My Life with Master

#1

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Join me as I continue to raid the vaults of independent roleplaying games, seeking out precious gems that have enriched the hobby. Think of this as a kind of Indiana Jones expedition in quest of hidden, neglected, or lost treasures from the vast kingdom of rpgs.

This month, we will be playing My Life with Master (2003) by Paul Czege. The game uses a seemingly simple dice pool mechanic to weave complex stories of hubris, horror, and revolt.

Players take on the role of minions who serve a diabolically cruel master. The master orders and forces you to carry out brutal plans involving unspeakable acts. You might resist, but often those attempts seem futile. At the same time, you are attempting to gain the love of a someone in the village, but those efforts often seem fruitless and pathetic.

Some days you wonder whether you might carve out a better life. What would it take to overthrow your master? More importantly, what can you do to win some sign of affection from your beloved? How can you get someone to see through your hideousness to notice the small pulse of beauty that beats inside of you?

Please note: My Life with Master is a game about villainy, self-loathing, abuse, unrequited love, and dysfunctional relationships. Narratives tend to veer into disturbing territory. If you have questions about the game and whether it is right for you, please ask me before signing up.

Each session will be three hours. Attendance at all four sessions is encouraged, but not required. You must RSVP to each session you wish to attend. Rules will be taught. Sessions will be recorded.

We will have a pregame discussion of lines and veils as well as employ the X-card during sessions. We will observe the Gauntlet Inclusivity Policy.


Session 1: 2019-06-04T01:00:00Z → 2019-06-04T04:00:00Z
Session 2: 2019-06-11T01:00:00Z → 2019-06-11T04:00:00Z
Session 3: 2019-06-18T01:00:00Z → 2019-06-18T04:00:00Z
Session 4: 2019-06-25T01:00:00Z → 2019-06-25T04:00:00Z

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#2

My Life with Master: Hyperbolic Theatrics
With @Stentor Danielson [they/them], @walter, and @Pearl Zare (she/her)
Session Zero: The players create Count Louis Auguste, a powerful aristocrat bent on creating a revolutionary new type of spectacle. He’s a “Brain Breeder” type who has genuinely dangerous ideas of theatrics . . . and the ability to bring those ideas into being. The minions include (1) a PR expert who can only show negative emotions when no one is looking, (2) a talent scout who is articulate only when quoting others, and (3) a strong man who carries a horrendous stench unless he is drunk.

#3

My Life with Master: Hyperbolic Theatrics, Session 2/4
With @Stentor Danielson [they/them], @walter, and @Pearl Zare (she/her)
Count Louis Auguste calls upon his minions to deal with a messy situation. They discover that the theater can be hell, especially when the director is a monomaniacal visionary whose dreams are increasingly demented and divorced from concerns for safety. Count Auguste is determined to realize his ambition of creating new theatrical spectacles. If it costs a few broken bones and broken lives, so be it.

#4

My Life with Master: Hyperbolic Theatrics, Session 3/4
With @Stentor Danielson [they/them], @walter, and @Pearl Zare (she/her)
The minions are sent on a wicked embassy to the shining crystal kingdom of Valhellion. Handsome Hal causes a crisis in domestic bliss throughout the city while BuPu and Ekek try to find new recruits for the Count’s dangerous aerial spectacle. The minions are managing to find love in unlikely places, but weariness and self-loathing are also increase.

#5

My Life with Master: Hyperbolic Theatrics, Session 4/4
With @Stentor Danielson [they/them], @walter, and @Pearl Zare (she/her)
The minions (BuPu, EkEk, and Handsome Hal) return to Louis Auguste who reveals a dastardly new development: To accentuate the impact of his theatrical spectacles, he is using a hallucinogen on the non-consenting audience. The drug is unsafe and in need of further testing, and Louis wants the minions to find subjects for his crazed experiments. Some of these subjects are those that the minions care the most about. Can they effectively thwart Louis’s monomaniacal and dangerous theatrical vision, or will he usher in his spectacle of horrors?