That’s more an exercise in how to avoid engaging in much of a Fight with a dragon. Because, as mentioned, if it gets to attack everyone dies. And note that even with the dragon completely incapacitated it was very difficult for the team to actually kill it. (An alternative would have been a miracle to turn Dvalin into stone to hold the beast forever. Sacrifices must be made!)
A quick combat is not necessarily a bad thing, but you don’t really get to engage in the joys of Fight in asymmetrical combat. Like the dragon there, you’ll probably get one volley, maybe two, that decide everything. It’s only on a relatively equal footing that you actually really get to script.
If you can RP out a bunch of a session, that’s fine, but BW is not a game for freeform roleplaying. It works when you’re using dice. If you’re not, it doesn’t really matter what system you’re using, right?
Just wanna point this out, BW is not a GM driven game. It is not about what matters to you, but is about what matters to the players. In other words, you should not plan to have big fights unless it is written in the beliefs of your players characters because it matters for them and because it will make the story move forward.
That being said, nothing is impossible but, 8-12 character fighting using the Fight mechanic is a big one. You could try something smaller to warm-up your players. Even out of game (I’ve done this myself), just try out the Fight mechanic a couple of time.
My last advice should be: just run the Hub and Spoke for a couple of sessions, it works just fine! My biggest mistake with BWG was to jump-in the most complex mechanic (because i was exited to try them) at the very beginning. The heart of that game reside in the intent and task and the belief system. The most i run BWG the less i use the R&C and the Fight mechanic but, when i use them, it really kicks in because this will be a game/story changer.
That’s cool and all, but If I was to put together a list of best practices for Buning Wheel, having players off doing there own RP while the GM focuses on someone else would be nowhere on that list. The GM has enough to worry about with challenging beliefs.
Yeah, this isn’t a game about characters talking to each other, this is a game about characters doing things. They need to be able to roll the dice for that, which of course requires the GM.
If they’re not rolling dice, they can’t advance their skills. If they don’t have the GM’s attention, they can’t pursue Beliefs and it will be hard for them to earn Artha. Advancement will become frustratingly glacial and the game’s plot - which is a function of the players’ Beliefs and actions, not the GM’s plans - will likewise become stuck in the mud.
In my group, we rotate gm’s, so that can work with parallel storylines, downtime and such. But I still prefer that all players be at the table during play. It keeps us from having to rehash and retell the story so far if everyone was there. It is also great when, as a gm, you can hand over some bad guys to the players that are not involved in the current conflict and let them help with the scene. They often think of things that I wouldn’t simply because they are focused on a single n.p.c.v. rather than a small group of them. Especially helpful when the active pc’s have picked or forced a full blown Fight! scene.
My experience with Fight! is limited to 1v1 duels so far. I have to say, it’s exhilarating. Every roll feels like life or death. As has been recommended by some, don’t force it unto your players, until they feel ready. On the flip side, if they’re interested in it, try a few mock combats with throwaway characters. My 1v1 duels have not made it past the first exchange yet, it’s that fast and furious.
I like to compare D&D combat to BWG combat like comparing the score of an NBA game vs. FIFA soccer scores. You know the NBA game score is gonna be like 86 points vs 74 or something, so each basket sunk is fun and you get excited, but we’re gonna be at it for a while. In soccer, where the score is often 0 to 0 or 1 to 0, and someone scores a goal? Man, the freaking stadium explodes! Same feeling with Fight!
For handling multiple combats, I second the idea to split combats into the smallest units possible (1v1, 2v1). From the GM side, print a bunch of scripting sheets. I did mine in the thickest cardstock I could find and laminated them. Alternately, print of paper or cardstock and use a transparent sleeve (like for binders) over it, then write with Dry Erase Markers. Keep 1 separate sheet on the table for each enemy NPC and you should not have a problem running several 1v1 or 2v1 combats simultaneously.
Just my $0.02. YMMV. Let us know how it goes for your group!