Introduction
The Total NonStop Braunstein (TNB) is on the rise.
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| Who has it this week? |
Thanks to the Living Urf Gaming Club and the BROXT, you’re even seeing the TNB start to form. A vague idea I had long ago which many Legacy BROSR oldheads chattered against, the young guns of the BROXT took up the charge to make my dream a reality.
The best After Action Reports (AAR) this week talk about the TNB or have the writers being PCs in what are essentially TNBs; session Braunsteins derived from REAL long form TTRPG campaigns.
Each day we get closer to total gaming enlightenment with the TNB. Read this week’s AARs with that in mind and see if you can see the light on the horizon. I can!
Matchups
Obsessor (3) vs DM Rump (6)
A very big matchup that I decided to give to Dundermoose to judge. I’ll just put his thoughts from twitter whole cloth below:
[Obsessor’s AAR is a] very fun to read after I got through the list of people involved. Can't be helped, one needs to set the table, but my brain hates lists. Obsessor's writing captures the bold moves and crazy reversals that occurred, and conveys the breathlessness of the loss of control Braunsteins feel like to play in. All the while he is explaining the rulesets that he used for combat, and how he handled the edge cases that the scenario demanded. Map movement/Discord communication protocols, and ShadowDark, plus, BROZER scaling with just a dash of AD&D 1e hero vs monsters of less than 1HD goodness.
I was learning not only about how _Obsessor_ approaches play, but also what he took from playing in Actual Braunstein and Banania with Wesely himself. He talks about his decisions and how they worked out and contrasts them with how Wesely runs Banania and why Wesely's approach was probably superior. This represents well the BROSR/BROXT ethos of blogging receipts, using mass combat, and especially, using Braunstein-Like sessions and mechanics in combination with an ongoing campaign, and how that changes the session fundamentally from "do anything, slice of time, pregen characters" to "these PCs and NPCs matter and session players will have to deal with the aftermath of this!"
He's going to be tough to beat. Read it for yourself here.
Is Rump bad at Braunsteins? Yes. Yes he is. Is it fun to read about? Can we learn from his poor performances? Also yes. We sure can. In Rump's entry we do not just get one AAR, but an overview of Braunstein-like play seen from many vantages. How did he almost not suck in DiplomacyByX? What was it like screwing the pooch in Livingstone? And then a heartwarming origin story about how he found his way from the thin, meaningless gruel of conventional D&D that YOU probably enjoy, to the enlightened, invigorating, anything-is-possible, don't look away for a heartbeat vista that is BROSR play. And he launches us from this history into the most Bro thing imaginable: A setup for his next campaign incorporating BROZER and all of the dynamics he has learned to date! BroXTzer! A modified Type III (don't look UnderCurat0r! You'll get flashbacks!) Can he pull it off? Will you be invited? Maybe?
Lots to like in both of these, and some things best looked away from in each.
Ultimately, the winner of this round is @0bsessor1 .
While both were fun to read, Obsessor's was more focused. I learned more from his, especially due to his unfair advantage of having played Braunstein and Banania with Wesely and being able to contrast approaches. While both represented the spirit of BROSR/BROXT play, Obsessor put a finer point on a subject they both championed, combining Braunstein play with ongoing campaigns instead of myriad system hopping one-shots.
Rump landed some great points, and I'm still smilling about "Griffrogaxian time..."
But read the final paragraph from Obsessor's post:
"A final note: if you do a game arising from events in a campaign, it is possible that one character will have many more cards up their sleaves due to clever preparation. This is FINE. In this case, Moleman didn’t even have to call on the Basilisk or the undead priesthood, but he might have had to if things had gone differently. In the end, as ref you have to honour preceding victories even if it gives one side an advantage. Braunsteins are not about balance. You play the cards you’re dealt – or the ones you steal."
Chef's kiss good!
Winner: Obsessor
Scutifer Mike (5) vs Angry Steak (4)
I had to take over and be the Booker for the remainder of Scutifer Mike’s run in this BROmerican tournament. I gave his last matchup to Booker DunderMoose to judge and was sad to find my co-booker was BRIBED with a burrito to sherpa Scuti through the last round. I apologize to Datsun who was ROBBED but the show must go on.
Scutifer’s AAR this week has a title I’m bound to love: “Don’t Over Prep. Really.” But then he goes on to talking about how he “rolled up a subsector” or some nonsense. Seems he’s stuck on this “Motherslop” retro-clone of Traveller or whatever. I’ll never look into it, ever.
He corrects course quickly by explaining how he generated a recent session of content on the fly, including ships, encounters and even planets. This is good stuff, despite being a short blog post.
Based on this reading I’d say Scutifer Mike knows how to channel the deep magic of low-prep GMing in a way some may not. Is it practice or something more?
The BROSR was deep into Appendix A a couple years back. That’s the random dungeon generator at the back of the 1e DMG. Myself and my co-DMs of Dubzaron even theorized we could take turns generating my megadungeon of Muppetlantis if we ONLY used Appendix A. This was a flop. Not because it was never fun, but as a Player and GM I’ve come to realize a fully Appendix A dungeon has many issues. Too little treasure (so no reason to go inside), no theme or internal consistency to encounters or Lairs or whatever, no way to use the map to find ways around because you KNOW it’s totally random; so there’s no reason for players to try using logic or planning in ways that involve 3d contemplation.
This DOES NOT mean that one should become a Prep Addict. It means Appendix A and Low-Prep GMing must needs lean on the deep magic of how you interact and almost commune with your best present players’ best ideas on the go to generate a world and dungeon that makes sense to Pulp Fantasy and Sci-Fi literature.
Scuti did that in this session.
Angry Steak’s AAR, on the other hand, outlines what happens when Low Prep doesn’t work because the Players give the poor GM NOTHING TO WORK WITH.
“We fumbled the ball. There was a miscommunication on who was running the show (lack of leadership/calls), what resources were available, and other details. This was not helped by my own rolling of an Elf in the "session where we kill the elves."
I was in this session so this is not me beclowning the Bloodfall PCs lightly. I fumbled the ball as well!
What isn’t a fumble is Steak’s AAR entitled "Dealing with Disapointment". He so succinctly explains why the session didn’t work, what mistakes the PCs made, and how various BROSR techniques could have saved the day if we’d have simply trusted in them. Honestly, Steak’s thoughts on all this are in an Alignment Language so clear to BROSR members and so opaque for outsiders, it becomes shocking how much ACTUALLY PLAYING D&D (rather than just talking about it on stupid youtube shows all day) makes a guy like Steak an Elite D&D player.
Sadly, I can nary reward Steak a W for a session report from a session myself and the other players so thoroughly failed in. His Cleric Kirk’s death in downtime was a triumph of the Total Nonstop Braunstein form but Session 19 to follow up on the event was a failure. Thus, with Scuti also having deep and useful BROSR thoughts in his AAR, Steak must fall with Kirk; this time, out of the BROmerican Tournament. Congratulations to the one and only Scuti Mike! Please stand up please stand up.
Winner: Scutifer Mike
Hoot-Owl (10) vs Parker Duncan (2)
I gave this matchup to Robert “The Heel” Stephens to judge and will simply let him speak on what he thinks. Hoot-Owl’s AAR was entitled “Player Report from Bunkerstein 1945” and Parker’s was called “Crushing the Head of the Snake”.
You may not like what Robert Stephens has to say about these AAR or the winner. But accept it:
Winner is Hoot Owl.
He talked about how Josh's method of forcing players to ‘move’ between voice chats helped make the game better and how the DM ran a solo game simultaneously to see how long the session would last. This involved the allied forces invading Berlin whilst the players were in the bunkers below the city.
Was good length but most was just a recap of the game.
Parker's was basically all recap. He incorporated stuff from AD&D to supplement the pitfalls of ShadowD-ke, specifically with assassination table.(Good) He gave his players grades at the end but he didn't use them to affect training times bc players didn't like that idea. He should just play AD&D and disregard his players' opinions on grading. It will force them to play better.
I bigly agree with Robert “The Heel” Stephens on forcing the Player Grades. C’mon Parker! Players deserve less! But Hoot deserves this W.
Winner in a Major Upset: Hoot Owl
Joshua (1) vs Merinus (9) vs Dragons Beyond (Wildcard)
This is a Triple Threat match between the highest rated competitor (Joshua), Merinus of the 9 rating, and a Wildcard Participant I tossed into the deep end last week when Jey decided to bag out. Merinus V Dragons Beyond was a TIE so they progressed to this round.
Dragons_Beyond comes to the ring offering a detailed breakdown of how he prepped and ran a Boot Hill session for some Living Urf club members. It’s titled “Shoot ‘em Up: a 1st edition Boot Hill Campaign” DB describes how he used AI to do MEGA PREP. I dislike AI and I dislike PrepAddiction (it’s a scourge!) so DB will need to really step it up to get past Merinus and Joshua this round.
Thankfully he faithfully breaks down how he ran a more Conventional Style TTRPG version of a Boot Hill session (rather than the TNB style many BROXT believe Boot Hill works best with). It’s my understanding Boot Hill is a more barebones game book. So seeing how DB used Wilder Survival and the like to make his session sing is good advice for aspiring Boot Hill GMs. If you’re wondering “how do I even GM this game?”, DB has you covered. My advice for Dragons_Beyond going forward is to note the times players were excited or enjoyed something (or hated it!). Noting this in an AAR helps the reader get why this or that approach or GMing call or idea worked or didn’t for the session’s enjoyment or not. If you love Boot Hill and know how to get into the Living Urf Gaming Club, you owe it to yourself to jump in on this campaign. With some of the BROXT members playing, it’s going to go Total Nonstop Braunstein sooner or later. Can you afford to miss it?
Next to the ring is Merinus who again impresses with his pulpy storyfied breakdown of one of his PC’s session experience. The blog is titled “Merinus’s Adventures in Living Urf”. I’ll skip describing that as this isn’t a writer’s corner. You can truly see that Merinus is “a recovering storygamer with years of conventional play under [his] belt”. The BROXT can bring in and fix theater kids; as Merinus’s evolution shows.
The AAR is actually a few AARs of his experience being a game hopper in the Living Urf Gaming Club. He played in Albroion, The Sword in the Stein, and some “Midnight Chainmail”. Merinus is truly dedicated to becoming a real gamer, not a dirty theater kid!
“This is the strength of having a gaming club: you don’t get the opportunity to get lost in the theorycrafting.”
YES! In a world where retrocloners will ask for money for games they designed and never played, this is well said from Merinus!
I couldn’t possibly break down all his break downs here. I don’t have the time or energy!
But Merinus’ little comments like this are GOLD. When speaking about “Sword in the Stein” he says the following about playing in a session Braunstein:
“The idea is the faster you establish your character in a Braunstein, the better. You want everyone to think about you in some capacity because that means they will seek you out to interact. You want to be loud enough to be an important character in everyone else's story, whether you are a villain or an ally. You want them to interact with you.”
So true. While the opponents of the BROXT try to besmirch the Braunstein form as “just a parlor game”, they essentially reveal to us they are socially maladjusted an unable to make themselves “an important character” in anyone else’s story. Certainly not in the story of the BROSR’s ascension to the throne!
You owe it to yourself to read Merinus’s thoughts on his Living Urf experience. And, while I can’t rightly recommend any fiction written after 1980, Merinus’s theater kid story-posts are less offensive than some doorstop slop from a George RR Martin sort.
Last we come to Joshua. What can I even say about his AAR entitled “Total Nonstop Swordstein”? He already said it all himself. This AAR goes on and on and on and on.
And on.
Joshua feels the need to give every last detail on the “Sword in the Stein” session Braunstein he was also a part of. He has a litany of tips on how to run and play in a Braunstein. He makes a million professional wrestling style jokes (with memes!) crowning himself not only the winner of the “Sword in the Stein” but the winner of THIS COMPETITION!
On and on it goes like a Will Ospreay match up against Swerve Strickland. He has to do EVERY move. Every flippy dip. Every finger gun to the sky with aura farming.
Unfortunately for all of us… just like Will Ospreay; Joshua really is THAT GOOD.
This session report AAR blows every single one I read this week out of the water. Joshua really does understand the Total Nonstop Braunstein and he proves, in this session report, he may be the currently active BROXT or even BROSR member out there right now who understands the session Braunstein the best. And it's fun reading what he has to say about it!
I can’t pretend Joshua didn’t mop up Merinus and Dragons_Beyond this week. Both of them may have won vs some of the other competitors I read. But against Joshua it was a squash.
You must read this AAR.
With that said, I would like to use this space to discuss a problem I’ve already touched upon with the Session Braunstein form. Last week I advised everyone to stop with all the themed one-shot session Braunsteins and focus on ones that tie back into real ongoing campaigns.
The DM of the “SwordStein”, Hieronymous, does this since this Session Braunstein does in fact come from his ongoing “Knight Errant” campaign. While I can’t recommend you buy yet another retroclone, it is nice to see a retrocloner who actually runs and plays his product. What a concept!
However, I am worried about the Board Gameification of the Braunstein form. Long ago, before the BROXT, Jeffro advised running “Battle Braunstein” without goals or scoring. I disagreed and ran the Fishstein with Goals and Scoring. I learned Goals and Scoring suck. As Jeffro says “just play your role” and like Stone Cold might add “shut your mouth”.
The goals in the Swordstein Joshua shows us in the AAR seem decent enough. But he then proceeds to describe how he speedran them. While this might just be him bragging or to entertain the reader, I wonder if that’s what is being seen during this session Braunsteins.
To me it sounded as if in some ways the Spacestein in particular was designed with overlapping goals where players might have just gotten together and compared checklists to see if their Game Board goals aligned. “Do you have a Jack of Diamonds?” “No go fish!”
As such, it occurs to me that all this goal and scoring design may actually be more damaging to real Braunstein roleplay than even Jeffro realized back in the day. As these session Braunsteins are getting more and more popular and being played almost weekly, I see signs of some of the charm of REAL ROLEPLAY may be slipping away to goal grinding.
With respect to these GMs and players, I will admit I am not playing in any of these. I haven’t had the time. The BROXT has lapped me in the Session Braunstein experience. But they’ve not lapped me in perceiving where problems might arise in real D&D and Total Nonstop Braunstein.
So, as I asked last time for them to direct more efforts towards running 1e and long campaign derived Braunsteins, I now encourage them to give NO GOALS to see what happens. You’re not a board game designer. You are a Dungeon Master. Act like it.
Can you Braunstein without a net? If you’re BROXT I bet you can!
Conclusion
Thanks for reading and check this blog around this time next week to see who wins Round Two of the prestigious BROMERICAN TOURNAMENT.
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