The All Win Scenario - Part I

For a good, long time now, I've wanted to describe how I go about designing adventures for my RPG campaigns.

Sounds simple, huh?

It's not. At all.

I've made several attempts to put such a post together to varying degrees of fail.

The obstacles to effectively conveying my approach is that I seem unable to avoid making it sound one of two ways:

A) It keeps sounding like I am saying that my way is so awesome, so innovative, and just so superior to the 'mundane' approach.

That is not what I want. I also don't believe it to be true exactly.

My way works especially well for me, and players who've played with me as the GM seem to respond positively to my method. That doesn't make my way best for everyone, nor anyone else's way bad.

B) My other version makes it sound like I do nothing special. My approach is probably no different from anyone else's.

That is not true either. From conversations I've had with other GMs, even recently, I think I really look at scenario design a bit differently.

My conundrum therefore is how do I explain what makes my way interesting, and exciting, without touting my style as a divine gift to gamer-kind?

As Han Solo would say, "That's the real trick isn't it..."

I think the best thing I can do is just leave my ideas out here in the open. Please feel free to make your own judgments.

***

 

This post pre-supposes the creation, and running, of a long-term campaign of a sandbox nature. When I do short-campaign runs, and/or one-shots, I take a more traditional approach. My adventure design theory for those kinds of scenarios are probably not all that different from what anyone else would do for such a session.

***

 

So the first thing I do when designing scenarios for an ongoing campaign, is develop the campaign itself. That is to say, I figure out what I want to run, pitch it to my players, gage interest, and if it's there, tell them what game, and setting we'll be using. On occasion I will also tell them the gist of the campaign's overarching plot, or themes. Not always. Sometimes the setting is enough.

 

At this point, I brush up on the rules a little, more or less, based on my familiarity with the system. I usually custom design character sheets as well, or modify ones available free on the internet.

 

While the players design their characters, I do research on the subject of the campaign. I try to look up anything that would immediately relate to the campaign's genre, universe (if available), history, etc. Where, and when I am creating my own setting, I still do considerable research, but I spend less time there, and more time in the design /thinking phase.

 

Additionally, I gather, create, and organization artwork, including very general maps. If I have run a game in this milieu before, this task is much easier, but I always enjoy adding new material no ones seen before at the table.

 

I then consider the setting, the themes I want to address, and some genre related ideas for characters, and stories. Most of these are very loose, and downright vague. I jot them down in a spiral notebook, or notepad usually.

 

Next, I wait for the players to supply me with their PCs. If they are having trouble creating game compatible, or appropriate characters I talk with them, try to give them a wide range of suggestions, and point out source material that may help the players get a better feel for the campaign.

 

Now, let's say that after about a week, I have 6 PCs, all essentially finished. I look them over, make sure the rules, and notes are correct, and/or make sense (within the context of the game, of course). I take extra time to review their backgrounds. People in my gaming groups always make up fairly (to very) detailed backgrounds.

 

These backgrounds form the basis of my adventures. All my initial scenario ideas revolve around some element of the PCs' back stories. I mix and match parts from each background story given to me by the players, and I see if there are any possible connections, relationships, or shared histories I can establish between the PCs, and between the PCs, and the setting (including the NPCs).

 

Here is where I create a lot of the major NPCs, and organizations for the campaign. Players will often say things like, "My character was a former knight of some renown, until he was dishonored, and banished from his homeland". Cool. I now create the lord of that land, a few of the PC's former knightly colleagues, a distant relative, or friend he came to visit in the starting town, or something along those lines.

 

If one player mentions his character once worked for a mysterious, criminal mastermind, and another says he was the sidekick to a now retired hero, well DANG! Guess who's heroic mentor did battle with who's nefarious, former employer?

 

Now, here's where it gets weird...

 

After clarifying a few things with the players as needed, I place elements of the PCs' back stories in various places around the setting. I then consider how each will act, react, and interact with each other, the PCs, and the milieu at large. What is everyone's goals, motivations, fears, and what-have-you.

 

The PCs usually begin all together already. They don't tend to meet in a bar, although sometimes they will (or they are in the same place such as a sporting event, spaceport, large galley sinking in the middle of the ocean, the streets of New York during a multi-dimensional crisis...ya'know. The usual).

 

From this central 'starting line', they get to go anywhere. They can do anything. They can:

 

• Decide to pursue part of their backgrounds.
• See what the region's criminal element is up to.
• Research genre/setting specific secrets (i.e., What became of the USS. Galatea?)
• Create a new setting related component, like a new spell, a robot, etc.

 

As the campaign goes forward, I will have a better idea of what it's all about thanks to my players. They love to talk about their favorite campaign elements, the themes that work for them, and don't, and things they can't wait to do, or see.

 

I create these things, and NPC characters connected to them, and then sprinkle them about in the campaign region. I add in things I find interesting in the setting as well; parts of them game I'd like to see explored.

 

OK, that's how I start. Where do I go from there?

 

When do I create those detailed hex maps? Where do I write down my flavor text, and room descriptions? How do I approach NPC character sheets?

 

Yeah. I don't.

 

More to come...

 

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Barking Alien

Lock S-Foils In Attack Position

So guess what I get to run in a week or so?

Funny story...

Every Wednesday night I'm in a Superhero game on Google Hangouts. The system is the lightly crunchy, but pretty narrative Kapow!

We've been doing it for a while now (I've mentioned it before in passing), with an average assemblage of 4-5 players, plus the GM. The current campaign was essentially a spin-off of our original one, as the GM duties were passed from one fellow to another due to the former's hectic schedule.

In addition, the current GM does a neat thing where he switches from the PCs  doing battle with some villain in say, Seattle, to trying to stop a rampaging monster in Montana. Separate characters are used to cover the two locations, and the events always relate to each other. It is the same world, but we change up our characters periodically to tackle new scenarios taking place in separate locales, while our main PCs are back handling another situation.

Anyway...

Last Wednesday, for whatever reason, only two players showed up in addition to the GM (myself included). We were all pretty wiped out, and decided to forego and regular adventure, and just shoot the breeze. It was a blast, and I got to know the guys a little better, and vice versa.

We also discussed our gaming preferences, and which games we'd played, what we liked, what we didn't, etc. To make a long story as short as I can, my buddy Lloyd (of London - no really) is a big fan of the Cortex System by Margaret Weis Productions. He is especially fond of the newest edition of their Firefly RPG, which uses that system. Lloyd as made a point of noting that one of his worst RPG experiences was when he played the West End Games D6 Star Wars game. He ended up berating the game quite a bit.

Yeah, not on my watch.

I not only defended by beloved Star Wars D6, but explained that pretty much everything his previous GM did for the game sounded wrong. I do mean bad-wrong. Seriously. Just from his description I wasn't sure if the guy who ran it was familiar with the rules. Or with Star Wars for that matter.

I then issued a bit of a challenge. You see, I really don't like Firefly. I like Cortex just fine. It's not the game mechanics I'm talking about. It's the Firefly/Serenity universe. I find it really, really boring.

So I made him a deal - He runs one session of Firefly for the group on some off day, and I'll run Star Wars D6 on a different day. He has to convince me that the setting rocks, and I have to convince him that my favorite rules system rocks.

I feel that the Force is with me on this one. I'll keep you all posted.

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Barking Alien

Age of The Pussyfoot

  

WARNING: The Snark Level on this bad boy is pretty high.

I'm just griping about a pet peeve. Feel free to ignore me.

I had the pleasure of hanging out with a good friend of mine a few evenings back; one who just so happens to be a pretty damn good GM (high praise from me, as those who've read my blog before can attest).

While we hit upon a number of subjects, there was one that I knew I had to talk about here. It's something that's been bugging me for a while and I want to find out if other gamers have experienced the same thing.

In recent years I have been playing with very different groups of gamers than those I'd gamemastered for in the past. It should be noted, I'd played with my old New Jersey group in one form or another for almost 20 years before encountering/assembling the members of my current New York ones.

I've noted repeatedly that there are considerable differences in style, approach, and just over all synergy at times.

This is not to say my current groups aren't fantastic role-players and excellent gamers (not to mention just great people). It is more a question of us not sharing that intrinsic trust and understanding of each other, the kind that develops over time to the point where none of you have to think about it. 

In addition, our likes and dislikes, and our (though far from identical) 'Appendix N's* as it were, were much closer to each other in my older groups. We drew inspiration from the same or very similar creative sources.

My newer groups don't always gel as easily, but oh man, they CAN gel. When they do, it's priceless.

Now, on to my gripe...

The one area where we don't see eye-to-eye that pops up fairly often is in how timid, and often remote, the players are about putting their PCs in physical danger.

When encountering any given situation, I noticed a propensity for players to resort first to long range observation (such as a telescope, using sensors to scan, checking things out with heightened senses), followed by shorter ranged scans, followed by short range - nearly close up - observation, followed eventually by listening at the door. In between each of these 'investigations', the PCs will stop and spend as long as possible discussing the information they obtained from their observations and try to decide what to do about it. 

Where and when at all possible, they will launch a probe, send in a droid, or perhaps a henchmen, and otherwise see if they can interact with the gaming environment via remote control. Heaven forbid adventurers, explorers, and superheroes should walk over to the TV and actually press a button to change the channel.

Pure cowardice? Perhaps. But no, it's more than that.

From where I sit, there are several contributing factors here. The major ones are Gary Gygax, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and Computer games.

Thanks Uncle Gary!

For a large number of Gamemasters, especially those who call themselves 'Dungeonmasters', the relationship between themselves and the players is adversarial. It's a contest to see who can foil whom the most effectively, over the longest period of time.

This is helped by tales of Gygax himself and those who GMed D&D in its earliest incarnations. According to Gygaxian history and sciences such as ecology, biology, and biodiversity, the entirety of the average D&D setting is a thousand time worse than our homicidal home planet in After Earth**. The setting, the world, is actively out to kill you. The air has spores, treasure chests and furniture might try to eat you, there's likely a Trapper beneath your feet, and a Lurker Above over your head.

Those who grew up on a steady diet of this kind of gaming***, well, no wonder they're so paranoid. If they walk forward through the wrong door or tap the hidden wall panel that releases the spiked, 50 ton ball of rolling doom, or touch practically anything, the character they have grown to care about will die a meaningless, sad death in the bowls of some crazy priest's oversized basement.

Best to be extra, especially, super-duper, triple check careful.

It's not like you can just roll up another guy. Oh wait...

Make It So! Eventually.

Star Trek: The Next Generation took away many of the more military elements of the Original Series' universe, making Starfleet seem even less like an armed force. Phasers looked like dustbusters, uniform dress codes were fairly lax, and the flagship of the fleet carried scores of civilians (including children) into the unknown reaches of time warping, doomsday machine having, hostile alien having space. Genius.

However, they did keep true to one of the U.S. Army's most sacred tenets; Hurry Up and Wait.

Whether it's used to give out assignments to see if they can save the day or to see how their day-saving assignments are coming along, there is just nothing like a good board meeting.  The only thing better than working to stave off a catastrophe is getting the chance to sit and overthink how that can be done for a half an hour. Anything to kill the tension, fast paced action, and/or momentum of the story.

Good grief, shoot me.

The advanced technologies and futuristic setting simply give players more amazing and innovative ways to avoid physically doing very much.

Why beam down to a planet and have to deal with it's annoying natives when you can scan them, blast them, or beam them somewhere without ever having to leave the safety and comfort of your city-in-the-stars. Remember when we had to look at the landing site, talk to people, fist fight a Klingon, or maybe kiss an alien hottie (male or female)? Thank goodness that's over.

Soy milk, low fat, Raktajino latte anyone?

Just Farming Until I Get Better Gear.

Much of my frustration with the timid, tentative nature of so many players is aimed at the younger generation I'm afraid. I wish that wasn't the case, but looking at which players I feel overanalyze, and under-commit to action, and which ones think on their feet, and then take their chances, the more I think most of the latter are the older veterans.

This sucks, as it means, in part, that I am becoming the old grognard I have desperately been trying to avoid turning in to.

I blame Video Games. No seriously, I do.

A casual fan of them myself (though not a diehard fanatic by any means), computer, and video games, and especially MMOs, distance the player from the game experience in a way that is both subtle, and very different from the immersion you get in a good table top RPG.

As deeply connected as you can be with your character in some computer games, that fact that you don't create them to the level you do I a pen & paper game, makes them not as much 'yours'. If you think up a background, and a story for your MMO character, that's nice, but it doesn't effect your gameplay. The fluff you fleshed out in your mind have no bearing on your World of Warcraft character's interaction with the NPCs in the game, or the environments you travel to.

A side effect of this is that a fairly large portion of table top gamers who are also computer, and video gamers (and let's face it, that's a lot of people), see the investment in their PCs are either not worth it, or worth it, but then they have to keep them safe. Table top characters don't respawn. You don't get numerous lives. You get one. Best to safeguard it.

***

Normally, my game sessions run a good 8 hours on average. In 8 hours I am used to getting a lot done. I am constantly stunned and confused by people who describe their sessions in terms of a certain number of encounters (usually two or three tops) and a couple of role-playing sequences.

Seriously? Why do you bother? If I ain't getting in at least five role-playing scenes, two or three major plot reveals, two or three moments that progress some of the subplots, and at least two or three small battles with one or two major ones then hell, why did I leave my house to come to the game?

Now some campaigns have less combat by nature, some more or less subplots, but for the most part I am use to players taking in the situations, thinking on it for a few minutes tops, than initiating some course of action. After the action they see if they learned anything additional during the scenario, and if they did, it's time to regroup, plan their next move, and then perform that move, whatever it is. If they didn't learn anything new, take a moment to breath, and figure out how to learn more, or pursue their goals, and interests.

These are games. They are games in which the group playing the game combines their talents to create a work of narrative fiction overseen by die rolls.

Get active, make decisions, roll dice.

For Henson's sake, do something.

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Barking Alien

* We all know what Appendix N is by now right? Hmmm. May have to update mine.

** When I say, "A thousand time worse than After Earth", I don't mean worse than the actual movie. I don't like D&D, but jeez. After Earth just sucked.

*** Worse, those who continue to do so. Talk about an abusive relationship. I guess everyone gets off on different things. Whatever floats your boat brothers, and sisters.

Infinite Hope

"We must accept finite disappointment,

but never lose infinite hope."

 

Martin Luther King, Jr.

 

 

 

 

Happy Belated Birthday, MLK.

 

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Barking Alien

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thorough Thursdays : MEKTON

Prior to this post, I have only mentioned Mekton, the Japanese Anime/Manga themed Mecha Role-Playing Game created by Mike Pondsmith, and published by R. Talsorian Games, in blog entries thirteen times before.

That's just wrong.

The KG-6 Sleipnir, from the Anime Aldnoah Zero.

If there is a RPG among my list of tags whose number of related posts is the most inversely proportionate to the number of times I've run and played it, that game would have to be Mekton (although Teenagers from Outer Space and Star Wars would come in as close runner ups).*

Truth be told, I haven't run more than a handful of one-shots of it in the last several years. And, you know what? That's a damn shame. I love the game, I love robots, I love Anime, and it's a very simple system to learn, and play.

So why no Mekton for the man who loves mecha?

Same as with many other genres, my current group's opinions on the subject are too divided. All of us are Anime/Manga fans to a greater, or lesser degree, but our interests within the medium are very different. Some prefer gonzo comedy, others more romantic comedy. Most of us like some kind of action/adventure, or another, while slice of life stories interest about half of us (maybe a bit more).

As for Mecha Anime and Manga, I would say two of us love them, two like them, two don't really care about them one way, or another, and one or two don't actually like them that much. I think. I'm not sure where our newest member stands on the subject. I'll have to ask him.

Another thing that's held back my enthusiasm for giant robot gaming has been my lack of model building over the last five years (perhaps longer). I don't have the time, and I certainly don't have the disposable income, to purchase Gundam, and other series models, like I once did.

I've been a fan of Gunpla, and model building, painting, customizing, and kitbashing since I was about 11. After years of trying to get me interested in building model airplanes, and cars, my Dad took me to a store in New York City's Chinatown that sold Star Trek, and Star Wars models, and I discovered the early Mobile Suit Gundam kits. In subsequent years I would work for various comic book, toy, and gaming stores that sold these kits, and their vastly improved descendants.

Gunpla Customizing Contest

May 2013

While I was never much of a miniatures fan (though I did collect, and paint some on and off in my younger days), I found running Mekton without some kits around was like eating pumpkin pie without the whipped cream on top. You could do it, but it just wasn't the same.

I was digging through some old boxes of books a little while ago, and I found I still have one kit remaining, the packaging completely unopened. It's a favorite of mine, one I've built, and customized so many times I've lost count.

I think I'm going to give it a go. See if I still have the touch.

Anyway, that is it on Mekton for now. I could say a lot more, and perhaps I shall in future posts. If I can complete the kit I have, I'll post some pics of the finished product.

Hopefully I'll be able to get back to this game before too long. It is one of the rare crunchy games I like as well. While not overly complicated, and not nearly as math intensive as Champions, or even Mutants & Masterminds, it does have more combat rules, and construction options then I usually bother to deal with. For this reason I prefer Mekton II over Mekton Zeta. Mekton II, the game's second edition, is just chock full of building blocks enough without driving me wiggy with complexity.

Plus, there is a new edition on the horizon. Hmmm.


Alright, onward and upward...

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Barking Alien

*Teenagers from Outer Space, and Star Wars, are likely candidates for later Thorough Thursdays features.