Brindlewood Bay - a 12 hour long game?

#1

Hi,
[This was also posted on https://www.facebook.com/groups/gauntlet.rpg/posts/5226937177416938/]

I have a gaming weekend coming up and I’m looking at running Brindlewood Bay which I find very interesting.

The book says the game is planned for ±12 sessions, and also presents a short one-shot option.

I have ±12 hours net playing time over 2 days, and I want to go full circle, all the way to the void mystery. Do you have any tips on making it work?

I’m thinking:

  1. Intro, character creation - 1h
  2. Short first mystery [maybe complexity 4?] - 2h
  3. Two longer mysteries, 3h each [complexity 6?] - 3h * 2
  4. The Void Mystery - 3h

Does this make sense?

  • I’m concerned it’s somewhat rushed and maybe will make it hard for the players to get in the mood
  • Does a complexity 4 mystery work?
  • Is it feasible to complete complexity 6 mysteries within 3h?
  • Will it make sense to dish out ±5 void clues in ±3 short mysteries?

Thank you!

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#2

In terms of the void mystery, you are the one who writes it based on what has happened previously in the campaign. There’s not enough time because the literal weeks you spend thinking about the end of the campaign and developing the void mystery aren’t there. You could end the session with a sweeps week mystery instead of the normal murder mysteries as that one has more dramatic moments, so think of it as getting the midseason cliffhanger.

Everything else is possible. The pacing will feel off, but it’s certainly possible to do a complexity four mystery and a complexity six mystery within the given time frame. Also, just handing out clues will help keep the session on track in terms of timing. In terms of keeping the mood, make time for cozy vignettes. They are usually at the start of the session, but putting them before the start of the next mystery will help in terms of making it feel like a tv series(opening credits). End-of-session stuff will become end-of-mystery stuff.

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