Lady Blackbird

[Lmns Crn]

LADY BLACKBIRD





lady blackbird

[Lmns Crn]

Hey guys let's talk about how Lady Blackbird is cool as a cool thing

Essentially, this is a free, story-based RPG, designed to be played over a handful of sessions.

Lady Blackbird is on the run from an arranged marriage to Count Carlowe. She hired a smuggler skyship, The Owl, to take her from her palace on the Imperial world of Ilysium to the far reaches of the Remnants, so she could be with her once secret lover: the pirate king Uriah Flint.

HOWEVER, just before reaching the halfway point of Haven, The Owl was pursued and captured by the Imperial cruiser Hand of Sorrow, under charges of flying a false flag.

EVEN NOW, Lady Blackbird, her bodyguard, and the crew of The Owl are detained in the brig, while the Imperial commander runs the smuggler ship's registry over the wireless. It's only a matter of time before they discover the outstanding warrants and learn that The Owl is owned by none other than the infamous outcast, Cyrus Vance.

How will Lady Blackbird and the others escape the Hand of Sorrow?

What dangers lie in their path?

Will they be able to find the secret lair of the pirate king? if they do, will Uriah Flint accept Lady Blackbird as his bride? By the time they get there, will she want him to?

Go. Play. And find out.

I think the setting is charming (a little bit Star Wars, a little bit Jules Verne, a little bit Firefly... plus others), the characters are interestingly put together (and have some challenging choices to make), and (perhaps most importantly) the seat-of-your-pants no-prep GM style is something we could all stand to learn from, I'm sure.

This is hot shit, ladies and gentlemen. I am dying to run it. (Also I want to put it under a microscope and learn all I can from it.)

[Weave]

Umm, this sounds awesome. I love how charming and quaint the plot is without coming off as too saccharine or something; that brings me back to some of my older campaigns.

If my players weren't all across the country I'd totally get together with them and run this.

[Lmns Crn]

One thing I love about this is the GM style they recommend. Basically, it eradicates the authority of the GM, avoiding autocratic dictates from On High, and instead tasks the GM with listening to the players, asking questions, challenging them with problems.

In this game, the GM reacts. That's the whole role. (That's also why the GM can get away with not doing any homework to prep the game-- you just elicit whatever you need from the players as you go.) Like, players can determine even the basic elements of the world as those details become necessary for the game.

The characters are set up with enough motivations (often contrary) that I think this can work.

You're started out with a pretty obvious "mission" for the first game session (get out of your cell, get your ship back, escape the Hand of Sorrow), but after that, it's pretty freeform. You can start Session #2 with "Okay, you need to refuel, do you know any worlds around here you could stop on?" and let players essentially write the session for you as you go (with more questions added to propel them as needed).

[Magnus Pym]

Looks fun man

[Weave]

One thing I love about this is the GM style they recommend. Basically, it eradicates the authority of the GM, avoiding autocratic dictates from On High, and instead tasks the GM with listening to the players, asking questions, challenging them with problems.

In this game, the GM reacts. That's the whole role. (That's also why the GM can get away with not doing any homework to prep the game-- you just elicit whatever you need from the players as you go.) Like, players can determine even the basic elements of the world as those details become necessary for the game.

The characters are set up with enough motivations (often contrary) that I think this can work.

You're started out with a pretty obvious "mission" for the first game session (get out of your cell, get your ship back, escape the Hand of Sorrow), but after that, it's pretty freeform. You can start Session #2 with "Okay, you need to refuel, do you know any worlds around here you could stop on?" and let players essentially write the session for you as you go (with more questions added to propel them as needed).

I'm going to try running this with my group this summer. They have no experience with this style whatsoever, so it may fall flat on its face, but it'll be a good exercise for them on the whole regardless.

Cross your fingers.

[Lmns Crn]

It's a game that is designed to work well (and apparently has worked well) with entirely new players, with entirely new GMs, with fifteen-year-old girls running it for their classmates during school, etc.

I believe it should work quite well as a "gateway game", either to introduce players into a whole new style of game, or to introduce non-gamers in to roleplaying game in general.

[LordVreeg]

And , of course, this brings up the whole 'Philosophy of GMing' thing.  
Which is a pretty interesting thing.

One thing I like about the systems LC is talking about is that they focus on certain parts of the GM repetoire that are often ignored, and they also change the focus of the game to "we are playing our game" from "You are playing my game".

There are also parts of this same thing I don;t like for the long term; but I am very aware that this is based on my prefered style of play, which does not make it right.

[Weave]

Vreeg, one day I want to learn of this "Philosophy of GMing" you have. I feel like I could spend years inside your head.