thread: 2011-02-21 : Into the Unknown?
On 2011-03-17, David Berg wrote:
Long-ass post describing the below in more detail is here. Vincent, below I use the term "rules" for anything that:
a) I've been telling players they must do
b) I've been telling myself I must do, and remembering the majority of the time
c) I've been doing without needing any reminders, but wouldn't ever consider not doing, or want anyone else to not do
And then I use the term "guidelines" for stuff I present as optional, or don't bother to mention, or forget. "ORDs" is a new phrase, but the prep procedures below describe a thing I've done almost consistently for the last several con games.
So, on to my best guesses as to which rules and guidelines are preventing or reestablishing the broken connections!
1) The connection between I browbeat the dad and I'm playing the game to take on and sort out weird problems.
Rule: GM, never say "nothing happens" when the players try something new. Always give new feedback. Expected outcomes that change nothing don't count as "new feedback".
Guideline: GM, all your problems want to be solved. They want to help the players solve them. Something is preventing them from doing this. Have them indicate what's blocking them, and suggest ways around it.
Guideline: GM, drop hints and clues like crazy. Basically a different phrasing of the above.
Example: the greedy NPC. "Gee, I want to help you guys, but I need to look for another odd job because money's tight right now." He's telling the players the obstacle to his cooperation (priority is money) and suggesting a way around it (get him money). It should now be on the PCs' radar that they could either bribe this guy or use their clout to get him work. Of course, they might rather admonish him for being greedy and pull out their swords. That would be a judgment that a few pence isn't worth getting hurt over, and the GM ought to agree unless there's a specific reason otherwise.
Guideline: GM, in play, improv more Directions onto your ORDs. If you feel the urge to reward the players for something other than overcoming an Obstacle, improv a "freebie" Direction. I'll often do this for good teamwork on engaging, colorful character portrayals that, while not plausibly addressing an NPC's Obstacle, seem like they ought to get some compliance.
Guideline: players, if a first attempt fails, try something new. If you can, base it on the new info you just received.
Rule: if you split the party, go into Summary mode. Don't split the party to do anything you want to play through in Real-Time. If it's important, it's worth having all the players' brains in on it.
2) The connection between I browbeat the dad and I'm playing the game to pursue my character's ambitions and curiosity.
From the char-gen rules: choose a Path (Power, Plenty, Humanity, or Renown), then define a Life Goal. Then define what you wish to get out of supernatural secrets, relating that to your Path and Life Goal. So the characters pursue social and magical rewards. Saving villages from supernatural problems gets them social rewards. Discovering, analyzing, and looting the supernatural features of the problems gets them magical rewards. So, basically, progress in the mission doubles as progress toward character ambitions. Beyond that, I can assure you that once the PCs win Dad's cooperation, they'll try to use him as an experimental tool to study how demonic possession works. Which leads us to:
Guideline: GM, when the players initiate something that looks like an ORD, make it one. That is, if they're trying to discover new information or gain access to a new capability, but doing so isn't obvious, define the Obstacle, Reward and Direction (if they haven't already been defined for you!).
As for withholding investment, Vincent, that sounds to me like a symptom of scarred players who've had too many such scenes end in frustration. Here's part of how I avoid such scarring:
Rule: if you ever get bored, grab the pacing dial and speed up. You are responsible for not letting yourself get bored.
Rule: if you ever get truly stuck on something, give up and try something else. Vow to come back later if that helps.
Rule: if you ever see another player get truly stuck on something, either go to Summary mode or interrupt them with new information.
Rule: GM, prep 5 Steps of Doom which escalate the scenario's problem. Drop these in whenever the characters do something time-consuming, or at any time when the drama and excitement could use a kick.
3) The connection between a PC is browbeating the dad and accept any valid solution the players come up with.
First of all, "accept any valid solution" is a rule, so I assume the problem we're talking about is how to implement it. So here's how:
Rule: GM, don't waste time on accuracy; plausibility is enough. Precision is great, but it's not worth stalling the game or stressing out over. Remember, the whole group is looking out for the gameworld's integrity, and you're not expected to be perfect. Being corrected is fine.
Rule: before you decide what to do, get all the information you need from the fiction to make that decision. For the GM, this means forming an understanding of the feature of the world you are playing, whether it's an NPC, a magic item, or a creaky manor. You can do this in prep or as ad-lib right before you narrate, depending on what works best for you. If you need a moment to ad-lib, you can stall by taking a bathroom break, flipping through your notes, asking questions, etc.
Rules: As part of your adventure scenario prep, define 7 ORDs. Define the Obstacle to the players getting the reward; the Reward itself, even if that's just the form the directions are delivered in; and one or more Directions, reasons for the players to go encounter other ORDs.
Develop each ORD's identity to the point where you know it well enough to play it naturally—your NPCs' names, wants, demeanors; your puzzles' pieces and properties; your forts' entrances, guards and traps.
Write down at least one way to overcome each obstacle.
Record your ORDs on the scenario flow chart. Imagine this is a game that has already been played. Your goal is not to reproduce that game, but to use it as inspiration to jointly craft a new game with the players. In play, don't even look at your flow chart unless you have to.
That's all I can think of just now. If there's other stuff I'm doing to make play succeed on these fronts, I may need some help unearthing it.
