Re: [DL] Campaign Details

[Evil Robot Shane From Another Dimension <wishkah@redbrick.dcu.ie>]

On Tue, Nov 14, 2000 at 11:17:17PM -0500, Jeff Yates said:
> > 1) How do you deal with the details of reality?
> <SNIP>  How do you
> > deal with such a dramatic and serious unplaned
> > consequence of Player actions?
> Shoot them.  Repeatedly.

 I gotta agree with this.  I too have found myself being too lenient with
 law-breaking PCs (notably that pizza-delivery-guy-killing troll in
 Shadowrun), but if it's putting a crimp on your campaign, and the characters
 the players are running aren't integral to the storyline (like, they're on
 a lengthly adventure that's going to culminate in one of the posse finding
 that Hellestromme is his father, or something), bring the law down on 'em.

 When your players know that their actions have consequences they'll be
 happy, because they're playing a more immersive and interactive game.  When
 they start behaving themselves because otherwise they're gonna swing,
 you'll be happy.

 Police brutality breeds happiness.

> > 2) How do you incoporate player free will in
> > determining the direction of your compaigne?
> <SNIP>
> I have some "filler" yarns ready in my notebook at all times.  They don't
> have requirements as to location or whatever, so if the posse takes a sudden
> left turn, I can keep the game rolling for the evening by pulling out one of
> the quickie adventures, and then put some meat into the new direction
> between sessions.  There will always be bunch of flying by the seat of the
> Marshal's pants, but usually just to get the filler adventures to blend in.

 Groovy.  Another approach, of course, is to write stories that happen with
 or without the players' intervention.  Characters, things which happen, and
 a timetable of events.  Again, it makes the players feel like they're in a
 more believable environment, and it leaves you more room to maneuver than
 if you've got a strictly linear adventure.

 An example of what I'm thinking of here is the best D&D scenario I've played,
 part of our mortality-rate-of-doom campaign.  The GM had found an adventure
 pack which had a full village in it - map, characters, prices, culture,
 everything.  As far as I know he hacked the adventure about til it was
 unrecognisable, but the fact that he had a whole village ready to rock was
 fantastic.  We really got the feel of working against a deadline, and when
 we did something off-beat (seducing one of the cogs in the big conspiracy
 wheel, or leaving town and coming back in disguise as a travelling circus
 group) he didn't bat an eyelid, because everything he needed to cover any
 eventuality was right there in front of him.

 I know this kind of thing won't work for every type of adventure, but you
 might want to try writing up a town and some events, rather than a railroad
 adventure, to see how it goes.  I find I have a lot more fun as GM in a
 situation like that.

 Wishkah the new guy

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