Re: [DL] Fudging

[jmb@dwarven.co.uk (John Billings)]

On Thu, Mar 13, 2003 at 12:55:09PM -0500, Michael Sprague wrote:
> > I ask because last session i was desperatly
> > trying to 'kill' a PC so that she could become harrowed (player is
> > bored with being a fourth wheel in a group of PCs with 'powers').
> 
> Isn't the term "fifth wheel?"  :-) 

it would be, but it's a posse of 4 :-P

> This area is a lot more difficult, and
> fudging should maybe not be done.  Had you talked to the player ahead of
> time?  I'm not saying you always should, but you need to make sure that the
> player would be interested in that sort of thing.

The potential harrowed is aware, but the other players are currently not - 
and the player doesn't know much about how a harrowed works or survives -
I figure that if the other players can't be sure she's dead, the re-
introduction could make an interesting story line.

> Be careful of "forcing" something on players.  The following examples are
> not the same as what you were trying to do, but ...

I guess i'm sort of forcing it on the rest of the posse, but possibly that's
an indictment on my abilities to handle a posse.  I'm still learning...

> I remember back on one adventure where the DM (yes, D&D) decided that the
<snip>
> to move things along.

Hrm... i'd say he made a bad decision. :)  It's an easy trap to fall in when
you're not thinking outside the box, i guess.

> On the flip side, some players absolutely can't stand to be captured (or
<Snip>
> all had fun.

That sort of gamer will react badly to just about anything i suspect..

> So what I guess I'm saying is if you want to force something to happen, just
> make sure circumstances surrounding it are not lame ... and even if they are
> not, some players still take great exception to being "railroaded" into
> something.

I think that's where i smegged it up - the circumstances were lame.
I'll think of something new.

> > With hindsight, i probably should have noticed the chipstack and
> > ground her down a bit first with some guts checks and random rock
> > falls or whatever, which would have made it easier, but I also
> > played the minions exactly by the rules - was this my (non-)fatal
> > mistake?  I dunno.  Anyway, comments and suggestions appreciated.
> 
> Sounds like you have already isolated what you could have done better.  :-)

heh.. it's always 20:20, innit..