Carpe Blogiem: I Had a Freaking Awesome Game Last Night

So yesterday I help my weekly GURPS game, I’ve been a little off my schedule due to health issues but it finally looks like we (my group and I) are getting back into the groove of gaming. Last night I think I ran one of the best games I ever have in my life, and that’s saying something when you’ve been gaming for almost twenty years. I won’t bore you with all the particulars except for one, now I had been planning this campaign for around eight weeks, I’m mostly a improve GM when it comes to running a game but a full on plan-it-to-the-hilt GM when it comes to building a campaign. I have setting bibles that my players can reference for use in my games. Yeah, I’m that anal-retentive, but it does pay off when answering questions that might come up in game. So last night, one of my players, @hermes_thoth finally found out the truth about his characters origins, granted his character was only played for the second time ever, but we (he and I) had been planning his character background for well over a month. When we had rolled up his background using Central Casting by Paul Jaquays he ended up getting a roll in his background that said he was part something, I didn’t mention what he rolled, in fact we just kept rolling. I kept this under my hat for nearly six weeks, dying to tell someone about what I knew, but I didn’t. No I bided my time, constructed a story arc that would reveal this part of his background and then we played. My players are a pretty sharp bunch and can usually guess what I’m up to, which is why sometimes I need to throw in a monkey wrench, or even outright lie (though never about dice rolls or character stats), as L.A., my girl has said before ‘How can you tell when the Gamemaster is lying? His lips aren’t moving’ But all and all its great fun for everyone. @hermes_thoth found out about his otherworldly heritage because he ended up in a knife fight with a vampire, his heritage begin that of a half-vampire, or dhampir. But (and here’s the kicker) he had to choice to use those abilities to even gain them, and when he did, his other nature flourished. Oh he won the fight, saved his love intrest but he also lost a bit of his humanity. Now I’m sure I in no way surprised @hermes_thoth, he knew something was up when we rolled his background. But I did shock him, at least for a few minutes.

And of course this last game session was only the tipping point for the players as they find that Rip (@hermes_thoth’s character) was forced to choice his vampiric side in what turned out to be a Xanotos Gambit by the main bad guy. He needed Rip dead or embracing his true nature, and that’s what he got. Of course L.A. figured that one out right at that end…like she always does.

Also, I’m wondering if folks would actually be interested in seeing my game synopsis, it seems to be the popular thing to do.

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