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*TTRPGs General
ry's Threats, Rewards, Assets, and Problems (TRAPs)
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<blockquote data-quote="Slapzilla" data-source="post: 3918276" data-attributes="member: 52781"><p>The Problem is the difficulty the PCs must overcome, solve or mitigate. The Threat is the immediate motivator. They can look like the same thing sometimes... like a forest fire. They can involve different aspects of the same thing... The Druids needing to complete a ritual as a forest fire bears down on them. They can be confusing too... The sea monster is wrecking the ship-which is the Problem and which is the Threat...the monster or the sinking? In the end, how you set it up is the answer.</p><p></p><p>In the forest fire example, if the PCs divert the fire long enough for the Druids to complete the ritual, then the Circle being in danger is the problem.</p><p></p><p>Problem: A Circle of Druids must complete a special ritual on time or the ancient forest will succumb to a necromancer's curse and fall into decrepitude.</p><p></p><p>Threat: A raging fire races to the ritual grounds. (Notice this won't cause HP damage to the PCs, but still a Threat)</p><p></p><p>Asset: A local village is full of able-bodied volunteer fire fighters.</p><p></p><p>Reward: Completion of the ritual and thwarting the curse.</p><p></p><p></p><p>Now if the PCs set the fire in order to thwart the ritual, then the Threat and the Asset switch places and the Reward is thwarting the ritual and completing the curse. </p><p></p><p>Take the Sea Monster situation;</p><p></p><p>Out at sea, a giant monster is attacking the ship and it is breaking apart fast.</p><p></p><p>Problem 1: Even the lifeboats are being destroyed and out floating on flotsam, the creature will still lurk... and feed.</p><p></p><p>Problem 2: The creature is so big and mostly underwater it is hard to do enough damage to it to at least fend it off.</p><p></p><p>How you set this Problem will dictate the associated Threat(s). It is up to you to decide the direction to a certain extent. The situation could go in many different ways. If the PCs split up, then both problems become 'active', each with their own Threats and Rewards. Being ready for multiple problems within a single situation will help you see what the real difficulty is in the situation and then see the difference between Problem and Threat.</p><p></p><p>Hope this helps.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Slapzilla, post: 3918276, member: 52781"] The Problem is the difficulty the PCs must overcome, solve or mitigate. The Threat is the immediate motivator. They can look like the same thing sometimes... like a forest fire. They can involve different aspects of the same thing... The Druids needing to complete a ritual as a forest fire bears down on them. They can be confusing too... The sea monster is wrecking the ship-which is the Problem and which is the Threat...the monster or the sinking? In the end, how you set it up is the answer. In the forest fire example, if the PCs divert the fire long enough for the Druids to complete the ritual, then the Circle being in danger is the problem. Problem: A Circle of Druids must complete a special ritual on time or the ancient forest will succumb to a necromancer's curse and fall into decrepitude. Threat: A raging fire races to the ritual grounds. (Notice this won't cause HP damage to the PCs, but still a Threat) Asset: A local village is full of able-bodied volunteer fire fighters. Reward: Completion of the ritual and thwarting the curse. Now if the PCs set the fire in order to thwart the ritual, then the Threat and the Asset switch places and the Reward is thwarting the ritual and completing the curse. Take the Sea Monster situation; Out at sea, a giant monster is attacking the ship and it is breaking apart fast. Problem 1: Even the lifeboats are being destroyed and out floating on flotsam, the creature will still lurk... and feed. Problem 2: The creature is so big and mostly underwater it is hard to do enough damage to it to at least fend it off. How you set this Problem will dictate the associated Threat(s). It is up to you to decide the direction to a certain extent. The situation could go in many different ways. If the PCs split up, then both problems become 'active', each with their own Threats and Rewards. Being ready for multiple problems within a single situation will help you see what the real difficulty is in the situation and then see the difference between Problem and Threat. Hope this helps. [/QUOTE]
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ry's Threats, Rewards, Assets, and Problems (TRAPs)
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