Getting Ready

Friday night I will start my Savage Worlds game for my gaming group. I am excited/apprehensive at the same time. I want this to go well, to have them enjoy themselves and keep wanting more. And I am looking forward to introducing this campaign.

When Stephan asked what type of game it would be I running all I would agree to saying was that it would be 'modern'. Partially because I want to keep things mysterious. I think that one of the things that this group needs to play well is to shake things up. Throw something new and unpredictable at them. When everyone keeps playing the same characters (more or less) over and over then it is time to push something new where those roles can't be played.

Everyone will make their characters together, and with a pretty rigid set of minimum requirements. So there won't be a lot of variation to start other than how players play things. And then I will introduce an element of randomness to things, which should challenge people, make them do something different for a change. We'll see how they react. Worst case scenario is they hate it and don't want to play a second time. In which case I get this load off my shoulders of running the game.

One question I have asked myself today is how do I handle the language problem? Because they will be dropped into an entirely different world how do I want to handle the language issue? There are some pretty clear ends of the spectrum:

Super Easy (or the Star Trek solution):
Everyone just magically speaks the same language as the players, kind of like running into just another Class M planet.

Easy (the Hitchhikers Guide solution):
A magical or technological device is available that automatically translates everything i.e. the Babelfish.

Moderate:
The locals have access to a magical or technological device that allows for easy translations, but only on demand.

Hard:
Everyone speaks a different language on the new world, and there might be someone capable of translating, but the characters will have to take the time to learn the new language.

Super Hard:
There is no translation capability, all language has to be learned by pidgin and pointing and pictures. Only the bravest of GM's and most dedicated role playing group would want to undertake this.

My inclination will be something along the line of easy to moderate. I won't have to make a decision for at least the first 2 nights anyway and by then I should have a better idea of how the group is handling their characters.