its like you and your friends are collaborating on a movie script
you have a cast of characters
the stock villans and innocent (cannon fodder) victims
then you have the lead characters
the hero, the hero's comic side kick, and the hero's love interest
the director (ice gives out the script for the scene)
but then the lead actors take it and start rewriting their parts
one actor is writing a batman james bond like adventure
one actor is writing a a lord of the rings type fantasy
the third actor is working on a frankenstein horror flick
the actors also all write as if they are the heroic lead and the
others are the comic relief and the love interest
meanwhile the director writes the villians parts (getting his revenge
on what the actors are doing to mangle his production)
the director collects the scripts trys to fit them together then
says action
watching the end result is fun, facinating, unpredictable
-Marley/Anne
Vegas is very loosely based on FASA's Shadowrun. It is a work of collaborative storytelling in which our GM, Ice, gives us setting and opponents and we, the players, write our stories in that scenario. It is almost totally without direction, much like real life. The player chooses what paths to follow and is free to pursue whatever course he or she would like. If you like a lot of direction, this game ISN'T for you. If you want to explore a world and drive the GM crazy by almost NEVER doing what he expects you to, this is the perfect game for you.
-Festina/Betsy
Having never read the 'Shadowrun' series, I haven't anything to base the background of the game on. But that suits me just fine. In this game, YOU are what you make of yourself. You can make your character be and do just about anything you want, but be prepared to pay the price. Nothing is free, and our DM (GM) will make sure of that. You have a character that you must develop. I don't just mean with stats and numbers. You have to develop the personality, the background of your character to really enjoy this game. Because your character becomes an extension of yourself. This is not a 'hack & slash' game. You aren't directed on where to go. It is almost like a mystery. You are given information that can help you decide what to do. Not all of it is useful information, but you don't know. Our DM is great at building something up that may go nowhere (or you can chose not to let it go anywhere). If you chose to go your own way by yourself in the game, feel free. You may get a 'gentle' tug to try and pull you back toward the other players, but not always. You don't even know who all the other players are. Some maybe real, others maybe NPC's. Another nice thing about this type of game is that , since it is written out in e-mail, it gives you time to think and plan your moves (unless you are away from your computer while everyone else is typing fast and furiously).
I guess what I'm trying to say is that the game is you! If you like to grab a car and race 100 mph down the Vegas strip, go ahead. But like in real life, our DM will make you pay the price (I said that already, didn't I?). You can make the DM work harder by taking 'unexpected' trips. Ask a cabby where the nearest horse racing track is, or a VR parlor. Talk to people on the street (the DM Loves having to invent people and places on the spot). All of this helps develop your character and make the story more alive. When dealing with the other players, you are not dealing with 'stock' characters. They all have their own personalities, and what you do will affect how they respond to you. Remember, they are not bound to you either. If you get them mad, they may leave you or slit your throat. So play the game and live the life.
-Sunder/Bob
The easy explaination of the game is Shadowrun; a nice mix between technogeekdom and Dungeons and Dragons geekdom. You can get the best of both worlds, and stress whichever side you want in an unusual and dangerous world.
But to me, the game is all about attitude. Because of all of these conflicts and compliments between technology and magic, how can one person get a neck up? Attitude. The world has it - the cororations are running everything, and whoever runs the biggest corp runs the biggest portion of the world. And even more importantly - characters have attitude. And that's really what sets this game apart. You can't survive in Vegas without a solid (some might say over-inflated) ego. Unfortunately, having too much attitude can get you one of two things: a quick death, or plenty of riches. That's the line our characters walk, not only around the rest of the world, but between the other players as well. Which is more dangerous is still up to argument. But playing over Email really helps all of this mistique. When you're at a table, you hear what a person's character is doing, but you see the real person. But over Email, the only thing that is real is the character - no face is attatched but that of the dwarf with a cannon or the elf with a sword. Which makes the world more dangerous, but more exilerating. And what is the only thing that keeps each of these faceless characters together without trying to either kill or dominate each other? Attitiude. And bad ones at that.
-Michael/Adam
incoming message
Dear mom,
Vegas is great! I have seen many wonders around this desert town, The food is great although it could use a little more salt, the beds are luxurious. But, I can't figure some of these people out around here. Some go on Ogre panty raids in the middle of the night. I still lie awake at night thinking about that one! and other strange things go on here.
Vegas is a place where a simple task of getting something to eat at a place they call a fast food restaraunt, could lead you into fighting for your life. A smoking gun in your hand, the kitchen behind a thing they call a counter wrecked, The bad guys lay in a pile of dirt and guacamole salad. The customers terrorized and the manager wih a look of disbelief on his face as you grab the only remaining taco left in tact within the building when you leave. Walking out of the restuarant with salad and guacamole on your shoulders and an empty stomach, yet a wide grin sits smuggly on your face as you have survived as you are eating the best taco of your life. It's great!
Don't even get me started on the plane rides around here though. The service is terrible, They don't show a movie and you have to walk halfway to your destination cause some smart desert dweller decides to shoot a missle up your tailpipe leaving you stranded in a desert without water. Very rude, some of these people are.
You find the tasks. The gods set the challenges, purely a role playing game and not a roll playing game. dice not included.
Kalmarri, Killer of Fools/Milan