WHEN
YOU NEED TO STALL - 9 TIPS & Scaring Players
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*******************************************************
WHEN
YOU NEED TO STALL - 9 TIPS
CONTENTS:
--> A Brief Word From Johnn
--> This Week's
Tips
1. Why Do You Need To Stall?
2. Session, Encounter, And Round Stalling
3. Time, Location, And Event Stalls
4. Stalling Methods
5. Increase Long Range Senses
6. Side Plots
7. Keep A Few Access Type Puzzles Handy
8. Start Some Intra-Party Conflict
9. A Few Additional Stalling Techniques
--> Readers'
Tips Of The Week:
1. Use Card Envelopes Until Magic Items Are
Identified
From: John Gallagher
2. One Player Game Tips
From: manfred
3. Players Love Stuff
From: Vitenka
4. Toss Game Balance To Suit Single Player Games
From: Caleb Brumfield
_______________________________________________________
*******************************************************
A BRIEF WORD FROM
JOHNN
Tips Encyclopedia
In Progress
-----------------------------
Issue #200 approaches, which is pretty exciting! Just
thought I'd let you know I'm working on updating the free
text archives zip download files in case you've missed any
of the last 200 issues.
I'm also working
on producing a Roleplaying Tips
Encyclopedia that'll soon be available for purchase. The
gazillion tips from 200 issues will be split up, sorted,
categorized, and organized so you can find the advice you
need fast or do topic oriented research for your games. Stay
tuned for more info!
Cheers,
Johnn Four
johnn@roleplayingtips.com
_______________________________________________________
*******************************************************
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*******************************************************
WHEN YOU NEED TO
STALL - 9 TIPS
By Johnn Four
Stalling well is
part art and part science. It's a valuable
GM tool that helps you manage pacing, unexpected turns of
events, and various session management issues. Plus,
sometimes you just get stumped and need to buy some time
until inspiration hits. Following is a bit of analysis of
stalling and some tangible techniques you can use when in a
jam.
1. Why Do You Need To Stall?
============================
Once you realize you need to buy some time, draw in some
deep, calming breaths, take a mental step backwards, and ask
yourself why you need to stall. Pinpointing the problem
helps ensure that the solution you choose is going to be
relevant and effective.
For example, the
party takes an unexpected turn into
unplanned territory. You panic and unleash a random
encounter. Random encounters aren't intrinsically good or
bad, but in this case, the remedy might not be appropriate
because you'll soon be stuck once again after the encounter
is over.
So, during sessions,
why would you need to stall? If you
pare things down to their essence, you need to stall because
something is not ready:
1) The GM's Not
Ready
* You didn't have time to finish planning
* You can't think of what to do next
* The characters make an unexpected turn
* You need more time to think
* The pacing is too fast
* You want to hold off on something for effect
2) The Players
Aren't Ready
* Someone's away from the table
* A player's late
* An important player can't make it for the session
* The group's mood is wrong at the moment
3) The PCs Aren't
Ready
* They're too wounded for what's coming next
* They're not depleted enough to be challenged by what's
coming next
* They don't have enough clues or information yet
* They're not tough or capable enough yet
* They don't have the necessary equipment or special items
* A PC has died and the replacement isn't finished being
made yet
4) The Adventure's
Not Ready
* More story needs telling
* More background information needs revealing so things will
make sense or be more entertaining
* You don't want to deploy a planned encounter just yet
* Re-enforcements are coming and you need to buy time or
keep the foes alive just a little longer
5) The Campaign's
Not Ready
* You need to do more world development
* You haven't fully decided on consequences to various PC
actions
* The world is revolving too much around the PCs again
* Much game time has passed suddenly and you need to
evaluate
It's important
to know why you need to stall so that you can
slant the solution accordingly. What's not ready? The GM,
players, characters, adventure, or campaign?
Analyzing the example
from the top of the tip, if the PCs
have ventured into unplanned territory then it's the GM and
the campaign that aren't ready. So, a random encounter could
become a viable solution if it's used to buy some time (so
the GM can do some quick planning) or guide the PCs in
different direction (until the campaign region is ready).
2. Session, Encounter, And Round Stalling
=========================================
Another key piece of analysis is to calculate how long you
need to stall for. If you stall too long, game play might
suffer. If you don't stall long enough, you'll have to come
up with another stall tactic where just one would have
sufficed.
Here are three
handy time categories to help you quickly
assess stall length:
1) Session Stall
You need to put something off for a whole session.
Perhaps a key player had to cancel at the last minute, or
you didn't finish planning out the adventure and it's not
ready. Session stalls are easy to do in that you don't
have to worry about complex story weaving or session
management because they're open-ended--your goal is to
get the PCs on a temporary new path until the end of the
session.
On the other hand,
these stalls are difficult in that you
need a body of game material that's enough to keep things
going for the rest of the session.
2) Encounter Stall
At the encounter level, your goal here is to delay or
re-order a planned encounter until the proper time or
situation arises. You either have to uproot an encounter
or delay initiating it.
3) Round Stall
At the turn-by-turn character decision and action level
you need to stall for a bit of tactical time. Depending
on your game system, this level occurs in combat rounds,
phases, turns, etc.
Unless you need
to actually stop or pause the game, it's
probably not worth the effort to guesstimate how long in
real time you need to delay things because everything
ultimately gets translated into an in-game unit of round(s),
encounter(s), or session(s).
Also, due to the
interactive nature of our hobby :) you
can't control to a precise degree how long players and their
characters will take for their actions, discussions, and
plans.
3. Time, Location, And Event Stalls
===================================
What are you stalling for? What are you aiming to hook-up
with once the stall is done? Keeping the end goal in mind
will help you tweak game play accordingly so you can
gracefully resume standard game play without breaking
stride.
For the most part,
we can boil stalls down into three core
types:
1) Time Stall
More game play or campaign calendar time must elapse
before you can continue on with regular game play.
Perhaps the PCs need to heal up or gain more experience,
or maybe you want to wait for a seasonal festival to
begin so the next chapter of the story can unfold.
Another type of
time stall is a real-time stall. Here,
you need to pause or stop the game, or you need to vacate
the GM chair for a bit while you think, plan, or design.
2) Location Stall
In this case, you're not concerned about a time factor
but with a specific location in the campaign area. You
want to prevent the PCs from entering this location until
certain requirements are met, such as key plot points,
special items, specific NPCs encountered, and so on. Once
everything is in place you can then make the location
accessible again.
3) Event Stall
Here, you want to prevent an event from triggering until
the moment is right because the campaign, the PCs, or you
aren't ready for the consequences of the event. The
location and time don't necessarily matter either.
Perhaps the PCs have mishandled a diplomatic encounter
and a war could be triggered--but you want to avoid that
war until you have time to detail the armies and key
NPCs. Another example might be a theft encounter you had
designed, but the characters neglected to find the item
you had planned on stealing.
Knowing what you're
stalling for and how the game should
resume after the stall is important. This knowledge lets you
make those tiny on-the-fly GMing tweaks to help the game
resume its normal course without headaches.
4. Stalling Methods
===================
Stalling well involves assessing many variables that will be
unique and time-sensitive to your campaigns. Some specific
techniques are discussed in the next few tips, but it might
be of value looking at stalling methods from a theoretical
standpoint to help arm you with a framework that you can
flesh out as suits your own campaigns' needs.
1) Interpose An
Obstacle
You put in place something that blocks or hinders the PCs'
progress, thus buying you a little time. Some examples are:
* Adding a tough
lock or key puzzle to a door. While the PCs
figure out how to open the portal you can do some extra
planning or decide what's behind the door.
* Rolling up a
random road encounter. This obstacle can slow
the PCs down in several ways, such as making them more
cautious, wounding them, or taking up session time to
resolve a battle.
2) Create A Distraction
You throw the PCs off the scent or divert them until you're
ready to proceed with regular game play.
* Just as the PCs
are about to climb through the Baron's
window you distract them with a nearby noise. If the PCs
investigate and the noise turns up nothing, you've created
a short distraction. If the noise was caused by some
lurking thugs, then you've created a longer distraction.
* As a discussion
comes to a close, you can see the party is
about to decide to do something you hadn't planned for.
So, you decide to have an NPC bearing an irresistible plot
hook concerning shiny treasure knock on the door...
3) Use Misdirection
A little misdirection can cause the party to hesitate,
choose another path, or delay. This is a great type of stall
because it often fits in seamlessly with game play and the
players will think you planned the trick all along.
* The PCs have
made faster progress than you anticipated and
are just about to reach the village. You haven't finished
planning all the events that are to take place in the
village though, so you decide to place a similar village
in their path that's just a mile down-road. You plan on
delaying them with a bar fight and a couple of NPC side
plots until they party figures out they're in the wrong
place.
* The players decide
they'll visit the crematorium next in
their investigation, but you don't want that location
triggered just yet because the necromancer player couldn't
make the session. So, when the PCs ask for directions, you
have an NPC mistakenly send them to the wrong building where
other encounters occur.
4) Replace
You secretly take your plans and notes, neatly bundle them
up, and put them back into your GM binder. You reach for a
module, another encounter, or Plan B and use that instead,
saving your other designs for a better time.
Sometimes, it's
too difficult patching things together and
making your existing material fit the new situation. In
these cases, consider replacing your plans with something
else entirely.
* Two players called
in sick but the game must go on. You
decide to pause the game for 10 minutes to do some planning
and then come up with a dream adventure for the three
remaining PCs.
* The plan was
for the PCs to discover the prophecy scroll
and *then* head out on the road. However, the party missed
finding the scroll, so you decide to run a different
adventure on-the-fly using the latest book you're reading
for story line, encounter, and NPC ideas.
5. Increase Long Range Senses
=============================
At the turn-by-turn, combat round, or action sequence level,
you can delay neatly by starting encounters off at the edge
of the PCs' long range senses. While the PCs prepare,
discuss tactics, and use all the means at their disposal to
clarify what's happening, you buy time to think, plan, or
wait for the player in the bathroom to return.
Example:
* Line of site. You can see pretty far on flat, open terrain
in daylight. Long range vision encounter distance is great
because most details will be too small to clearly see and so
cause lots of PC activity, questions, and suspense.
* Visions. Give
one or more PCs a vivid dream or strange
vision about what's coming up. This requires a little
advance recognition for the need to stall, but works well.
You'll need to give the PCs clues though that the situation
they're currently in is the same as their visions so they
can react.
* 6th sense. This
work well for any game, even non-spiritual
genres or game systems without spiritual oriented PC
statistics. You can just let one or more players know that
their characters have a hunch or feeling that something's
about to happen. Perhaps they feel like they're being
watched, or the hair rises on the back of their necks.
* Hearing. Noises
can travel far under certain conditions.
Even better, the source of a noise doesn't have to reveal
itself nor give its exact location way, which gives you more
stall time to play with.
* Knowledge. Clues,
information, and character skills can
alert the party before a threat enters close range. For
example, a silent forest might warn the woodsman, or the
strange burn marks might tip off the wizard.
6. Side Plots
=============
Side plots are great stalling devices because they can be
inserted at almost any time during a game and resolve
themselves right away (for a short stall), take a little
time (long stall), or be open-ended (variable length stall
that you can exit and resume again when desired).
For example, the
PCs have just crushed the villain's chief
lieutenant and are on the trail of the villain himself.
Problem is, the campaign needs the villain alive a little
longer and you haven't fully fleshed out the NPC's stats for
combat. Just as the PCs are about to catch up to him they
spot their employer being mugged in an alley. Initiative is
rolled and during the fray one of the thugs manages to pull
the employer through a secret door. A PC hears his boss
pleading just before the door closes, "Please, I'll tell you
all I know about his secret lair if you just let me go..."
7. Keep A Few Access Type Puzzles Handy
=======================================
Delaying PC progress with a trap or puzzle is a good way to
stall. The best delays of this type should involve doors,
gates, and portals. Passageway, tunnel, road, and path traps
and puzzles often seem out of place if none have been
encountered before in the region, not to mention dangerous
if the area is travelled frequently by others. However, it's
always easy to fit in a door, fence, hedgerow, gate, and
such, on-the-fly to make the party pause. So, keep a few
generic access type puzzles handy, just in case.
8. Start Some Intra-Party Conflict
==================================
Sow a little party dissension and stir up some PC-to-PC
roleplaying to launch side plots, short discussions, or
player initiated encounters. Make the situation fairly
innocuous though as you don't want to forge deep rifts that
might derail an adventure or campaign.
Some examples:
* Secrets. Give
each character a secret that the other PCs
would find very interesting. The best secrets for the
purposes of stalling are ones that get revealed or are in
danger of being revealed and cause suspicion. Note that the
secrets don't need to be serious or damaging--it's just the
process of discovery and investigation you're wanting to
spawn in order to delay things.
* Identity. Put
a PC's identity in question. The other
players will want to spend time on verification, which
should cause some good roleplaying. Dopplegangers (real or
imagined) are a great fantasy stalling tool.
* Mind control.
Similar to identity, putting a PCs' mental
control in question can cause fairly benign intra party
conflicts. Psionics, telepathy, charm, and such are typical
devices.
* Note passing.
Frequent note-trading between a player and
GM is sure to raise eyebrows, if not suspicion.
* Alliances. PC
alliances (with other party members or NPCs)
can cause great conflicts. Conflicts between employers,
mentors, and masters can also trickle down to the party
level and create some interesting points of discussion and
game delaying opposing actions.
* Conflicting goals.
Give each player a different goal or
motive for using an artefact that has one charge left and
then throw them a fake version when you need to stall.
* Low powered treasure
piles with lots of items. Give the
PCs 11 different potions as a reward, for example, and
they'll spend at least five minutes discussing how to divide
them up. (Note: the potions would have to be labelled or
identified somehow, otherwise there would be little worth
discussing.)
9. A Few Additional Stalling Techniques
=======================================
Here are a few other stalling ideas that have been discussed
in previous issues:
* Take a break.
Stop the game, order food, chit chat, go to
the store, visit the washroom, etc.
* Drop in an encounter,
random or otherwise.
* Bring on the
administration. Announce surprise encumbrance
audits, allow shopping trips, hand out EXPs mid-game so
the PCs can level-up, etc.
* Ask questions.
Questions are a good way to stall as it
slows game play down a little. Good questions can lead to
good answers as well, which can help you generate ideas or
figure out what to do next.
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READERS' TIPS OF
THE WEEK
1. Use Card Envelopes
Until Magic Items Are Identified
From: John Gallagher
======================================================
I've always used 3x5 cards for magic items in my campaign.
On the card, across the top, I write the name of the item,
and (more importantly) where it was found, i.e. name of the
adventure, room or encounter number, and also, the number of
charges, if applicable.
Next comes the
rulebook description of the item.
The cards help
eliminate a lot of questions about whether or
not the party ever used that potion of giant strength or
not. Once they use it, I rip up the card. So, if they don't
have a card for it, guess what? They can't use it.
Another nifty add-on
to this system is that, anytime the
players find an item that they think is magical, I hand them
the card for the item in its own little envelope. They hold
on to the envelope until they have the item identified, or
until they start experimenting with it.
I read them a description
of the item, and they can make
whatever notes they want right on the envelope. Once they
identify the item, they can take it out of the envelope and
use it. But, as often happens, if they wait 3 or 4 weeks to
ID it, I don't have to go scrambling back through my notes
for it. They simply hand me back the envelope, and say "we
want this ID'd." Once it's done, I don't have to look up the
item, I just open the envelope and look at the card.
2. One Player Game Tips
From: manfred
=======================
Hallo Johnn!
I am a member of
the Strolen's Citadel at strolen.com and
still a beginning DM. Your weekly advice often helps me or
inspires me to new ideas, and much of my game world would
look worse without it.
Your last tips
interested me quite a lot, because I too run
a one-player campaign. Please allow me to add/expand to
some of your ideas a little:
* Companions
In regards to animal companions, they often come from a
character's background and are emotionally close to him or
her. Give the character a companion and give the companion
character. It must be named and have quirk or two (I still
remember a pony, trusty and obedient, just with those little
smelly digestive problems...).
Animals have keen
senses and so are useful for DMs. Animals
can be on guard instead of the character. What's more, even
if you fail with a description, you can easily convey
emotions and foreshadow important events/monsters/NPCs with
companions. Lone characters are much more attentive to this!
Companions can be threatened as well, but never harm a
companion just for a bit of drama!
* Combat
In combat, special care should be given to what I call
'blind monsters.
Blind monsters
may or may not be initially hostile to the
PC, but once they are, they have no reason to stop fighting.
These monsters are extremely hard to parley with, appease,
or scare away. Typical examples are lower undead and
insectoids, though certain aggressive flesh-eaters and man-
eaters may fall into this category as well in the form of
sick or crazed animals and mad characters.
Lesson: when using
blind monsters, have some other being at
hand that could theoretically save a wounded character. Even
orcs may be good for this purpose. You can make the saving
some kind of mystery, but not every time. Give extra care to
monsters able to kill with one special attack!
* Be Prepared To Drop The Rules
Playing with one player way is simply different and the
rules tend to get simplified over time--up to the point of
dropping most rules in many cases, agreement being reached
through talking, not rolling. Roll for things that are
important on the larger scale or where you just want to
decide randomly.
3. Players Love Stuff
From: Vitenka
=====================
Another tip about equipment. Players *love* stuff. Big shiny
piles of stuff. Mysterious unopened boxes, piles of
treasure, or just dusty, forgotten things in the backs of
old storerooms.
Stuff is good.
You can easily
get an entire (and entirely enjoyable)
session out of handing players a huuuge list describing an
inventory made available to them by a patron - and then just
go round, combat-rounds style, asking the PCs which box they
each want to investigate or take with them.
Make sure they
can't carry everything with them, throw in a
little time pressure, and you end up with the most
astoundingly strange decision-making process ever. "It MUST
be magical - it came in a funny box!"
Of similar amusement
is the "Emergency, throw everything you
don't need overboard or you are going to sink/drop out of
the sky" cliche. Then, later on in the game, they berate
themselves for throwing away something that would have been
really useful. Oddly, they seem to come up with more plans
involving equipment they no longer have than they do when
they still have the equipment available. Funnier ones too.
Anyway - Stuff.
Stuff is good. Give the players a huge
list of stuff, as a printed list or on index cards, and
watch them play with it.
4. Toss Game Balance To Suit Single Player Games
From: Caleb Brumfield
================================================
In single player games there's no need to balance things
between players, so the rules can be bent to make the PC
more powerful than he/she would normally be. This provides
better role-playing opportunities, and also makes a lone
character more viable in a game system that's designed for a
large party of people who specialize in different fields.
For example, in
a class-based system, a new unique class
could be created for the PC that combines the abilities of
several different classes without needing to have additional
drawbacks added for balancing purposes. This class could
provide all the combat abilities of a warrior but also
provide spellcasting powers and expertise in a wide range of
skills. The PC might be much more powerful than a character
with a normal class, but as there is only one player, it's
less likely to cause problems.
In addition, equipment
that would normally be overpowered
can be granted to the PC to compensate for weaknesses.
Especially helpful are powers or items that increase the
PC's defensive capabilities and provide methods of escape.
In one solo campaign
I ran, for example, the PC had an
intelligent sword with the ability to teleport him away from
danger a limited number of times and instantly heal all of
his wounds once per day. (This would take effect if the PC
suffered a mortal wound; the PC would be healed, but would
often accept partial defeat and leave until he regained his
safety net.) The sword also served as a humorous commentator
and provided suggestions when the PC was out of ideas.
_______________________________________________________
*******************************************************
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Thinking about broadening your player base?
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Try the next big step in -your- games.
Enjoy the flexibility of the IRC medium. It's free!
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you need, and more!
_______________________________________________________
*******************************************************
Scaring
Players
CONTENTS:
--> A Brief Word From Johnn
--> This Week's
Tips
1. Three Big Fears: The Unknown, Uncertainty,
Diminishment
2. Trap The PCs
3. Reverse Engineer Monsters
4. Confront The Players With Horrific Dilemmas
5. Use Repetition Then Twist It
6. Wield Your Plot Well
7. Create Critical NPCs Then Slay Them
8. GM Appropriately
--> Readers'
Tips Of The Week:
1. The Anatomy Of A Clue
From: Ryan McHargue
2. Bawdy Tavern Songs
From: Gavin Hoffman
3. Medieval Resource URL
From: Alice Brindle
_______________________________________________________
*******************************************************
A BRIEF WORD FROM
JOHNN
#200 And 4th Anniversary
------------------------
In a strange twist of fate, Issue #200 also falls on the
same weekend that I sent out Issue #1 four years ago to 11
victims, er, subscribers.
I'd like to raise
my mug of Guinness and say thanks to the
Tips community for your tremendous support. Here's to
another 200.
Enough with the
small talk. On with the Tips!
Cheers,
Johnn Four
johnn@roleplayingtips.com
_______________________________________________________
*******************************************************
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_______________________________________________________
*******************************************************
SCARING
PLAYERS: 8 TIPS
By Johnn Four
1. Three Big Fears: The Unknown, Uncertainty, Diminishment
==========================================================
There are many different types of gamer fears, but three of
the biggest that you should seek to wield for player
entertainment are:
1) Fear of the
unknown
2) Fear caused by uncertainty
3) Fear of character diminishment
The trick is to
understand these fears and layer them into
your encounters to build the likelihood of a successful fear
effect. These three items aren't just categories sitting on
your screen, but principles and tools that you can actively
use in your games.
Fear Of The Unknown
-------------------
What the PCs don't know might kill them. Fear of the dark,
the future, and the closed door are deeply rooted in human
psychology. As storytellers, we GMs can leverage this for
maximum scare effect.
For example:
* Veteran players.
These players know all the rules and
adversary statistics, so game-wise, little is unknown to
them. New game content, such as new monsters, custom
villains, alien technology, and foe equipment can bring the
unknown element back into the game for them.
* Mystery threat.
The characters start receiving anonymous
threats. Each threat gets increasingly personal and reveals
more and more private PC information lending them
credibility. Minor threats that would be difficult to carry
out are often delivered and then successfully executed,
letting the players know the source is serious, dangerous,
and powerful. These threats are sprinkled throughout the
regular campaign and get more frequent each session.
* In the basement
of the ruined old church, where the
dangerous transients dwell, there is a door. No one can open
this door and it radiates a deep sense of unease. Blood
stains and strange carvings cover it from top to bottom, and
it is deathly cold to the touch. It is said that, one day,
the door will open and then you will wish you were far, far
away from that old church...
Fear Caused By
Uncertainty
--------------------------
The enemy of fear is confidence and certainty. The player
who's sure of himself and what's happening in-game is going
to be very hard to scare. You need to use all your
storytelling powers to shatter the character's confidence
and get the player in the mind space of uncertainty to open
the door and let fear step in.
Although similar
to the unknown, that element is embodied by
the void. The unknown is about the complete lack of
information, the potential of anything--benign or malignant.
On the other hand, uncertainty has more to do with risk and
lack of control. The threat or conflict is known or
partially identified, but the outcome isn't.
For example:
The battle has
been fought long and hard but the creature is
nearly finished. Though the characters are nearly spent,
their foe has just been mortally wounded. One more round and
it should all be over. Suddenly, the monster rips off the
chain dangling from around its wrist. The chain is hollow!
Gold liquid comes pouring out straight into the creature's
waiting mouth, and its wounds begin sealing up. The monster
roars with new life and beats its chest furiously. The
outcome of the battle is imminent no longer. Now what!?
Fear Of Character
Diminishment
------------------------------
Character death would be the ultimate game fear for many
players, especially if the PC has been played for a long
time, is well-developed, or has won the player's keen
interest. However, if you think of this as the extreme end
of a spectrum of character diminishment, then we now have a
great range of options and opportunities for scaring a
player through harming their character.
A core issue here
is that players fear a character who is
less capable then the others and/or they fear losing what
they've gained. Weaker PCs must sit out during play more
often, have fewer cool powers and abilities, sometimes feel
like a fifth wheel, and can have a smaller impact on game
play during conflict resolution. Roleplaying opportunities
aren't usually affected, but when push comes to shove, weak
PCS usually get shoved.
Mind you, this
is only a fear during the period leading up
to the diminishment. Once his PC is weakened, a player is no
longer scared (probably annoyed or bemused instead). So,
your goal is to build-up--and play-up--the time period
leading to the diminishment for as long as possible without
overdoing it.
For example:
* Stat reduction.
Players get scared when there's a
possibility their PC's stats could be permanently decreased
--especially if key stats are involved! Strength draining
creatures and mind numbing traps are much maligned and
feared.
* Poison and disease.
These two little GMing gems cause
great uncertainty because of their diminishment potential.
Unless the affliction is recognized, suffering PCs will not
know if they are doomed, if they'll lose stats or abilities
permanently, or if they'll be weakened for a long period of
game play time.
* Amputation.
Keep in mind that
you are definitely not required to follow
through with the diminishment or make it permanent in every
case. Your goal is to create a fear effect in the window of
time you have available until the actual diminishment
triggers. You can follow through with saving throws,
resistance checks, and temporary effects to prevent your
games from becoming a "killer campaign" that no one enjoys.
Take any encounter
or plot line and analyze each NPC, foe,
location, trap/puzzle, encounter, and so on. Look for ways
to add in elements of the unknown, uncertainty, or character
diminishment. For example:
* The PCs are told
to seek audience with Elminster or some
other great and powerful sage. You had planned to make the
NPC unavailable and have his apprentice give a scroll clue
to the PCs when they arrive.
Instead, you switch
things to be a meeting on the edge of a
sinister forest outside of town just after the moon has set.
When the PCs arrive, there's a cold wind blowing, a hard
rain falling, and a mess of blood sprayed around the whole
site. There's no sign of who (or what) fought nor of a
winner. A careful search uncovers a scroll thrust into a
tree hollow where it was kept dry. The NPC never shows up...
[Unknown]
* The PCs are chasing
the half-orc child who's just robbed
the warrior. The street makes a sharp turn into a cul-de-sac
and the characters suddenly bump into a waiting gang of a
dozen half-demons. The half-orc child turns around, laughs,
and transforms into a powerful, demonic minion of the
villain! [Uncertainty]
* The characters
face a tough gang of demonic foes. The
leader taunts them and says he has an ally of theirs--a
powerful sage--held prisoner in a secret location and the
PCS will have to beat the information out of him 'cause
he'll never spill. He gives the order to attack and the foes
draw their weapons--only these weapons seem to be covered in
a strange black substance. Moments later the first PC is hit
and suddenly his strength bleeds away until he can barely
hold up his weapon! [Diminishment]
2. Trap The PCs
===============
Preventing the PCs from leaving their circumstances of
conflict can scare players. A lack of a way to escape or
means of convalescence increases the danger and uncertainty.
If other horrific things are going on, then being trapped
also forces the characters to face their fears--something
scary in and of itself.
Examples:
* Omnipresent foe.
An adversary who can harangue the PCs any
time, any place, is most fearsome. Pick key moments for the
foe to appear, such as after big battles, when the PCs are
fleeing or retreating, or during untimely social
circumstances.
- A god or an AI
- A foe with teleport ability or great speed and a homing
device tuned to the PCs
- A curse or bad luck flaw (also: fate, prophesy, karma)
- An NPC party member too powerful to send away
- A cursed magic item
* Pocket dimension.
The PCs are taken to a place with no
visible, obvious, or mundane exits. Perhaps getting out
requires assembling a key, solving a riddle, or simply
exploring--while one or more threats dogs the PCs' heels.
* Sealed dungeon.
The entrance closes or gets sealed once
the party enters.
* Past the point
of no return. The characters have journeyed
too far and returning would kill them or is just not
possible. Alternately, a threat too powerful to overcome was
triggered or left behind, preventing retreat.
3. Reverse Engineer Monsters
============================
Monsters and foes with wondrous powers, such as spell casters,
are great opportunities for fear. The key is to plant a
series of clues about the creature(s) prior to the encounter
that keeps the players guessing, worried, and scared about
the upcoming, mysterious threat.
Step one: Make
a list or study up on each foe's attacks,
defenses, biology, and special abilities.
* How does the creature move?
* What does it attack with? Defend with?
* What does the creature eat? And how?
* What sounds or smells can the creature make?
* What special powers does it have that could leave a mark,
sound, or smell?
Step two: For each
item, think of what signs or evidence the
ability or creature element would leave behind if it was
used by the monster.
Step three: Plant
the clues throughout your adventure or
encounter area.
Step four: Dress-up,
tweak, and "romance" each clue to make
it as mysterious, compelling, and threatening as possible.
* Mysterious. You
want to keep the players guessing as to
what creature or NPC is in the area. Avoid clues that will
give away the creature's identity all at once. Make the
clues informative enough to offer several possibilities
though. For example, placing a beholder's eye stalk along
the path might be too obvious, whereas placing an eyeball
presents more prospects.
* Compelling. Have
the clue confer some kind of conflict or
action. Make it tell a small story. And dress it up a bit.
For example, rather than placing an eyeball along the path,
you could have it impaled on a branch, burned on one side,
teeth marks on the other.
* Threatening.
Unless the clues support the image of some
great, powerful threat, the players won't be scared, just
curious. Each clue needs to impart a little danger, threat,
and power, so that when a bigger picture emerges from
finding several clues, the PCs should be uncertain and more
than a little worried.
For example, in
some campaigns a beholder is a flying
creature whose powers include disintegration, finger of
death, flesh to stone, and telekinesis. You decide to set
the stage by having an NPC group come through the area
recently and encountering and attacking a beholder. The clue
trail involves discovering and interpreting signs of the
battle as it raged on.
Clues:
1) Tracks of a group of people following the same trail the
PCs are.
2) Signs of a skirmish
along the trail. Spell fire, blood,
and other clues indicate a strong foe, however, other
than the footprints of the NPC party, there's no tracks
of any foe(s).
3) The NPCs turn
off the path into the woods. Signs of a
large creature in front of or following behind them are
present, though still no tracks.
4) A strange pile
of dust lies on the ground. It appears
that the NPCs stood around the pile in a circle before
moving further into the woods. Astute PCs might notice
one less pair of footprints heading onwards...
5) The PCs find
a body! The dead warrior's face is a mask of
horrible pain, yet he bears no wounds and the cause of his
death is a mystery.
6) Another body
is discovered. This one is a halfling who's
been petrified in mid-stride, apparently running away in
great fear from someone, or something.
7) A small quarry.
300 pound rocks are strewn all about, and
markings on trees, a stone wall, and other rocks indicate
they were thrown by something very strong. In addition, a
body of a human is lodged high up in the rock wall, as if
it were hurled there...
4. Confront The Players With Horrific Dilemmas
==============================================
Escalate the dilemmas and tough choices in your campaigns to
include fearsome or macabre elements. This will engage your
players' emotions and increase the fear potential should
they choose to play along and empathise with their
characters. Add a downside, penalty, or negative effect
to each available option so that the situation changes from
picking the best alternative to picking the best of the
worst.
Don't forget to
layer in elements of the unknown,
uncertainty, or diminishment.
* The hole. The
lever to active a secret door resides in a
deep hole. The device has a trigger and buttons, so it
requires manual operation (i.e. PCs cannot bypass by using a
10' pole :). Someone's gonna have to stick their arm in and
operate the lever.
- Unknown: The
hole is filled with a magical darkness. Who's
gonna stick their arm in now?
- Uncertainty:
There's acid burns and fire marks all around
the hole (from previous hack attempts by NPCs). Or, perhaps
small red spiders crawl out of it every once in awhile.
Maybe there's a couple of bodies nearby that are just dry
husks...
- Diminishment:
1" of a sharp, cold steel blade can be seen
protruding from the upper lip of the hole. Who knows how
many other blades are hidden in the darkness? Perhaps a
filthy, ragged old man sits weeping against the wall as
well. He's clutching the bloody stump of his wrist and,
curiously, his clothing and armour are far too big and heavy
looking for his withered frame...
* Feast of Kings.
The PCs return victorious with the
traitors who tricked the neighboring Lord into thinking it
was the characters' King who had ordered the assassination
attempt. Having staved off the impending war, the heroes are
invited to a victory feast at the Lord's table. The feast
begins and all sorts of strange and disgusting food is
served. However, to refuse to eat is to insult the Lord and
renew hostilities.
- Unknown:
GM: As you scan the room and notice the strangely vacant
chairs, the stranger beside you leans in and says,
"So, when you are passed the cup, do you intend to drink
from it?"
Player: What do
you mean?
NPC: Why do you
think so many are absent?...
Player: What's
in the cup?
NPC: Shhhh. Not
so loud. Look--there it is. Best make up your
mind now.
- Uncertainty:
Player: So, m'Lord, what will you do with the traitors?
GM: The Lord looks
down at his soup and a strange smile
spreads across his face as he pokes an eyeball with his
fork. He starts to giggle, then laugh, and soon everyone
is laughing uproariously, though it seems to be a
strange and uneasy mirth. A servant comes up behind you
and ladles a thick broth into your bowl. In the broth
surfaces not one, but two eyeballs...
- Diminishment:
Lord: Come here, my loyal fool. That's it. [Lord gazes
directly at the PCs.] Do you see this man? He was once
a great wizard. A great mage indeed, known by all, and
my most trusted advisor at one time. He wields a
jester's wand these days. [Knocks on the fool's head.]
He's too stupid now to even understand his own
humiliation. He dined with me one night, just as you
will soon. And he was stubborn, just as you should not
be....
One good technique
is to find out your players' fears and
put them on one or both horns of the dilemma. Will the PCs
walk through the pit of snakes or tread the thin rope the
thief's strung high above it? The usual caveat applies here:
avoid getting too personal or doing anything that would
upset a player.
A better version
of this technique is to plant things into
your dilemmas that scare you. What do you fear? What makes
you uneasy? Dark holes, cannibals, torture, maggots, public
speaking? Wrestling with your fears and gaming them often
adds a contagious edge to game play and brings out the best
of your storytelling ability.
5. Use Repetition Then Twist It
===============================
Re-use game elements until they become familiar. Then add a
nasty twist to catch the players off-guard or to escalate the
tension and promote a fear response.
With familiarity
comes confidence, comfort, and support. Even
if the players don't intend to become dependent on what
you're familiarizing them with, the act of repetition,
gaming the same thing over and over, will inevitably create
a sense of ease, routine, and trust in the players. Once
you've achieved this, you break it hard and fast. This'll
upset the players' thinking and open the way to fear through
the unknown, uncertainty, or diminishment.
For example: The
traditional foe. You set up a standard foe
for the campaign area, such as goblins, gang members, or
alien cruisers. You create several encounters with these
enemies over several sessions until the players are familiar
with them, know their tricks, and feel confident during
encounters with them. Meanwhile, other plot elements are
triggering and encounters happening to keep the game
interesting and moving along.
Then comes the
encounter where everything is turned upside
down. The carpet is pulled out from under the PCs' feet, the
players are off balance, they don't know what's happening or
why, and fear creeps in.
Perhaps the goblins
have allied with an alchemist and quaff
potions of enlargement and firebreath before they ambush the
PCs. Maybe the gang members shouldn't have uncovered that
old tunnel and caught that horrible skin disease. Perhaps
the alien cruisers mysteriously retreat and the new ultra-
battleship makes its first campaign appearance.
Other examples:
* Bigger and meaner
suddenly becomes monstrous. The players
note a steady progression in monster size/lethality as they
journey deeper and then are caught off-guard by a sudden
escalation.
For instance, the
PCs' first encounter involved a room full
of spider webs. Then there was the spider mites with the
stinging bites. Then the encounter with the thumb sized
arachnids. Next was the tarantula room, followed by the
head-sized wolf spiders' lair.
The PCs smile grimly
at each other outside the door, hefting
their weapons, and expecting the inevitable human-sized
giant spider combat. The rogue silently gives the all clear
sign and opens the door. The warrior charges in first,
followed by the priest and mage...straight into the waiting
maw of a 50' high black widow female surround by her bear-
sized guards! Poison drips from stalactites, burning the
floor, and a nest of giant, slimy eggs against the far wall
are quivering and cracking.
* Powerful foes
become weak. Imagine how the players would
react if the ogres they've been fighting for months suddenly
start dropping after taking only minor damage. The first
couple of kills would be celebrated. Then the scene would
start to get strange and eerie as the PCs continue to drop
adult ogres with single blows. The players become nervous,
uncomfortable, maybe even scared, as they are confronted by
this sinister change of fortune. Are they being set up? Is
the GM messing with them? Has another, more powerful foe
weakened them? What's happening!?
* Mutations. Randomness
can impart the unknown, uncertainty,
and diminishment quite effectively. For example, the
Warhammer FRPG game has some great chaos mutation rewards
that can affect any NPC or creature who turns to the powers
of Chaos for succor or service. The friendly old bartender
who's been serving the characters drinks since the first
session--and recently reporting to the Chaos priests about
the PCs' activities--is rewarded with a pair of chaos
mutations: a scorpion tale and an irrational hatred of the
PCs. Next time the PCs are thirsty they'll have a scary
surprise waiting for them at the bar.
6. Wield Your Plot Well
=======================
Give clear direction about PCs choices, goals, and
opportunities, but don't always explain things in their
entirety at the beginning. Think in terms of clues and
evidence and let PCs experience those instead of clear
answers handed to them on a plate. This disguises or hides
upcoming dangers and threats, which will put the players on
edge and make them fearful.
For example, the
PCs are asked by the friendly widow to go
to the family mausoleum at full moon to find something she's
lost. She refuses to answer, or is evasive, as to why the
heroes must go there at night or what exactly they are
supposed to find. "You'll know it when you see it. Oh yes,
you'll know it..."
When asked, NPCs
who know of the mausoleum make a
superstitious warding gesture and plead with the PCs not to
go there--but they won't say or don't know why. Further
investigation reveals that the husband died fifty years ago
in a horrible accident. A minor thief lord, who learns of
the PCs' inquiries, decides he wants the "treasure" and
tries to discourage their participation through thugs,
traps, framings, and other nasty tricks. But then the lord's
body turns up in a PC's bed, disfigured and mutilated, with
a bloody tattoo on his forehead: "do not disappoint me".
In this example,
the PCs have a clear goal, should they
decide to do it, but they have few facts and a number of
strange and chilling encounters to show for their efforts.
The mystery [unknown] and danger [uncertainty] unsettles the
players.
7. Create Critical NPCs Then Slay Them
======================================
If players feel safe, they won't feel scared. A good story
device to help reduce the degree of safety players feel is
to kill off important NPCs unexpectedly. Send the message
that anything is possible, nothing is safe--not even the
PCs.
Be careful when
doing this though, as you don't want the
event to be a transparent GM trick. Also, if the kill is
seen as a way to advance the plot, then the players will
think "it was meant to be" and not feel worried.
For example, if
the PCs meet with the King for their next
mission, and the King says, "Wait, there is one more thing I
must tell you..." and is then assassinated, the players will
just chalk the moment up to GM plotting.
Try this instead:
the King assigns his personal bodyguard to
help the PCs and then the NPC gets slain in an early
encounter fighting off a powerful beast. Without the NPC's
help, the monster would have chewed the party up. Now, with
the NPC unexpectedly dead, the PCs are on their own, praying
they don't encounter another such creature.
Advanced tip: A
twist on this is to kill a character
unexpectedly--but on purpose. Then you provide the means of
resurrection so there's no permanent injury other than
imparting a feeling of mortality amongst the players. This
event must be carefully arranged because, if the players
feel the whole thing was set-up, their feeling of safety
will return. Provide the means of resurrection before the
death so that it's availability won't feel contrived.
Another important
key is to remain open to the PC surviving.
You don't want to force a PC death "no matter what" or the
players will know something's up. If the players play well,
luck is in their favour, or you mis-manage something, let
the game move on, Players 1 GM 0.
This is, obviously,
an advanced and sensitive tip. My rule of
thumb for the ezine has been to cut out any tip that
requires more space for warnings, caveats, and cautions,
than the tip itself. In this case though, I've used it
successfully myself and it harmonizes with the goal of
creating player fear. I'll leave you with a plea to use this
technique responsibly, impersonally, rarely, and with full
consideration of player feelings, potential player
entertainment value, and game benefits.
8. GM Appropriately
====================
Some quick, miscellaneous tips:
* Avoid gore. Save
it for carefully timed encounters. In
the meantime, cut down on the gory details and just imply
gore where possible. For example, rather than revealing a
series of clawed up, terrified victims, have the PCs
encounter a number of crime scenes drenched in blood with
signs of struggles, but no bodies. As the characters get
closer to the killer, the crime scenes become fresher,
desperate screams can be heard one time, and in the last
encounter, the PCs spotted a victim's body being dragged
into a dark portal before disappearing. Gore is implied, but
not explicitly provided...until the right moment.
* Avoid long combats
during the build-up stage. If your plan
requires a quick pace to build up tension and fear, avoid
long combats that can dissipate any mood and atmosphere
earned from good storytelling.
* Avoid situations
that require player planning. Just as
with long combats, planning and discussion can slow down the
game and wreck any emotional build-up. To create fear, you
sometimes need to keep things moving, and keep the
experience of being in the game flowing smoothly, even
breathlessly if you can manage it. If the players stop to
plan or discuss, the game stalls. Also, player analysis
often de-mystifies any unknowns you've set-up, bolsters
confidence--which reduces any uncertainty, and provides a
preparation opportunity--which counteracts diminishment.
You don't want
to railroad the PCs, or not allow them to
plan, so provide encouragement to keep them gaming forward,
such as being chased by something powerful or a time limit.
* Be serious. Set
an example by running your game (or the
particular session or encounter) in a mature, serious
manner. This should hopefully reduce player joking and
inattentiveness--a definite mood killer for scaring.
* Do not acknowledge
player fear. Keep GMing, intensify the
game, and outwardly ignore the players' fear in order not to
break the mood. Self-awareness can ruin a good scare, as can
the urge to think you've pulled something over on your
friends ("Haha! Scared you all!"), or to feel like a
puppetmaster and gloat over it. Instead, give yourself a pat
on the back for good storytelling.
_______________________________________________________
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READERS' TIPS OF
THE WEEK
1. The Anatomy
Of A Clue
From: Ryan McHargue
========================
A successful clue should contain a tie-in, the clue, and
the action. The tie-in determines if the clue is going to
be tied to a person, place or thing. The clue is the
information passed to the player characters, and the action
is what they are supposed to do with the information.
There is a great
multitude of tie-ins to choose from. When
deciding on what to use try not to make it a 'have to' tie-
in (or in other words written in stone that the farmer's
daughter has to tell the PCs).
Clues need to be
many and close together. The first thing
you will discover when running a mystery is that the players
will do one of two things: over-simplify or over-
complicate. The only way to combat this is to have an
arsenal of clues at your side that can be tied to an
unexpected person, place, or thing at anytime during the
game.
Although some clues
need to be tied to a place such as a
dead body (but even it has finger prints and other forensics
that need to be taken to a professional) not all require it,
and these are the clues that need to be the most plentiful.
Look at them as seasoning for the adventure.
Some clues are
important and the PCs need to get them no
matter how far off the path they stray. In order to get them
the proper information use these 'wandering' clues as both
your most informative and as the train tracks. This way you
direct your players towards the climax and allow them the
ability to do whatever they want to get there.
Even with your
stack of clues, the players will miss them,
not understand them, or worse, misinterpret them (although
misdirection is fun, it gets old after the players have been
playing the same scene for 3 hours). So, your clues should
be varied from straight forward (e.g., "I saw John the town
bard stab him"), to cryptic (e.g., "333, 543, 9833").
I also
like to have some clues prepared that are in another
language (using Babblefish to translate) that way the
characters have to try and find a translator to get that
clue.
The last part of
a clue you should write is the action.
What does the clue direct the players to do? All clues need
to move the player characters to act.
There are two different
types of action, Active and Passive.
An Active action directs the characters to do something
immediately (e.g., "You hear a scream."). These clues should
be very direct and to the point. The Passive action type is
usually part of a bigger clue (e.g., "The room has been
ransacked"). In and of themselves these clues don't point
the characters to the villain's front door; instead they
direct the characters to look for another related clue
(e.g., "In the room you find that the victim's will is
missing from the top desk drawer."). But remember, both
Active and Passive clues need to direct the characters to
action. So, after collecting all of the parts to a Passive
clue, the characters should be able to charge forward
another step towards the climax.
In summary, clues
are important in any adventure but
especially in a mystery. So take the time to prepare an
abundance of them before hand. The more clues you have to
draw on the more fun you and your party will have. Try to
look at each clue as a scene within itself, because if
played right they can and will become one.
As an extra reward
for the group, write up a bonus scene
that only happens if the players decipher a hard clue or a
series of them. Then at the end of the adventure you can
tell them about the bonus scene and give them higher rewards
for deciphering it. Or, if you are an evil GM like me, you
can write up a bonus scene that only happens when they miss
a hard clue and have bad, evil, terrible things happen in
it. Oh the fun that is evil!
2. Some Simple Tips For New DMs...
From: Jeff Wilder
==================================
Hey, Johnn.
I'm taking a break
from DMing my group for a while and a
friend of mine is taking over. He's GMed some Star Wars, but
this is his first "real gig," so to speak. I took a few
minutes and jotted down an email of the most basic things a
new DM should know:
1) Be as prepared
as you can. (i.e. fill out combat sheets,
photocopy maps and make notes or highlight them). Believe
it or not, this is mostly for YOUR benefit. If you're
prepared, you'll be more relaxed and run a better game.
2) If you ever
feel like things have gotten "stuck" make
something happen. Create action. Maybe the PCs get ambushed
or there's an attack on the village by orcs, or a pickpocket
tries to steal something from a PC. Whatever.
3) Allow dice to
make close decisions. Use the "Even is
Good" and "Higher the Better" rules of thumb. If you're
torn
between whether something should happen or not, "even is
good" for the PCs. If you're not sure HOW good, "higher the
better" for the PCs. These will help you decide ANYTHING,
and fairly. Nobody blames the DM for what the dice decide.
4) If you can't
remember something and don't want to spoil
the mood by searching for it, make it up. Nobody cares if
the goblins in the module were actually armed with short
spears rather than the short swords you said.
5) Only retcon
the WORST problems, even if it's only been a
round or two of game time (retcon is short for "retroactive
continuity"--basically, a "do over"). The universe is
chaotic. Sh-- uh, stuff happens. The retcons you decide NOT
to do WILL even out for and against the group, so just keep
the action moving. Obviously, something like a PC death is a
valid excuse to retcon, but for most things, just make up an
explanation and go for it.
6) Worse comes
to worse, remind us that you're a new DM and
to give you a frickin' break. Take five minutes to gather
your thoughts and then climb back behind the screen.
3. Medieval Resource URL
From: Alice Brindle
========================
http://www.britainexpress.com/History/medieval_britain_index.htm
This is a great
website for information about almost any
aspect of medieval life.
_______________________________________________________
*******************************************************
GMs! Tired of
missing players in games?
Looking for alternative communication for traveling players?
Thinking about broadening your player base?
Email not fast enough? Sick of message boards?
Try the next big step in -your- games.
Enjoy the flexibility of the IRC medium. It's free!
http://www.darkmyst.org
We're everything
you need, and more!
_______________________________________________________
*******************************************************
That's it for this week's issue.
Have more fun at every game!
Johnn Four
email:
johnn@roleplayingtips.com
web site: http://www.roleplayingtips.com