Chaosium Interviews: Pendragon in 2022, with David Larkins

[MOB]

Pendragon line editor David Larkins discusses what fans can look forward to in 2022. He's talking with James Coquillat as part of our Chaosium Interviews series.

 

 

[SaxBasilisk]

One thought after watching the video: I hope Chaosium doesn't embrace the "10-20 session" framework too strongly. Pendragon shines in its intergenerational nature, and that's hardly long enough for the next generation of knights to come into play.

Maybe they could recommend that people playing portions of the GPC do so sporadically, playing sections twenty years apart so the younger knights can grow up and have their opportunity to shine.

[Hzark10]

Part of this change may be due to the feedback from those who have given about their experiences of running the GPC.  Should we take a poll again to find out just how many players or gm's have actually run the GPC in its entirety?  I have been playing Pendragon since 3rd edition and have yet to finish it. Players come and go, lose interest, or the players have boxed themselves in with no easy way out and so the campaign dies for one reason or another.  Each period also has its own flavor and emphasis.  As Pendragon grew over the years, the starting time moved back more and more.  When everything is out, one can argue that you can start playing in the 430's all the way through to Arthur's death.  That is about 130 years. If we go with the old rule, 1 session = 1 game year, then about 2.5 years. That can be a long time in one campaign, and many find that timetable doesn't always work.  By breaking things up, a gm can focus on the story they like best. Dark Ages, high romance, the end of the world, etc.  And, there is nothing written that says you can't continue the story once you reach the end of the period you are running in.  I agree that the intergenerational nature is one strong point and I am pretty sure David has taken this into account.  

[Morien]

1 hour ago, SaxBasilisk said:

One thought after watching the video: I hope Chaosium doesn't embrace the "10-20 session" framework too strongly. Pendragon shines in its intergenerational nature, and that's hardly long enough for the next generation of knights to come into play.

Maybe they could recommend that people playing portions of the GPC do so sporadically, playing sections twenty years apart so the younger knights can grow up and have their opportunity to shine.

My understanding from the video and the ImpCon talk etc was that the idea is that the new modular GPCs of two Periods each can cover a single generation in a more manageable gulp. But nothing prevents the group from getting the other modules and making it intergenerational, which I agree is one of the things that sets KAP apart from most RPGs (and in a good way!). But it is a whole lot less intimidating for a new GM, and for the players as well, to commit to a 20 session campaign than to a 60 session campaign, let alone a 80+ session campaign that the current GPC is even at the 1 session = 1 game-year pace. A weekly game session, with some skipped due to schedule conflict and family obligations, the full GPC can easily take a minimum of 2 years to play through, which can be a lot. A 20 session slice, half a year. Much more manageable.

Also, for some of the younger groups out there that might not have the same amount of disposable income as us older folks do, getting one double-period book rather than a full GPC might be a difference of affording it or not starting the game at all. (Of course, I am assuming here that the individual period books would be significantly cheaper than the grand tome was. Stands to reason.)

That being said, I could see a 'speed run' option as well, although more for those who have the current GPC book. If you have it, why not use it? I think we just had a discussion about this in the Discord, about skipping some years (and even the whole Anarchy period) to cram a GPC campaign through quickly.