One on one games are interesting, something that I've not really participated in to any great extent. Actually, I think the last time I was involved in a one on one game was in the Meadows Bar in Edinburgh with Mr J J Prince himself (and impromptu, Fighting Fantasy inspired, playing card based dungeon bash, as I remember). But that's tangential.

There was the intention to have a playtest of Hot War, but as only two of us were available, I suggested to Sophie that we have a go at Contenders. I had asked the question "Do you feel more or less comfortable playing in much smaller groups than with larger groups?" earlier. It interests me, because some people are more self-conscious in one on one, or small group games than they are in larger groups. Nowhere to hide? Under scrutiny? There's a whole barrage of reasons why this could be the case. Sophie professed to being totally unfazed by this, as much of her early experience involved playing D&D with a GM and single player, which is an interesting way to have your formative experiences. So, the prospect of a two player game of Contenders was totally undaunting.

We thrashed out some ideas for where it took place and Joe will doubtless be delighted to know that we actually played it as a boxing game! No bowling, duelling or competitive food eating here. We set it in California during the early oil boom, up lonely, dusty towns, with one train a day and only whiskey for company.

Our Contenders were Jeremiah Jenkins, a big, muscular man whose family farm had been bought out by oil men. Kicked off the land, his main concern was for his mother, now trapped in a corrupt, dismal poorhouse. My Contender was Bradley (first name never known), whose father gt rich during the Gold Rush. He's estranged and wandering with his tubercular best friend Louis.

One thing that really struck me about this particular game of Contenders, perhaps more so than ones I've played in with groups of 3 or 4, was the total collaboration on creating the story. My absolute favourite example of this was when I was floundering a bit, looking for a work scene. I knew that Bradley would have to do something illegal, but struggled to think beyond the traditional 'beat folks up for money' thing. Sophie stepped in, bringing in a gentleman named HW. I knew not what he was about. He wanted papers from a local man in this small desert town. I was delighted when it was revealed than HW was a henchman of Thomas Edison, who wanted to grab the ideas of a local inventor before he could patent them. This was wonderful and, if the game had been able to go on longer, would have been a great thread to carry on. The notion of bringing in a noted historical figure like Edison, and his somewhat devious methods, added a really cool layer to the story.

We also had a joint training scene after the first fight (see below). This came about because I was wondering how Bradley could go about upping his Cover. A bit of horse trading took place, Bradley getting raining in defense from Jenkins and Jenkins getting to learn some fancy footwork from Bradley.

As for fights, we had two and boy were they brutal. The first was Bradley vs. Jenkins. Bradley was up by 4VP after the first two rounds, cruising for the win. KO. Total hammering. Disaster for Bradley. The second fight was Jenkins again, vs. a huge Irishman called O'Kane. The fight was a bit more protracted, with the two big men slugging it out. But O'Kanes dirty tactics got the better of him.

It was certainly an interesting experience. The only other one on one games of Contenders I've been involved in have been demos, which are by their very nature quite different from a full game. We didn't get to finish the game (time constraints and all that), but Jenkins was heading comfortably for fame and fortune, with Bradley lagging a long way behind.

Cheers
Malc