RE: [GENERAL] Opinions - Foreshadowing (Technique)

[Raegenhere (Huscarl)]

Hi,

Want to get some input on the following. I am running a Conan campaign. We find ourselves on the beginning of a caravan train from Numalia (Nemedia) to Aghrapur (Turan), some 1,400 miles.

Rather than work everything out in detail, I have created scenes of a couple of lines long for the journey and left them open ended so that the PC's can pursue them or not.

However, for the first time I systematically sat down with their sheets and went through their Passions, Drivers, Traits and Flaws (using TROS but evolving them towards BW).

I have integrated "conflict" from their characters into the campaign and also what they are interested based on their stated character concept.

At the beginning of this next campaign piece, I am going to create foreshadowing by having a dream sequence with their respective Gods brought about by the giving of a herbal drink by Kalanthes the High Priest of Ibis.

Here's a quick snap-shot of the PC's:
* PC 1 (Aqualonian / Mithran) - Die a Matyr, Career (Church) Orientated, Grasping & Headstrong, Flaw - Major (Tormented - some act in the past not yet fleshed out)
* PC 2 (Turan / Living Tarim) Flaw - Major (Greed), Rule own Fief, Devotion to Tarim & Family. Outcast from Turan, blood feud
* PC 3 (Argossean / Mithra) Amass Wealth, Captain Own Ship, Superstitious, Drunken Whoring Lech
* PC 4 (Aqualonian / Mithra) [female], Gift - Beauty of Legends, Wealth, La "Dolce Vita", Afraid of Snakes
* PC 5 (Aqualonia / Mithra) - Gift Major (Beauty of Legends) {think Tony Curtis in Spartacus}, Greed, rest not fleshed out by the character

Scenes:
1. Multiple scenes (one for each PC) to betray the caravan to get what they want. To complicate it, I've added in another of their drivers as either pushers or pullers (e.g., PC 2 betray the caravan, I'll get you a pardon and 'oh yes, I won't murder your family that I'm holding as ransom'.

2. I'm also going with the premise that Tarim is dead and an imposter is his place - approved (?) by the State, but control really exerted by Sorcerors. Want to see PC 2's faith collapse.

3. In initial dream sequence with Gods (PC 2 won't have one just to confuse him, just blackness) the PC's will get a hint of some of the trials ahead

* PC1 - "you will die a martyr which will attone for your previous evils ,but first you must commit a betrayal" - going to try and engineer much later the choice, betray PC2 to the authorities (if not be martyred)
* PC2 - "darkness, Tarim does not respond"
* PC3 - "women will be the death of you, a doom lies on this adventure, give up what you desire most if you want to achieve it all"
* PC4 - "your faith in me will be called into question, your future happiness and prosperity lies in making the right choice"
* PC5 - "yours is the darkest road, flesh will lead you into corruption, madness and death"

4. Use of a blind beggar woman with black cat to pronounce a prophesy in the direction of the PC's. Hopefully they scramble to get more. It reinforces the God dream sequence.

* PC1 - "yours is a hard path too Your Holiness, much suffering and pain do I see"
*PC2 - "I can see nothing Great Sire!"
* PC3 - Kind Sir, I see betrayal on the cobbles of your journey ahead, spare a coin for an old woman who sees too much"
* PC4 - "Beauty is fleeting Deary, guard it well if it is that important to you"
* PC5 - "bleeding flesh, flesh, go away, flesh is all I see, spare me Kind Sir"

5.The conflicts are as follows:

* PC1 - betray PC2, if does, then won't get an opportunity to be martyred, the agents asking him to do it already know about PC2 and want him, if PC1 refuses then he'll be stitched up in the Religious Court where no-one only a Turanian can defend him, no one will, will PC2 do it?
* PC2 - betray caravan for pardon, safe return of family and half the profit and recommendation at court
* PC3 - approached by old comrade and told about enemy close by, asked to betray the caravan split the proceeds and buy own ship and engage in piracy on the Vilyajet sea
* PC4 - betray caravan, split proceeds, if refuses disfigured but not killed, as passing out will hear "don't kill harm her, she's not to be killed, it's commanded"
* PC5 - gets off the hook for now, those dooms / etc are still hanging over his head.

All of them will also be asked for an artefact given to them by Kalanthes after the dream sequence. The artefact is for K's own purpose even though it aids them, it is also this object that is attracting sorcerors and secret socities as they pass through out the lands. The fact that they're being asked for this should also really confuse and scare them as to what it is!

The closing scene of this part of the campaign will be the Red Protectors of Erlik taking them away for trial in 2 courts - Religious & Secular (again no-one will represent them in the religious and heh, isn't that guy representing us in the secular one of the cronies of the clan I had that falling out with thinks PC2!).

To cut to the chase, I'm really trying to solicit opinions on running the dream sequences and anything that goes on inside the characters heads and that is said to them when separated from the party in front of all the players. I think this will build up the tension and also allow each character to get more into each other and against each other (just have to be careful of the cross-over from player to character knowledge).

Opinions on whether to keep everything in the open or not (and any great ideas) greatly appreciated?

Thanks.

[ChrisG]

Caveat: I had a hard time following all the various curveballs you're planning (ie PC1, PC2 etc all ran together for me), and I don't know the system.

However, I've found it's much, much better to do everything in the open. True, it robs you, the GM of the Big Reveal when you spring some betrayal on a PC, but it gives back more than it robs.

Reason being that if everyone at the table is in on the fact that Luke's PC is tempted to betray Thor's PC, then everyone can do things that up the tension. As Luke's PC moves into striking distance, Thor can have his PC suddenly tell everyone what a great guy Luke's PC is, or ask Luke's PC to hold his dagger for him, etc. Other PCs can really up the ante on the risk that Thor's PC is going to take by just happening to be in the room at the time, or by making sure their PCs are elsewhere, so that Luke has to decide: will he or won't he, and can't cop out because "the heat is on".

First time I did something like this, it was a betrayal, and it was awesome. The other way, the only person who experiences the tension is the player who is tempted to betray, and the only person who can up the ante is the GM (by placing/removing obstacles to betrayal). Nevermind that a GM can often force a player's hand, robbing him of the free will necessary to make a heinous act truly awful. Or resisting temptation truly noble.

[luke]

Hi Raeg,

Are you playing BW? Not trying to be flip, but I can't tell. Anyway, if you are, I strongly recommend you start off by posting your players' characters' Beliefs as they stand. Plus the game concept that you and the players agreed on. Then maybe we can get a better sense of how your twists and turns might work.

-L

[stormsweeper]

I believe he's using TROS.

[Raegenhere (Huscarl)]

Abzu,

Em, :oops:

As you said Stormsweeper, I'm using a bastardised TROS.

So, no real BW meat other than what I can inject and layer onto the PC's for the moment.

There's 2 of us who tend to GM the games. I'm committed to Conan Campaign at the moment and chose TROS thinking back to "Conan The Barbarian" Movie as a teenager. However, not knocking TROS, but I'm finding it a tad hard to use with my group - over time we've evolved away (or at least I have) to try playing rather than concentrating on rule mechanics.

I'm prepping them (a long way in advance) that BW is on the way, and to start thinking about characters and such. I've created a blog to show sample characters and questions to think about and all that.

BW I believe (not pun intended) would make the BITs easier. But I'm going with what I have based on what I could get out of the Players for their characters. I also love some of the abstractions within BW.

So. I guess without sounding too cheeky I was more calling on a general concensus on playing in the open so all the PC's can get ratcheted up!