I wanted to spend a little time and talk about the term Monomyth or the Hero's Journey for those more familiar with the term. I'm going to attach a link here, and yes, I know its the Wikipedia but they really do have a nice article on the topic. Joseph Cambell's Hero's Journey.
The use of this pattern or monomyth is easy to employ in gaming. Its structure makes putting together your game sessions and the linkage between them easy. One aspect you must take into account and control is that your "hero" is not one but many. This alters the slant a little but not overly much if you remember to apply it to the party as a whole and not any one single individual. Let the events catapult the party along, using the pattern presented. Focusing the idea behind this concept on the party eliminates multiple issues and ensure equal player coverage at the game table.
Read the article. Think about it. Figure where you can employ its concepts in your game and plot developments.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Sunday, October 30, 2011
External Motivation and Reputation
Think with me for a moment.
How often do you see someone in the presence of others well-known or famous, and assume, perhaps wrongly that they too much be so because of their proximity? I'd say decently often since we see it all the time. Usually by the rich, who surround themselves with movie stars, singers and the like to try to trade off of their fame. To gain some of their reputation by association.
Now take this thinking and put it in your game. What persons, organizations and entities would seek such a method to better themselves? Would a noble sponsor a group to perform some activity on his behalf, according their success with his name? Surround him or herself with a coterie of famous or infamous figures to seem as such too?
This type of action is, honor by association or in its truest form a fallacy. An effective one though and very useful as a plot element. Villains would surely benefit from this type of association just as surely as the wealthy but cowardly; wounded or otherwise impaired.
This type of activity allows you to attack the typical types of sideways to appeal to your players in a different way. For instance, the Mc Guffin styled quests. Instead of a collector of rare things or data approaching the players to retrieve some object, you use instead the idea of a wealthy sponsor with a taste for the rare and exotic. However, not one you can approach and say uncouthly, "Hey, need me to go get that for you? I'll work cheap!". Instead, only by showing you are an equal presence to his social stature or someone that has gained his attention (such as by acquiring said Mc Guffin).
A solid GM quality that ranks those from the merely good to the phenomenally grand is where the motivation is birthed. When I, as the GM, am forced to provide the motivation for you to play in a session, I have failed at some level. Now I say this and caveat it by excluding one-shot style games. In those types of games you do not have the luxury to always begin that way but you should always turn your actions to an indirect and subtle type.
In effect, build in and support the ability for your players to drive the game and determine the adventure. When they stumble, support them. Feed them. Give them everything they can stand without giving them too much. Now let me get back to the point. I'll both on good GM qualities at a later date.
Act from the shadows with an unseen hand. Use your NPCs to inform the players and provide this indirect motivation but don't do it in a matter that directly addresses the players. Using our scenario, we would tell our players of this wealthy collectors sponsorship or interest. Instead, we'd let them gain that information in as secure a situation as possible, one where they cannot easily push to gain too much info. Especially since you want to piecemeal it some so as to make it seem that you are not leading the players. Let them believe it is their hand that drives the plow not yours and drives furrows in the land that lead to your plot destination.
Let them overhear it in a conversation; one in passing and where they lose track of the ones speaking. Drop it in between a gush of other things so as to hide it in plain sight. Speak of the activities of others but in an offhand way, such as a side comment during a transaction or blurb of a note between passing acquaintances.
Remember, we are building a need and a mystery. Make them want this without telling them they want it.
Consider:
How often do you see someone in the presence of others well-known or famous, and assume, perhaps wrongly that they too much be so because of their proximity? I'd say decently often since we see it all the time. Usually by the rich, who surround themselves with movie stars, singers and the like to try to trade off of their fame. To gain some of their reputation by association.
Now take this thinking and put it in your game. What persons, organizations and entities would seek such a method to better themselves? Would a noble sponsor a group to perform some activity on his behalf, according their success with his name? Surround him or herself with a coterie of famous or infamous figures to seem as such too?
This type of action is, honor by association or in its truest form a fallacy. An effective one though and very useful as a plot element. Villains would surely benefit from this type of association just as surely as the wealthy but cowardly; wounded or otherwise impaired.
This type of activity allows you to attack the typical types of sideways to appeal to your players in a different way. For instance, the Mc Guffin styled quests. Instead of a collector of rare things or data approaching the players to retrieve some object, you use instead the idea of a wealthy sponsor with a taste for the rare and exotic. However, not one you can approach and say uncouthly, "Hey, need me to go get that for you? I'll work cheap!". Instead, only by showing you are an equal presence to his social stature or someone that has gained his attention (such as by acquiring said Mc Guffin).
A solid GM quality that ranks those from the merely good to the phenomenally grand is where the motivation is birthed. When I, as the GM, am forced to provide the motivation for you to play in a session, I have failed at some level. Now I say this and caveat it by excluding one-shot style games. In those types of games you do not have the luxury to always begin that way but you should always turn your actions to an indirect and subtle type.
In effect, build in and support the ability for your players to drive the game and determine the adventure. When they stumble, support them. Feed them. Give them everything they can stand without giving them too much. Now let me get back to the point. I'll both on good GM qualities at a later date.
Act from the shadows with an unseen hand. Use your NPCs to inform the players and provide this indirect motivation but don't do it in a matter that directly addresses the players. Using our scenario, we would tell our players of this wealthy collectors sponsorship or interest. Instead, we'd let them gain that information in as secure a situation as possible, one where they cannot easily push to gain too much info. Especially since you want to piecemeal it some so as to make it seem that you are not leading the players. Let them believe it is their hand that drives the plow not yours and drives furrows in the land that lead to your plot destination.
Let them overhear it in a conversation; one in passing and where they lose track of the ones speaking. Drop it in between a gush of other things so as to hide it in plain sight. Speak of the activities of others but in an offhand way, such as a side comment during a transaction or blurb of a note between passing acquaintances.
Remember, we are building a need and a mystery. Make them want this without telling them they want it.
Consider:
- overheard indirect comment between people
- noting activities that lend them towards discovering it
- Lack of exotic items normally available
- influx of the types of people that glorify in gaining honor/guilt by association
- influx/outgo of people normally present
- Change in prices
- etc. the list goes on to point indirectly at the topic
- seeing material that talks about it indirectly
- change in fad/style that reflects the interest
The above list is not everything but a short jotting of thoughts. Get the players after it. Make them the motivators to do this activity you've planned. In this cause a Mc Guffin quest to find something. Don't proffer it to them, make them seek it out and then take it away from them.
Set the stage so they have to force the issue to make it happen. Not that, "no problem, I'll sponsor you" but instead a query, "you look to have talent but why would I sponsor you when I have others already employed as such freely?". Every hand someone something and then take it away, even if they never really had it in the first place? Oh, they get pissed. No one is comfortable with loss, no matter how briefly the stead of ownership.
Again, the key is the use of external motivation and reputation to enhance your games. Should our players succeed, they would languish in the grace of this wealthy sponsor. Not to build their own reputation but to gratify his own through his sponsorship or presence.
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Quality Encounters: Part V
I want to cap off my initial thoughts on quality encounters. We've covered a good amount of ground in the first I - IV (a quick search on the site will find them) and I want to end that first wave of thoughts with the idea of planting the germ of an idea that another encounter lies past the first and one beyond that still, to perpetuity (or your ending). Its separate from building suspense though obviously related. Think of it as a string theory of linking one conflict to another, using any pattern you desire.
The game mastering trick is to plant the seed of another encounter or encounters, within the one you introduce. I tend to introduce both subtle and blatant links, doing my best to give my players a spectrum of choice that is truly no choice. They get to pick among the many but all roads will lead to my destination.
The best subtle clues are those that don't occur to the player until later in the game or even future games. These you can nurture and grow slowly to create suspense and desire. Less subtle clues will not be understood until some future point or are know as parts of a whole and so forth. Blatant is, well, blatant. That's the written note that gives information or the garb of the enemy that tells you they are from x place or any of the who, what, where, when, and why combo.
Cast your seeds widely and nurture them. Planting them in this manner gives you a smorgas board to pull from when you need it.
The game mastering trick is to plant the seed of another encounter or encounters, within the one you introduce. I tend to introduce both subtle and blatant links, doing my best to give my players a spectrum of choice that is truly no choice. They get to pick among the many but all roads will lead to my destination.
The best subtle clues are those that don't occur to the player until later in the game or even future games. These you can nurture and grow slowly to create suspense and desire. Less subtle clues will not be understood until some future point or are know as parts of a whole and so forth. Blatant is, well, blatant. That's the written note that gives information or the garb of the enemy that tells you they are from x place or any of the who, what, where, when, and why combo.
Cast your seeds widely and nurture them. Planting them in this manner gives you a smorgas board to pull from when you need it.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Tradition as a Tool
This post was born in an interesting discussion I had earlier this week.
It stemmed from a talk about tradition and history. I'll talk about history some other day. Needless to say its use is grandiose in the scheme of world building and instilling strong, sustaining major plot arcs.
Tradition, though, tradition (he says wagging a finger) is as powerful as fashion/fads and as prevailing as history in its use in gaming. Tradition has roots in the past but is made for the now. Its the idea, the notion of preserving something from the past in the present. The motivations and goal of doing so can be as poignant and convoluted as you desire.
A country in my world, for instance, has this tradition of looking to the sky when dawn approaches. Its a long standing tradition, born of a celestial event that happened in the past. The even was so powerfully imprinted on the society that, no matter the age, all of them do it.. Its akin to clockwork. Its a quirk; one from society and not a person. Not that persons couldn't spawn traditions: they easily can. No this is something you wield like a careful tool, used to build the tapestry that is your world and its people.
In another part of the world, spitting on the shadow of a person as they past was said to lend them strength. In still another, seeing blue sails on a ship meant it was a slaver or pirate; those who sighted them would tear their fingernails down their forearm, calling upon Lokado, the god of slaves to look away from them.
Others were less quirky and more substantive. A rite of adulthood to show maturity, a trail or challenge to show worth or value. Choosing one object over another or speaking a or refusing to speak another language.
Tradition is powerful and one of the engines of plotting. Let's say to set the stage for a major story arc I'm interested in beginning, I need them to go to the market district of my city. Instead of forcing them, I reveal (subtly, of course) that the commonly used gates, which, sadly are opposite the market, close for the winter and people come through the opposite gates instead. Its less pragmatism than tradition, as a few hundred years ago they held the gates for 34 days against invaders. To celebrate the event, they close the gates and recreate the event, going through a historical reenactment. This does the following:
It stemmed from a talk about tradition and history. I'll talk about history some other day. Needless to say its use is grandiose in the scheme of world building and instilling strong, sustaining major plot arcs.
Tradition, though, tradition (he says wagging a finger) is as powerful as fashion/fads and as prevailing as history in its use in gaming. Tradition has roots in the past but is made for the now. Its the idea, the notion of preserving something from the past in the present. The motivations and goal of doing so can be as poignant and convoluted as you desire.
A country in my world, for instance, has this tradition of looking to the sky when dawn approaches. Its a long standing tradition, born of a celestial event that happened in the past. The even was so powerfully imprinted on the society that, no matter the age, all of them do it.. Its akin to clockwork. Its a quirk; one from society and not a person. Not that persons couldn't spawn traditions: they easily can. No this is something you wield like a careful tool, used to build the tapestry that is your world and its people.
In another part of the world, spitting on the shadow of a person as they past was said to lend them strength. In still another, seeing blue sails on a ship meant it was a slaver or pirate; those who sighted them would tear their fingernails down their forearm, calling upon Lokado, the god of slaves to look away from them.
Others were less quirky and more substantive. A rite of adulthood to show maturity, a trail or challenge to show worth or value. Choosing one object over another or speaking a or refusing to speak another language.
Tradition is powerful and one of the engines of plotting. Let's say to set the stage for a major story arc I'm interested in beginning, I need them to go to the market district of my city. Instead of forcing them, I reveal (subtly, of course) that the commonly used gates, which, sadly are opposite the market, close for the winter and people come through the opposite gates instead. Its less pragmatism than tradition, as a few hundred years ago they held the gates for 34 days against invaders. To celebrate the event, they close the gates and recreate the event, going through a historical reenactment. This does the following:
- Indirectly moves the players to enter the city near an area I want them to be (if not right in it)
- Opens up a bushel of plot hooks to interest them. They could be a part of the reenactment, oppose it, guard it, assist it, supply it, save it from bad guys, get involved in a political even surround it or just be part of the clean up crew.
- Reroutes a lot of traffic, displacing particular elements of the area. This could lead to a million and one possible encounters that otherwise would seem unwieldly or contrived to the players.
Using this one simple mechanism I've plausibly rebuilt my area into something that temporarily upsets my normal layout without permanent damage. It allows me to steer an encounter without seeming contrived and get my players where I want them to be while giving them the illusion of free will.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Fads for plots and story (update)
I hit this one a little bit back but realized upon reading it that I'd missed an important point. While encouraging you to employ fads as a means of game plot or story, I missed a very important and salient use. You can use them to explain and empower quirky and oddball reasons. Such as why everyone doesn't use the most efficient, deadly, effective, or fastest means to do something. Examples, as always, follow.
Let's say my city A has a rivalry with your city B. Folks in city B are keen to wear their clothing cut in a particular way, one that is efficient against the cold and wet that comes with dwelling near a river. Our city A is farther in on the plain but equally suffers from the cold and drafts.
But we're rivals right?
Most of the people in city A are not going to wear their clothes cut in that manner, no matter how "better", since it stems from those bastards in City B, right? Even more, think about how down they would be on anyone parading around in that dress type. Would they be Cool? Neutral? scathing? Hostile? Could be any or all of them. To set it in the best perspective, think about football fans and how they are with each other, especially those in keen rivalry.
Let's do another one.
A very well known and envied actress has her home in your area. She loves the classics, performing many plays from them and pours scorn upon new material. She also hates the music from city A, thinks the color grey is a sign of stupidity and that wearing lace is an invitation for spirits to take over your body.
How many of these trends do think will start up, as folks who she influences or who are influenced by her name/legend hear about them? I'd say a lot, in varying degrees, just like it happens in real life.
Do the same for "xxx" hero the awesome and his likes and dislikes. You employ the same tools: adding quirks, likes and dislikes to get a better personal picture of your hero. Doing that you can enter in comments and actions from NPCs that emulate or are based on the hero's actions.
Still, who cares?
Well, consider the role playing possibilities, for one. Now, if that doesn't appeal, consider the story and plot ideas that are spawned with this approach. Say our beautify but stupid young actress decides to walk alone along the beach (bad neighborhood) and gets attacked by some rowdy unsavory types who she promptly lets her bodyguards stomp. You know she'd turn that story to her benefit, saying she walked through the baddest neighborhood in town and stomped the hell out of anyone who attacked her. Or, she'd say how she did it for sport to spoil some "rough types" day. I can easily see a rash of foolish people, primarily younger do the same thing just to "be like xxx". Weave that into your game. It spawns a social dimension and takes away that idea of a primal enemy that everyone who writes modules seems to think is necessary.
The way something is cut, its color, shape, they way its worn; make, manufacture, time frame and dozens upon dozens of other variables are easy to use as fads to provide reasonable and plausible background to your world, your plots and storyline.
Do your players a favor and use them.
Let's say my city A has a rivalry with your city B. Folks in city B are keen to wear their clothing cut in a particular way, one that is efficient against the cold and wet that comes with dwelling near a river. Our city A is farther in on the plain but equally suffers from the cold and drafts.
But we're rivals right?
Most of the people in city A are not going to wear their clothes cut in that manner, no matter how "better", since it stems from those bastards in City B, right? Even more, think about how down they would be on anyone parading around in that dress type. Would they be Cool? Neutral? scathing? Hostile? Could be any or all of them. To set it in the best perspective, think about football fans and how they are with each other, especially those in keen rivalry.
Let's do another one.
A very well known and envied actress has her home in your area. She loves the classics, performing many plays from them and pours scorn upon new material. She also hates the music from city A, thinks the color grey is a sign of stupidity and that wearing lace is an invitation for spirits to take over your body.
How many of these trends do think will start up, as folks who she influences or who are influenced by her name/legend hear about them? I'd say a lot, in varying degrees, just like it happens in real life.
Do the same for "xxx" hero the awesome and his likes and dislikes. You employ the same tools: adding quirks, likes and dislikes to get a better personal picture of your hero. Doing that you can enter in comments and actions from NPCs that emulate or are based on the hero's actions.
Still, who cares?
Well, consider the role playing possibilities, for one. Now, if that doesn't appeal, consider the story and plot ideas that are spawned with this approach. Say our beautify but stupid young actress decides to walk alone along the beach (bad neighborhood) and gets attacked by some rowdy unsavory types who she promptly lets her bodyguards stomp. You know she'd turn that story to her benefit, saying she walked through the baddest neighborhood in town and stomped the hell out of anyone who attacked her. Or, she'd say how she did it for sport to spoil some "rough types" day. I can easily see a rash of foolish people, primarily younger do the same thing just to "be like xxx". Weave that into your game. It spawns a social dimension and takes away that idea of a primal enemy that everyone who writes modules seems to think is necessary.
The way something is cut, its color, shape, they way its worn; make, manufacture, time frame and dozens upon dozens of other variables are easy to use as fads to provide reasonable and plausible background to your world, your plots and storyline.
Do your players a favor and use them.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Quality Encounters: Part IV
Seeing how I've covered so much so far, it seems appropriate to put a plug in for a few more critical elements.
In this case, on how to build suspense. Of course, doing so is all about building anticipation for your players. Offer hints but avoid giving complete answers. Give them something to worry about, to encourage them to seek out more or do more to find out where events are culminating. You can also puzzle them, stirring their minds with something that keeps nagging at them until they can't stand it.
Of course, nothing I've said is any good without examples so let me drop a couple at you. A classic example of hinting is to do so from the very beginning, giving them little tidbits, perhaps nonsense at first (to them) but hints nevertheless of something to come. Then, as the night (or several sessions) develops, drop more and more hints. When players ask, as they will when they realize you are doing something, tell them nothing at key times while feeding them misinformation or more hints. Make them mad with trying to figure out what is going on. For instance I started a game session with a particular word segueing it into nearly every conversation. It wasn't anything strange, the word "red", but I used it on a 20 minute cycle, making sure I included it in whatever I was saying. Subtly at first then more and more jarringly as the night progressed. The players figured out something was up about an hour in (they caught me eying the clock to be truthful) but didn't figure out until 3 hours later when it was drying them crazy trying to puzzle out what I was doing. In the end they realized they were stuck in a dream sequence and the word was part of the background chant voiced by several people in the real world trying to free them! Madness, but fun madness nevertheless.
Another fun method is to use the classic puzzle or riddle to hook your players. No need for an example there, I suppose, though I'd add that using bits of the players' histories usually is a nice tough that gets them interested.
A close favorite to the first one is the idea of an intriguing question. Its a common theme in fiction, used to hook the reader with a question that digs at them. Usually I give this in the form of "something isn't what it seems to be". Additionally, I pose it through hard to control story elements to force the players via their characters to really stretch to find the answers.
Deception is another fun means. Unusual situations, a sense of desperation or impending doom, and varying pacing also contribute to good suspense. Ending on a cliffhanger, when you can swing it, is, of all things perhaps among the best of ways to build eagerness for the next game.
Of course, everything, and I mean everything, depends on your delivery. Poor delivery can ruin everything if you are not careful.
In this case, on how to build suspense. Of course, doing so is all about building anticipation for your players. Offer hints but avoid giving complete answers. Give them something to worry about, to encourage them to seek out more or do more to find out where events are culminating. You can also puzzle them, stirring their minds with something that keeps nagging at them until they can't stand it.
Of course, nothing I've said is any good without examples so let me drop a couple at you. A classic example of hinting is to do so from the very beginning, giving them little tidbits, perhaps nonsense at first (to them) but hints nevertheless of something to come. Then, as the night (or several sessions) develops, drop more and more hints. When players ask, as they will when they realize you are doing something, tell them nothing at key times while feeding them misinformation or more hints. Make them mad with trying to figure out what is going on. For instance I started a game session with a particular word segueing it into nearly every conversation. It wasn't anything strange, the word "red", but I used it on a 20 minute cycle, making sure I included it in whatever I was saying. Subtly at first then more and more jarringly as the night progressed. The players figured out something was up about an hour in (they caught me eying the clock to be truthful) but didn't figure out until 3 hours later when it was drying them crazy trying to puzzle out what I was doing. In the end they realized they were stuck in a dream sequence and the word was part of the background chant voiced by several people in the real world trying to free them! Madness, but fun madness nevertheless.
Another fun method is to use the classic puzzle or riddle to hook your players. No need for an example there, I suppose, though I'd add that using bits of the players' histories usually is a nice tough that gets them interested.
A close favorite to the first one is the idea of an intriguing question. Its a common theme in fiction, used to hook the reader with a question that digs at them. Usually I give this in the form of "something isn't what it seems to be". Additionally, I pose it through hard to control story elements to force the players via their characters to really stretch to find the answers.
Deception is another fun means. Unusual situations, a sense of desperation or impending doom, and varying pacing also contribute to good suspense. Ending on a cliffhanger, when you can swing it, is, of all things perhaps among the best of ways to build eagerness for the next game.
Of course, everything, and I mean everything, depends on your delivery. Poor delivery can ruin everything if you are not careful.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Quality Encounters: Part III
Encounters should do the opposite of what you want to do with meetings: lead to another encounter. At least in the sense of hooking players with some element, some component of the encounter that will lead them to another encounter, which hopefully do the same until you get to that culminating encounter that caps it all.
After all, the point of an encounter is conflict and its resolution. In that sequence of stimulus and response you want to pave the roads that will lead your players to the next and further encounters. Of course, what illustrates this better than examples?
Let's give our players a typical encounter with bandits in the woods. Now, I'll leave all the fun gooey portions for you to explain, so that this encounter is something that fits into our previously covered quality encounter discussions. Here, the point is that we need to hook our players (plot hook, get it?).
Now our good bandits are perhaps nothing special. Heh. On them however, is a note. A note outlining your next encounter (read: conflict) that you want to tempt the players with. But, that's not all! No, not even. After all, try to never let your player's think they only have one path to take that they haven't chosen (more on this in a further post). Another fine bandit is wearing very rich and noble clothing that obvious didn't belong to him and did to someone else. And not too long ago, either based on their good condition. Add in a name stitched inside, a coat of arms or someone other recognizing symbol and you've number two plot hook inserted.
Let's see. I like threes at a minimum (and often insert more but hey, its an example) so we are going add a further element. One of the bandit (same, different, etc.) manages to yell out (or cough out in a gout of blood, mutter as he dies, etc. you add the flavor) a name, one that seems tantalizingly familiar.
There we go. Now we have three neat little hooks to further encounters. The note could be something written by one of them or stolen from someone else, such as a messenger or a person that the player can find or research. Provide a hint in the notes itself. Oh, and give them a damn note in real life too. The clothes can belong to a nobleman or esteemed person (the same as the note? Say it isn't so...) who can be found perhaps in the woods or back in town relating his tale of woe. The name uttered could be many things but should be something that leads the players towards your conflict. A place, a person, a thing, myth, legend,the possibilities are endless.
The point is never let an opportunity pass you by. Don't have encounters that are self ending. They should lead somewhere or they should happen. Conflict always happens for a reason. People know this and see it in life. Don't invalidate their belief by throwing out a conflict that breaks their ability to believe in it. Even if they don't know the reason, you should so you can hint at it later.
After all, the point of an encounter is conflict and its resolution. In that sequence of stimulus and response you want to pave the roads that will lead your players to the next and further encounters. Of course, what illustrates this better than examples?
Let's give our players a typical encounter with bandits in the woods. Now, I'll leave all the fun gooey portions for you to explain, so that this encounter is something that fits into our previously covered quality encounter discussions. Here, the point is that we need to hook our players (plot hook, get it?).
Now our good bandits are perhaps nothing special. Heh. On them however, is a note. A note outlining your next encounter (read: conflict) that you want to tempt the players with. But, that's not all! No, not even. After all, try to never let your player's think they only have one path to take that they haven't chosen (more on this in a further post). Another fine bandit is wearing very rich and noble clothing that obvious didn't belong to him and did to someone else. And not too long ago, either based on their good condition. Add in a name stitched inside, a coat of arms or someone other recognizing symbol and you've number two plot hook inserted.
Let's see. I like threes at a minimum (and often insert more but hey, its an example) so we are going add a further element. One of the bandit (same, different, etc.) manages to yell out (or cough out in a gout of blood, mutter as he dies, etc. you add the flavor) a name, one that seems tantalizingly familiar.
There we go. Now we have three neat little hooks to further encounters. The note could be something written by one of them or stolen from someone else, such as a messenger or a person that the player can find or research. Provide a hint in the notes itself. Oh, and give them a damn note in real life too. The clothes can belong to a nobleman or esteemed person (the same as the note? Say it isn't so...) who can be found perhaps in the woods or back in town relating his tale of woe. The name uttered could be many things but should be something that leads the players towards your conflict. A place, a person, a thing, myth, legend,the possibilities are endless.
The point is never let an opportunity pass you by. Don't have encounters that are self ending. They should lead somewhere or they should happen. Conflict always happens for a reason. People know this and see it in life. Don't invalidate their belief by throwing out a conflict that breaks their ability to believe in it. Even if they don't know the reason, you should so you can hint at it later.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Quality Encounters: Part II
Encounters should make sense. They should be relevant to the situation, the locale, and paced to mesh cleanly with the situation at the table. Think plausibility.
Characters wandering though your town should come across something inexplicable to the setting without plot and story explanation on your part. Coming across a menagerie of medusa and gorgons gyrating in the town square at midnight should be explainable, even if only to you as the GM. It should never be from a lack of preparation and where the creature book opened up when you dropped it.
Not that I'm saying you should land something unexpected or even incomprehensible on the players. Absolutely not. Inspiration should be followed if it strikes you. In fact, use it topple your best laid plans if desired. Do not, however, let it destroy the continuity of your plot and story. Lack of consistency, which happens often with intuitive GMs, can lay waste to your game as players do not suffer it well.
Think organically and build your encounters the same way. Leave gaps, huge ones if you are an intuitive type, so you can be spontaneous without disruption.
Encounters should also be plausible in the context of the environment. Gorgons roaming your town at night should be a likely or statistical probability or you are severing your players suspension of belief. Give them context to believe. Build a framework for them to imagine the chance of it occurring. For example, given our same menagerie lets imply, directly or otherwise, that paintings of medusa and gorgons seem to be all over the town, and that they move every night.
You can hint that via observation, information gathering, or hand it to them on a silver platter. Doesn't really matter except in terms of style and skill, how you do it. Its that you give them that ability to suspend belief by given them a frame of reference to believe in what you desire.
Enough of that for now. Keep the other parts of this series in mind when you are thinking about the above. Cheers.
Characters wandering though your town should come across something inexplicable to the setting without plot and story explanation on your part. Coming across a menagerie of medusa and gorgons gyrating in the town square at midnight should be explainable, even if only to you as the GM. It should never be from a lack of preparation and where the creature book opened up when you dropped it.
Not that I'm saying you should land something unexpected or even incomprehensible on the players. Absolutely not. Inspiration should be followed if it strikes you. In fact, use it topple your best laid plans if desired. Do not, however, let it destroy the continuity of your plot and story. Lack of consistency, which happens often with intuitive GMs, can lay waste to your game as players do not suffer it well.
Think organically and build your encounters the same way. Leave gaps, huge ones if you are an intuitive type, so you can be spontaneous without disruption.
Encounters should also be plausible in the context of the environment. Gorgons roaming your town at night should be a likely or statistical probability or you are severing your players suspension of belief. Give them context to believe. Build a framework for them to imagine the chance of it occurring. For example, given our same menagerie lets imply, directly or otherwise, that paintings of medusa and gorgons seem to be all over the town, and that they move every night.
You can hint that via observation, information gathering, or hand it to them on a silver platter. Doesn't really matter except in terms of style and skill, how you do it. Its that you give them that ability to suspend belief by given them a frame of reference to believe in what you desire.
Enough of that for now. Keep the other parts of this series in mind when you are thinking about the above. Cheers.
Friday, October 21, 2011
Social Mania as a Plot and Story Element
Social mania. Ah. A fun thought.
Like Fads they are blessings in disguise. Not only can you use them to lead credence to your plotting but they allow you to introduce ideas into a game in a plausible, fun and understandable way.
Think about it. Social Mania is a contagious, social epidemic that sweep through societies and even world wide if you desire. They happen periodically too, so you can continually introduce them for plotting. Remember, social manias massive inundations of enthusiasm, wide spread involvement and society wide adherence to goals.
Aside from easy religious ideas, consider things that have happened in life. Exercise, for instance was a fad that became a social mania that swept across the country and world. Likewise, you could say it falls into some easy patterns you could define:
Like Fads they are blessings in disguise. Not only can you use them to lead credence to your plotting but they allow you to introduce ideas into a game in a plausible, fun and understandable way.
Think about it. Social Mania is a contagious, social epidemic that sweep through societies and even world wide if you desire. They happen periodically too, so you can continually introduce them for plotting. Remember, social manias massive inundations of enthusiasm, wide spread involvement and society wide adherence to goals.
Aside from easy religious ideas, consider things that have happened in life. Exercise, for instance was a fad that became a social mania that swept across the country and world. Likewise, you could say it falls into some easy patterns you could define:
- Activities (anything you can imagine from eating to running)
- Social Object (fortunetelling, journeys, crusades, ascetic pursuits, etc.)
- Social/Racial demographic (dwarves, orcs or slaves, nobles, etc.)
- Delivery (cars, wagons, horseback, etc.)
- Relationships (doing things alone, in pairs, networking, as a group or other combinations)
Consider a relatively low-tech, high magic world that is swept with craze to use dress a certain way. It happened (sans the magic) in the british isles and other places, driven by the wealthy and the royal court. To be treated seriously you had to conform.
Think of all the awkward and uncomfortable situations that would arise from such a craze. Then inflict them on your players.
Fads as a Plot and Story Element
Fads make great story plots or even building block elements to stories. I mean, seriously, I tire of hearing about and suffering through poor story plotting. Sickly, prosaic, frequently repeated, and trite quests. How many times can you run that plot that revolves the ruins next to the little village? Rats in the cellar? Undead in the graveyard? The collector that wants you to acquire something for him?
All those and more like them make for boring conflicts. Now if you are new and haven't played through them then its wonderful. You've not been through them for the nth time. Otherwise, hell, after the 3rd, 5th, or hell, even the 2nd, you are feeling a little under challenged.
So, grab something from real life that extends a bit beyond the norm. One of the easiest of those for plotting elements is a fad. Fashion is vogue, as they say and great for plotting. Motivation is the key to all plots, they say. Why did your collector want you to travel off to barren, dangerous places to rob barrows? Because he was looking for magic? Gold? Some bit of information that leads to another plot? Nah. Its because its in fashion!
In this case, something has sparked interest and excitement among the wealthy about the culture of the barrow builders. This fad, this wave of thinking has them wanting to do some or all of the following:
All those and more like them make for boring conflicts. Now if you are new and haven't played through them then its wonderful. You've not been through them for the nth time. Otherwise, hell, after the 3rd, 5th, or hell, even the 2nd, you are feeling a little under challenged.
So, grab something from real life that extends a bit beyond the norm. One of the easiest of those for plotting elements is a fad. Fashion is vogue, as they say and great for plotting. Motivation is the key to all plots, they say. Why did your collector want you to travel off to barren, dangerous places to rob barrows? Because he was looking for magic? Gold? Some bit of information that leads to another plot? Nah. Its because its in fashion!
In this case, something has sparked interest and excitement among the wealthy about the culture of the barrow builders. This fad, this wave of thinking has them wanting to do some or all of the following:
- Collecting Souvenirs
- Exhibitions/Parties showing off the souvenirs, paintings, maps, tales, etc.
- Displaying items to demonstrate wealth, influence or prestige
- Tales and Legends
- Arrange parties about the unveiling of specific souvenirs, such as revealing a corpse from its wrappings for the time or opening a closed casket or container
- Tours of the specific area
- Desire to be interred or handled in the same fashion (funerals)
- Buried in the same way or with designs based on them
- Dissections or handling in the same manner
- Medicine made from their parts or elements used of the interment
- Fake souvenirs or items
- something modern can be used to resemble something old, like modern mummified ibis being portrayed as ancient ones. Or, just mummies in general.
- Mercantile interests in buying/selling
All of these can be employed as story elements to build encounters and plots. I haven't tried to list them all but think about the possibilities. What if the fad was clothing instead? How much has our fascination with clothing driven our economy and social influences? Cars? Phones and other electronic devices?
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Quality Encounters: Part I
Let's start with some of the basics. A staple of gaming is, of course, the encounter. After all, its what is a game without them?
Okay, right off, I'm going to tell you to dump almost all the nonsense you can read online about crafting encounters to some mechanical specification. Fitting some numerical value to your players and the encounter they will meet is a mistake. Its an interesting but doomed idea. Why? It invites piss poor game mastering and/or complicated calculations.
Let me explain.
Let's say I've got a numerical value for every critter in my game. Then, to figure out how much of that critter, or any mix of critters, I just calculate a value and compare that to a value I've equally determined for my players. Simple, huh? Sure, if your encounters consist of just throwing monsters at players. How about a challenge? No, I mean a challenge. Literally. Say in the vein of a riddle mastery contest. Or an eating contest. Or a duel, but of wits, not weapons. Oh! Even better, how about a staple conflict of life? You know, when you talk a good friend out of doing something stupid. Except we're not talking about keeping him from driving home when he's polished off a six pack and a ton of vodka. No, its keeping the hotheaded dwarf from trying to mount that noble knight's stallion in the stable. And I wish I was talking about just riding it. Ug.
Anyway, how do you build a numerical value for that? Intangible or soft challenges suffer horribly under such a system. Role playing is more than talking about the pretty arcs you make with your sword, uttering bold words, and describing the outrageous streams of blood that commence as you boldly and bravely hack your way through a coterie of # of # critters of value ##. Its about being challenged, feeling in danger, seeing the hairs on your arms rise up and goose bumps rise on your skin from the imagined conflict unfolding around you. Its leaning forward in your chair, a sense of tension floating in the air and the above all, a feeling of risk: that what you do will have unavoidable consequences.
Lot's of ways to do that, which I'll regale you with in my next posting. Right now, I just want to introduce you to the idea that calculating numbers to match numbers of your party is a bad idea. Where's the challenge? Do the players really feel like they could lose if they don't employ some thinking on their part? Use tactics? Terrain to their advantage? Role play to bring in elements of the game that otherwise might not play a factor?
A common reward for "role play" is mechanical. The staple bonus experience. Woohoo! I'm down on it here, not because its a bad idea when used discretely, but because its used like a blanket. Role play should be the focus of the game not its compliment. It should drive the game not the other way around.
An easy way to do this is to switch from thinking of encounters to conflicts. Plot your game in story conflicts instead of game encounters. Its not 10 goblins in the woods but grug and his nine brothers. 10 goblins might be a raiding party on the local town but grug and his brothers are out for vengeance for their sister who was trampled by a passing cavalry unit belonging to the nearby town. Our story conflict now has dimensions that can be role played and is not doomed to a mechanical rolling of dice to determine who has the larger numbers. Skip beyond tossing your sausage on the table and saying its the biggest. Players are typically winners in this type of contest because the game is biased in their favor (most games; generalizing, even though I know its wrong).
Our players, meeting grug and his kin, have a chance to role play. Spying them from afar, their choices to meet the conflict change from just setting up an ambush, avoiding them, or plain old attacking. It becomes a chance to entreat with them, to be generous and offer them a chance to explain; meet them honorable and talk, man-to-goblin or any number of other chances.
Think in conflicts. Disregard numbers and throw out something that seems impossible to overcome. Make your players choose to avoid it since it seems so daunting. Or better, they engage and get overwhelmed and have a chance to retreat and lick their wounds. Will they be daunted or motivated to overcome? Feel threatened since they almost lost their character? Get stronger to beat them or slink away to fight something, muttering that the GM is a meanie?
Try to evenly match your conflict with your players and they'll never have that chance to find out. They'll stay the same and suffer the peril of all video games: boredom. Endless leveling and numberless piles of treasure later they still be searching for what they can't find but realize on some level that is lacking: a challenge.
Throw them a mountain they overcome. Make them run from a greater opponent. Scare them with a permanent death. Threaten them. Lie. Challenge them with conflicts to their weak points and make them grow.
Okay, right off, I'm going to tell you to dump almost all the nonsense you can read online about crafting encounters to some mechanical specification. Fitting some numerical value to your players and the encounter they will meet is a mistake. Its an interesting but doomed idea. Why? It invites piss poor game mastering and/or complicated calculations.
Let me explain.
Let's say I've got a numerical value for every critter in my game. Then, to figure out how much of that critter, or any mix of critters, I just calculate a value and compare that to a value I've equally determined for my players. Simple, huh? Sure, if your encounters consist of just throwing monsters at players. How about a challenge? No, I mean a challenge. Literally. Say in the vein of a riddle mastery contest. Or an eating contest. Or a duel, but of wits, not weapons. Oh! Even better, how about a staple conflict of life? You know, when you talk a good friend out of doing something stupid. Except we're not talking about keeping him from driving home when he's polished off a six pack and a ton of vodka. No, its keeping the hotheaded dwarf from trying to mount that noble knight's stallion in the stable. And I wish I was talking about just riding it. Ug.
Anyway, how do you build a numerical value for that? Intangible or soft challenges suffer horribly under such a system. Role playing is more than talking about the pretty arcs you make with your sword, uttering bold words, and describing the outrageous streams of blood that commence as you boldly and bravely hack your way through a coterie of # of # critters of value ##. Its about being challenged, feeling in danger, seeing the hairs on your arms rise up and goose bumps rise on your skin from the imagined conflict unfolding around you. Its leaning forward in your chair, a sense of tension floating in the air and the above all, a feeling of risk: that what you do will have unavoidable consequences.
Lot's of ways to do that, which I'll regale you with in my next posting. Right now, I just want to introduce you to the idea that calculating numbers to match numbers of your party is a bad idea. Where's the challenge? Do the players really feel like they could lose if they don't employ some thinking on their part? Use tactics? Terrain to their advantage? Role play to bring in elements of the game that otherwise might not play a factor?
A common reward for "role play" is mechanical. The staple bonus experience. Woohoo! I'm down on it here, not because its a bad idea when used discretely, but because its used like a blanket. Role play should be the focus of the game not its compliment. It should drive the game not the other way around.
An easy way to do this is to switch from thinking of encounters to conflicts. Plot your game in story conflicts instead of game encounters. Its not 10 goblins in the woods but grug and his nine brothers. 10 goblins might be a raiding party on the local town but grug and his brothers are out for vengeance for their sister who was trampled by a passing cavalry unit belonging to the nearby town. Our story conflict now has dimensions that can be role played and is not doomed to a mechanical rolling of dice to determine who has the larger numbers. Skip beyond tossing your sausage on the table and saying its the biggest. Players are typically winners in this type of contest because the game is biased in their favor (most games; generalizing, even though I know its wrong).
Our players, meeting grug and his kin, have a chance to role play. Spying them from afar, their choices to meet the conflict change from just setting up an ambush, avoiding them, or plain old attacking. It becomes a chance to entreat with them, to be generous and offer them a chance to explain; meet them honorable and talk, man-to-goblin or any number of other chances.
Think in conflicts. Disregard numbers and throw out something that seems impossible to overcome. Make your players choose to avoid it since it seems so daunting. Or better, they engage and get overwhelmed and have a chance to retreat and lick their wounds. Will they be daunted or motivated to overcome? Feel threatened since they almost lost their character? Get stronger to beat them or slink away to fight something, muttering that the GM is a meanie?
Try to evenly match your conflict with your players and they'll never have that chance to find out. They'll stay the same and suffer the peril of all video games: boredom. Endless leveling and numberless piles of treasure later they still be searching for what they can't find but realize on some level that is lacking: a challenge.
Throw them a mountain they overcome. Make them run from a greater opponent. Scare them with a permanent death. Threaten them. Lie. Challenge them with conflicts to their weak points and make them grow.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Introduction
For some time now I've been meaning to put together my documentation on table top gaming.
Well, its time.
Waiting any more seems silly, all things considering. I was wracking my brain trying to figure out the best way to do it when I just should have been doing it. After all, what's easier than a blog?
So, here we go. Post number one stating my intentions. An objective, if you will.
Oh, and I'm thinking unique here. Unusual. Not a blog out "how to make an awesome character" or "what the latest release is from 'X' company". Or, even "how to build a better mousetrap".
No, I'm thinking more along the lines of "how to do something super awesome cool with gaming". How its a part of life and humor and without it you are missing a piece of your soul that you don't even know is missing.
Don't believe me?
Hang around and find out.
Well, its time.
Waiting any more seems silly, all things considering. I was wracking my brain trying to figure out the best way to do it when I just should have been doing it. After all, what's easier than a blog?
So, here we go. Post number one stating my intentions. An objective, if you will.
Oh, and I'm thinking unique here. Unusual. Not a blog out "how to make an awesome character" or "what the latest release is from 'X' company". Or, even "how to build a better mousetrap".
No, I'm thinking more along the lines of "how to do something super awesome cool with gaming". How its a part of life and humor and without it you are missing a piece of your soul that you don't even know is missing.
Don't believe me?
Hang around and find out.
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