The Setting- an agrarian matriarchal society

The Cast, in Alphabetical Order:

Giacomo, the Beloved- exceptional tanner (as in leather-working), surviving twin, good pedigree, big family, heterochromia, loud. The Opportunity was that he was a recent widower, the Obstacle was that he was haunted by his dead wife, and his Dream was to settle the dispute with a neighboring village that had contributed to her death.

Malena, Suitor 1- mute but extremely expressive eyes, careful cutter but experimental, many siblings but "hornless bison," this game's variant of black sheep. Her Person was her older sister Francesca, her Place was a nearby waterfall, and her Thing was a hammered gold bracelet. Her Conflict was that her family wanted her sister Nicola to marry Giacomo. (Morgan)

Rosatia, Suitor 2, commanding voice but monotone, leather smells like asparagus but perfect color, only child but friends in high places. Her Person was her lame father Pippo, her place was a tree house she'd built, and her thing was a necklace. Her Conflict was that there was an arranged marriage for her with Antonio. (Andrew)

The story began when Rosatia came to deliver a handmade leather flap for Giacomo's yurt. Their conversation was interrupted by Antonio's arrival on the scene. They weren't able to convince him it had merely been a friendly exchange. At a festival a few weeks later, Malena and Giacoma shared a sweet moment at a dance. Nicola tried and failed to come between them.

Rosatia's friends and Malena's family confronted them about their evident feelings for Giacomo. Both of them decided to go for him anyway. Giacomo grew closer to Rosatia as they worked on her tree house and bonded more with Malena over a picnic where she learned that he was still haunted by his dead wife. There was an outbreak of food poisoning after a feast; Giacomo managed to escape and visited both women as they were ailing.

Rosatia seized the chance to announce to Giacomo's family that they were getting married. Giacomo denied this, because it was a lie, and told Rosatia that he did admire her but he wasn't ready to promise himself to anyone just yet. Malena helped him hold a seance to talk to his dead wife and try to convince her to move on. In the final scene, the village nearby raided! Rosatia saved Giacomo, playing an important part in leading the village's defense. This suitably impressed her friends enough to let her and Giacomo be together. They were married. Malena and Isabella (Giacomo's deceased wife) became friends. She remained a spinster but became a priestess of sorts.

This was a really fun session of Shooting the Moon! Andrew and Morgan had never played before but that didn't stop us from telling an interesting story. We all helped each other out a lot when it came time to roll dice and make suggestions for what traits to use. As before I very much enjoyed the collaborative character creation process; I think Morgan and Andrew did too. The system isn't mechanically complex so it wasn't hard to dive right in and figure out what to do depending on the results of the roll.

The Dream didn't show up much but that is not a problem. Really, Shooting the Moon is about the Prize. I had fun playing the Beloved. (Next time I'd like to be a Suitor.) The three characters were interesting. There was a great tension between the "right" choice (Rosatia with her influential friends and strong bloodline) and the chemistry that was there between Giacomo and Malena. I was really rooting for them equally. Which is how it should be. :)

I was pleased to be able to introduce Morgan and Andrew to this game and even more pleased that their first experience with it was a good one. I had so much fun around the table, whether we were playing or just talking.

Thanks to Morgan and Andrew for their creativity and energy!

- Dani, aka Giacomo the Beloved

P.S. Totally going to have to start using "hornless bison" in real life, because that was great.

Thanks Dani for the recap. I'm glad you have such a great memory so I could relive our session. I had a fun time as well. I'd like to play again now that I sort of know more about the set-up. I still feel a bit guilty for stealing a Beloved that I don't think I deserved and can't help but think what the continuation of that game would bring; infidelity?, revenge?, Isabella teaming up with Malena to haunt Rosatia?, maybe even Rosatia stepping up to the plate to become a worthy wife by standing up to the overwhelming political influences in her life. I shake my fist and scream "Hornless Bison!" Thanks again Dani and Morgan for the great game.

Thanks Dani for the recap. I'm glad you have such a great memory so I could relive our session. I had a fun time as well.

You're welcome! And it does come in handy, despite how selective it is. Again, very glad you had a good time. :)

I still feel a bit guilty for stealing a Beloved that I don't think I deserved...

You totally did! Rosatia was a great character who fought hard for Giacomo. I loved how she up and decided to announce to his family that they were getting married. She definitely deserved him after everything she went through.

Alas, that is the problem with all one shots. It is interesting to wonder about what might have happened after.

I shake my fist and scream "Hornless Bison!"

"Hornless Bison, what are you doing?!" Ahaha! I still can't help giggling when I think of that.