John Has Uninspired Titles

Question:
1)The idea I have is a Scion game focused heavily on Fate and Prophecy and how they may not be so binding, and that actions of a few can change the course of the many. What are you thoughts on a game like this? Do you have any suggestions on how to capture that 'epic' feeling lacking in the other games?
2)Storytellers also playing Scions. It's worked fairly well for us in the past (we've been able to separate ST knowledge from character knowledge), and in this game I would once again be playing my Scion of The Morrigan (since she is a goddess of prophecy and a seer), and thus The Morrigan would sort of become more or less a 'patron' or 'hidden mover' to the Band. Do you think this is viable? Is it still a 'faux pas' even if the group can make it work and still be enjoyable as any other game?

1)Phew, difficult question. I think that can definitely work. I think a game that goes against fate has to be BRUTAL on the PCs. If they are doing what hundreds of other gods could not, they need to not get away from it unscathed.

I think there are two ways to go about it. One is slow rewriting and re-"defining" prophecy. You have to find a way to make the prophecy still come true, but come true in a way that you want it. Prophecies are generally vague, so you get some play room with the words and facts of it. It's a difficult thing to do, and one that I can't seem to do off the cuff with any particular one that I can mention (i.e. not one I'm already using in my campaigns).

The other way to go about it is brute force. This happened two weeks ago in our game. Terminus and Tezcatlipoca worked together to destroy a prophecy by venturing into the Titanrealm of Fate and slowly tearing it apart. It was dangerous and horrible. It left them both scarred and "fate-fucked." They have some permanent magical problems, and their fatebonds have gone all awry. But they were able to undo the prophecy of Mexican cities falling in the order Huitzilopotchli founded them, thus saving Tenochtitlan before the rest of the team and Huitzilopotchli returned to Aztlan. It was horrible, but it succeeded.

I think both options are excellent to mine for possibilities. I think a new generation able to rewrite the last generation's prophecies is a perfect theme for Scion, but it's a difficult one to do correctly. Prophecy still has to be VERY powerful, and Fate needs to rule all. But as long as you keep that in mind, and weave the story well, I think it can be done.

2) Usually I answer with a "well if it works with your group, sure", but I can't here. My answer is a very resounding NOPE. I've gotten in a few arguments about this in the past. And you have to believe me when I say I know where you're coming from. I run an average of 120 game sessions a year. I get to play in 1 game session a year, on ST Appreciation Day when my players all get together and throw an awesome party and let me play in a game. But for the rest of the year, I'm all ST all the time. And I would love to have the chance to create and build a character to play and watch him grow along with the other characters

But it's just not a good idea, for several reasons.

a) You cannot get past favoritism. You just can't. If you think you can, you're lying to yourself, or you're doing the opposite which is just as bad(having your PC ALWAYS be the one that takes the hits and gets shat on). You don't want your players to ever think there is unfairness at the table. This is hard enough when you have friends all together. It is even harder if one of the friends you have to adjudicate is yourself.

b) Any time you're spending with that, your personal PC, could be time you spent working on a story or an NPC.

c) Anything your PC does in a scene is taking the spotlight away from something a real PC could be doing in the scene. It's hard enough to make sure the spotlight is shared without the ST hogging it also. You also have to think about the roles in the group. In my 6 player game, there's a little more overlap than in my 5 player game. And sometimes PCs dont get the spotlight they deserve. In anything but a 2-3 player game I could see an ST character making this a real problem

d) Scenes just become so much harder to run. I loathe scenes where I have to play more than one main character at once. Jumping back and forth to give their reactions, expressions, interjections is a huge pain in the ass. I think very highly of myself and my skills, but having to run every single scene playing an additional person would be taxing beyond belief. Not to mention scenes where I'm playing 3-4 main NPCs... adding a PC to that would be miserable.

I know it sucks for people who have to ST games and don't get to play in them. I truly understand. But that does not give you license to make your games worse by playing in them, and I promise you, if you have a full-time PC your game will be worse. It's just a fact. Even if you're the GOD of STs, it will be worse than if you didnt play a PC in the game and focused your energy on the players instead.

You can still do everything you want with the Morrigan being a mover and shaker to the band, but you don't have to have your pet PC in there to make it work. I promise you it cannot possibly be as enjoyable as any other game. Because you are taking a portion of your STing skills, time and energy and devoting them to yourself instead of to the players.