The BG Gamers event, Halloween Hootenanny I, introduced the World of Darkness (specifically Vampire: The Masquerade) to a whole new group of players. It is quite a bit different from our normal Dungeons & Dragons game. I’m curious to see some feedback about the game. Specifically:
- What do you like about the Storyteller Game system?
- What do you dislike about the Storyteller Game system?
- If you could change anything about the game, what would it be?
To answer my own questions,
I like the game speed as opposed to the very tactical and planned Dungeons & Dragons. I love the setting, and I also like the botch rules.
Much of the game is subjective. The Storyteller can arbitrarily assign degrees of failure to botches and other situations. It has potential to cause problems between players and Storyteller in terms of what the player feels is “fair”.
I don’t like how “loose” the rules are on the Storyteller side of the screen. There is very little to help you make sure encounters are balanced and yet challenging. The d20 system has simple mathematical formulas that help with this; they may not always be correct, but they are a place to start.
I had a blast playing WoD. I’ve never played D&D, so I can’t compare ’em. But I know this, on Saturday Night, after the Fight, I was ready to play another round of the Masquerade. So I went home, stayed up another 3 hours, and beat the rest of Bloodlines. I really enjoyed just how open the game is, while still having a story/plot/goal. I hope we play it again sometime in the not-too-distant future. 🙂