Players:
Sev
Brett
Eric
Jasmine

Brett and I played the two Hearts, Capella and Betelgeuse, and Sev and Eric were the Mistaken. This was my first time playing Polaris and it did not disappoint! Actually I think everyone but Sev was new to this game. I had a really good time, I love the snowballing of the "But only if"s! I also like how two very different games went on at the same time. Brett's Heart had a more cohesive storyline with a definite character arc, and my Heart character was a little snot who just got more ridiculously arrogant as the game went on. So it was nice to have both serious and goofy in one game.


Capella (Brett): Capella was a high ranking member of the Inquisition, hellbent on finding heretics and demons. Unfortunately his zeal for exterminating heretics led him down the path of torture and bloodshed (as it is wont to do). He tried to reform his ways, but it was too late -- his reputation had gotten out of control and reports of murdering innocents and suppressing evidence plagued his path. In an effort to reverse what he had done, Capella started a non-violent movement (though he kept his Starlight sword because, you know, it is pretty cool) and tried to quell the heretics with peace, love, and understanding. Sev (the Mistaken) was great at upping the ante for Capella's bloody legacy, toying with his need for recognition. A mighty battle was fought (and refought) over how Capella's actions -- all well-intentioned, but with horrific results -- would be remembered. Ultimately, while his non-violent peace-keeping force would go on to influence folks until the end of time, no one would remember Capella as the founder, or that he ever even existed, as his bloodline never endured past one generation. Capella reached a weariness of 1.

Betelgeuse (Jasmine):
Betelgeuse was a Sir Gallahad-esque purity boy with glinty teeth who left his village with the hopes of returning with glory, honor, and hopefully riches. In an effort to become Great, he chased after the relics of the Prophecy of Immortality and acquired quite a bit of magical jewelry. Some of his exploits included reuniting his shunned older brother Vega with their father and losing fingers during the (totally foreseeable) fight, and skulking around an orphanage waiting to see if he could save the day, which resulted in the orphanage being burned down and many orphans being killed by demons ("but only the unadoptable ones"). Eric as the Mistaken did a great job turning Betelgeuse's quest to figure out the Prophecy of Immortality into a trick that unleashed a horrible demon and thus destroying a city. Also, a special shout out to Brett for playing Betelgeuse's old quartermaster/trainer perfectly, filled to the brim with hilarious tough love. In the last turn, Betelgeuse discovers that his wife and her son have been possessed by demons. He is able to exorcise them, but in exchange, the demons extinguish the North Star. However, this paved the way for Betelgeuse (the actual star) to become the new North Star as a beacon of good to all. He ended with one zeal point remaining.


Sev did a great job facilitating, especially considering she hadn't ever facilitated Polaris and totally didn't expect to do so that night (thank you!!) She was really good at interjecting when folks didn't make a definitive-enough statement to start the negotiation ("I lunge at you" vs "I stab you in the chest"). It was a little rocky at first as we tried to figure out the right rhythm, so to speak, but I think we picked it up and Sev was great at keeping us on track and helping us find the vibe. So big kudos to her!

As a whole, I wish there was a more definitive endgame. I suspect that part of the reason there wasn't might be that we had to ignore some of the rules in order to do it as a one shot. I was expecting a Fiasco-like wrap up and so our final turns were basically "But only if"ing to find a satisfactory ending. Which was fun, but I felt in need of a button (at least for Betelgeuse, I think Capella got a good one).

We also discussed afterward how the balance between the negotiations and roleplaying could be a bit better -- maybe a mechanic that makes roleplaying a little more vital? But we also agreed that we really liked the snowballing of the action quite a bit and how it moves the story along without having to flounder around in RP land, so not sure how to reconcile those. Sev suggested Shock would be a good game to try.

I would love to play this again, maybe after giving the world description a thorough read. Overall, very fun and a lot of great twisty caveats!