Hi folks
I recently got into ArM5 after a long time away from the game (I last played 3rd Edition). I really enjoyed reading the new edition where everything from the rules to the setting assumptions seems to have been polished to a fine shine like only 5 rounds of playtesting can achieve.
But obviously, I'd like to run the damn thing as well as read it.
My main concern is that the game is niche appeal: it has complex mechanics, focuses on historical Europe (and while the rulebook makes it clear that the historical emphasis is variable, to me it's a large part of the appeal of the game), de-emphasises slaughter as a road to "victory", and while some of your characters have kewl powers, they will spend most of their time in a laboratory doing research.
A subset of my regular tabletop players could be convinced to partake, I think, but what's the best approach to take to avoid them being put off by the complexity of both the rules and setting? In fact, what's the best way to engage them in the setting? They're experienced gamers, but like all gamers they vary in tastes considerably and some do prefer hack'n'slash play. Any recommendations?
Another possibility is coming at this from a LARP perspective: I'm part of a largish (40-50 person) LARP group and if I were to organise a one-off freeform, I could probably get 20-30 attendees fairly easily. That would provide a larger group to winnow down to those who really seem to grasp the appeal of the game, who hopefully would be enthusiastic about a tabletop game.
I got the Fallen Fane, but it doesn't really wet my whistle - its default assumptions seem subtly different (the Church appears to be more of an antagonistic force). In any rate, I've got a lot of experience with LARPs so I'd probably do something myself, probably using the Fallen Fane for supplemental material (I like the central concept, for example).
Any advice gratefully received!
Mark