Reading TTRPGs - Issue 54

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Is it still Reading TTRPGs when I only talk about one read TTRPG? And when I spoke about three different podcasts. Listening TTRPGs would be best, wouldn't it? Well, you're warned. The content of this post is mainly for your ears.

No-Tell Motel by Ken Lowery

No-Tell Motel is a solo role-playing game by Ken Lowery, published by Bannerless Games**. We play a motel clerk, managing check-ins and check-outs, while a murder has recently taken place in room 7. The motel is frequented by a recurring group of characters, our suspects. Each night, we'll listen, watch, spy, and gradually uncover the web of relationships between these characters, and perhaps discover the culprit behind the murder.

The game uses a deck of cards, in which the figures (including the Ace) represent characters: the Medium, the Inspector of Vices, the Syndicate Treasurer, the Young Divorcee, the Runaway, the Professor... There are 16 of them, illustrated and briefly described. These characters have no names, just titles and functions. Neither place nor time is identified. You can pick and choose, adapting them to the setting you want to explore. It's obvious, though, that this motel isn't touristy, and that it's home to a desperate, fringe fauna.

The game takes place at night. There are 6 rooms, and each night a die is rolled to find out how many rooms are occupied. A character is randomly assigned to each room. The night is then divided into three phases. A “Question” card is drawn for each character, and answered. A die roll tells us if one of the characters is leaving, or if a new one is arriving. New questions are drawn and answered. And once all three phases have been completed, we play a new night.

The Questions are going to draw a relationship web. They focus on the behavior of these characters, on interactions between them, with their roommates for example (or with us sometimes). Sometimes, one character will join another. And then, if we draw a Spade, we'll discover a link between the murder victim and the character concerned. This will raise the Motive counter for that character.

The questions are very well written, and set the tone for the game. They explore the game's themes well. But I wasn't won over by the final resolution mechanics. To reveal a Suspect to the police, and try to put them behind bars, you need a Motive score of 6. After 7 nights, I was still a long way from that (3 Max). The sheer number of characters, and the fact that the Motive only moves forward with a Spade card, slow down the mechanics enormously. Doubt is added to this as soon as you draw a Spade card you've already drawn. Doubt can derail our final theory. The final mechanic, which can lead to failure due to Doubt, could be revised to be triggered earlier. Or Motive's value could evolve more quickly. To avoid getting bored and losing the thread. Perhaps having fewer characters would also help dilute the guilt cards less.

Despite this concern about the mechanics of the final resolution, and the length of the game, I really enjoyed playing it. Yes, I played it. It's not just a reading experience. The atmosphere is spot on. The questions and characters captured the tone of the game perfectly. The booklet, as you can see above, is particularly well done in its layout, which contributes to the atmosphere.

If diving into the lonely world of the motel clerk appeals to you, if you have a voyeur/spy bent, and if you like gossip, No-Tell Motel could be for you.

No-Tell Motel is available on itch.io

Changer d'Angle

This is a french-speaking podcast, with french-speaking guests. Changer d'angle means Changing angle

I've started listening to podcasts. And just as well, I'm starting to hear about a lot of them! For example, Julien Pouard (Cendrones) has decided, after Voix d'Altaride and L'Arpenteur, to launch a podcast called Changer d'Angle, which explores a game and its mechanics, and how this has changed the way his guest approaches RPGs.

Three episodes (including the pilot) have been released so far, with monthly publication planned.

In the pilot, Julien talks about a House of the Blooded mechanic that changed his way of looking at RPG, with the option of gaining the privilege of narrating the outcome of an action. The first episode with a guest features Axel from JeudiJDR. He talks about how the Blood Dice mechanic from the latest edition of Vampire has completely changed the way his Vampire table played, how changing the approach mechanically enriched the story around the table. A truly fascinating episode, as I am Vampire beginner (never read it, played only one session a long time ago). The podcast is based on the guests' experiences, and Julien reacts with his own related experiences, but there's also a lot of pedagogy, explanations, thoughts about how we play, how the game influences our way of playing.

In the latest episode, Milouch talks about her experience of playing without a game master, which she discovered with Bois Dormant by Melville. How she and her group experienced this very different way of organizing an RPG game, and the impact it can have on the story told. I'm very familiar with GM-less RPG, but this episode was really interesting because it allowed me to discover how other people discovered this way of playing, and how they felt about it. A pertinent, documented discussion between two people who have both created GM-less RPGs.

Those podcasts are available, in french, on Cendrones' website or on the podcasts hubs.

The Darkened Threshold - Session 1

I've already mentioned The Darkened Threshold in these columns. It's a podcast from The Gauntlet, hosted by Jason Cordova and Alex Rybitski, which mainly explores Carved from Brindlewood games. But even if you're not familiar with these games, or if they don't interest you, I invite you to check out one of the latest episodes: Keeper's Notebook : Session One.

In this episode, Jason and Alex discuss a particular section found in all CfB games published by The Gauntlet: the first session procedure. A step-by-step walkthrough of the first game session, a script to be followed by the Keeper, from reading the C.A.T.S. to end-game debriefing, through character creation, setting presentation and initial gameplay phases.

Like the C.A.T.S., since I discovered this way of doing things, I've found it hard to do without.

This podcast is available on The Gauntlet's website or on any podcasts hub.

Inspiration Bardique

This is a french-speaking podcast, and it will feature french-speaking guests. Inspiration bardique means Bard's Inspiration

Kaefer, from the Dice Story channel, is also launching a podcast! His concept: how can you get inspired by video games?

Each episode will feature a particular video game, and will attempt to decipher it, with a focus on using elements of its narrative, its story, perhaps its mechanics in role-playing games.

I really enjoyed the pilot episode, which centres on Final Fantasy VIII. A game I enjoyed AND hated when I played it. Which I still have images of in my head, but is in no way one for my nostalgia games. After describing and introducing the game, Kaefer draws out a few themes, a few threads from the game, and tells how these can be reused.

I really enjoyed listening to this podcast, which focuses more on the storytelling aspect than on the game mechanics. I liked the format of this first episode, lasting around twenty minutes. I'll be keeping a close eye on future episodes, but I don't expect to spend two hours with Mass Effect. But if there are themes or games that speak to me or intrigue me, I'll jump on them with pleasure.

Find out about Inspiration Bardique on Ausha or any podcast hubs.