Amaranthine Demo

Saturday, 6 August 2011: Amaranthine Demo

By now, I had purchased Amaranthine, an RPG that sounded interesting and got a thumbs up from Rob Donoghue. I asked about a demo, but I only had a limited amount of time, as I had managed to get into a Kerberos Fate game that was being held just about as far away from where I was in the convention center as it was possible to get. It also took us a while to find play space, but the playspace was close enough to where I needed to exit the convention center to balance out the time we spent searching for it.

The GM figured that we didn't have enough time to do character generation, so he gave us pregens, and we jumped right into things.

• GM: ??? I think he was either the author or co-author of the game.
• Me: Angel
• Jenna: Ty
• Travis: Larry
• William: Paris

There was a fifth PC, Mark, but he was dropped, as there were only four players.

The characters in Amaranthine are serial immortals. That is, they die like anyone else, but they are reborn and gradually remember who they are. They tend to run into each other life after life. The PCs formed a circle or a ring, aka one group of PCs. Their names and genders and nationalities varied from life to life, but they tended to wind up together, and, sooner or later, everyone would remember events from previous lives.

Relationships are very important in Amaranthine, so every PC had four sentences about every other. The four sentences each used some variant of a key word or phrase: always, sometimes, once, never.

For example, Ty might have the following remarks about her relationship with Larry:

• I have always felt that I could trust you.
• I was once disappointed in you.
• I have sometimes waited until it was too late with you.
• I have never understood you.

Larry's statements might not be the compliment of these, although they should not contradict them. They might be:

• I always knew your motivations.
• I was once your child.
• I have sometimes killed for you.
• I never meant to hurt you.

Somehow, PCs got messages from their previous selves, something that's not really explained in the book. It's a plot catalyst. Basically messages to oneself need to be short and cryptic, because it's harder and more costly to send longer messages. So, Paris found a note to himself: Paris Bridges Urgent Butterfly

The characters did research, which meant that the players rolled d6s. 5s and 6s were successes, and my notes say something about 6d6 being the base, but I don't recall if that meant in general, for this particular roll for me, or something else. The group learned / realized / remembered:

• Bridges is a popular gentleman's club.
• One of the strippers there was nicknamed Butterfly, because of a tattoo
• Why the tattoo? She said it was a metaphor for growing up
• Her grandmother proud of her
• She was one of the most popular, and she was highly athletic
• She was in medical school, working at Bridges to make ends meet, which is how Angel knew her
• She was one of the priest's parishoners -- Larry was the priest.
• She was not in any trouble that she was aware of

Now, one of the things that made Amaranthine stand out to both me and Josh was the system of Maneuvers. Basically, this is an in system way of gaining certain advantages, and often, of gaining advantages over other characters, sometimes by offering something in return. I need to see more of this in action, but I think there was a high degree of consent required.

So, the priest, Larry, did a maneuver that, in narrative terms meant that he was Butterfly's counselor, doing an interview.

My notes say that either he or the group got three more questions.

1. What is the most dangerous thing she could do?
She is popular, so she has remarkable access to a wide range of people.

2. What should we be looking for?
Somebody looking to take advantage of that access.

3. Who hates her the most?
Other strippers are very envious of her. But, no one is so envious as to want her dead.

She draws a lot of positive attention and is generally a nice person. She wasn't an Amaranthine, however. When two Amaranthine meet, they recognize each other, and both Angel and Larry had met Butterfly. If we hadn't specified that, I think it would have been possible for Butterfly to have turned out to be Amaranthine, but I don't know how likely that was. Certainly, things were more interesting here because she was, as far as I know, an ordinary human being.

Larry then did something involving the barter system for the mechanic I mentioned above. My notes say: "Sympathy +3, which lets her manipulate you."

In other words, Larry got to ask three more questions, which she would answer, but this opened him up to being manipulated by Butterfly.

1. Was anyone pressuring or influencing her?
Yes. A group of Guidos, asking leading questions, basically trying 
to get her to open up her rolodex.

2. Any idea who they're working for?
Yes. Rumor has it that they're part of the local mob group. The leader 
is definitely their boss. He's been getting sort of oppressive.

3. How frightened is she?
She maintains a healthy level of fright. She works in a strip club, after all. 
She does well to hide it, as is her job.

The group went to Bridges and saw the leader of the mobsters. And, they all experienced a Flashback, which is what happens when one meets another Amaranthine -- or someone who is equally strange, as in this case. The man was a vampire.

We were told to roll 3d6 plus our Anamnesis score, which for me was four, so I rolled 7d6. Our total number of success were:

*GM for the mob boss: 6
*Me for Angel: 3+3 (spend) = 6
*Larry: 2+4 (spend) =6
*Ty: 2+1 (spend) =3
*Paris: 3

I don't recall what "spend" meant, but I think it meant that we had the option of spending some bonus points, either to get automatic successes or to roll more dice, I forget which.

Larry went first, because he had a 5 in Anamnesis to my 4, and the base score in that was the tie-breaker. He started and ended the flashback scene.

As we went around in order of the number of successes, we could add one fact. As in other relationships, these used the key words: Always, Once, Sometimes, Never.

GM: That saves us from a lot of background building.

And, it lets players have a ball defining their relationships.

One thing the GM said to bear in mind: This is a vampire, NOT a traditional immortal, so you can't say "I always killed you."

Me: Wow. This is what White Wolf's Mummy was supposed to be.

The GM told me that the person working on revamping White Wolf's Mummy asked him if he'd ripped off the idea from Mummy, but the author(s) of Amaranthine had not read whatever the material in progress is.

Larry's player set the scene in a crypt, where the vampire as being confronted by the PCs and by robed men. I think Paris was leading the robed men. Ty was holding a dead man in her arms, sobbing. IIRC, he'd been turned into a vampire, and subsequently staked.

Larry: I have always ended your line.

The GM described the vampire begging for forgiveness, focused on Ty.

Vampire: I thought you'd want your husband to be immortal.

Vampire, to Ty: I have always inspired sympathy in you.

We discussed what to do if a statement didn't work on a literal level. The answer is to make it metaphorical. Fr'ex, one of the GM's favorite suggestions from the book is: We have always fallen from high places together.

I tried to change the scene, being under the impression that everyone set a new scene in turn. The GM explained to me that once the scene was set, it stayed where it was, so the action had to stay in the crypt (at least for the moment -- see below).

I described Angel as standing between the robed men and the vampire.

Angel, to Vampire: I once worked for you.

Paris wore a Cardinal's robes, and he put a communion wafer on the dead creature that used to be Ty's husband.

Paris, to Vampire: I once gave you a second chance.

The vampire was now named: Giovanni. (Okay, it's a cliched name, thanks to White Wolf, but that also ensured we'd remember it.

Ty begged for help for her husband, and pulled a knife on Giovanni, although she was prevented from attacking him. (I forget how.)

Ty: I never forgave you.

Larry blocked the entrance to the crypt, with a stake in his hand. Then, he stepped aside.

Larry: I have once let you go.

Giovanni started to leave. then stopped for a moment.

Giovanni: Your secret's safe with me -- Cardinal.

Giovanni, to Paris: I've always had something on you.

Angel followed Giovanni.

Angel: I will never let you hurt an innocent again.

Paris directed his gang of zealots to burn the corpse of Ty's husband.

Ty: Nooooo!

Paris, about Giovanni: I always end up cleaning up your messes.

Ty threw herself on the churchmen as they pulled out burning torches.

Ty: You sometimes lead me to a painful death.

At this point, Larry's player asked if he could jump to another scene, as the scene in the crypt seemed to be played out. The GM said that this was fine, but that all of the PCs who still had facts left _must_ be able to be present.

The player said that the setting was a luxurious wood panel house. Larry was dressed clerical, but not Roman Catholic, more Southern Baptist. He and Giovanni were having a passionate, earnest conversation.

Larry: I have sometimes found you a fascinating companion.

The GM said that the two continued speaking. There came a point where neither could make eye contact while debating.

Giovanni: While we were interesting companions, have never seen eye to eye.

I described Angel following the conversation.

Angel: I sometimes think you make good points.

Paris was outside, throwing a Molotov cocktail inside the house.

Paris: I sometimes envy you.

(At least, I think "envy" is the word in my notes.

Ty's player passed, wanting to save her final turn for a little later.

Larry's player described a mini flashback within the flashback. It was five minutes before the Molotov cocktail was thrown. Servants brought red liquid for Giovanni to consume, and brought a glass of something else for Larry. Larry dropped a tablet into the liquid, watching carefully as it dissolved.

Larry: But, I have never trusted you.

The GM described Giovanni standing, impatiently. He looked at Larry, and threw his drink at the wall. (I think that's what my notes mean. They actually say: "look to you, to drink to wall".) Then, he kissed and locked arms with Angel, saying, "I think it's time we leave."

Giovanni, to Larry: I once accidentally left you to die.

Outside the house, Ty threw a small bottle of kerosene into the house, causing more fire.

Ty: I once tried to kill you.

Larry's player had used the four key terms, but still had another fact, so he simply described the situation. Giovanni and Angel drove away in Larry's car. They didn't see the flames, and they didn't hear Larry hammering on the window (presumably the window of the house).

Angel read about the fire in the news the next day.

Angel: I always blamed you for that.

The GM described Giovanni waking up the next night, seeing Angel looking guilty or however it was Angel looked (i.e., the GM was being clear that he wasn't dictating any particular way for Angel to look, merely that Giovanni noticed).

Giovanni: I've always taken responsibility for that death.

And I used my final turn to describe Angel walking out of the room, and out of the building -- but unable to resist looking back.

And then, we returned to the present day.

Larry: Hello, Giovanni.

Giovanni: What are you calling yourself now?

Larry: Larry.

Giovanni: Pleasure to meet you.

Larry: You remember the Cardinal.

Giovanni: You look different.

Paris: It been a hard time, this one.

Giovanni: If you like -- (Paris gives him a Look) Never mind.

Larry and Giovanni did some verbal sparring about their current plans.

Larry (in response to an attempt at innocuousness): Oh Giovanni -- we both know that's not why you're here.

Larry and Paris made it clear that they did not plan to allow Giovanni to interfere with Butterfly or turn her into a vampire. Giovanni said that he didn't plan to force Butterfly into doing anything she didn't want to, and it was clear that he considered anything he could bribe her into doing to be something she didn't object to doing.

Giovanni: I have a lot of generosity.

Larry: No. No, you have a lot of money.

Giovanni: That's what I said.

Giovanni and Paris started rival attempts to bribe Butterfly, or at least, to offer her vast sums of money. Butterfly's eyes got wider and wider as the sums named got larger and larger.

At this point, I needed to go so that I would make the Kerberos Club game, but I think the rest of the group kept going. It was a lot of fun, and the point where I left made it easy to write Angel out.

I've since read Amaranthine, and while I dearly wish they'd hired me (or someone else) to do a proofreading job on the text before it went to press, I like the game, and I want to get a chance to play it some more.