magical catastrophe strikes in the form of war with Dark Lords — sorcerers practicing the same sort of magic the ruling class of Symbaroum did (yes, the historical recursion is a literary device). Alberetor is devastated in this war, the land literally killed off and unable to grow even the hardiest plant. The king had been killed and the crown princess had been kidnapped, ultimately rescued. The war ends and the Alberians look north because they cannot survive in the devastated Alberetor.

Past the mountain range, they find a rolling, verdant plain. A couple of clans of other humans. And then, 20 years later, the now queen of Alberetor decides that is where her kingdom will be relocated. She invades, committing genocide against one of the clans that inhabited the region and subjugating the other, assimilating them completely. The queen names the region Ambria.

It is important to recognize that the Alberians were refugees fleeing a dying land. They were not welcomed into the region by the clans who already lived there — they swept in, swinging swords and never thinking to ask questions. If there were some discrepancy in how a refugee population could muster or maintain such a fighting force to conquer a region, it is is mostly handwaved, but there is an important change in religion for the Ambrians (formerly Alberians): Near the end of the war with the Dark Lords, Alberetor abandoned the pantheon of deities it worshipped in favor of one of them, named Prios and given the epithet “the lightbringer.” The text is very clear to establish zealous fervor as the reason why.

This fervor is used to sanctify and rationalize a manifest destiny, finding not only the genocide and assimilation forgivable (acceptable; natural), but, further to the central conflict of the setting, also the looming conquest of Davokar itself — painted as a manifestation of the evil of the world that must be burned out literally or figuratively.

Let me emphasize that all of this is presented from an Ambrian perspective. Those humans who are not Ambrians are referred to as “barbarians” throughout each product’s text. There is no attempt to give them an identity beyond one palatable for the Ambrian narrators, which is evident with the sparse material written from a barbarian’s perspective (in that material, they refer to themselves as “clanfolk”). Elves are viewed as alien and treated with an abundance of paranoia for their aggressions against Ambrians who presumed to control and exploit Davokar for their own ends. Goblins are at best indentured laborers and the text readily admits they are abused for menial labor.

The text continues like this, laying harsh truth after harsher truth of the Ambrians in front of the reader, but it also never complicates that. Everything written is presented as the state of the world; simple truth. There is only one way of understanding the world of Symbaroum and that is from the center looking out — the text cannot imagine a barbarian perspective, much less an elven one, even if it does give their reasons. All of them, to include other peoples found deeper in Symbaroum’s lore, are literary devices; complications to the proposed moral quandaries that the player characters might encounter.

This is the line, however, that is drawn from the text to the metatext, from the writer to a greater sociocultural understanding of truth in storytelling (to include historical accounts). If a game is written from a western perspective, it defaults to a colonialist perspective. A western perspective requires a construction of the world that has both a center and a periphery — in so many other binaries: An occident and orient; global north and global south; and so on. A required construction of an other and/or subaltern. It is a worldview constructed on systems of power and hierarchies of control.

It is Alberians conquering a region and giving it a name when its previous inhabitants hadn’t named it…or the Alberians simply didn’t ask. It is Alberians renaming themselves, but never asking for the names of the barbarians.

The text is inextricable from both its writers’ perspectives and the forced colonialist perspectives of its Ambrian narrators. The writers’ perspectives are inherently colonialist because it defaults to presenting the world from a hegemonic, imperialistic society and culture and reinforces that by othering the non-Ambrians of the setting and the setting itself by what is included and the choice of how to include the information. The Ambrians become a player vehicle for colonial fantasies like touring and conquest.

Symbaroum invites you to join in the adventure! Explore the vast forest of Davokar in the hunt for treasures, lost wisdoms and fame. Visit the barbarian clans to trade or to plunder their treasuries.

However, I think Symbaroum is a successful roleplaying game precisely because it lays its imperialistic cards on the table, coloniality and all. One of the most glaring criticisms, though, is that it does not make this metatext explicit.

This metatext is white fantasy, a genre distinct within the greater science fiction and fantasy umbrella and cousin to dark and heroic fantasies. The white fantasy leverages the proliferation of cultural identifiers and modes through imperialistic soft power. The widespread translation and sale of Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, Wizards of the Coast’s market dominance with both Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: the Gathering, ... These works and others are so intrinsic to the (western) fantasy canon that they create a common ground — a center — from where it is easy to reject peripheral stories. How else could humans, elves and goblins be portrayed? To do otherwise would be radical and would rob white fantasy of its vehicles that are able to convey the reader through and across works.

There is no guide for how to engage with Symbaroum as game masters and players, which is a failure of the product. This failure is repeated across products as well, far beyond Fria Ligen’s catalogue. Was it avoided to prevent alienating a demographic of consumers? Was it even considered? As we increasingly see with games across mode, most are unwilling to engage in this critical work and to ask or expect their consumers to do it.

There are ways to engage players critically without overloading them. It begins with asking them what it means to come from an imperialistic culture, to include their own in real life. If a player chooses not to be Ambrian, then what does it mean to be(come) subaltern?

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8/14/2020

Gauntlet Video Roundup - August 14, 2020

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Star Wars Saturday

Bounty of the Week (Session 2)
Rich Rogers runs for David Miessler-Kubanek, Greg G., and Will H
The crew of the Wraith board the space station Port Jericho and make some trouble. They capture a bounty and some droids, and take out a Tapani noble in the process.

TGI Thursday

Veil'd Fantasy: Sects in the City (Session 1)
Lowell Francis runs for Dan Brown, Jesse A., and Steven Watkins
Our protagonists hit the streets in search of jobs and coin, but things take a turn when demons sabotage a textile works, nearly killing them.

Veil'd Fantasy: Sects in the City (Session 2)
Lowell Francis runs for Dan Brown, Jesse A., Josh H, and Steven Watkins
While three of the group confront a haggard noble about who is targeting him, our Orcish cook follows his demon's commands and steals a sinister pet carrier from a lurking tengu.

Gauntlet Comics

Apocalypse World 2e: Apocalypse Angels (Session 1 of 4)
Sawyer Rankin runs for Bethany H., Jim Likes Games, John Campbell, and Kyle H.
We set up the slice of Chain's End we're at. The Apocalypse Angels ride into the world and find...trouble. Trouble is definitely brewing. With the way people are having to set up alliances and to try and get information things are already going badly. Let's hope it doesn't get much worse without heroic intervention.

Apocalypse World 2e: Apocalypse Angels (Session 2 of 4)
Sawyer Rankin runs for Bethany H., Jim Likes Games, John Campbell, and Kyle H.
Our Angels learn more of what is happening. Swan's Song is being protected by American Empire soldiers while Freehold is housing a secretive Nazi Assassin. How do our Angels keep the peace and fight neofascism? Tune in to find out!

Gauntlet Hangouts

Apocalypse World 2e: The Outlands (Session 1 of 5)
Sawyer Rankin runs for Jo Zantek, Joel N., Kyle H., and Steven S.
We set up our beautiful world of wonders and begin with a lovely tea ceremony that is interrupted by drug addled greed. Slowly the ruler of our hold begins to pick up Henry the 8th vibes by threatening to off his current wife and had eyes on our precious Skinner! The Battlebabe and Faceless think it's easy to kill a Baron and with the Hocus helping it is accomplished swimmingly. The grateful "Widow" Bach throws a celebration for her new coronation and learns that tactics will be desperately needed to keep everything together.

ALIEN: The Hunt (Session 2 of 5)
Jason Zanes runs for Alun R., Paul Rivers, and Will H
Surprise, surprise. Our band of hunters discover that they've been caught in Weyland-Yutani's treacherous web. In the dark places, they find something rather unpleasant.

Beam Saber: Human Gravity (Session 5)
Leandro Pondoc runs for Bethany H., Lara Boerth-Dryden, Michael G. Barford, and Rob Ruthven
What should be a textbook mission (retrieve the corpse of a fallen soldier) turns chaotic as vendettas rear their ugly heads and the Recon Squad finds themselves swamped by the forces surrounding them. JD learns of a plot to steal their home, Verb connects with the strange technology of the Church, Crux unleashes hell on the enemy and Naga tries to put their rival down.

Ultraviolet Grasslands: Season 6 - In the Shadow of the Near Moon (Session 2 of 3)
Horst Wurst runs for Abe Lincoln Jr., Dennis Matheson, Nathan Harrison, and Puckett
Glass Bridge

BALIKBAYAN: Taking Back Earth (Session 4)
Jamila R. Nedjadi runs for Gerrit Reininghaus, Max Kämmerer, SalamanderJames, and Will
In this session the hammer comes down. Godric pushed too far with his psychic powers and now he has fallen into CORP hands. It gets worse from there as the plans of the CORP unfold in earnest, in a way that will shake the city down all the way to its heart. The revolution will begin in earnest, in violence and desperation. But above it all, the song of love and yearning breaks through it all.

Apocalypse World 2e: Outlands (Session 2 of 5)
Sawyer Rankin runs for Brandon, Jo Zantek, Kyle H., and Steven S.
Our lovely weirdos meet a new weirdo who had been thought dead by most. His war vehicle makes a great alliance with the gang and they go to give Baron Zenko his divorce gift: Who will come out on top when an all out war is brought to bear?

Hearts of Wulin: Measure of the Soul - Season 2 (Session 2)
Jamila R. Nedjadi runs for Darold Ross, Joel N., Maria M., and Sherri
Strings of the heart connect our heroes, complex, intricate, but strong. They all prepare themselves for the difficult journey ahead: descending into Hell itself. They must find Crane of the Woods and stop her before she claims all of the power of hell for herself and completely destroys the city above. Feelings will surge and emotional truths surface, before we find ourselves at the gate of hell itself.

3:16 Carnage Amongst the Stars: Oscar Sector (Session 1 of 4)
Donogh runs for Anders, Jim Likes Games, Pawel S., and Puckett
The databanks of the wrecked Damocles gave them the coordinates of Holbein, where reports indicate the aliens have been genetically modified...even if their early encounters are a breeze, the Troopers quickly find these feline displacer aliens a tough challenge - trenches or not!

Trophy Gold: The Source of True Purpura (Session 2 of 4)
Sam Zimmerman runs for Dan Pucul, David L., and Kyle H.
Kiva and Orlen are joined by the antiquarian Masero in this second session of The Source of True Purpura. Unfortunately my internet died after our first break, so we had to cut the session short after only 30 minutes of play. Hopefully next week we can enjoy the full session!

Leverage: Hustler's Convention (Session 2 of 4)
David Morrison runs for Diana Moon, Jim Likes Games, Lowell Francis, and Philip Rogers
It's ComVention 2020, the foremost comics convention on the West Coast, and the crew have been enlisted to steal back legendary superhero Lady Danger. Adora dabbles in cosplay, Sasha helps out behind the scenes, Lenny leads a death-defying chase and Eun Jung takes on a starring role.

Spire: Shadow Operations - How To Steal A Body
Leandro Pondoc runs for Donogh, Horst Wurst, and Steven S.
It seems quite straightforward: break into a morgue in the Spire's Necropolis, relieve it of the body of a drow noble and deliver it to a temple of Charnel for a proper sending. But with a dead mortician, several interloper guards, strange temperature changes and voices crawling along the walls, it may prove a harder task than expected.

Better The Devil Who Serves You (Session 2)
Jamila R. Nedjadi runs for David Morrison, Joel N., Sam Zimmerman, and Sherri
In this session we begin our service day in earnest. A fortune teller comes by the cafe, could they help our devil butlers find love and connection? Devilish shenanigans occur and we generally have a cozy and sweet time. Miss Bond seeks perfection but needs the power of friendship to see her through, Vel almost ends up engaged, K'vira struggles to contain her full power, and Jel finds out how to make the best bread pudding!

Gauntlet Campaigns

Keepers of the Cards: Our Magical School (Session 1)
Jamila R. Nedjadi runs for Darold Ross, David Schultz, Joel N., and Sherri
Our Keepers of the Cards find the time to take a good look at the mystery before them, get caught up in classroom magic, and face off their first colossal creature of magic! ALSO WE GET INTO THE MAGICAL ROBOTS.

You can see all these videos (plus all the ones that have come before) on The Gauntlet YouTube channel playlists, and be sure to subscribe to catch all our great podcasts!

If you'd like to catch these sessions in an audio-only podcast, check out the community-run Hangouts Podcast at http://gauntlet.hellomouth.net/.

If you'd like to play in games like these, check out the calendar of events and the Gauntlet Forums where games are announced.

To support The Gauntlet, please visit the Gauntlet Patreon. Everyone is welcome to sign up for Gauntlet Hangouts games, but Patreon supporters get extra options like priority RSVP for Gauntlet Hangouts games and joining the Gauntlet Slack team where special events and pickup games are announced.

Enjoy, and have a great weekend!

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8/11/2020

The Masks Experiment

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by David Walker (@BeardLikeAJedi)
Masks is the best Supers game I have found to date. At the start of the year I set myself a GM challenge of running it across multiple different genres, with different groups to really learn how to master the genre and structure of the game.

Below are my reflections on the experiment and a grading on myself, not the players who were all stars! Some worked better than others and is a review of my own lil' experiment.

So far have run:
Masks: Cosmic (C+)
I went into this a little to undefined, and learnt from it - I wasn't sure at the beginning if I was running Guardians of the Galaxy or Legion of Superheroes. We lost a session due to a real life crisis and as a result my threads at the end were too convoluted.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKaVqoVBo79jOeKdAlkClHCGppoEDDFUl

Masks: Titans (A-)
This was a Teen Titans-like setting that put the team really in the shadow of the world's greatest team as their sidekicks in my fictional Union City. I did a lot of Session 0 work for this. It paid off as the players had effectively built my sandbox. The Maestro remains the favourite villain I have created for Masks.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKaVqoVBo79jL7Iu3wFIlMsBtwD7FxtmM

Masks: Neighbourhood (A)
This was envisioned as a Marvel Knights-style run, it kept that mob violence in a tight neighbourhood but ended up feeling Friendly Neighbourhood by the end with lots of Daredevil twists and turns. Keeping the scale hyperlocal worked really well - establishing the NPC and the neighbourhood kept the drift that I have experienced elsewhere. It occurred in Tri-Town, a district in Union City. While Titans could really have occurred anywhere his was a story about Union City, corruption, betrayal and trust. I had done some light playbook hacks. We enjoyed this one so much there will be a Vol 2 - and that says a lot about the dense space giving more ties for stories.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKaVqoVBo79gFK1PUnDZfCC94_M5xFRsr

Masks: Arcane (B+)
Time got the better of me here and a number of the playbook hacks I wanted to write I did not manage to finish. This adventure happens in Crescent City, a Southern Gothic city of supernatural shenanigans with a distinctly Vertigo feel. The players were amazing for this, but it took me about 3 sessions to figure out the story I wanted to tell and it was lead heavily by the players as we developed but the sandboxing of the genre really worked. It hit more adult tones and by the end I really did feel I had a team of adult superheroes.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKaVqoVBo79gTYsEhVHS42J2daKEatLob

Masks: Beyonders (C-)
I have to put a nod out to my OG (Off-Gauntlet) Masks crew. I made a lot of mistakes in this game getting used to Masks (all the playbooks) and it was early in my experience in running games online - my style had not adapted enough for the differences. This ran over 20+ sessions and it was great. I made callback to Halcyon City, the Beyonders and the crew regularly. It was running this game that really did lock in for me that despite how simple PbTA games can be to run - they are hard to 'master'. I am glad I took the time to do it with this game.

Reflections:
The most fun part of this is that in my mind I am building a Grant Morrison complexity world that overlaps. Crescent City, Union City, Halcyon City, New Hope City, The Floating Dragon Skeleton Citadel of Duat, the Empyreans. if you've played in it the continuity is there and you get the nod, if not it should never hold ya back.

I restricted playbooks for each setting to try and get genre appropriate setups and explore some of the playbooks. My observation on that - you will almost always get a Beacon or a Delinquent. You almost never get a Nova or a Protege.

You need to think carefully about what the playbook brings and how it fits in - for Neighbourhood I let in the Star which worked great but would have broken Arcane utterly.

I'm ready to a little break from Masks - but know I will be back. It is the standout best PbTA game for me as it provides a ready to go setting (Halcyon) that hits all the tropes, but gives a really flexible framework that can stretch pretty far and holds up very well. When I come back to it I think I have figured out how to do Days of Future Past and definitely figured out how to do a Batman '66 style setting.

That is not a break from Superheroes though - it is my favourite Genre to GM (followed by space opera/sci fi pulp, and Urban Supernatural). I'm going 90's in Sept with Teens with Attitude and adults in Oct with Galaxy in Peril and Power Beyond Doubt.

I even have a plan to hack Becky Annison's Bite Marks to do Gargoyles.

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8/7/2020

Gauntlet Video Roundup - August 7, 2020

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Gauntlet Community Open Gaming

Tuk Fast Tuk Furious: Dubai
Gerrit Reininghaus facilitates for Donogh
We raced furiously and really fast through the world's largest mall in Dubai.

Tuk Fast Tuk Furious: Johannesburg
Gerrit Reininghaus facilitates for Monica
We cruised through Johannesburg and it was truly fast and furious and had lots of pumpkins in it.

Getting to Philosophy: How to Rule a Country
Gerrit Reininghaus facilitates for Lorenz, Michael, and Tatiana
The players argued successfully how to rule a country in the 21st century. From organizing soccer tournament for decision making to city states and theocracies down to humanistic individualistic government types, everything was in the run. See how it turned out.

Star Wars Saturday

Bounty of the Week (Session 1)
Rich Rogers runs for David Miessler-Kubanek, Greg G., Josh H, and Will H
The Bounty Hunter team take a mission to fetch a pair of Rodians and a few droids. Easy peasy, right? If only their ship, The Wraith, didn't have a sordid history, maybe that would be true.

Gauntlet Quarterly

Checkpoint Midnight: Waltz of Treachery Season 2 (Session 1 of 5)
Alexi S. runs for Jesse A., Leandro Pondoc, Puckett, and Steven S.
Our second season of spycraft and skullduggery in Cold War Vienna begins! We introduce two new operatives: Joske the Relentless Dreamstalker and Valentine the Wayward Shadow. And then we drop in on a mission at an art auction already taking a disastrous turn. Death makes demands on Jack, Emilie chases a rival thief, Joske catches scent of his nightmarish quarry, and Valentine schmoozes his way to stardom.

Gauntlet Comics Summer Crossover

Masters of Umdaar: Fragments of Futures Past (Session 4 of 4)
Chris Newton runs for Jo Zantek, Lara Boerth-Dryden, Puckett, and Steven S.
The characters bring the battle to an evil alien sorceress, a deranged cyberneticist, and a megalomaniacal robot overlord as they try to assemble the last few artifacts they need to restore the fragmented past and save their future!

Masks: School of Hard Knocks (Sessions 7-8 of 8)
Sawyer Rankin runs for David Morrison, David Walker, Jae, and Leandro Pondoc
Our anti-heroes take down the villainous School of Hard Knocks and rescue the villainous teammates who were inside. Domina Carnifex is attacked with her own style of weapon and split into different ages before being shunted to alternate dimensions. The old Gauntleteer can no longer wear the gauntlet and, at the end, someone may come to possess it. Who will shape the future now that our Firebrands are burning brighter than ever? Find out next trade!

Gauntlet Facilitator Camp

Red Markets: GM Camp Pursuivant
Will H runs for Alun R., Christopher G., and Jason
I run probably the crunchiest game on The Gauntlet outside of Horst Wurst's Ultraviolet Grasslands, the brilliant zombie-economic horror Red Markets! Mild content warning, this is a game of free market desperation (the undead are less of a threat than your landlord, really). Takers go out into the Loss to bring home the bounty and pay off some dues! Thanks to all for making GM Camp Pursuivant a thoroughly excellent and educational experience.

Gauntlet Hangouts

Under Hollow Hills: Moonlight Gloss (Session 5 of 5)
Jesse A. runs for Alexi S., Jex Thomas, and Jim C.
In which the Carnival Phantasmic makes its way to the Moonbeam Palace, beset by conflict on all sides. Florian makes an enemy, Yahil recovers himself, and remembers he is something more; and Lady Dismay attempts to make peace.

Apocalypse Keys: Season 2 The Hungry Ghost Festival (Session 3 of 4)
Jamila R. Nedjadi runs for Darold Ross, Joel N., and Leandro Pondoc
We start a new mystery inside the strange corridors and offices of the DIVISION, where each of our monsters have a moment to reflect on the omens and memories that haunt them. Our agents then fly out to Singapore, where a very strange occurrence has taken place at the ArtScience Museum, while the moon is full and the walls between this world and the next are most thin...

Apocalypse Keys: Season 2 The Hungry Ghost Festival (Session 4 of 4)
Jamila R. Nedjadi runs for Darold Ross, Joel N., and Leandro Pondoc
In this intense season finale, Panzer X is forced to bear the weight of their creator's desire, Vana comes dangerously close to reclaiming their glory, and Delilah is confronted by the cruelty of time. Our DIVISION agents get caught up as Agent Mikelson rages against her orders and the demoniac engineer Dae-Hyun risks everything to save Panzer X.

Révolution: Dark Rituals & Robespierre (Session 4 of 4)
Sam Zimmerman facilitates for Richard Moser, Robbie Boerth, and Steven S.
The thrilling finale of our Parisian political whirlwind. In a city stricken by years of civil unrest, political revolution, and terror, a great darkness has emerged to consume the last remaining hope the citizens of Paris still possess. A vile miasma has destroyed a quarter of the city; killing everyone it comes into contact with. Will we save the people of Paris and drive back the darkness, or will our greed and lust for power spell the doom of all of France?

Beam Saber: Human Gravity (Session 4)
Leandro Pondoc runs for Bethany H., Lara Boerth-Dryden, Michael G. Barford, and Rob Ruthven
Amidst the meandering waters of Journey City, an auction is being held for a most curious item: the corpse of a Myriad soldier. But the Church will not abide any other faction feasting on their secrets. Verb descends in a machine of nightmarish grace, JD furtively sneaks through the water with the use of their drones, Crux sneaks through tunnels and vents all the while keeping her strange cube close and Naga comes across an old rival.

ALIEN: The Hunt (Session 1 of 5)
Jason Zanes runs for Alun R., Jamila R. Nedjadi, Paul Rivers, and Will H
Darius Park, CEO of Park Robotics, has won a bet with Peter Weyland V and his loyal brother-in-law Bryant, personal pilot Sitka, and personal physician Noah have escorted him to the distant moon of Nublar for an all expenses paid hunting expedition. As they make their way to the hunting chalet, the group does some sightseeing and start to wonder if maybe they should've stayed home...

Ultraviolet Grasslands: Season 6 - In the Shadow of the Near Moon (Session 1 of 3)
Horst Wurst runs for Abe Lincoln Jr., Keith Stetson, Nathan Harrison, and Puckett
The Spectrum Run

BALIKBAYAN: Taking Back Earth (Session 3)
Jamila R. Nedjadi runs for Gerrit Reininghaus, SalamanderJames, and Will
Our Elementals seek out the Duwende spy and try to learn more about the CORP's plans. We find out more about Ara's long lost beloved, a Diwata who has been torn between Sulad (the underworld) and this one for sinister reasons. Our scrappy rebellion cannot see eye to eye. Nightwhisper urges to form an army out of the Little Gods, while Joyous Chana refuses to let the shades of divinity be used in such a cruel fashion.

Hearts of Wulin: Measure of the Soul (Season 2, Episode 1)
Jamila R. Nedjadi runs for Darold Ross, Joel N., Maria M., and Sherri
The city is plunged into chaos as Crane of the Wood's plans have been revealed in fire and destruction. Our mighty heroes come together to try to save Jin, who refuses to leave the tempting purgatory that suspiciously looks like a Monsterhearts Highschool...

Hearts of Wulin: NO MERCY (Session 1)
David Walker runs for Erez, Jim Likes Games, Kieron, and Steven desJardins
Inspired by Cobra Kai and Karate Kid this actual play of a Hearts of Wulin Hack sees the students of the Brock Hunter Action Defence Academy and Crimson Dragon Dojo deal with teenage drama as they train for the All Valley Championship.

Apocalypse World Burned Over: Scars or War (Session 4 of 4)
Sawyer Rankin runs for Puckett, SalamanderJames, Steven S., and Will H
Our survivors take down the last of the aliens in Earth's atmosphere, torching the lands and setting things all askew. A new council arises, the world turns anew. What will happen in the future? Maybe we'll see in a game of Legacy one day.

Once More Into the Vortex (Parts 1-2 of 2)
Will H runs for Rob Ruthven, Sabine V., and SalamanderJames
A reskin of Jamila Nedjadi's Once More Into the Void! Over these two sessions, the sundered Companions of the 15th (16th?) Doctor are reunited to journey Once More Into the Vortex, following a Doctor they no longer quite know. This was one of my favourite games on the Gauntlet as we were able to effectively write not just a whole series of Doctor Who but sort of sketch out the previous one, thanks to some timey-wimey shenanigans we introduce at the end of Session 1. I think we easily topped Moffat or Davies here! All credit to David Walker for the original concept, and to my wonderful players. Any tardis that has a Shadowrunner, a Cyborg Highland Warrior, and a Catkin Ninja Monk is one worth watching in my book...and that's before we find out about the missing 4th companion! Beyond the fanfiction element, I felt like Once More Into the Void really sang when we started treating each 'scene' as though they could be either parts of an episode or entire episodes within the season, liberally time jumping between beats and roughly sketching the connective tissue. The 'If We Have the Time' sidequest in particular allowed us to build an entire episode of Daft Punk Cybermen Orchestra madness.

Hearts of Wulin: The Immortal Throne (Session 4 of 8)
David Morrison runs for Bryan, Lara Boerth-Dryden, Maria M., and Puckett
Returning to the Palace of the Immortal Throne, new plans are laid amidst the grounds and corridors. Zhang Long masters new techniques as he advises caution, Yaling Liu's loyalties are put to the test, Mirror of the Cloud strikes a bargain, and Lei Ning hardens her heart.

Leverage: Hustler's Convention (Session 1 of 4)
David Morrison runs for Diana Moon, Jim Likes Games, Lowell Francis, and Philip Rogers
Our new crew convene on the casino liner Neptunes Booty in the Gulf of Mexico to take down Dante Firelli while he hosts an event for the great and not-so-good of organised crime. Our Mastermind, Eun Jung Rhee, causes a stir at the poker tables, while Sasha the Thief helps land a mob boss' son in trouble. Adora the Hacker helps steer the ship into stormy weather, and Lenny the Hitter sends security into a spin.

Trophy Gold: The Source of True Purpura (Session 1 of 4)
Sam Zimmerman runs for Dan Pucul and Kyle H.
The ranger Kiva and thief Orlen discover a secret that leads them to The Source of True Purpura; a hidden valley of magical inks. Join us as we experience the wonder and danger of first encounters, magical waters, and dangerous pale men within the valley of inks.

Better The Devil Who Serves You (Session 1)
Jamila R. Nedjadi runs for David Morrison, Joel N., Sam Zimmerman, and Sherri
Demon-Lordes have been summoned from the depths of hell itself to...take care of a young witch master and server as Devil-Butlers at a cafe? In this session we have a cozy time! We create our young witch master, our home, the cafe we work at, and our characters. We also get to have our opening anime sequence and go through our morning tasks before the service day starts!

Gauntlet Campaigns

Keepers of the Cards: Our Magical School (Session 0)
Jamila R. Nedjadi runs for Darold Ross, David Schultz, Joel N., and Sherri
Jammi made an entirely new game so we could keep playing our characters from Keepers of the Cards! In this session we rebuild our characters, adding some depth and nuance to them. Our school is darker, more mysterious, with an arcane conspiracy hanging over everything.

You can see all these videos (plus all the ones that have come before) on The Gauntlet YouTube channel playlists, and be sure to subscribe to catch all our great podcasts!

If you'd like to catch these sessions in an audio-only podcast, check out the community-run Hangouts Podcast at http://gauntlet.hellomouth.net/.

If you'd like to play in games like these, check out the calendar of events and the Gauntlet Forums where games are announced.

To support The Gauntlet, please visit the Gauntlet Patreon. Everyone is welcome to sign up for Gauntlet Hangouts games, but Patreon supporters get extra options like priority RSVP for Gauntlet Hangouts games and joining the Gauntlet Slack team where special events and pickup games are announced.

Enjoy, and have a great weekend!

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