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Suspense in RPGs
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<blockquote data-quote="billd91" data-source="post: 7447735" data-attributes="member: 3400"><p>I think one way to build suspense is to feed the players more information that they wouldn't know but that show how their enemies are on the move. It's like the way a director keeps viewers on the edge of their seats - we see the main characters doing something, but we also see their antagonists at work - and now we're feeling tension and anticipation because we want the protagonists to prevail, but it's hard to be totally optimistic they will if the enemy is getting into a better position or nearing the completion of their goals - and we can see and feel the race against time...</p><p></p><p>I keep thinking of the late scenes from Alfred Hitchcock's <strong>Notorious</strong>. Cary Grant is with Ingrid Bergman and they have to escape her Nazi husband who has been poisoning her. But they keep drawing out the scene even though we've also seen her husband and his Nazi cronies and we know that if they don't get a move on and get out of the house both of them are in deep trouble. So there's this massive tension and you wonder if they will escape in time or she will die of the poison. If we didn't know the Nazis were about, much of the suspense in the scene would be gone. Same with things in <strong>Avengers: Infinity War</strong>. Much of the suspense in the movie comes not just from worrying about what's going to happen to our heroes, but also from us seeing how far advanced Thanos is in achieving his goal. </p><p></p><p>So if you want to give your players a bit more suspense, reveal how close their enemies are to their goals, reveal a few bits of info about the opposition and how nearby or dangerous they are, be a bit more free with info about the antagonists and let the players stew over it. If they don't know they have enemies or they're too nebulous and ill-defined, they might not even know that they should be worried.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="billd91, post: 7447735, member: 3400"] I think one way to build suspense is to feed the players more information that they wouldn't know but that show how their enemies are on the move. It's like the way a director keeps viewers on the edge of their seats - we see the main characters doing something, but we also see their antagonists at work - and now we're feeling tension and anticipation because we want the protagonists to prevail, but it's hard to be totally optimistic they will if the enemy is getting into a better position or nearing the completion of their goals - and we can see and feel the race against time... I keep thinking of the late scenes from Alfred Hitchcock's [b]Notorious[/b]. Cary Grant is with Ingrid Bergman and they have to escape her Nazi husband who has been poisoning her. But they keep drawing out the scene even though we've also seen her husband and his Nazi cronies and we know that if they don't get a move on and get out of the house both of them are in deep trouble. So there's this massive tension and you wonder if they will escape in time or she will die of the poison. If we didn't know the Nazis were about, much of the suspense in the scene would be gone. Same with things in [b]Avengers: Infinity War[/b]. Much of the suspense in the movie comes not just from worrying about what's going to happen to our heroes, but also from us seeing how far advanced Thanos is in achieving his goal. So if you want to give your players a bit more suspense, reveal how close their enemies are to their goals, reveal a few bits of info about the opposition and how nearby or dangerous they are, be a bit more free with info about the antagonists and let the players stew over it. If they don't know they have enemies or they're too nebulous and ill-defined, they might not even know that they should be worried. [/QUOTE]
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