Just a few things I've learned running my DF game. Some I guess I knew before, but this game has really highlighted them for me.
Spectacular deaths seem like gloating. I've long since lost the link, but another blogger suggested giving dead PCs a spectacular - or at least gorily interesting - death. I did that for the first few . . . and found it was pretty uncomfortable. It didn't put a light spin on losing your guy, it just seemed to be like rubbing it in. So I've gone back to my very matter-of-fact "Okay, you failed your death check. Your body drops to the ground. Sorry man. Okay, who's next?"
There is an idea out there that you should really enjoy your PC's death as much as his or her triumphs. But at least in my group, with me as the GM, it comes off badly. So I stopped.
Tracking minor consumables. I trust my players to do this, but I really hate to do it myself. I will spot-check, and if it's not on your sheet you don't have it, but that's about it. Minor resources tracking is fine in certain circumstances, but in general, it doesn't add enough to my games to spend a lot of time on it.
I hate playing out the meeting scenes. Seriously. It's my least favorite part of play - "you all meet in the bar" is pretty thin but at least it moves you forward. I dislike either playing, or running, that first session when you spend half of it having your guys meet his guy. I do my best to gloss it over in my games. Instead I try to find some connection between the PCs. If they do meet in a bar, I just make them sudden drinking buddies. But playing it out? It's asking for a "who's katana is longer" contest and it never ends well in my personal experience.
Just skip it. The new guy used to serve with/go to school with/drink with/live near one of the old PCs. Whatever it takes, just get the guy into the group and get on with playing.
I think the theme on all three of these is, just get on with it.
I agree with the meeting scenes, and I think (in my case) it's caused by the fact that the players don't really have any choice in the matter; they may make noise to the contrary, but Bob's character is going to join the group, because otherwise Bob would have to sit there watching us have fun instead of having it himself. If there were a possibility of a different outcome, it might be more interesting - but of course there shouldn't be the possibility of a different outcome, because the game consideration does and should outweigh the world considerations.
ReplyDeleteI think that is what bothers me - there is no upside, and very little chance it'll have a different outcome.
DeleteIn a non- or loosely-cooperative game, meeting scenes are useful, but I still don't enjoy them.
I like the way the FATE system handles this by having everyone come up with ways that their characters already know each other. Granted, you still spend a large chunk of session talking about meeting people but you don't actually roleplay out the meeting itself. Instead, you go around the table describing some past adventures and then your fellow players add in some "supporting roles" to weave in to each others' stories. It's a pretty neat concept.
DeleteWhile one can certainly parody the quick meeting and acceptance - "hello, chance-met stranger, would you care to join our band of homeless mass-murderers?" - I agree that one has to do something to keep the game moving.
ReplyDeleteI will gladly give NPCs a spectacular death. OK, so he ran out of hit points and failed a death check... but he can still fall over the edge of the chasm and disappear into the lava pits, screaming as he goes.
Yeah, NPCs go down in horrid fashion. But PCs, yeah, I feel like I'm channeling a little too much Nelson Muntz.
DeleteTracking of consumables, whether they be potions, arrows, or even fatigue or action points, is something where in my lottery-winning dreams is completely automated into a computer. A system that augments the game, is easy to use, and can be used either to supplement tabletop play, or integrates easily with a VTT.
ReplyDeleteHey: PowerBall is 170 million this morning. I can dream.
Oh yeah, I definitely gloss over the "how the pc's meet up" thing. It's just a premise of the game that random people join your party back at the tavern.
ReplyDeleteAlso... the Tavern is were I update everyone on "the state of the Borderlands." If I've got six different adventure hooks available for the players to pursue in and around town and dungeon, then they just need to hear the list or else get rumor-updates-nudgings for the list they've already heard. (And because I want to emphasize player autonomy, I don't hide these hooks by forcing them to role play to get it-- I want it to be expressly clear that they can set the course of the game.)
Oh, here's a web comic on "the meeting":
ReplyDeletehttp://www.shamusyoung.com/twentysidedtale/?p=645
And this one:
http://www.shamusyoung.com/twentysidedtale/?p=659
And this one is on spectacular-death-for-the-npc:
http://www.shamusyoung.com/twentysidedtale/?p=665
For the meeting, my group is fine with "our mentors/parents/trainers/bosses know each other and assembled us as their kill team/exploring crew/demolition derby drivers squad".
ReplyDeleteWhen in a pure sandbox, it's the good old "we all have friends in common and are dumb enough to go underground".
Friends in common is a good excuse - it's how most people connect in real life.
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