Ask the Despair Bear (Saibankan's Q&A)

[Saibankan]

[Bayushi Choudai]

WELCOME TO THE FORM QUESTIONS!

1. Biggest surprise this game in terms of player choices?
2. Biggest missed opportunity?
3. Coolest unexpected development?
4. Biggest lesson learned from the Mighty GM Chair this game?

[Saibankan]

WELCOME TO THE FORM QUESTIONS!

1. Biggest surprise this game in terms of player choices?
2. Biggest missed opportunity?
3. Coolest unexpected development?
4. Biggest lesson learned from the Mighty GM Chair this game?

Hey whose this pretty boy asking impertinent questions?

1. How long it took players to move on Mikan. For awhile I thought we'd have a fart painting for each event.
2. If would've been nice if people had dug into the Utemaro mystery a bit more. Sriyani did a bit, then figured that hole went deeper than her horse could ride. (Obviously not ride her horse, you SAW how well that went.)
3. But I'm the GM, I expect everything! Probably summoning Kojiro. Fukanou Institute was invoked during my Topaz game too again for gaki (People, if you take curse of gaki-do, gaki will show up and they're MEAN. It's not free points, just ask Zoido.)
4. No matter how trivial the action is to complete if it doesn't' interest a player, they won't do it. I thought that being able to dedicate your event rolls to an amigo was a cool way to involve people who didn't want to go out and campaign, but ok, you don't want to support someone without an IC reason, ok fine. But while there weren't that many player sponsored events, of the ones there were, I think there was only one instance of someone going "Yeah, that event was fun, give that person who came up with it an extra glory point!"

And this is not me bashing on the players, oh how dare they not engage with all this hard work! It's just a good reminder to myself that no matter how well written and well balanced any game element is there is part of the playerbase that will NOT be in to it. And that's fine, however you want to have fun here is good. But I should worry about non-participation quite as much as I do.

I do like the retooling of the panic rule though. (I proposed it for a previous Naishou game but it wasn't used, and GB retooled it.) In a lot of political style games, we almost never have enough players to fill all the factions at a high level of involvement. Instead, we typically get one solid coalition (typically Scorpion) and then everyone else gives up because they can't compete with a solid alliance. And we've told people in the past "Well, if you go around and get people to work together, you can totally beat this alliance" and they don't want to. Which is again, fine, alliance building (especially with time zones) is not gonna appeal to everyone (or even anyone). Instead, having the NPC factions slowly dwindle towards their natural interests works pretty well. Kinda liked ranked-choice voting for events. We can start with all the clan's, and when it become apparent that certain factions ain't getting their way, they can throw their support to someone who might (hopefully not just squishing the pack leader, but at least making it close)

Anyways, hope these answers don't come off too negative. You all really did well, and we appreciate your efforts, truly!

[Bayushi Choudai]

1. How long it took players to move on Mikan. For awhile I thought we'd have a fart painting for each event.

Silly Rokugani trying to kill it with silence

2. If would've been nice if people had dug into the Utemaro mystery a bit more. Sriyani did a bit, then figured that hole went deeper than her horse could ride. (Obviously not ride her horse, you SAW how well that went.)

After his near spit-take at the welcome banquet, Choudai gave him a wide berth Which probably worked out for the best, where those two particular personalities were concerned...

[Shosuro Hatsuki]

I didn't even know there was an Utemaro mystery. That would've been an interesting thing to do. ;__;

Overall the game was a lot of fun! I'm sorry I wasn't as active as I could be. Coming off a major game and heading into another game right after this has me on the edge of burnout.

To put a positive spin on things, what did you have the most fun with as a GM this game?

[Fukurokujin]

Okay, so what are you like in heat?



Always a pleasure to work with you, Sai.

[Doji Nadeshiko]

Sorry I wasn't more proactive with Mikan Sai! I hope you liked when they did have that talk though

Did Nadeshiko's prayer actually do anything, or were y'all just humoring my silliness? (Will go post the same on GB's thread since I just saw it got posted!)

[Saibankan]

I didn't even know there was an Utemaro mystery. That would've been an interesting thing to do. ;__;

Overall the game was a lot of fun! I'm sorry I wasn't as active as I could be. Coming off a major game and heading into another game right after this has me on the edge of burnout.

To put a positive spin on things, what did you have the most fun with as a GM this game?

Interacting with the players of course. One of the best parts about gming is getting to play different roles with all of you and only the good bits. Despairing with Mikan, vamping with Kojiro, zenning with Busubi, all fun stuff. Just wish rl no oni wasn't so hard on everyone so we could spend more time with each other.

Also, don't burn yourself out on games Hatsuki. I definitely felt that way when I went from Ender's Topaz to the Battletech game. Introverts like us need some time to recharge our social batteries

[Saibankan]

Okay, so what are you like in heat?



Always a pleasure to work with you, Sai.

Sweaty.

Pleasure to work with you to. On to the next game!

[Saibankan]

Sorry I wasn't more proactive with Mikan Sai! I hope you liked when they did have that talk though

Did Nadeshiko's prayer actually do anything, or were y'all just humoring my silliness? (Will go post the same on GB's thread since I just saw it got posted!)

I did, though you did manage to head off the epic meltdown I had planned if you left her alone. I'll give your question the same answer when I asked Mindshred if my praying to the fortunes every day at Black Scroll did anything. "You never can tell with the Heavens."

[Kaiu Kunio]

Obligatory thank you for running post. Lol, but also curious how many times this crab was close to getting best piece of the day?

[Matsu Inori]

I really liked this game overall - especially the NPC cast. Less was more in this case - none of these guys and gals felt like just a placeholder/function with a name, they all had quirks and personalities. And come to find out that the only I THOUGHT was a cardboard cutout, Utemaro, had a personality too, and sekrits

That said: Which of your NPCs was hardest to play for you?

And also: Did you have a favourite location that you either did a good bit of posting in or that you wished got used more?

[Horiuchi Sriyani]

Always interesting to see experiments in game and event mechanics. Thanks for all the work setting this up and running!

I do wish I'd had the energy (and political acumen) to chase down Utemaro's mystery. Would love to hear what was going on there, since he won't be used in another game. Should also probably on or offscreen expect that she's chatting with him D10 to find out what in the world is actually expected of a Sapphire Champion. Does she suddenly have staff? Will people shine a blue light in the sky requesting an Ambassador be dispatched to their court STAT?

Did you have a favorite location to design?

Oh, and were there originally plans to set up the usual roster of plays at the theater that fell through? Poor theater didn't get much love without them (which is, I suppose, a lesson).

[Saibankan]

Obligatory thank you for running post. Lol, but also curious how many times this crab was close to getting best piece of the day?

Have to give a somewhat political answer here. All of the players did very well. There was never a time we wondered why a player was here. Everyone had good days and bad days, but overall the quality of the submissions was really high.

I can reveal that there was at least one day where you were nearly picked only to be nudged out by a last minute entry (the difficulty of having two gms in two different time zones judge something. And you were definitely on top point-wise, which is no mean feat given that you decided to rotate around art styles rather than being a hyper focused build on one.

Hold your head up high, ambassador, and keep spreading the art and culture!

[Saibankan]

I really liked this game overall - especially the NPC cast. Less was more in this case - none of these guys and gals felt like just a placeholder/function with a name, they all had quirks and personalities. And come to find out that the only I THOUGHT was a cardboard cutout, Utemaro, had a personality too, and sekrits

That said: Which of your NPCs was hardest to play for you?

And also: Did you have a favourite location that you either did a good bit of posting in or that you wished got used more?

My NPCs always have the potential to be deep and complex characters, but they only shine if the players invest in them

Busubi's definitely the hardest, because monk. Sounding wise without coming off as an explosion at the fortune cookie factory, pushing boundaries but never so much that the samurai feels like using you for sword testing. It's hard...but they're a staple of the genre.

Underutilized locations? Maybe the koi pond? No one fell in after all XD

[Doji Yoshino]

I had no idea about Utemaro. With the description of the manor house and them being the most important NPC present, I assumed they weren't to be involved with things unless something important/big happened. Completely missed that.

Thanks for the help with the gaki plotline. That disadvantage definitely... manifested. Heh.

I thought someone might do a kata as a display of art. I doubly thought this upon seeing Kakita trained characters. Would you have accepted a kenjutsu or iaijutsu agility roll to show off some moves?

[Kaiu Kunio]

Obligatory thank you for running post. Lol, but also curious how many times this crab was close to getting best piece of the day?

Have to give a somewhat political answer here. All of the players did very well. There was never a time we wondered why a player was here. Everyone had good days and bad days, but overall the quality of the submissions was really high.

I can reveal that there was at least one day where you were nearly picked only to be nudged out by a last minute entry (the difficulty of having two gms in two different time zones judge something. And you were definitely on top point-wise, which is no mean feat given that you decided to rotate around art styles rather than being a hyper focused build on one.

Hold your head up high, ambassador, and keep spreading the art and culture!

In retrospect, pretty sure having 4 intelligence and the ability to add 2k2 instead of the normal 1k1 with a void point is pretty wild

[Saibankan]

Always interesting to see experiments in game and event mechanics. Thanks for all the work setting this up and running!

I do wish I'd had the energy (and political acumen) to chase down Utemaro's mystery. Would love to hear what was going on there, since he won't be used in another game. Should also probably on or offscreen expect that she's chatting with him D10 to find out what in the world is actually expected of a Sapphire Champion. Does she suddenly have staff? Will people shine a blue light in the sky requesting an Ambassador be dispatched to their court STAT?

Did you have a favorite location to design?

Oh, and were there originally plans to set up the usual roster of plays at the theater that fell through? Poor theater didn't get much love without them (which is, I suppose, a lesson).

1. What's up with Utemaro?: In a previous Naishou game payer Doji Kaori got a sworn enemy in the Scorpion. Scorpion kidnsapped a bunch of her family and told her to behave. Kaori told them to get bent. (Leading me to realize Tassu does sworn enemy better. Just have an assassin go after them for the kill, don't try to build drama and story with them.) Instead of just slaughter them all, they kept the younger one's as hostages. In last Naishou game, Utemaro, one of her relatives was instructed to get Kaori to retire.....Kaori ignored this (Lesson 2: Do not spend excessive amounts of bandwidth weaving plot for uninterested players.). So Utemaro's daughter is still a 'guest' in Scoprpion lands, which Otoko knows about, which provided me a useful gm tool of explaining why the Crane would put up with Scorpion silliness here

2. Probably best to do that meeting with Utemaro off-screen since it'd be a lot of details to try and hammer out in 3 days and we're not continuing the setting so seems like a lot of work for little payoff.

3. I liked making the tea houses. Maybe not the most creative with the seasonal themes, but I liked figuring out the little touches as far as menus and pets went.

4. I don't know about fell through. I might've thought about it in early stages, and GB thought we should have one by Hyoukasha at the end of the game, but mostly I wanted to leave the space for player endeavors rather than clutter it up with a bunch of me trying to be clever and players not caring (Late games were just Choudai's player hatewatching) XD I actually wanted to split the performance places =and put the more performative pieces there instead of the gallery, but gb felt that would be too confusing.

[Saibankan]

I had no idea about Utemaro. With the description of the manor house and them being the most important NPC present, I assumed they weren't to be involved with things unless something important/big happened. Completely missed that.

Thanks for the help with the gaki plotline. That disadvantage definitely... manifested. Heh.

I thought someone might do a kata as a display of art. I doubly thought this upon seeing Kakita trained characters. Would you have accepted a kenjutsu or iaijutsu agility roll to show off some moves?

No NPC is off-limits for PCs to investigate/interact with. Some are just harder to reach

We'd probably been ok with kenjutsu displays, but the real challenge with it (and other things going far from traditional art) would be how to theme it.

[Saibankan]

In retrospect, pretty sure having 4 intelligence and the ability to add 2k2 instead of the normal 1k1 with a void point is pretty wild

And you didn't even have any catapults to fire, which is my favorite part of the class