Re: [BNW] Meta-Plot vs Static world

["William Davis" <williamjdavis@hotmail.com>]

Nor should you, but it sounds like your *players* wanted some info about 
your world that their *characters* would not have access to, and instead of 
telling them that "Your characters don't know" you opted to tell them the 
"secret" to get them to stop asking. That's the perception, which could be 
wrong, but that's how it's comming accross.

--
See this is what I get for not giving a detailed plot summary:

No, their characters were pursuing this. Trying weird things with their 
powers to see how they work. Basically, being a little obsessed with 
'powers' because they know all powers have some sort of 'common' base. 
(pretty much everyone in BNW has some inkling this is the case, or that's 
what I gather, your mileage may vary on the vague 'bookanswer') They were 
trying 'working man' tests to get a basic answer on how things interacted, 
or if they did. Details don't matter. I couldn't have a coherent answer 
because I don't know how they do. So I would make what I thought was a good 
judgement call.... then, a session later, I get a completely "logical" use 
of that judgement call that I HAVE NO BASIS TO JUDGE whether it is actually 
logical in the game world or not. IS it a good extrapolation? I don't know, 
and judging makes ME make decisions on how it all fits together. not that i 
am going to blurt out "HOW IT ALL WORKS" to my players. BUT I NEED TO KNOW.
To use the ubiquitous "gravity" comparison. Say a game never defined WHY 
people stick to the earth and are attracted back to it when seperated from 
it, and slow down as they move along it. I could make all kinds of weird 
situational judgement calls that don't ever assemble into a coherent whole. 
(see all the pre-newton examples for 'how stuff worked') Like people don't 
fall off the earth because the air is holding them down. The air pressure 
itself is caused by a static-type adhesion due to the constant motion 
between it and the earth (Earth is a negative charge, air-positive, or 
vice-versa). Things slow down due to the accumulated energy expended in 
parting the 'slightly' adhesive air. (gods that's awful)
This is the difference between stategy and tactics. Tactically, it doesn't 
really matter too much as I can make the small parts fit together well 
enough to work out individually. Stategically, I might, possibly, be able to 
weld the situational tactics into some sort of whole. Maybe. Well, if I knew 
what whole to be headed for.

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