Thank to the heroic efforts of Gauntleteer Parrish, we were able to present at the local Houston comic con this year, Comicpalooza, and were well received by the crowd. I felt that presenting our Outline in a more narrative format would be useful to those looking to delve into short-form gaming, and have our original outline at the end for anyone interested.
After beginning introductions for our panelists (Myself, Parrish, and Matt), we answered what we consider a central question of any gaming group: “Why do we game?”
This question may seem self-evident, but I believe that many gaming groups fall apart due to not having a unified answer! For The Houston Gauntlet, our answer is: “to have fun and enjoy each other’s company”, and it has kept us going for the last 10 years. Even as faces around the table have changed, we have always committed to telling a great story and ensuring that everyone at the table has a fantastic time together.
Part of why this answer matters is the format we use for gaming: short sessions and one-shot RPGs. With the fact that Houston requires significant travel time, as well as the fact that weekends are often the victim of competing options, we have found great success hosting a weekly game night every Wednesday at Jax’s Grill off Shephard & I-10. And I believe that a large part of that success is eschewing the traditional idea of what most individuals believe a gaming group requires: a lot of commitment time
Short-form RPGs realize that time is a precious commodity, and offer an easy entry to the new or experienced group. To begin with, short-form gaming is often achievable in a 2-3 hour window, including new player setup. Often the core rules are slimmed down to the point where every player can view them on a single sheet of paper, and the mechanical systems are reduced to a single die roll, or usage of the resolution mechanic. We often are able to get new players into the game in 10-15 minutes, which helps immensely when you also have the table open to new players.
This ease of entry also allows for experimentation. High fantasy such as D&D is a staple of the RPG table, but there’s a game for every flavor of genre. From Sci-Fi staples such as Scum & Villainy and Lasers & Feelings, to urban supernatural tales in Monster of the Week or Blades in the Dark, to even playing as an everyday rabbit in The Warren, you can find a genre style that fits the people at your table and your time-frame. And once you’re at the table, the light entry of these games lets you play and act less defensively, a core tenant in the original Apocalypse World simply written as “treat your character like a stolen car”. Far too often the desire to make the correct choice has slowed down table play, because that seemed fun or cool would risk the death of a character, and thus the time commitment not only of playing them, but of also rolling up a new one.
Finally, our last core element of short-form gaming is that everyone at the table is encouraged to contribute to the story, and often the rules are written as to take the burden off the game master’s shoulders, or remove it entirely with GM-less games such as Lovecraftesque or For the Queen. When everyone at the table feels able to write the plot and make suggestions, you often see that a greater variety of experiences come into play, and the GM can instead focus on ensuring the players at the table. The issues that often occur, such as one player losing focus while waiting for their turn, can be turned into an active investment in the narrative, as instead of waiting for the thread to be handed over to them, they may instead offer ideas, or ask for help setting up the spotlight for their moment to come. Combined with the quicker resolution mechanics, we often see the “downtime” activities of a game become as exciting, if not moreso, than the fight scenes.
These combination of traits: light commitment, encouraged experimentation, and friendly entry, allow you to run a game in almost any timeframe, from a quick 30 minute placeholder between places, over a lunch break, or even a small slice of the evening after work. This flexibility and freedom is a great vitalization for any group, and I highly encourage checking out any of the games listed above, or checking with our community for recommendations.
