Contemplating Hogwarts

[drcpunk]

So, after discussing the possibility of Hogwarts crossed with The Strange School Project, predictably, those of us in NYC are mulling over the idea of a general Hogwarts game, short term, with at least one PC in each house. Exactly who's gming is still a bit up in the air. The important thing is that the plot has to be convoluted. I think I know how to do this if I wind up as GM. I use the trick Ron Edwards taught me: Take a plot from somewhere quite different and warp it beyond recognition.

Ironically, the plotting is less of an issue for a Strange School crossover, where I already have convoluted plots hanging around to see if they're needed.

Group size is an issue, as those of us most likely to agree to gm can't really deal with huge groups. So, I'm figuring me, mnemex, crash_mccormick, ebartley, jlighton, and our friend Erik (who doesn't have a 'blog, afaik), and we'll see if we're all interested when we start dealing with things like system, who's gming, and who's in which house. If we keep all of the above, I could see maybe adding one or two people, maybe not.

This is all brianrogers's fault, of course.

Comments

[avram]

With at least one PC in each house, you need at least four PCs. If there are more than four PCs but fewer than eight, there will be at least one house with more than one PC, and at least one with only one PC.

It seems to me that houses with more than one PC are inherently more fun to play in, and more Harry Potterish, than houses with only one.

Unless you come up with some mechanism that allows singleton PCs to conspire together, becoming a sort of mini-house outside of the formal house structure. (Damn, I'm already getting ideas.)

[drcpunk.livejournal.com]

Oh, the basic idea we were using is that one of the things Rowling should have done is have the protagonists be in different houses. E.g., given that all the Ravenclaw kids say Hermione should be in Ravenclaw, and none of the Ravenclaw kids (well, Luna may be an exception) seem at all Ravenclaw-like, there's no reason Rowling couldn't have made Hermione a Ravenclaw.

So, yes, the idea is that there's a "mini-house" or a group of friends with ties at least as strong as house ties. This works best with 4 PCs, but it can work with 5 or 6.

Hm. With 5, I wonder if making someone a Hagrid-like character would work. It would pose its own issues, of course.

What kind of ideas are you getting?

[avram]

Oh, let's say you've got six PCs, four split evenly between two houses, the
other two are singletons in the other two houses. So you need a way for the two singletons to be able to conspire with each other, to have a separate space for meeting and talking and hanging out. In true Hogwarts fashion, this is probably some kind of magical secret room or tunnel. Maybe a secret tunnel conecting the two houses! Why would such a thing be? Well, maybe two of the founders were having an secret affair. (And if it were Godric and Salazar, or Rowena and Helga, well, then we know why it was especially secret.)

Anyway, while I think that Rowling putting the protagonists in different houses would have been better from a philosophical view -- it would have better supported the liberal let's all get along ideal she's preaching -- having the kids all in one house and the various elements of inter-house rivalry (secret rooms, passwords, etc) are part of the appeal of the books.

[drcpunk.livejournal.com]

Of the books, sure. Of the game? That depends on what folks want to do with the game.

One idea brianrogers suggested is that all the students are favorites of a particular teacher, like Slughorn's little club.

The first thing you need are folks sitting down and coming up with PCs. Then, you need a convoluted plot.

Actually, you can do this the other way around, as long as you're willing to modify the plot a lot.

Systemwise, brianrogers has some home rules, while mnemex notes that his homebrew of The Shadows of Yesterday / 1st Quest and Over the Edge made it very easy for him to run and to wing things.

So, are you thinking of running something at Hogwarts, and if so, having everyone be in one house or what?

[avram]

Nah. Play maybe, but I've no desire to run a Hogwarts game.

(I was gonna say that I've no desire to run something set in an established fictional universe, but I do have a lingering desire to run a Star Trek game. Classic Trek, of course, with evil Klingons, capricious space gods, and virginal space hookers.)

[drcpunk.livejournal.com]

I'm up for Classic ST, if you ever do start running it.