BobProbst
First Post
It occurred to me this morning that one of the principal sources of tension in a game is from the sense of danger. And that it's this tension that adds such a wonderful drama to the game -- it's this very palpable sense of danger that drives the adventure and is a major defining moment for the characters.
Fights/Combat are one of the methods for creating this feeling of danger (if the threat of death is truely present).
Moreover, the threat of a fight can create an even greater tension. It captures both the implied danger of violence and the unknown circumstances that may tilt the situation toward or away from a fight.
In Vince's Murder Mystery Pirate Adventure this threat of violence was very imminent:
There was the constant, real threat of a mutiny
de Oto's pending death if he couldn't prove his innocence
There were many different sources for the threat that had to be unravelled as well as varied motivations -- each was from a person who was very capable of injuring the players.
The sense of danger can be created in lots of other ways too. Players always expect the worst -- these fears can be simply played upon with the insertion of a mystery . . . a man in brown robes perhaps, who haunts their footsteps. An animal who always seems to be nearby. A distinct noise -- footsteps, the sound of wind when there is none, the rustle of a bush, howling, a bell -- especially when such noises are accompanied by a similarly distinct event!
Often it is the unmanifested danger that looms largest!
Fights/Combat are one of the methods for creating this feeling of danger (if the threat of death is truely present).
Moreover, the threat of a fight can create an even greater tension. It captures both the implied danger of violence and the unknown circumstances that may tilt the situation toward or away from a fight.
In Vince's Murder Mystery Pirate Adventure this threat of violence was very imminent:
There was the constant, real threat of a mutiny
de Oto's pending death if he couldn't prove his innocence
There were many different sources for the threat that had to be unravelled as well as varied motivations -- each was from a person who was very capable of injuring the players.
The sense of danger can be created in lots of other ways too. Players always expect the worst -- these fears can be simply played upon with the insertion of a mystery . . . a man in brown robes perhaps, who haunts their footsteps. An animal who always seems to be nearby. A distinct noise -- footsteps, the sound of wind when there is none, the rustle of a bush, howling, a bell -- especially when such noises are accompanied by a similarly distinct event!
Often it is the unmanifested danger that looms largest!