The Lincoln Hedgeway - 2,000 Miles Of Fabled Roads

Creating your character

First of all, thank you for the interest in my game! And, second, before we even talk about mechanics, we should cover the fact that Changeling: The Lost is an extremely thematic, narrative-heavy game of personal horror and (ironically enough) fundamentally human stories. (After all, what's more human than the search for lost humanity? For more, see Proust.) As such, in addition to reading the core Changeling: The Lost 2E rulebook (I'll be happy to provide a PDF if you don't have one), I also encourage you to check out some of the primary thematic inspirations that inspired me to create this game centred around the main themes of found communities, travel, the changing landscapes of shared dreams and communal/social ideals (which, in this game, are real and dangerous to you in new and exciting ways), and neglected/abandoned communities (as this game will be spending a lot of time in the Midwest), I recommend the following reading list: - Kerouac's 'On the Road'. - Achebe's 'Things Fall Apart'. - Gray's 'Lanark' & 'Poor Things'. - Neil M. Gunn's 'Highland River'. - McCarthy's 'Blood Meridian'. - Butlin's 'the sound of my voice'. - The music of KNOWER, Joni Mitchell and The Talking Heads. More than any of those, however, I also recommend this game's most direct inspiration - Noah Caldwell-Gervais' staggering 7.5hr epic about the Lincoln Highway (which you can find here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmFQR0IltDQ&ab_channel=NoahCaldwell-Gervais). However, reading any of these (or even watching the video, although I do really recommend it) isn't necessary: all that matters is that you're bought from the off. We'll be using any and all material available for Changeling: The Lost's 2nd Edition, including material I've homebrewed myself (as I am a prolific and unapologetic homebrewer). In Session 0, we'll go over my GMing style, my general plan for the game as a whole (both thematically and in terms of actual narrative plans), safety tools, and we'll cover all the necessary elements involved in character creation. Most importantly, we'll cover who your characters are, how they've come to be in Los Angeles, how they know each other, and how they've been called up to take part in this bizarre odyssey to begin with. Ahead of time, I'd mainly just ask you to think about your character as a person (or, whatever they are now): what happened during their Durance, who their Keeper might be, how they've settled down in this bright and chaotic city, and what (or who) they might miss about it the most when the game calls them East. (Given that this is a travel-oriented game, Merits that rely on regional players (like Allies or Contacts) aren't recommended, although Mantle will carry over anywhere.)

Preparing for the session

You'll need the following in order to play in my game: - Stable internet access. - A computer that can run the software Foundry VTT reliably. (It is a more software-intensive program than Roll20, so make sure that your hardware's up to the task.) - A Discord account. - A decent-quality microphone - suitable ones, such as those for videoconferencing, can be found on Amazon for not much more than the weekly cost of this game. - A webcam. (This may or may not be required, depending on whether we decide to use video as a group or not - I personally prefer to use it, but I'm aware some people might not, so I'll always defer to player comfort on this front.) And that's pretty much it! I'll be using Foundry VTT to run this game, which means that you won't even need to make an account to log in and play - and, because of my setup, you'll be able to log back in at any time using the link to check your notes or update your sheet. I ideally recommend that you do read the rules for Character Creation for Changeling: The Lost ahead of time, as well as the general lore chapters as well, just to make sure you're familiar with the core themes and concepts of the game as a whole. However, we will be going over all of these factors during Session 0 anyway, so don't worry if you're a little pressed for time.

What Alasdair Goudie brings to the table

As a GM with roughly a decade's worth of experience in running games, I bring a fundamental foundation of practice, focus and motivation to each and every game that I run. My background in fiction writing, and my overwhelming passion for narrative, has led me to really prioritise character-driven stories in games that I run, and to tailor the worlds and games I'm running in order to bring about the best in both my players and their characters. The more you give to me on that front, both in the initial moment of character creation and while roleplaying during the average session, the more I'll give back to you. If you provide me with backstory, I'll use it; if you take the time to visit NPC's and establish relationships, they WILL come back to benefit you, just as much as if you'd rolled a bunch of successes. Playing creatively, playing smart, and, most importantly, playing to your character and to their motivations, are all reliable ways to get on my good side, and to see that investment rewarded in turn. Similarly, as a writer and aspiring game developer, I'm always working on homebrew mechanics for the games I run. If you don't see the Seeming, Kith, Merits or other mechanical concepts to support your thematic vision, we can easily work together and get something sorted. In addition, my background in local improv, live theatre and VO work (particularly audiobooks) has meant that, while I'm by no means a professional actor, I'm more than capable of injecting flavour and personality into the many and varied characters you might come across. In addition to my library of game PDF's you're more than willing to use while you're in one of my games, I'm also really fond of making custom maps for combat encounters. If a significant encounter is happening, you can *definitely* expect a custom map to be provided for it, in which terrain, levels, and interactible items will all play a factor, as part of general strategy. Although I am a very narrative-forward GM, combat is absolutely a vital part of stories like these, and, when it happens, I love to pitch my players against challenging opponents which have multiple solutions to defeat them, in crunchy, satisfying, multi-layered encounters. You can engage with them like a puzzle, as a debate partner, or as a series of nails that need definitively hammering - all of which work great for me. To use more 'industry' terms, I'd say that my 'Three Pillars Priority' goes Roleplay, then Combat, then Exploration. I tend to alternate between Rule of Cool and Rules as Written, depending on what the mood calls for at the time. So long as you're making moves that are fun, largely grounded in the rules, and genre/mood-appropriate, I'm willing to bend quite a bit in order for us to have a good time.

Homebrew rules

I don't really have many homebrew mechanics for this system. However, I have already developed, and will further be developing, homebrew Merits, Contracts, Courts, and similar mechanics, which you as a player will have access to.

How Alasdair Goudie creates a safe table

As a general rule, I tend to prefer discussing Lines and Veils during Session 0, communally - that way, everyone can be aware of everyone's boundaries publically, and thus we can all know what kind of behaviour and content is and isn't appropriate to share in games or at the table. However, I am also aware that, given the subject matter, people may not wish to share their Lines and Veils publically, so any player is also more than free to message me privately about the matter, and I'll try to keep people on course as best I can. I will tend to check in for aftercare in the aftermath of sessions where dark and potentially triggering topics have been raised. Changeling: The Lost, as a rule, is a rather dark game - you're playing victims of abuse by default, after all - and so I do encourage people to read through the core book ahead of time and decide if it's for them. However, I really do hope that, even if you do have similar experiences to those the book (and this game) depicts, that you sign up anyway. I never treat such subjects flippantly or callously, and ensure that my players don't either: and, contrastingly, I feel (and there's a lot of academic evidence to support this) that an earnest, open engagement with these subjects in a safe environment can go a long way towards grappling with said issues. However, that's ultimately up to you. If, during play, any content comes up that gives you pause, feel free to privately message me a 'Y' (for 'yellow') - that'll mean that I either tone down the content, or begin to transition the scene away from it (as appropriate). If any content comes up that makes you really, profoundly uncomfortable, to the point of it impacting your enjoyment of the game, message me 'R' (for 'red) instead, and I'll move on to a different scene. We will be using other safety tools as well, but we'll go over these in Session 0.