jc_madden
04-15-2005, 02:25 PM
I split the thread because it was getting OT.
JC, you've got to have a character burning session. Even if it ain't DnD. You've got to sit everyone down and force them to build their connections into, around and over the conflict at hand. Furtive phone calls isn't enough. That's just going to allow factions to develop and for them to try to spring "surprises" on you.
Wouldn't it be better to have those surprises out in the open so you can REALLY fuck with them?
Players: "We've formed an alliance. We're going to smuggle weapons behind the scenes, but we're going to keep a well-stocked armory for ourselves."
JC: "Oh ho! Well, seems the local smuggling ring you're employing is getting a little big for their britches. One of their touts shows up at the bar and explains that if they don't get get a bigger cut, it's possible that the magistrate just might hear something..."
-L
I whole heartedly agree Luke however like I said we are already in an existing long term campaign; my game is really just to blow off some steam when one of our primary players is absent. One day if I play my cards right it might blossom into a full fledged game of it's own (and with BW no less who knows?!) but for now I have to work around what I've got. In this case I've got a lack of time. We got 5 working blokes who spend one day a week dorking out hard core. They do not want to "waste" that one day making characters. I know I know I agree it's not a waste but to them it is, especially if it's going to be 2 months before they ever play the characters they made (that's what it's looking like in terms of frequency of me GMing).
So while the best thing would for us to all discuss what we want out of the game in the open and then have me throw curve balls their way, it's just not realistic. The second best alternative I can come up with is work very hard to get everyone communicating on levels that they find acceptable and then suprise them in the game the best way I can.
When I spoke with them all on the phone and via our yahoo group I posed the following questions:
Do you want to be heroes, villains, or nuetral?
Do you want to play primarily over land adventures, dungeon crawls, or mistery/intrigue?
Afte that I told them about BITs and told them to work together to build a group. So far they've answered all my questions and built thier characters semi-together (two of them live together too) and to discuss with me and eachother what their goals for their characters and the game were. It's not perfect but it's a step in the right direction.
JC, you've got to have a character burning session. Even if it ain't DnD. You've got to sit everyone down and force them to build their connections into, around and over the conflict at hand. Furtive phone calls isn't enough. That's just going to allow factions to develop and for them to try to spring "surprises" on you.
Wouldn't it be better to have those surprises out in the open so you can REALLY fuck with them?
Players: "We've formed an alliance. We're going to smuggle weapons behind the scenes, but we're going to keep a well-stocked armory for ourselves."
JC: "Oh ho! Well, seems the local smuggling ring you're employing is getting a little big for their britches. One of their touts shows up at the bar and explains that if they don't get get a bigger cut, it's possible that the magistrate just might hear something..."
-L
I whole heartedly agree Luke however like I said we are already in an existing long term campaign; my game is really just to blow off some steam when one of our primary players is absent. One day if I play my cards right it might blossom into a full fledged game of it's own (and with BW no less who knows?!) but for now I have to work around what I've got. In this case I've got a lack of time. We got 5 working blokes who spend one day a week dorking out hard core. They do not want to "waste" that one day making characters. I know I know I agree it's not a waste but to them it is, especially if it's going to be 2 months before they ever play the characters they made (that's what it's looking like in terms of frequency of me GMing).
So while the best thing would for us to all discuss what we want out of the game in the open and then have me throw curve balls their way, it's just not realistic. The second best alternative I can come up with is work very hard to get everyone communicating on levels that they find acceptable and then suprise them in the game the best way I can.
When I spoke with them all on the phone and via our yahoo group I posed the following questions:
Do you want to be heroes, villains, or nuetral?
Do you want to play primarily over land adventures, dungeon crawls, or mistery/intrigue?
Afte that I told them about BITs and told them to work together to build a group. So far they've answered all my questions and built thier characters semi-together (two of them live together too) and to discuss with me and eachother what their goals for their characters and the game were. It's not perfect but it's a step in the right direction.