General I have wanted to play Urban Shadows since I first heard of the game, before I even knew what Powered by the Apocalypse was. The urban horror and free-form way the system plays is really fascinating to me. I've always been one to think certain systems are restricted in scope of character action, but that is completely void for Urban Shadows. In this system there is no overall plot, the GM (or MC) isn't planning things out. You are, as the Core Book says, Playing to Find Out. I've been putting this together for a little while, just filling out handouts and whatnot, and trying to figure out how I wanted to go about this campaign. Because Urban Shadows is so free-form it allows for a little bit more wiggle room than most other systems. Due to that I have largely invested myself in enacting a pseudo GM-Lite method of play. I believe that doing things this way will give players optimal time to interact with one another, while also driving the overall story forward on a day-to-day basis. The Setting Usually in Urban Shadows, the first session or two is entirely dedicated to creating character and the city itself. That takes an enormous amount of time and connectivity between players that is honestly better spent elsewhere. Because of that I've decided on a location and have done a lot of the world-building already. That way people can join and jump right into Role-Playing when it goes up. However, I didn't want to lose that connection people felt to the city when they helped craft it. To keep that aspect alive there will be a Location Submissions so players can continue crafting the world around them. GM-Lite The GM-Lite system is one that allows players to hop on the Discord and Role-Play with one another even when no GM is present. The main reason behind this is to better simulate the day-to-day lives of our characters. Urban Shadows focuses a lot on how it's characters cope with their abnormalities while trying to fit in with the wider world. Because of that maybe a GM isn't needed for each and every interaction that takes places. Maybe your character is just getting coffee with a friend. Nothing outrageous need happen in that scene that would call for insightful narration. However, should something call attention to the scene something unexpected may happen. Which leads us to the next part. Active & Passive GMing There will be times when a GM steps into a scene to better shape the story. Urban Shadows is meant to be unpredictable and feral at times. At no point should things be proceeding exactly as someone has planned. Players are allowed complete freedom in their Role-Play, as long as their actions are believable. That same freedom however, will certainly lead to them effecting the City itself. The will of the City is an important aspect of Urban Shadows. When something occurs within, it pushes back. Therefore the GM may directly jump into a situation to more accurately represent the consequences of a players actions. This is done in both an Active and Passive manner. Active GMing: This is very much the standard GM practice for most RPG's. Players control their characters while the GM controls NPC's, obstacles, and narrates the goings on in a scene. Passive GMing: This method is used to lightly influence things. If the GM watches a scene unfold that he thinks could use a little direction or help he may introduce something to it. Then he steps back and allows the players to deal with it in a manner they choose. This system relies highly on player responsibility. It depends on those within the Role-Play to conduct themselves honestly, and put the overall story before that of their character. If something happens that a GM would normally require a roll for, they are expected to do so without any hand-holding. GM's will be present and willing to engage in a scene upon any player's request. Method of Play Role-Play will be purely text-based, no voice or video, and hosted on Discord. Roll20 will be used for rolling dice and to house information about the campaign. Character sheets, NPC info, rules, and etc, will all be found on Roll20 as well. I've found this is the easiest and most efficient way of doing things for this sort of Role-Play.
