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General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
Suspense in RPGs
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<blockquote data-quote="Tony Vargas" data-source="post: 7448976" data-attributes="member: 996"><p>That's really the point: you absolutely can have suspense, even if you know the ultimate outcome. Heck, re-watching a Hitchcock movie can still be suspenseful. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite2" alt=";)" title="Wink ;)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=";)" /> In an RPG, the player often knows more about the probabilities and mechanisms of what's going on, not only than their character, but than a hypothetical reader/viewer being told their story, which can get pretty close to 'knowing the outcome,' so it's harder to do suspsense.</p><p></p><p>It obvious/intuitive answer is, "well, make it easier, then!" Take more resolution behind the screen, keep modifiers and the like secret, roll player dice as well as monster dice back there. Just put the player in the deep, scary, dark, and leave him there. </p><p></p><p>That may not always be a good answer. It could rob the player of some of the experience, some of the 'agency,' and even lead to frustration rather than suspense. </p><p></p><p>So, since it /is/ possible to have suspense even without much uncertainty about ultimate outcome, in, say, the movies, how can we do it in RPGs? Building a 'pause' before the final resolution by introducing more complications/challenges that add up to management-resource-metagame 'costs' might be one way to do it.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Tony Vargas, post: 7448976, member: 996"] That's really the point: you absolutely can have suspense, even if you know the ultimate outcome. Heck, re-watching a Hitchcock movie can still be suspenseful. ;) In an RPG, the player often knows more about the probabilities and mechanisms of what's going on, not only than their character, but than a hypothetical reader/viewer being told their story, which can get pretty close to 'knowing the outcome,' so it's harder to do suspsense. It obvious/intuitive answer is, "well, make it easier, then!" Take more resolution behind the screen, keep modifiers and the like secret, roll player dice as well as monster dice back there. Just put the player in the deep, scary, dark, and leave him there. That may not always be a good answer. It could rob the player of some of the experience, some of the 'agency,' and even lead to frustration rather than suspense. So, since it /is/ possible to have suspense even without much uncertainty about ultimate outcome, in, say, the movies, how can we do it in RPGs? Building a 'pause' before the final resolution by introducing more complications/challenges that add up to management-resource-metagame 'costs' might be one way to do it. [/QUOTE]
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