My RPG group just started a new Beam Saber campaign and we already committed war crimes on session 1!
Beam Saber is a game about giant robots and the people who pilot them. Our “heroes” are an asshole secret agent, a bioengineered super-ace, a living airplane, and a mechsploitation hound. We’re calling our campaign BISEXUAL DISASTER MACHINES!
First session, command said to go murderise an Exodus Republics Incorporated fireteam and leave no witnesses. Simple enough, except the Exodus fireteam were protecting a building full of Independent civilians from a Jovangellian Empire attack squad.
The team start blasting and lasering the Jovangellian and Exodus mechs, and everyone gradually realises that the building full of civilians are witnesses, so they need to go down. After a brief argument, Hound and Jack Danger start doing war crimes, while Gizmo and Grace use their giant robot laser sword and super missiles to utterly destroy the enemy AWVs (Armoured Walking Vehicles).
I had lots of fun! Can’t wait for next session!
I gmed a handful of beam saber sessions for my group, except I changed the setting/factions, and unfortunately, my evil Corporate faction got too real. I was trying to make them highly inept due to infighting while still being a terrible threat because they wanted to essentially strip mine the planet, but it got to a point a few times where I would come up with a crazy idea for a session/plot and real life would do it first. (Ex: Having the religious faction carpet bomb an area because they wanted to claim it as their own)
In the end i lost my gm groove and haven’t been able to swing back into things ( I’ll get it back, eventually)
I actually started up this Beam Saber game because I was losing My GM groove. I got kicked out of the Draw Steel game I was playing in, and it was really disappointing. I wasn’t having fun anymore when I GMed Draw Steel. So I told My players, “One of you runs something, or we play Beam Saber.” And now we’re playing Beam Saber! The lesson? Switch it up when you’re feeling off, and don’t be afraid to ask your players to run something.