Collaborative Storytelling
Howdy folks,
As the Force Command Primer’s revisions become more and more subtle, I’ve started to explore printing physical copies of the book that players can sniff, hold in their hands, and (least importantly) reference at the table. I’m also developing tools to make the work of organizing a campaign a little easier. There’s been a big speed bump though:
I haven’t actually run a full-scale campaign myself.
I couldn’t in good conscience call this system “done” or develop a book of tools organizers without having some tangible organizing experience under my belt. So, I’ve been doing it, and the results have been awesome!
I’m calling the emerging storyline “The Eclipse of Galatea”. It’s set in a one-year period where the lore between the Dark Age and the IlClan era is a little fuzzy—a perfect space for a group of 20+ players to tell their own stories.
A screen grab from my “Campaign Overview Sheet”, a tool I’m developing to help organizers get a quick look at all the forces in their campaign. It pulls all of the info automatically from players’ Force Overview Sheets.
While developing the story, I’ve been taking cues from the medieval political drama in Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, some character inspiration from Generation: Kill (a total sleeper on HBO that I would highly recommend), and I’ve also been watching a ton of content about DM’ing for tabletop RPG’s—there’s a lot of good advice out there.
We’re now two months into the timeline (each month is one round), and I’m learning so much.
At first, I was writing bespoke narrative snippets describing the circumstances of each force’s mission. I would also log into our Discord server as “Correspondent Sable,” a news anchor from Sea Fox News Network (SeaNN) to share updates about the consequences of various missions.
Perhaps a little too proud of myself for this.
Players responded in exactly the way I’d hoped—analyzing the news for clues, writing short stories from their commanders’ perspectives, creating videos advertising their mercenary services, crafting artwork of their Nova Cat Commanders (who are literal cat people), and more.
Many of my players are brand new to Battletech, but it’s been awesome seeing how quickly they’ve found their faction identity and sunk into this universe.
All that being said, at 23+ players, writing bespoke narrative hooks for each force was not sustainable, and I’ve quickly pivoted my approach to encourage players to fill in these narrative spaces on their own—a strategy that I think ultimately will be more fun and satisfying.
[Begin chat log excerpt] >>>ALCO/FOUR-CHAT/CW|PUB#912<<27members>> LaserEyes has joined the chat MurderMittens has joined the chat HookSocks has joined the chat BottleBrush has joined the chat KittenClaws has joined the chat >> LaserEyes : communyaacations channel established. everyone here? sound off. >> BottleBrush : 4th point present >> KittenClaws : 5 here >> MurderMittens : third point reading >> HookSocks : Second point acknowledging. @LaserEyes are you sure this channel is secure? >> LaserEyes : aff. we are using a decommeowssioned spheroid relay, we need not concern ourselves with being listened in on. >> BottleBrush : @LaserEyes good thinking with commeowndeering the local text protocol. it will make our approach to the mission more enjoyable than maintaining strict radio silence. >> KittenClaws : seyla as fifth point my view in transit is just OmniMech rear torso plating. i welcome the diversion over that tedium. >> MurderMittens : the torso plating on this Ion Sparrow Cat is thin enough i am surprised you are not just speaking directly with Mechwarrior Birdie from your transport position. >> HookSocks : @KittenClaws you are not missing much. the vista from my forward position is simply the same boring rockscape we have been operating in for the past month. >> LaserEyes : the view will get more exciting once we reach the ao. elemeowntals, you remember the mission and your roles, quiaff?
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[Begin chat log excerpt] >>>ALCO/FOUR-CHAT/CW|PUB#912<<27members>> LaserEyes has joined the chat MurderMittens has joined the chat HookSocks has joined the chat BottleBrush has joined the chat KittenClaws has joined the chat >> LaserEyes : communyaacations channel established. everyone here? sound off. >> BottleBrush : 4th point present >> KittenClaws : 5 here >> MurderMittens : third point reading >> HookSocks : Second point acknowledging. @LaserEyes are you sure this channel is secure? >> LaserEyes : aff. we are using a decommeowssioned spheroid relay, we need not concern ourselves with being listened in on. >> BottleBrush : @LaserEyes good thinking with commeowndeering the local text protocol. it will make our approach to the mission more enjoyable than maintaining strict radio silence. >> KittenClaws : seyla as fifth point my view in transit is just OmniMech rear torso plating. i welcome the diversion over that tedium. >> MurderMittens : the torso plating on this Ion Sparrow Cat is thin enough i am surprised you are not just speaking directly with Mechwarrior Birdie from your transport position. >> HookSocks : @KittenClaws you are not missing much. the vista from my forward position is simply the same boring rockscape we have been operating in for the past month. >> LaserEyes : the view will get more exciting once we reach the ao. elemeowntals, you remember the mission and your roles, quiaff? 〰️
Pre-mission chatter written by a player for their force, the “4th Nova Cat Lancers”.
Thinking about how organizers can facilitate stories that are atmospheric and interesting without needing to become a full-time novelist has been a fun challenge. And that’s saying nothing about the technical and administrative side of running the campaign!
I’m excited to keep developing materials that will hopefully make this journey easier for others who decide to go down this path. :)
Best,
Dustin
As always, you can download the latest version of the Force Command Primer for free at forcecommandprimer.com.
Major Updates
Here are some of the most notable changes that have taken place in the FCP since my last blog update:
Added new general guidelines about turn limits, objective selection, and more to the beginning of the Mission Generation Chapter.
Contracts now include a “Support Clause” that partially reimburses you when units are destroyed during a mission. This makes investing in expensive units a little less risky.
Piracy now pays significantly more. This adds some incentive for desperate Mercenaries, Clans, and Government forces to engage in unlawful activities.
Updated mission rules such as Scanning to match the new rules established in the upcoming Core Rulebook.
Tweaks and clarifications across a range of Sample Objectives.
Thematic updates to Clan Honor Reputation Rewards that align them more closely with the details in Total Warfare.
